Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I wrote this for class because we had to do a creative writing piece. It's just a little short almost like an excerpt. 

  Excerpt:

  The street was dark and dank, the air full of the moisture that was clinging to every surface it could reach.  A light blinked on and off in a window far atop a building, revealing and shadowing the ally with every turn. There was no movement besides the odd animal digging in the trash set out for pickup. The smell in the air was like soured milk, a mix of trash and other excrement making this street a place where no gentleman would be seen.

  A man shuffled through the cobbled roads, back hunched and leg dragging with a slight limp. His face was shadowed by a tall top hat which slid down repeatedly and obstructing his view. He pushed his long sleeves up, uncovering his course hands and gnarled fingers, in order to move the top hat up.

  The light above flickered on again as he was completing this movement, casting the darkness from his face. His jaw was set at an odd angle, eyes and cheek bones horribly disfigured. His gaze traveled up to the bulb, a scowl rippling over his yellowed skin. As he tipped his hat down and moved on, a lady rounded the corner moving quickly.

  She was dressed as a low class seamstress would be, a simple dress adorned with a bright blue ribbon at the waste. Despite the simplicity of the dress, it wasn’t able to lessen her natural beauty and figure. Her brow furrowed in thought, her lips puckering slightly as her eyes traced back and forth along the ground in front of her, as though she was sorting through her problems rather than seeing the stone below her feet.

  It was in this trance that she flitted across the street, not noticing the hunched over man. She looked up when they almost upon each other, eyes widening at the sight before her. She ducked her head respectfully after a few moments and stepped nimbly to the side.

  The hunched man passed; his coat brushing her shoulder. He stopped, a smile twisting the corners of his mouth up into a small grimace.

  The woman began to walk, her heart beating fast and her feet determined to match its pace. She gasped as his hands shot out and caught her arm, fingers pressing hard enough to make her wince.

  “You hit me.” His voice was raspy, like leather being scraped with sand paper. It sounded unnatural, ringing in her ears as though it had come from her own mind.

  She said nothing, mind skipping like a broken record, her own fear rendering her unable to function.   

  “Aren’t you going to apologize, as young ladies should to gentleman?”

  The woman’s head tilted back as her eyes snapped to his face with some certainty. Her lips trembled like leaves in the wind, but her glare was made of steel. “You are no gentleman.”

  The man’s face froze in a mask of fury, his red rimmed eyes widening and mouth gaping opening in a silent shout as his hands flew to the young girl’s throat.

  The light blinked out, shrouding them in darkness as her scream echoed off the buildings and faded into the night.

  The next morning there was a small crowd of well dressed people standing solemnly next to a lamp post. A closer look revealed that their clothes were shabby, patched in several places. A woman was standing apart from the others and crying.

  These heads turned when a well-dressed man walked slowly up the sidewalk, his sleek black suit and polished cane telling signs that he was not without power and wealth.

  He walked up to the crowd, eying the bouquets of flowers surround a famed picture of a beautiful young girl.

  The gentleman looked wary; his eyes tired and surrounded with dark circles, sweat beading on his brow.

  One of the mourners stepped up to the man, looking up to meet his eyes. “Did you know her, sir?”

  The air was still for a moment before the gentleman answered.

  “I may have seen her in passing.”

  Minutes later when he was alone on the street his wary demeanor peeled away, his frown turning to a crazed smile, eyes widening slightly as he turned away.

  A woman who was looking out her window saw his slightly bent for and wondered if she had seen him last night. But then he straightened and began to walk so she dismissed the thought. There was no reason a gentleman would be on that street after nightfall.

  His steps echoed on the building, the young girl’s screams returning to his ears as he laughed, twirling his cane and making his way home.