BatIM AU: Henry's Path (OLD - rewrite in progress/consideration)

Act 2, Scene 16: A Heartbreaking Goodbye

Henry Stein

The air was heavy with sadness as the four—no, three—made their way to the doors of the haunted house. The final switch was activated, and the ride's wooden doors creaked open, revealing a rollercoaster-like area. The words "turn back" were written in ink above a small railcar. The words "there's no turning back now" were written in golden ink as a counterpart. Henry knew that he was the only one that could see this, so he remained silent. There was no need for more panic.

Sammy went ahead and tested the large western-style door, but it didn't budge. He growled and sat down on the edge of the track, head put down.

"There's no way through. It's over," he said. He seemed as though he'd given up on life.

"There's got to be a way!" Linda reprimanded. "You barely tried looking. Just because Norman's dead, and the last thing he said to you was that he hated you, doesn't mean that you should just give up. If he was here, what would he say? He would tell you that you abandoned us in our time of need, just like Wally said. Now, we can't just give up on him! We are going to save him, whether you like it or not."

Henry watched as Sammy's expression changed from exhaustion, to sadness, then to anger. Linda had reached his weak spot by telling him off about Norman. He stood back up and bared his teeth.

"If you know what's best for you, keep your mouth shut," he hissed. For a moment Henry could have sworn that he saw the golden glow in his eyes fade. Linda took a fearful step back. Sammy's eyes softened and he lowered his voice. "We might as well get over it. Wally's gone."

Henry would have said something to counter that, but even he knew that Wally was dead. He'd seen the message, and there were dozens more that added on to the story. "I'm sorry, buddy," and "Did he deserve this?" were only some of the words that had drowned Henry's hope of seeing his old friend again. But who knew what was going to happen? Who was writing these messages? They seemed to be able to predict the future, and not only that, but see the golden ink, too. Henry knew he wasn't crazy. Not yet, at least.

Linda stared at Sammy with absolute disgust. "Who do you think you are?" she asked, her voice dropped to a low snarl. "fine. If you want to abandon him, then that's fine with me. It would prove him right, and if he does die, it'll be the last thing that he knew."

Henry went to talk to Linda, but he was interrupted by Susie. "So nice of you to finally show up. Better hurry. It's only a matter of time before he takes his final breath."

Suddenly Henry collapsed to the ground. His head pounded, his world flickering out of existence as a vision crept into his mind. It was dark, but he could just see his surroundings. It was a large room, covered in crates and other storage items. A small track surrounded the boundaries, and barreling down it was a massive figure. Its footsteps made the entire room shake, its angry roars the only thing Henry could hear. It was only before it rammed into him that he realized that this monstrosity was Boris. And not just any Boris, but Wally Franks. They collided, then Henry's vision returned to darkness. He was back in the haunted house, surrounded by his two worried friends.

"What happened?" Sammy asked. All anger had gone from him, and he was now slightly panicked. "Don't tell me that you're getting sick, too."

"I'm fine, I swear. Just a little head rush, that's all," Henry lied. Sammy didn't believe him. He only bent down lower and gave him a serious look.

"What did you see?" he pushed on, eyes narrowed to slits. He knew what was going on, and he was the only one not worried for henry's health because of his "hallucinations".

Henry shook his head and replied, "You don't want to know. It's horrible."

"Henry." The sound of Linda's voice brought Henry's attention immediately. Her eyes were deep with concern, though she was calm about the situation. She was the only one who could understand him. "We need to know. Especially if it's about something dangerous."