Chapter 134 — Henry Is Still There
Henry opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Brook stood near the centre of the guardhouse, his body tense.
Crowley remained against the wall.
Rick had his sword in his hand.
Sera stood beside Shoyo.
Henry looked from one face to another.
Then sighed.
"That's not a good sign."
Nobody lowered their guard.
Henry slowly sat up.
"Right."
He rubbed his face.
"What happened?"
Brook watched him carefully.
Henry noticed.
"Oh, come on."
Brook didn't answer.
Henry looked toward Crowley.
"You too?"
Crowley shrugged.
"I've seen worse."
Henry stared.
"That somehow makes me feel worse."
Crowley smiled faintly.
For a moment, it felt normal.
Then Henry looked down at his hands.
The ropes were still lying on the floor beside him.
Broken.
His smile disappeared.
"I did that?"
Rick answered.
"Apparently."
Henry slowly picked up one of the pieces.
The rope had been torn apart.
Not cut.
Not burned.
Pulled.
Henry dropped it.
"I don't remember."
Brook finally spoke.
"That's the problem."
Henry looked at him.
Brook stepped closer.
"What do you remember?"
Henry sighed.
"We already did this."
"Do it again."
Henry's expression hardened slightly.
Brook noticed.
"Brook."
"What?"
"Stop looking at me like that."
Brook said nothing.
Henry stood.
Rick immediately raised his sword.
Henry looked at him.
"Seriously?"
Rick didn't lower it.
Henry laughed once.
"Fine."
He slowly sat back down.
"Ask."
Brook folded his arms.
"What happened after the creature entered you?"
Henry stared at the floor.
"I remember screaming."
Brook nodded.
"I remember you holding me down."
Henry looked up.
"You were."
Brook waited.
Henry's face tightened.
"Then nothing."
Crowley stepped forward.
"You don't remember speaking?"
Henry frowned.
"Speaking?"
"To us."
Henry looked around the room.
"What did I say?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Henry noticed.
"Oh, great."
Crowley sighed.
"You told us Elias would be happy."
Henry became still.
"What?"
"You spoke about him."
Henry shook his head.
"No."
Crowley continued.
"You knew his name."
Henry stood again.
"I've heard his name."
"You didn't speak like you had simply heard it."
Henry's face changed.
"What did I say?"
Crowley looked toward Brook.
Brook answered.
"You asked Sera if she wanted to know what Elias does when he's bored."
Henry stared at him.
Brook continued.
"You said he doesn't kill people quickly."
Silence.
Henry looked sick.
"I didn't say that."
Brook didn't respond.
Henry looked toward Sera.
She hadn't said anything since he woke up.
Henry took a step toward her.
Brook immediately moved between them.
Henry stopped.
"Seriously?"
Brook didn't move.
Henry looked at Sera around him.
"I didn't say that."
Sera finally looked at him.
"I know."
Henry's face tightened.
"Then why is everyone acting like I'm lying?"
Sera didn't answer.
That was worse.
Henry turned away.
He walked to the wall and leaned against it.
Nobody stopped him.
Nobody spoke.
The silence lasted too long.
Henry finally said:
"I'm still here."
Brook looked at him.
Henry kept his back turned.
"I can hear all of you thinking it."
Crowley frowned.
"Thinking what?"
Henry laughed bitterly.
"That maybe I'm not."
He turned around.
His eyes were normal.
Brown.
Tired.
Human.
"Maybe you think I came back wrong."
Brook didn't answer.
Henry nodded.
"Exactly."
Shoyo finally moved.
She approached Henry slowly.
He watched her.
"What?"
Shoyo stopped in front of him.
"I need to examine you."
Henry raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds unpleasant."
"It probably will be."
Henry sighed.
"At least you're honest."
Shoyo held out her hand.
Henry looked at it.
Then took it.
Brook watched carefully.
Shoyo closed her eyes.
For several seconds—
nothing happened.
Then Henry's body tensed.
Brook immediately moved forward.
Henry gritted his teeth.
"Don't."
Shoyo opened her eyes.
"What?"
"Don't stop."
Brook frowned.
Henry looked at him.
"I can feel it."
The room became quiet.
Sera stepped closer.
"Feel what?"
Henry swallowed.
"Something."
Shoyo tightened her grip.
Henry's breathing changed.
He looked toward the floor.
Then suddenly—
his expression went blank.
Brook moved.
"Henry."
No answer.
Henry slowly turned his head.
His eyes remained normal.
That somehow made it worse.
Crowley raised his hand.
"Don't get close."
Henry smiled.
Not naturally.
The same smile.
Brook stopped.
Henry's voice was quiet.
"He's still afraid."
Brook stared at him.
Sera's face hardened.
Henry looked toward her.
"But not of me."
Shoyo released Henry's hand.
Henry fell backward.
Brook caught him.
Henry gasped.
Then looked around.
"What happened?"
Brook stared at him.
Henry noticed.
"Oh."
He pushed himself away from Brook.
"It did it again."
Nobody answered.
Henry rubbed his arms.
"How long?"
"Seconds."
Brook said.
Henry nodded slowly.
"What did it say?"
Brook looked toward Shoyo.
She was studying Henry now.
Henry sighed.
"Great."
Shoyo walked toward the table where the old book remained open.
She turned several pages.
Crowley followed her.
"What did you find?"
"Nothing yet."
Crowley looked at the book.
"That's reassuring."
Shoyo ignored him.
Brook approached.
"Can you get it out?"
Shoyo stopped turning pages.
