"No." Henry denies as soon as he stepped into the apartment the real-estate agent showed him. It surprised her that he barely see the rest of the house and already made up his mind and before she could see her pitch, Henry denies her and ran out of the house immediately.

"I'm sorry, was there something wrong with the apartment?" She asks curious since it was not the first apartment she showed Henry and he has been rejecting every single one of her suggestions.

Henry huffed in his breath taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn't tell her anything, especially not the dead women that slit her wrist in her bathroom that caused him to run out immediately after he saw her.

"Just bad vibes. I don't like it. Shall we see the next one?" Henry asks and the real estate agent frowned at his replies. "I won't blame you, there was a horrible accident happened here and which is why it was cheap in the market." She said briefly before pulling out her iPad and continued on the their next apartment in her list.

It was probably around five in the evening when she stopped Henry since every single unit she showed him, he turned her down. It is either too smelly, too cold, too weird for him and some of it doesn't even make any sense. "Look do you have something in preference that I can help you look." The lady asks since they are both exhausted by the end of it.

Henry couldn't find a word to explain himself about his rejection. How on earth would he explained to her that the last apartment, he saw the old man still sat by his couch telling him to get the hell out of his house. Or the tall man that stood in the closet or the lady in the kitchen that stares at Henry like he'd just killed her or the boy that passed the hallway with head blown in pieces. 

He sighed longly rubbing the back of his necks when he noticed she was checking on her watch. "I-I'm sorry Ms Harper for wasting your time. I think it's enough for today. Sorry for wasting your time." Henry told her apologetically. She sighed pulling out her phone before she typed angrily and placed it back into her pocket.

"I texted my boyfriend and told him I would be late for dinner. I do have one last unit I can show you. It's not that big but for a loner guy like you, I think it would be enough. Care to walk there?" She asks and Henry smiled weakly appreciating her effort to show him the unit until he agrees with her.

"Care to tell me where you're from?" She asks making small conversation as they walked along the pavement. The leaves covered the path and the cold crisp air blew on their face but the weather is nice for their walk.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asks hinting the accent.

"Are you running from something?" She asks recognized the hostility coming from him.

"Not is that any of your concerned but my private life is not in the questions." Henry dodged the question politely.

"Sure. Just need to know if you needed an extra security. I can suggest one." She offered but Henry shook his head refusing her. "No thank you."

They stopped in the middle of the sidewalks when she turned to face Henry. "I do want you to know that the contract is for six months and if you die within that, I am obligated to find another person to replace you and keep your money." She said turning Henry's gaze widen at her.

"The unit is empty for months. People didn't like the design due to not family oriented or tall bay window like I showed you on previous unit." Henry frowned at her before she turned to her side and gestured them to walk down the grey steps. Next to the steps a simple blue door with a silver grey knob stood out in contrast of the grey mossy brick surrounding it. 

The steps was steep but it was private steps that no one will come and go only to enter the house.

She slot in the key and pushed the door opened before she let Henry stepped in first in hope he wont ran out again.

The moment Henry stepped inside the unit, he noticed the emptiness of the living room that has three wide windows that replaced the wall facing the stairs and the sky above. Henry stood in the middle of the living room that has nothing except the floor is covered with wooden tiles and a large brown carpet in the middle with a small three bulb chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. 

He headed to the corner where the kitchen is. It was simple to his liking, a cabinet with a sink and a stove. Next to it was a two door fridge and there was a washing machine at the end with a dryer on top. "It comes with the unit." She told him as he walked around the kitchen and saw a door that opened up to a small narrowed terrace at the back. 

Henry stood in the middle of the room that has one queen size bed with couple of pillow but no sheets. The bed frame has tall black frame that pressed against the wall. There is a small window on the side but the view is nothing but brick wall that has a small terrace earlier but it was enough to shine light into the room. There is a four doors cupboard on the other side of the room next to the bathroom.

Henry pushed the door opened, flipping the switch on to find a shower, a toilet and sink with a built in mirror on the wall that covers as a cabinet.

He looked around the bathroom, pushing the shower curtain away to see if there is any presence or anything that would spook him but it was nothing. The room is empty and the wardrobe appears to be empty as well.

He exhaled longly in a relief before he turned to face her standing by the door frame and nodded. "I'll take it." He said and she smiled punching her fist into the air in victory. "Let's do the paperwork." She offers and Henry nodded following her.

.

Thanks to Pez generous amount of money in the black leather pouch he hides in Henry's duffle bag made Henry glad he could pay in advance in securing the unit. After signing the papers, he immediately moved into the unit the very next day and smile when he finally had the taste of freedom he yearned for years being trapped in that hell.

He didn't even realized the tears start forming in his eyes as he stares at the empty living room and the only person he wished he could tell right now is Pez.

"I did it Pez. I found my own safe place. All thanks to you." He whispered as he stares at the empty unit. He wished he could tell him in person and see how proud he was at him finally had his footing in his life.

