He arose from a stupor to find himself resting in a bed, much like the ones he maintained at Azrael. He realized that he was in fact at the very same hospital. The Doctor came and asked, “How are you doing?” Henry knew of this Doctor, but he has not ever carried on a conversation with him. Henry thought to himself, “What is his name? Dr. something with a ‘L’ or yeah Dr. Lance.” Henry replies, “Not well Dr. Lance.” The look of amazement on the Doctors face made Henry smile, and Dr. Lance explains, “Henry you were in an awful train accident, and you are the sole survivor.” Henry shook his head in agreement, and he asked how long he has to stay in the hospital. He hated it there because he always felt so enclosed and close to death. The Dr. answered, “Not long. Just until tomorrow.” The two said their good byes, and Henry was off to the first night of many where he would not get much sleep. The nightmares were too horrific for his mind to contain, and he often woke startled because he was screaming. The dreams were different each time, but all had the same underlying idea: his death. The first dream started with him on the train and he had to relive that event over and over. It played close to fifteen times before the sun rose. It was a bright morning with chirping birds and the smell of flowers, but all Henry could see was the death coming in and out of the hospital, which he never really noticed before. He arrived home and waiting on the porch was the dog that saved him the night before. Henry approached cautiously because those eyes looked deep within him. Henry reached the door and yelled for the dog to leave, but the dog sat quietly. Not in a peaceful kind of way but an almost waiting for something.
Later that night it began raining. He was about to dive into another sporadic sleep cycle when the dog outside began barking. Henry leaped to his feet because he knew someone was there, and that stupid dog was the reason for it. Henry walked to the door and belted out for him to leave because no way in hell was that dog going to get in. Eventually Henry felt remorseful because the dog did indeed save him, and if the dog were not a canine then Henry would have thanked him properly. Reluctantly Henry let in the dog, and he scampered over to the fireplace to take his resting spot. Henry went to sleep, but before making it to his room he passes the open window. Henry goes to close it and sees in the distance a shadowy figure standing in the downpour. There stood an outline of a man wearing all black with a small-rimmed hat to keep the rain out of his eyes. Henry shrieked and slammed the windows shut with violent force. “I knew it! I knew it! Someone is watching me but whom? Who would stand there in the rain like that?” Henry’s mind began to derail much like the train he was on less than 32 hours before. After a few hours of worry, Henry talked himself into believing that the figure was merely a shadow of a tree, a bush that needed mending, or perhaps a repercussion of the accident. Henry rested his heavy eyes and began to fall asleep, but deep down he knew something was watching his every move.