The Havoc Chronicle :: Number Six

[Stormm]

Chapter V
A Look Back, Part I

H[/size]onesty was something the Michaels family used to have. Loyalty was almost a way of life. Since "it" was built, the way this family has evolved could only be described in the utmost amounts of negativity. For some reason, I've been fascinated.

Picture it, the same way I have to. I wasn't born yet, my parents weren't born, hell, my grandparents weren't even alive yet. But what you are about to hear, to witness, is a story I've been told, and remember all too well.

It was probably the darkest night in the history of God's green Earth, but also a night that us Michaels would hear about for years, and tell our future generations to come. He stood there, arms intertwined with the love of his life, gallantly smiling into the face of a man who had promised completion of a project in no longer than one year. Exactly the amount of time this man was planning on being away.

The project was nothing but an oversized material want, but not for this man. It was for his love, the one he was "going" to spend the rest of his life with. He had the money, and the means to make this come true for his lady dressed in white. This woman, despite what family and friends said, felt the same way about this man, her man dressed in black. He didn't care what it was, he promised it to his wife, and it was a promise he was going to keep.

Now before going any further into this, you must realize, Lester Alexander Michaels and Muriel Annabelle Birch were wed less than a week before this all began to take place. Lester was nothing more than a recovering sexaholic whose thriving oil and coal business would fastly make him one of the richest men in the Midwest. His wife Muriel, an aspiring model who's career was going nowhere at the time, was found drunk in the street one night after realizing she might have nothing for the rest of her life. All the more reason that when these two fell in love, Lester would promise her the world, and more.

For the next year, Lester would give her the world, and when they returned he would give her more. He would give her Michaels Manor.

As previously mentioned, now, Lester was giving a man, a contractor, exactly one year to build his love the most beautiful estate the world has ever seen. A place to call home. One for her to live like a queen. A castle for his queen to live out the rest of her life comfortably.

On this dark, cloudy, slightly stormy night, the two love birds set out on their year long venture across the globe. The same night a man and a team of ninety-nine others would begin a quest to finish this palace.

With the lack in ability to communicate long distances back in that time, the next year would be spent in luxury and without a care in the world for the newlywed Michaels. But back in the Midwest, Kansas more specifically, one hundred men would be living through hell. Lester and Muriel would not hear of the 6 deaths that occurred over that year from crew members while working on the home. They would not hear of the 21 who had lost their minds and went missing. Not to mention the countless near death incidents that would hospitalize workers for days, weeks, or the one who was in the hospital for almost the entire year in a coma.

What was supposed to be the perfect place to be for these two wasn't really that at all. But would they know that when they returned? Of course they wouldn't, all they would know would be what they were told upon arriving back at the spot, where exactly one year prior was nothing but a pile of dirt, in hopes to see the most beautiful of mansions. Much like 365 days ago on that day, the two love birds, still with their arms entangled, would stand on the spot on a very dark and stormy night, but this time witnessing the grandeur that had become Michaels Manor.

On that night, Lester and Muriel had returned with a promise that had been kept by a man who was no longer friends to Lester, because of the toll taken on him and his peers the previous year to build the estate. That man had kept a smile on his face though. He wasn't going to admit what had happened while they were gone. In fact he was going to let them find out for themselves what had happened. Not to mention let them find out what kind of place Michaels Manor actually was, almost as if a gateway to insanity, death, and even Hell.

Some say that after entering the manor, these two never saw the light of day. Others say that they would only come out for necessities. But I know for a fact that both are true. Muriel never left the estate a day in her life after entering. Walking through the gardens at night would be the extent of her being outside of her "beauty." While Lester only left for business from time to time.

A solitary picture remains of these two being outside of this place together, and it was taken the night they returned. Both had smiles on their faces, but family members say if you stare at the picture long enough, you can see the both of them begin to frown.

Not sure if I should believe the myth or not, I've found myself staring at that same picture for quite some time, taking in what Michaels Manor used to be, as well as thinking to myself what it would have been like to meet my great grandparents. But all the while staring at that picture, I never once saw these two frown. 'What are you looking at?' Were the words that brought me out of my mentally story time. I was slightly startled as I looked up to see the women who one day I may find myself spending everyday with. I closed the family album I was looking at and smiled to Lindsay.

Shaking my head, I replied. 'Nothing Lindz. Just some old pictures.' As I said that, I had opened the album once more to a page marked by my finger, just to peek at the same picture. 'It's just...' I started, but just as quickly as I started, I stopped.

She nodded her head. 'I know how much this place means to you. We can only hope this guy stops playing games with you, though.' She mentioned.

I smiled and placed my left hand on her right thigh. We were sitting in the back of limo, being driven to our destination. I sat the photo album down on the floor board and began to look out of the window on my side of the vehicle. 'I don't think we'll have to worry about that. I found something rather interesting that this guy is going to have a fit about after he reads. Michaels Manor will be back in the hands of a Michaels, the rightful owner to this place!' I exclaimed while putting a lot of emphasis on the word "will."

Lindsay jolted up a little, as if being excited to the fact we were about to stick it to this guy. 'What is it babe?' She questioned?

I nodded my head while still looking out my window. 'You'll see.'