Chapter 133 — Inside Henry
Henry screamed until his voice broke.
Brook dropped beside him.
"Henry!"
Crowley grabbed Brook's shoulder.
"Don't touch him."
Brook shoved his hand away.
"He's my friend."
"And whatever is inside him may not be."
Henry's body twisted.
Brook froze.
The blackness moved beneath Henry's skin.
Not on top of it.
Inside.
Like something swimming through his veins.
Sera stepped forward.
"Henry."
Henry's eyes found her.
For a second—
they were his.
"Get it out."
His voice cracked.
"Get it out of me."
Then his body jerked.
His hand grabbed Brook's wrist.
The strength behind it surprised him.
Henry's fingers tightened.
Brook tried to pull away.
Henry looked directly into his eyes.
And smiled.
"He's still alive."
Brook's expression hardened.
"What?"
Henry's grip released.
He began screaming again.
The blackness moved beneath his neck.
Henry slammed his own head against the stone.
Once.
Twice.
Brook grabbed him.
"Stop!"
Henry fought.
Brook held him down.
Crowley shouted something behind them.
Rick moved the civilians farther away.
Hades's guards finally arrived.
Brook barely noticed.
Henry was struggling beneath him.
"Brook!"
Henry shouted.
"I'm here."
"Don't let it—"
His voice stopped.
Henry's body became completely still.
Brook waited.
Then Henry slowly opened his eyes.
The blackness was gone.
"Henry?"
Henry blinked.
Then looked around.
"Why are you sitting on me?"
Brook stared at him.
Henry frowned.
"Seriously?"
Brook slowly stood.
Henry sat up.
He touched his face.
Then looked at his hands.
"What happened?"
Nobody answered.
Henry looked around.
Brook.
Sera.
Crowley.
Rick.
Shoyo.
The guards.
Then he saw the people standing at a distance.
"Why is everyone looking at me?"
Crowley spoke.
"Because something entered your body."
Henry stared.
"No."
Crowley nodded.
"Yes."
Henry laughed.
Then stopped.
He looked down.
His hands were shaking.
"I don't remember."
Brook crouched in front of him.
"What do you remember?"
Henry swallowed.
"I was getting food."
Brook nodded.
"Then?"
Henry thought.
"I heard screaming."
His eyes moved toward the street.
"I came outside."
Brook waited.
Henry looked down.
"And then…"
His face changed.
"What?"
Brook asked.
Henry pressed his fingers against his temple.
"I remember something hitting me."
Sera stepped closer.
"The creature."
Henry looked at her.
"What creature?"
Nobody spoke.
Henry slowly stood.
He looked around again.
"You're serious."
Brook nodded.
Henry laughed once.
"Great."
His expression collapsed.
"Great."
Hades arrived several minutes later.
Brook expected anger.
Instead, the King looked at Henry.
"Bring him."
Brook stepped forward.
"No."
Hades looked at him.
"This is my city."
Brook's hand moved toward his weapon.
Hades's guards immediately reacted.
Crowley stepped between them.
"Both of you."
Brook stared at Hades.
Hades stared back.
Crowley sighed.
"Wonderful."
Shoyo approached.
"The creature isn't natural."
Hades looked at her.
"Obviously."
Shoyo continued.
"And if it has entered Henry, moving him through your city will only put more people at risk."
Hades's eyes narrowed.
"What do you suggest?"
Shoyo looked toward Henry.
"We isolate him."
Henry raised a hand.
"Thank you for saying it like I'm right here."
Nobody responded.
Henry slowly lowered his hand.
"Fair."
Hades considered it.
Then nodded.
"One of the old guardhouses."
Brook looked at him.
"No guards inside."
Hades's expression hardened.
"That isn't negotiable."
Brook stepped forward.
"It is if—"
Crowley grabbed him.
Brook looked at him.
Crowley shook his head.
Brook exhaled.
Then looked toward Hades.
"Fine."
The guardhouse was empty.
Mostly.
A stone building near the outer section of Remus.
One entrance.
Two windows.
Thick walls.
Brook hated it.
Henry sat in the centre of the room.
His hands were tied.
He looked at the rope.
Then at Brook.
"Really?"
Brook didn't answer.
Henry looked toward Rick.
"You agreed to this?"
Rick shrugged.
Henry stared.
Rick looked away.
Henry looked toward Sera.
"You too?"
Sera didn't answer.
Henry sighed.
"Good to know how much everyone trusts me."
Brook finally spoke.
"It's not you."
Henry looked at him.
"Then untie me."
Brook didn't move.
Henry nodded.
"Exactly."
Silence.
Shoyo crouched near the doorway.
The black substance had left a thin trail across the street before entering Henry.
She was studying it.
Crowley stood beside her.
Brook watched.
"Do you know what it is?"
Shoyo didn't answer immediately.
"No."
Crowley looked down.
"You've seen it before."
Shoyo looked at him.
Crowley waited.
She finally nodded.
"Once."
Brook walked over.
"When?"
Shoyo looked toward Henry.
"A long time ago."
Brook folded his arms.
"Of course."
Shoyo ignored him.
"It wasn't called anything."
Henry spoke from inside.
"Comforting."
Shoyo continued.
"It was found outside the protected places."
Crowley frowned.
