The House in Town Salem

Chapter 5

Henry William was lucky to abscond from what he could only assume was certain death. He drove as fast as he could into the dazzling lights of Diamond City and laid on his bed with his eyes open, still burning with the horrific sights from hours ago.

The Queen had many options to choose from. She could murder Henry like the cursed woman who believed herself to be Jacob's rightful wife. She could also turn him into the eternally living and welcome him into the lovely community of Town Salem, formed by the missing townsmen she hand-picked over the last decade, so that they can happily dwell together in eternal peacefulness. Lastly, she could just let him go and live what she could only assume was a scarred life, an option she refrained from choosing, but nevertheless did, because she knew it was what he wanted.

A new day had arrived in Diamond City. The morning sun was beaming in the cerulean sky, casting a golden shower upon the undulating waves. From Henry's balcony view, Diamond City was beautiful beyond words. He took his time taking in the vistas as he took a sip from his morning coffee. Henry had spent hours playing certain scenes of a nightmare in the back of his head. The experience reminded him of an old friend who was prone to these nightmares, and he would always tell Henry about it. Henry would listen attentively and strive to extricate him from his incessant anguish and depression. Henry smiled sadly. However he loved those moments, he knew that they were no more, for the friend had left him, carrying with him the wonderful times he loved to revisit.

He did not sleep at all that night, and he woke up feeling mentally and physically drained. Despite that, he was determined to go to work that day. After all, he had never, in all these years, missed a single day of work.

As he sat in his office and tidied up his desk, scenes of the horrific night were played again and again in his head, cluttering his mind with fear and anxiety. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The Queen had underestimated Henry. He was unlike Jacob, and although yesterday's memories were irrevocably etched into his conscience, he would carry through with sheer will and determination, just like how he dealt with everything else in life. He promised himself that no matter how powerful and overbearing the darkness is, he would constantly remind himself that in this mirthless and macabre world there is still light, be it in the past or at present, be at the ends of the worlds or at plain sight, be it in his heart or in the hearts of many strangers that await him. There is always light to be found in life, and it can conquer the darkness.

So the first thing he did was logging onto his personal email account where dozens of old conversations with Jacob were archived. He decided to spend some time glossing over their contents, to reminisce about the old days, in a bid to paint over the darkness with bright colours of nostalgia.

Two hours later, a group of police officers paid an unexpected visit to Henry's office. They were stymied on the Jacob Butler case and an early morning visit to the Butler apartment did not pay off; no one answered the door. Troubled and perplexed, the officers decided to return to Henry and ask him additional questions on top of the ones from yesterday. Most of them turned their backs against the idea. They were in no mood for another three hours long droning on someone they do not care to know, all while the garrulous stranger imprisons them in his office. In spite of that, they found themselves once again at the same spot as yesterday.

The police knocked. For the second time in the same day, the police were given the cold shoulder. It is not acceptable, so they barged into the room. They found Henry lying on his desk, face down. They checked his pulse, confirming his death, and determined that he died around thirty minutes before they arrived. His lifeless hand was still clutching onto his cup, which contained a special formula he taught his assistant to brew, Chamomile herbal tea. This time, however, he added cyanide for extra flavor.