The Rise Of Nicholas Hensaw

Chapter 23

Nicklaus was confused. He hadn't seen any text like this when he'd read the letter years ago. Surprisingly, there was new writing on the back of the paper. He began to doubt whether he had seen it before or not.

He didn't have a phone because he'd sold it to buy medication for Rita.

He folded the paper and placed it in his back pocket when suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Rita, I thought I asked you to stay outside. The dust in this house isn't good for your health," Nicklaus called out.

"I'm outside. I didn't go inside the house," Rita responded.

Nicklaus turned toward where he had asked Rita to stand. She was indeed there, looking into the house. He swallowed hard and turned toward where he'd heard the sound.

Suddenly, he heard the noise again. He walked toward the kitchen. "Who's there?" He wasn't scared, but he anticipated finding someone.

As he reached the kitchen, he heard another sound from his father's room. He immediately turned back toward the noise. Instead of walking slowly, he moved quickly until he reached the room, and before he could speak, the telephone in the room began to ring.

Nicklaus was stunned—he didn't expect anything in this house to still be working.

He hesitated at first, not wanting to answer the call, but eventually found himself reaching for the telephone. He lifted it to his ear and answered.

"Hello?" A deep voice spoke from the other end.

"Is this Nicklaus Henshaw?" the person asked.

Nicklaus was speechless for several moments. "Is everything alright in there?" Rita called out.

"Yes," Nicklaus responded before returning his attention to the phone.

"Who is this?" Nicklaus asked.

"My name is Chris. I was Mr. Henshaw's assistant before he died," Chris introduced himself.

"I'm sure you've found the note your father left for you. I know there are many things you don't understand at the moment, but..."

"How did you know I'm in this house?" Nicklaus interrupted. He didn't want to listen to a stranger ramble about things he didn't understand.

"Aren't you surprised that the telephone still works?" Chris asked, but Nicklaus swallowed hard, unsure whether he should respond.

"You haven't answered me yet. How did you know?" Nicklaus asked firmly.

"The telephone still works, Mr. Henshaw. Weren't you surprised?" Chris asked again.

"And?" Nicklaus inquired, waiting patiently for Chris to explain the mystery.

"Well, since you're so determined to know, there's a small recording device connected to my laptop. Whenever there's sound in that house, I receive a signal here." He paused.

Nicklaus, who had been standing, sensed this conversation would be longer than expected.

"How are you related to me? Why did you call me? Why now?" Nicklaus fired off multiple questions that Chris was apparently prepared to answer.

"Mr. Henshaw, now that I know you're safe and alive, I've scanned nearby devices and can see your sister standing outside the building. There are limited devices in the area, hold on..." Chris continued speaking without checking if Nicklaus was following.

Nicklaus was stunned—he could comprehend what the man was saying, and surprisingly, he could determine the man's blood pressure without touching or seeing him.

"No, I think you should stop. What are you telling me? Suddenly today, I started feeling changes in my body, and now I can cure many diseases..."

"All of them," Chris corrected.

Nicklaus furrowed his brow, not knowing what to say. Since he'd started feeling these changes, he'd never been speechless.

"What do you mean by 'all'? There are still diseases with no known cures. Even scientists have tried desperately to find cures for various illnesses," Nicklaus said, but Chris just sighed.

"There's much you don't know yet. I've already sent a team to your location to pick you up. They should arrive any moment."

"What?" Nicklaus asked.

"Nick... Nick..." Rita started calling his name, but Nicklaus was too focused on trying to get Chris to explain something he could understand.

"You're not helping me understand," Nicklaus muttered calmly and relaxed.

He swallowed hard and turned to his sister, who kept calling him.

"What's the matter, Rita?" Nicklaus asked, turning toward the door. He could already sense an unusual presence around them.

"They're there," Chris said and ended the call.

Nicklaus paused for a moment before walking toward the house entrance.

The car the men had arrived in was a latest-model Rolls-Royce, and it hadn't made any sound—or perhaps Nicklaus had been too focused on his conversation with Chris to notice.

"Who are these people?" Rita said, her mouth agape.

Nicklaus had no answer for Rita, so he slowly walked toward the door.

Before Nicklaus could speak, three men in suits approached him while other escorts formed a horizontal line facing him.

As the three men drew near, the one in the middle bowed his head and said, "Master Nicklaus Henshaw." He immediately bowed and went down on one knee, and all the other men behind him knelt as well.