Henry made a list of stuffs he needs at the grocery store, careful on spending how much money until he could secure the job to help him pay for his living. He took only what he needed and hides the rest underneath his mattress that he cut with the kitchen knife he found. Although the unit has little furniture but it was enough. The kitchen is equipped with pan and skillet with few pots for him to cook anything even though he barely knew how to cook for living.

He had enough cutleries and knives for him to use, enough spatula or cookware not to waste anymore money to buy more stuffs. The only thing he needed was food to stock in the fridge.

He cleaned the unit with the items he found for cleaning. He vacuumed the carpet, sweep the kitchen floor and the terrace from the dead leaves before he headed to the bathroom and his own bedroom. He put on his list to buy some bedsheets and a blanket for him otherwise he would be sleeping on a cold mattress.

After he's done with his cleaning, it was late around three in the evening and his stomach is grumbling. He showered, putting on the sweatshirt and jeans Pez bought him and the same sneakers he wear since he got out.

He walked around the block to find there was an asian market that could helped him purchased his groceries with half priced. He later found a market around the corner where he found his bedsheet and smiled when he purchased the crocheted blanket to provide him warmth.

He couldn't believe how in few days since he arrived at New York, he managed to find himself a place to stay and now his focus is only to find himself a job. He listed all the jobs he could do in his mind, waitering, busboy, whatever it takes for him to land him a minimal waged job just so he could survived.

He knew he has a college degree but he is here as an alias of his own identity. He can't let himself be in the system otherwise Phillip can track him.

He placed the sheet neatly folding the loose end tucking it underneath the mattress before displaying the blanket on top, just enough to cover his own body. He showered after he had his dinner that he purchased at the Asian market store, some ramen noodles enough to fill his stomach for the night. He was used to being fed once a day that even if he is hungry, he didn't let his hunger satisfied him. 

After showered he dried himself with a towel he bought at the market, fresh from the packet before he put on his briefs and plain shirt to bed. His eyes caught at his wrist as he hanged the towel by the hanger on the wall. His marks that he got from restraint they had put on him for ten years. He let his fingers trailed the mark that he knew won't go away until he died. The mark that haunts him in his sleep each time he close his eyes.

Flashes of image appears in his mind. The memory of him being dragged away from his own home in a cuffs and a straight jacket with a muffled covers his mouth so he won't be able to scream. Images of the man came into his padded cell room in cuffs and restraint him on the cold hard metal stretcher.

They tortured him, electrocuted him on the side of his temple to show him that whatever he's seeing, whatever he's hearing was not true at all. The forced him to take pills that made him drowsy for days and lost his taste to everything. Henry almost died when their tortured almost stopped his heart but when he finally wake up, he was unfortunately still there.

He shook his head trying not to remember anything from that place so he could find peace in his new life. Somewhere where people don't know who he is. Somewhere people don't know who Henry Fox is but only Henry Hanover-Stuart.

He hopped on the bed pulling the blanket on top of his body to feel warmth from the cold outside. The heater is working but barely to cover warmth throughout the entire unit.

Henry tossed and turned that night trying to find sleep but failed when he noticed it was not going to happened anytime soon if he remained in the bed. It has been years since he slept in an actual bed so he won't waste any time in trying to sleep in one now. 

So instead, he grabbed the blanket he purchased in his hand headed into his living room and laid out on the floor next to the window with the view of the night sky and the trees on the side walk that provides him calm before sleep finally eludes him.

.

Henry jolted from his dreams drenched in sweats. It was his usual dreams that he has been having but the moment he woke up, the shadow appears again hovering above him and he screamed.

He backed away into the walls in fear hugging his knees close to his chest. His arms trembled as he wrapped around his legs and his whole body shakes in fear as his eyes stares at the black shadow edging away from him. He hovers in the dark corner, staring at Henry with the lower half dangled few inches off the ground. The figures almost like a human but somehow it looks more like a reaper waiting for him to die and take his soul away.

Henry stares at the figures lurking in the corner for hours before dawn light shines into the empty living room when he realized the dark shadows had disappeared.

Henry let out a breath of relieved when the figures finally disappeared from his sight but soon breaks into a sobbing fit. He cried hiding his face in his inner arms wishing that all of these would stop. He wished that one day, there would be someone who would understand how he felt and that person would gave him the comfort he needed.

He finally summoned up the courage to stop crying and it took a lot of his energy to start his days. He shakily stood from the floor holding on to the blanket close to his chest. He leaned against the wall before he could feel the shakiness stopped.

He stepped into his bedroom before taking a shower letting the hot water cascading down relieving all the aches he felt around his body from crunching all night on the floor.

Breakfast sounds too nauseating for him to even prepared. So, he popped the kettle on to make his tea instead and decides he needed to head out soon to find himself a job. He is determined he is not going to come home tonight unless he find one.