The Terror of London prt 2

2:05pm Griffin Residence
Jack was wearing a black and green cape. He grabbed the corners and waved his arms. “’Orrifying.” Griffin said.
“He looks like a gay bat. The ‘50s were rough, weren’t they?” Erin asked.
“I don’t remember much ‘bout the fifties. I think I was ‘igh.”
“Good old Griffin. Always ahead of the crowd.”

3:00pm Griffin Residence
Jack had explained Erin’s predicament to Griffin. “Well, as you know old chap, I’m good at changing things, but not so much at changing them back.” Griffin replied. Erin frowned.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“See for yourself.” Griffin took a glass of water and poured on his head. His skin began to melt. No, not skin, cream. It rolled down his head, revealing… nothing. He wiped his face with a cloth, showing more of the nothingness. When his head was completely transparent, he leaned forward. Erin peered into his neck and saw his clothes were hollow.
“Erin, meet Griffin, the Invisible Man.”

3:02pm Griffin Residence
“He’s real? What, is Dr. Jekyll real? How about Dracula?” Erin said.
“Dracula is fictional.”
“Dr. Jekyll was once a colleague of mine.” Erin gawked. Griffin stood and washed his hands. As the cream washed away, his nothingness spoke. “I might be able to whip something up, dear. No promises, though.
Jack leaned over to Erin and whispered in her ear. “Keep your legs closed.”

6:00pm Griffin Residence
Jack lay down for a nap. Erin was curled up in a plush chair. Griffin had gone off to his lab to try and create a concoction for her. Erin was almost asleep when she heard a door squeak on its hinges. She glanced lazily around, but saw nothing. She closed her eyes.
She heard heavy breathing. Erin glanced around, but again saw nothing. She reached out, and her hand gripped something long and hard. “Griffin, this better be your finger.”
“Sorry, darling. It’s not.” Erin squeezed harder, her nails digging into the invisible cylinder of flesh. She felt something warm and sticky coat her fingers as Griffin howled in pain.

6:30pm Griffin Residence
A limp cylinder of bandages hung in mid-air. Griffin moaned quietly as Erin glared at the empty space above it. Jack walked in the room, eyed the two, and sighed. “Griffin, you bloody imbecile, I told you the Erin is evil.”
“I’m the evil one? You’re a satanic cannibal and he’s a mad scientist!”
“You just man ’andled my cricket equipment!”
“Can’t you just masturbate? Like every other male on the god damned planet?”
“I was. And then you reached for it. “Ow am I supposed to deny you m meat and vegetables?” Erin scowled at Jack, since she couldn’t see Griffin. He pursed his lips, and then turned to Griffin’s general direction.
“Any luck with the antidote?”
“Possibly.” The tub of cream on the table opened, then Griffin smeared some on his face. He left the room for a moment, and then returned with 3 syringes. He handed Erin one containing a crimson liquid. “Inject yourself in your left hip. I’d ‘ave done it myself, but…”
“I understand.” Erin pulled the waist of her skirt down, revealing her hip. She stabbed herself with the needle, and pressed down the plunger.
The effect was immediate. Pain shot through her body. Her fingernails dulled, ad her teeth were as well. Her eyesight blurred, slightly, then she suddenly felt woozy. She collapsed in a plush chair.
“I think it worked.” Griffin held up a finger, which was stained white from the cream.
“Wait.” Erin furrowed her eyebrows. Then she cried out in pain. Her body felt like it was on fire. Her nails lengthened in seconds, and her teeth became razor sharp. Her eyesight became crystal clear, and she could see the dust particles floating in mid-air and resting on Griffin’s shoulders. Jack raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. She felt like she could lift anything, and she had the urge to devour Griffin. Then she slowly drifted back to how she felt minutes before.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Jack asked. Griffin sighed.
“I call it the rubber band effect.” He said as e picked up a rubber band. “My mixtures are abnormal, even if the one taking it is abnormal.” He pulled the center of the rubber band, making a < shape. “Then it snaps back to the ‘normal’ abnormal.” He released the band. “Before that happens, the symptoms of the normal abnormality are heightened.” He injected himself with a syringe full of green liquid. The chemical flowed through his transparent veins, webbing through his body. The colors faded, then black hair from pale arms, slowly becoming visible. A tanned man wearing nothing but white paste and bandages stood in front of Erin. She glanced at the bloody bandages and cringed.
“Did I do that?”
“Yes. It ‘urts like ‘ell.” His body jerked, then his bark skin turned pale, then transparent. Griffin became invisible, and then things seen through him became blurry. He turned white, but not skin white, or paper white. This white was the color of nothing, ant stung Erin and Jack’s eyes. His whole body became radiant, and then he injected himself with the final syringe. The clear liquid pulsed through the nothingness, then Griffin faded back to invisible. “The more you slingshot back to your ‘normal’, the more abnormal your normal is.”
“So if I took that several times, it would change me faster?”
“Precisely.” Erin let that sink in. “So… I’m a freak forever?”
“You’ll eventually die. I’ll be the one who will be a freak forever.” Jack spat.
“Jack, I didn’t mean it like tha-“
“Frankly, luv, I don’t give a damn how you meant it.” He stormed off. Erin slumped in her chair. Then something clicked in her mind.
“Why not slingshot backwards?” Griffin raised an eyebrow. “Make me a monster, then I’ll snap back to this,” Erin gestured to her current state, “And I’ll slowly turn human again!”
Griffin nodded. “Brilliant. That’s so stupid it might just work. One problem, though. I can’t turn you into a monstrosity. Only one person has mastered that.”
“Who?”
“Professor Henry Jekyll.”

6:45pm Griffin Residence
Jack heard the whole conversation. He didn’t want Erin to go through the hell he had to live with forever. He knew what he had to do. He gathered his belongings, and that night, Jack left.

7:05pm
Herbert Derange was discharged from the hospital.

7:30pm
Mrs. Derange, Herbert’s mother, was confused. Her son kept repeating two names she had never heard Herbert say before. Jack and Aaron.

8:00am Griffin Residence
Erin woke up screaming. She hadn’t been having a nightmare, but rather, she was dreaming about Jack. She thought about him a lot lately. She rolled out of bed, and then headed for his room. She was determined to apologize to him. His door was locked. She knocked, but there was no response. She knocked again. Nothing. She went and woke up Griffin and demanded a key. Griffin got up and rummaged through his nightstand, and presented Erin with the key. Erin returned to Jacks room, unlocked it, and found it empty.

12:00pm Griffin Residence
Jack hadn’t returned. Erin was worried sick. Where could he be? Griffin tried to condole her, but to no avail. Frankly, he was worried about his old friend as well.

3 days later
A FedEx truck pulled up to the Griffin Residence. Erin signed for the package, claiming to be Griffins wife. She set the package on the table next to Griffin, who was dressed in a tuxedo. He raised an eyebrow. “What the ‘ell is this?”
“It’s for you.” Griffin opened the box, and pulled out a small note.
He’s ours now.
The signature was an unusual symbol Erin had never seen before.




Griffin gasped. Erin looked into the box, seeing it held one other item.

It was a bloody top hat.