"An Abomination?"
Shoyo shook her head.
"No."
Brook looked at her.
"Then what?"
Shoyo stared at the black trail.
"It didn't have a body."
Nobody spoke.
Shoyo continued.
"It needed one."
Brook's eyes moved toward Henry.
Henry slowly leaned back.
"No."
Shoyo stood.
"Whatever this is, it survives by taking a host."
Sera stepped closer.
"Can it leave him?"
Shoyo looked at Henry.
"Yes."
Brook immediately said:
"How?"
Shoyo remained silent.
Brook's expression hardened.
"How?"
Crowley answered.
"If it wants to."
Henry stared at him.
Crowley looked at the ground.
"Or if we force it."
Henry laughed nervously.
"And how exactly do we force it?"
Nobody answered.
Henry's face changed.
"Great."
A guard entered.
Hades stood behind him.
Brook looked at the King.
"What?"
Hades's eyes moved toward Henry.
"I have a question."
Henry raised his hands.
"Go ahead."
Hades ignored him.
"Why didn't it enter either of you?"
Brook looked toward Crowley.
Crowley looked back.
Shoyo slowly turned.
Brook answered:
"It couldn't."
Hades frowned.
"You know that?"
Brook shook his head.
"No."
Hades stared.
Brook shrugged.
"It touched me."
Crowley added:
"And me."
Hades looked between them.
"What are you?"
Brook smiled without humor.
"Still figuring that out."
The room became quiet again.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Henry remained himself.
Mostly.
He complained.
Asked for food.
Insulted Brook.
At one point, he fell asleep.
Brook remained awake.
Watching.
Crowley eventually sat beside him.
"You should rest."
Brook looked at him.
"You too."
Crowley smiled faintly.
"Don't change the subject."
Brook looked toward Henry.
"What if it takes him again?"
Crowley followed his eyes.
"It will."
Brook looked at him.
Crowley continued.
"That's what it does."
Brook's jaw tightened.
"Then we need to get it out."
Crowley nodded.
"Yes."
Brook looked toward Shoyo.
She was reading something from an old book Hades had sent.
"Can she?"
Crowley's answer took time.
"I don't know."
Brook looked back at him.
Crowley continued.
"But if Elias made it—"
Brook stopped.
Crowley looked at him.
Brook's expression hardened.
"You think he did?"
Crowley nodded slowly.
"The message."
Brook waited.
Crowley looked toward Henry.
"Elias said he found Sera."
Brook understood.
"This thing was for her."
Crowley nodded.
"Probably."
Brook looked toward Sera.
She was sitting near Henry.
Watching him.
Sera had gone quiet since the message.
Too quiet.
Brook walked toward her.
"You okay?"
She didn't look at him.
"Everyone keeps asking that."
Brook almost smiled.
"Maybe because you look like you want to kill someone."
That made her glance toward him.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
Sera looked toward Henry.
"Good."
Brook sat beside her.
Sera whispered:
"This is my fault."
Brook immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Elias came because of me."
"Elias is responsible for Elias."
Sera looked at him.
Brook continued.
"If he created that thing, Henry getting hurt is his fault."
Sera looked down.
Brook added:
"And we're going to make him regret it."
Sera's expression changed slightly.
"Brook."
"Yeah?"
"What if he wants me to come to him?"
Brook didn't hesitate.
"Then you're not going."
Sera stared.
Brook looked at her.
"Don't."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Don't what?"
"Tell me you can make your own decisions."
Sera smiled slightly.
Brook continued.
"I know."
The smile disappeared.
"But Elias is playing with us."
Sera nodded.
"And if we keep reacting exactly how he wants—"
"We lose."
Brook finished.
They sat quietly.
Henry opened his eyes.
Brook immediately stood.
Henry looked around.
"What?"
Brook didn't move.
Henry stared.
"Seriously."
His voice sounded normal.
Brook relaxed slightly.
Then Henry smiled.
Brook's expression changed.
Henry's eyes moved toward Sera.
"Do you want to know what Elias does when he's bored?"
Sera stood.
Brook moved in front of her.
Henry's smile widened.
"There it is."
Brook stared.
Henry slowly stood.
The rope around his hands tightened.
His body began shaking.
"Brook."
Crowley stood.
"Don't get close."
Henry's voice changed.
Not completely.
Still his.
But something else moved underneath it.
"He doesn't kill people quickly."
Brook's hands clenched.
Henry looked at him.
"He likes to see how long they can understand what's happening."
Sera's face became pale.
Henry laughed.
Then suddenly began screaming.
Brook moved forward.
Crowley grabbed him again.
"Wait!"
Henry collapsed.
His body hit the floor.
He began shaking violently.
The ropes snapped.
Brook stared.
Henry stood.
Slowly.
His arms hung at his sides.
His head lowered.
The room went silent.
Rick drew his sword.
Shoyo closed the book.
Henry raised his head.
His eyes were black.
Completely black.
When he spoke—
his voice came from somewhere deeper.
"My name is not important."
Brook's body tightened.
Henry smiled.
"But you can call us…"
The blackness moved beneath his skin.
"…Ectoplasm."
Nobody moved.
The creature looked around the room.
Then at Brook.
"Now."
It smiled.
"We can begin."
End of Chapter 133