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“I don’t know,” Hyde admitted, his voice sounding completely different now.
He sat down on the bed, creating a permanent indentation in the mattress because he seemed to weigh much more in this form than as a mere human. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. He was thinking.
He expected this to happen. Of course he did. It was just a matter of time before Culore found him and Parker, and he was crazy to delude himself, thinking he actually might be able to escape and live the life that he always wanted, that seemed so close now that Rene was in it. He was stupid to believe this. He felt like kicking himself in the ass for this.
“Are you OK?” Rene sat down next to him.
The sound of her voice shook him. He lifted his head and gazed at her. She was so beautiful, as if she didn’t belong to this world.
Rene locked her eyes with his, but she had no idea what was going on inside his head. She desperately wanted to know, but there was a barrier he wouldn’t allow her to cross.
“Jesse is right,” he scoffed, “we need to figure out what to do with him.”
“Can’t we just let him go?” Rene wondered naively.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jesse snorted.
“We already did that once,” Hyde suddenly revealed. “It didn’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we fought once. I won. I didn’t kill him. I just couldn’t. I wanted the bloodshed to end once and for all. For my father’s sake.”
Rene didn’t need any further explanations. She looked at Culore. He was still breathing calmly, soaking up the conversation that was happening around him.
“So, we have to kill him now?” she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.
“I see no other solution,” Hyde sighed.
She was sure that he didn’t want to do this. Killing wasn’t in his blood. No matter what he looked like now, a bloodthirsty animal, she was sure that she knew the real him, and that Hyde wouldn’t harm a fly, unless that fly wanted to harm his family. He would only attack to defend his loved ones, just as he was doing now. She was sure of it.
“What do you think?” Hyde asked Jesse.
“I agree,” Jesse nodded. “He’ll never stop hunting us. Even though he knows we won’t be coming back, you won’t be coming back, he knows you are a threat to him and his clan if you ever decided to come back after all. And besides, you can never make a deal with someone like Culore. He is the Devil incarnate.”
Having listened to Jesse’s words, Hyde got up. It took him a few painful moments during which he slowly, achingly, releasing a loud scream, transformed back into a human. His upper body was naked, but now, there was no trace of that bushy hair anywhere. Rene felt a sudden need to press her open palms against his chest, just to make sure it was his heart beating inside that majestic chest. But, she resisted the temptation.
Hyde walked around Culore a few times. He was lost in thought, and neither Rene nor Jesse wanted to interrupt him. This was his decision to make, his cross to bear. They could only help him carry a small part of the burden, but the biggest part was still on him.
“I guess there really is nothing else to do,” he started, raking his fingers through his lush curls, “but to end this, once and for all.”
He sighed heavily. He looked around. He saw nothing resembling a weapon. If he was going to end it, he would do it painlessly, as quickly as possible. It wasn’t his intention to make Culore suffer. He never wanted to make anyone suffer, no matter how much harm they did him.
He pointed his palms upward, gazing at them, as if he was seeing them for the first time, as if he didn’t even know they were there. His fingers danced, assuring him they were ready for the role he was about to bestow upon them. They wouldn’t let him down. They would squeeze, and pre
ss, and clasp, until all semblance of life was lost in their object of pressure.
Without a word of warning, Culore lifted his head. Little drops of sweat were shining on his suntanned forehead, raked with deep, long lines, revealing that he was much older than they believed at first glance. He was grinning. The sight was ghastly. His yellow stained teeth baring themselves before them, like a threat of some unknown danger about to come their way.
Rene took a step back. Even though she was sure that this man was rendered motionless, tied to that chair safely and securely, she still didn’t want to be within arm’s reach of him. He was the kind of bad guy you’d expect to fall down after getting shot ten times, but you know he’d jump up for that final scare, his claw-like hands aiming at you to grab you and take you with him to the Underworld. She hated those.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Culore hissed like a wounded snake, trying to buy himself some time and slither off into the grass.
“Your opinion is worthless here, old man,” Hyde shook his head, exasperated.
Rene allowed herself a smile. She was in awe how Hyde never purposely insulted anyone, even when that person wanted to kill him. His soul was pure, she could feel that.
“I know something you don’t know,” Culore sang.
