The candlelight flickered dimly in Henry's laboratory, casting twisting shadows across the walls. Night had fallen outside the tall Gothic windows of his London townhouse. Amidst the clutter of vials and beakers, Henry paced back and forth, clutching at his hair as he muttered to himself.

"I mustn't give in. I must resist Hyde!" But the gruff, taunting voice in his mind grew more insistent.

"Come now Henry, stop fighting me! You know you want to be free of your tiresome morals. Drink the potion and let me out to play!"

Henry's fingers twitched towards the bubbling vial atop his worktable, where the ominous red liquid glinted in the candlelight. How easy it would be to escape into sweet oblivion and let his monstrous alter ego take over. But no - he couldn't risk the mayhem Hyde would unleash under cover of night.

"I should destroy this cursed formula once and for all!" Henry declared aloud to the empty room. Yet even as his fingers closed around the vial, he hesitated. He imagined the exhilarating liberation Hyde brought, free of societal constraints. Without that reckless abandon, would the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll suffocate him completely?

Trembling, Henry sank onto a stool, head in hands as he fought the addictive craving pulsing through his veins. Hyde's rasping laugh echoed in his mind.

"Go on Henry, smash it! But you need me, you weak-willed fool. You'll never be rid of me!"

Henry rose sharply, vial poised to hurl into the hearth's fiery depths. But paralyzing doubt stilled his hand. The temptation writhed inside him as the choice hung in balance...