Henry looked at her.
The question mattered more to him than anyone else.
Shoyo slowly closed the book.
"I don't know."
Henry looked away.
Brook's jaw tightened.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Shoyo looked at him.
"I mean I have never encountered something exactly like this."
Crowley folded his arms.
"But you've seen something similar."
Shoyo nodded.
"Once."
Henry looked at her.
"Was it inside someone?"
Shoyo hesitated.
Henry's face changed.
"Shoyo."
"Yes."
Henry went quiet.
Brook looked at her.
"What happened?"
Shoyo's expression remained still.
"The host died."
Nobody spoke.
Henry looked at the floor.
"Did you save them?"
Shoyo didn't answer.
Henry laughed quietly.
"Right."
Brook stepped forward.
"We're not doing that."
Shoyo looked at him.
"I didn't say we were."
"You didn't have to."
Brook's voice hardened.
"Henry isn't dying because we don't understand something."
Henry looked up.
Brook continued.
"We'll figure it out."
Henry watched him for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"That's a lot of confidence for a guy who has no idea what he's doing."
Brook looked at him.
"Shut up."
Henry laughed.
A real laugh.
For a moment.
Then it disappeared.
Henry looked down.
"I don't want to hurt any of you."
Nobody answered.
He looked toward Sera.
Especially her.
Sera walked toward him.
Brook watched but didn't stop her.
Henry looked nervous.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
Sera sat beside him.
"Neither do I."
Henry looked at her.
Sera gave him a small smile.
"But I'm tired of being afraid of things that want me afraid."
Henry stared at her.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
The afternoon passed slowly.
No attacks.
No sudden transformations.
Nothing.
That became its own kind of torture.
Brook remained awake.
Crowley eventually left the room to speak with Hades.
Rick stood outside the entrance.
Shoyo continued reading.
Sera slept for a while against the wall.
Henry sat alone.
Brook watched him.
Eventually, Henry looked over.
"You know, if you keep staring at me, I'm going to start charging you."
Brook didn't look away.
"Can't sleep."
Henry nodded.
"Me neither."
Brook waited.
Henry looked at the floor.
"Do you think it'll happen again?"
Brook answered honestly.
"Yes."
Henry sighed.
"Good."
Brook frowned.
Henry looked at him.
"Not good."
"I know."
Henry leaned his head against the wall.
"I just don't want to be surprised."
Brook didn't know what to say.
So he sat beside him.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Henry said:
"When it takes me…"
Brook turned.
Henry continued.
"I don't feel like I'm asleep."
Brook waited.
"I can hear things."
Brook's body became still.
Henry looked toward his hands.
"Sometimes."
Brook asked quietly:
"What things?"
Henry swallowed.
"People."
Brook stared.
Henry continued.
"I thought it was a dream."
The room seemed colder.
"Voices."
Henry said.
"Lots of them."
Crowley had returned.
He stopped at the doorway.
Brook noticed.
Henry continued.
"They're screaming."
Sera woke.
Shoyo looked up.
Henry hadn't noticed.
He stared at the floor.
"Sometimes they're begging."
Brook slowly stood.
"Henry."
Henry shook his head.
"Sometimes I can see things."
His breathing became heavier.
"A room."
Shoyo approached.
Henry continued.
"White walls."
Crowley became still.
Brook looked at him.
Henry said:
"Someone is standing there."
His hands began shaking.
"Writing."
Crowley asked:
"Who?"
Henry looked up.
His eyes were full of fear.
"I don't know."
His voice broke.
"But I think…"
He stopped.
Brook stepped toward him.
"What?"
Henry looked directly at Brook.
"I think he's me."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Henry shook his head violently.
"No."
Brook grabbed his shoulders.
"Henry."
"No."
Henry pulled away.
"I saw myself."
Sera stood.
"That's impossible."
Henry laughed.
"Yeah."
His face changed.
"But there were others too."
Brook stared.
Henry looked toward Shoyo.
"They looked like me."
Shoyo's expression changed.
Crowley noticed.
"What?"
Shoyo didn't answer.
Brook turned toward her.
"What?"
Henry whispered:
"I don't think those memories belong to me."
The room went silent.
Shoyo finally spoke.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
Her voice was low.
"They don't."
Brook frowned.
"Then whose are they?"
Shoyo looked at Henry.
Then at the darkening window.
"Previous hosts."
Henry stopped breathing.
Brook looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Crowley answered before Shoyo could.
"It means whatever entered Henry…"
He looked toward Henry.
"…has been inside other people."
Henry stared at the ground.
Sera moved closer to him.
"How many?"
Crowley didn't answer.
Henry slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became uneven.
Then—
he opened them.
For one second, the blackness returned.
Brook immediately reached for him.
Henry grabbed his own head.
"No."
The blackness disappeared.
Henry gasped.
Brook crouched in front of him.
"Henry."
Henry looked at him.
His eyes were normal again.
But tears were running down his face.
Brook had never seen Henry look so afraid.
Henry whispered:
"I'm still here."
Brook nodded.
"I know."
Henry grabbed his arm.
"Promise me."
Brook looked at him.
Henry's fingers tightened.
"Promise me you won't let me disappear."
Brook didn't hesitate.
"I promise."
Henry held his gaze.
For the first time since the creature entered him—
he looked relieved.
Then he closed his eyes.
Brook stayed beside him.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere inside Henry—
something else listened.
Something that remembered every promise ever made to it.
And every person who had eventually broken one.
End of Chapter 134