Hell's Eyes

Chapter One The Curious Affliction of Mr. Elliot Noblémyn

M r. Elliot Noblémyn was of normal stature and equally average character. He went to work at the accounting firm where he’d been employed since finishing his schooling; he came home at night and ate his supper and repeated the monotonous routine day after day after day. Sometimes, Elliot deviated from this routine by waking up early and stopping at the town bakery for a warm cinnegal before he began his day of work at the accounting firm. Other times, he worked so late he slept on the settee in his otherwise simple office, only to return to his darkened home to change into a fresh set of clothes and begin his routine all over again. But lately, Mr. Elliot Noblémyn woke in the morning drenched in a cold sweat, his heart racing in his chest and his eyes flitting about his bedroom as though the thing of his nightmares was about to pounce. Each day, the citizens of Halberry, who knew Mr. Noblémyn as a friend, a neighbor, or their cordial accountant, witnessed a new testa ment to his haggardness. It all began with his disheveled hair one day. Unnoticeable at first, but when paired with the dark circles under his eyes and the skittish flinches that replaced his usually genial nature, the people of Halberry began to wonder about what was happening to Mr. Elliot Noblémyn, a man who had been entirely unassuming in all the time the town had known him.

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