Too close to Nowhere

CHAPTER 14

-PART ONE-

"The Tomb of dream"

"It started with a dream and that dream was to make the Town of Realm civilize, to make Realm the most famous town in west, a town that could compete to a city." Knight-Lock read the article's introduction.

"1820, the mayor of the Town Martha Hong wanted her ambition to be realized. Whatever she wanted, she got. Like when she wanted a spectacular building to be built in the heart of the Town and be the Hall of justice. The Town's City hall and other ambitious building designed by the infamous architect named Leandro Hong and was being complete in a record of 98 days." - Lock

"Holy Cow! Take note for Martha Hong and Leandro Hong" Gray stated

"Is Leandro Hong—" –Gray

"No! Leandro Hong is her son" Pendelton said

"For Martha, Realm Town was in a strategic position to be a famous city-like-town and could be an worldwide marketplace for authority and real estate companies. She focuses to her project; The Town's art theater, designed by an international artist Thomas Martin. It made sense to have a Town's Theater." –Lock

"Thomas Martin" Price whispers

"Isn't it too strange that they have a new architect for their so-called new investment?" Gray interrogates

"It is both for young and old, from east or from west, north or south. It can make our time as civilize than the other" she said in a press conference before the Town's festival.

The building was based or inspired from the Parthenon in Athens, a temple to honor the goddess Athena.

There was a grand plan for the building, but it was eventually redesigned to become an auditorium, a film lab and film archives. Whatever royalty could imagine. With three months to go before the scheduled date, a budget of 20 million dollars; supposedly allocated for a new wing of the town's hospital, it was predictably a disaster waiting to happen. Nevertheless, around 257 laborers were hired and they rotated among shifts across 24 hours.

With a more sensible time frame, the grand lobby would need five weeks, for the center, 100 workers finished it in just 72 hours.

October 3rd 1820, at around 3 o'clock in the morning, the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. Scaffolding on the thirteenth floor collapsed and workers were trapped in the quick-drying cement. Problem started when quick-drying cement was poured on each floor without waiting for the layers to dry. Due to rush and the endless hours of working, too much was poured, resulting in the disaster." –Lock

"That was the thing I was expecting" Gray reacted as he hears Lock's story telling.

"Izabelle Dolores Copper, former public relations officer and a newspaper publisher named 'The Abyss of Realm' saw the immediate aftermath of the accident. Dolores was also the daughter of former press secretary and columnist, Matthias Copper, who was then working for New York Times Newsprint. Matthias wanted to write a story about it and he told Dolores that she should rush to the so-called location.

"From a distance, I could see people in stretchers being carried out, frozen in cement. When I got there, they were still digging out people; the said cement was not completely as hard as everyone thought it could be. There was a guy that the medical experts try to keep from going into a shock" Dolores stated in an interview.

"Half of his body was buried. He was alive, yet half buried. I don't know what it was, but the doctors trying to keep him awake, alert or anything everyone could possible do just to make the guy awake to avoid coma or shock, they kept him singing Christmas song but there is something wrong, the song become horrifying as the man's voice suddenly changes. First, I thought It was just his own version of Carol of the bells but later on as he sang it repeatedly his dark voice with his dark eyes create an eerie music that gives everyone goosebumps." She added.

For fear that the accident would cause a scandal, there was a media blackout. Responders were only allowed access to the site nine hours after the incident. By that time, at least 190 workers already died or were buried in the cement, which already hardened." –Lock

"Own version of Carol of the bells" I repeat the statement.

"Jackhammers were employed hours later. There was a gruesome views of bodies sticking out of the pavement. The exposed parts had to be tapered off and built over. The rule was they had to meet the deadline, no matter what happened.

It was Rose Myers the wife of assistant Mayor Rudolf Myers who apparently gave this order to and continue the so-called construction process as if nothing had happened. It is said that the hauntings and strange happenings began that day.

According to rumors, a so-called fortune teller allegedly told first daughter Melanie Richardson that she would die if she stepped foot in the building. Whether or not this was true, no effort was spared to so-called 'cleanse' the said location. There were exorcism rites, Pagan rites, Catholic rites and Chinese rites. Officers were given so-called lucky charms or amulets to ward off the evil spirits being conceited.

On the morning of the opening, October 26, as early as 8 o'clock several so-called tribes whose famous in giving rituals performed another dance or ritual, telling any lingering spirits that they must cross over to the afterlife. Pigs, chickens were killed for sacrifice and those attending the ritual, including the anxious daughter, needed to consume the animal's flesh.

Despite these efforts, those preparing for the festival had their share of strange experiences. The usherettes who came from exclusive girls' schools started smelling something backstage. Almost all of them felt something cold blowing on their skin. It tingled at a strange presence.

According to legend, the deceased workers showed themselves to their colleagues even to guests. Few months after the so-call disastrous event, Assistant Rudolf Myers died in a savage car accident. Many alleged that it was the victims taking revenge. A medium who was sent to the Town's hall supposedly claimed that the spirits said, "Rose is with us"

With empty hearts and soulless greed, they steal the lives of those in need.

Disregarding the ones who care; taking from the ones who share.

Guiltless, shameless, self-proclaimed; they hide behind the word 'humane'

Bending all to what they will

They lie and say they have to kill; they kill the little ones who do no wrong

It's been happening for so long; destroying all who are dare to speak.

The building continues to be a source of inspiration for horror writers and a destination for ghost hunters.

If bricks could talk, those at the Town of Realm's Theater would have a sinister story to tell. "

"that's it… it doesn't mention anything about Richardson's and Chase's" Knight-Lock stated

"Maybe it has message or something" Pendelton said

"Lock was right! It's just an article, we don't even know if it was just a bluff or something" Price added

"I suggest we should re-read it" Gray spokes as he was staring at the paper.

"But if it was just a bluff, why do Poison want to dispose it?" I curiously asked them

"No… no… that's impossible… If Poison wants do dispose that thing and hide that from Lycko and Lock, based on his behavior according to the both of you I think maybe that thing was very important to them. In addition, it is said that the assistant Mayor and his wife authoritatively asked the workers to continue the construction right?... thinking the other side, why do this assistant mayor approve to continue the project even though the mayor doesn't merely agree?" Gray stated as he focused on writing something.

"uhmm… Gray, you have a point on the first one but the thing is there's no statement written that the mayor disagrees" knight-lock clears his statement

"I know, but did the article tell that the mayor instructed her assistant to continue?" Gray questioned each one of us

"no it doesn't have" I answered

"Exactly!... so I'm guessing, why do his assistant will give the order to the people… he doesn't have the authority to do such things? Unless he and the mayor has something to deal with this…" he explains fairly

"Or maybe, the mayor covers the dirty works" Pendelton added

"Wait, maybe Martha know nothing about all of it?... remember the moment when a fortune teller told that her daughter may have a bad luck either accident whenever she steps on the facility? And Martha find and hired people who has the ability to conquer the bad luck and oppose it?... She is one of them!... she is one of the many people that being fooled by him" I explain

"Damn it, you have a point!" Lock commented

"this shit suddenly became clear" Gray added

"But guys, how about the spirits and demons and eerie events happened?" Price said while highlighting the statements containing the ideas he asked

"Price was right, written in here, the spirits of the deceased workers kept on roaming the place" Knight-Lock said

"but it was kind a true or false situation… we don't know if the ghosts are true" I said

"yes I know… the ghost thingy was just a distraction here-"

"what do you mean?" –Pendelton

"What I mean is, many people nowadays don't believe in ghosts' stuffs or something but the town people back there has their own beliefs about the ghosts… so I think… maybe the assistant mayor and his wife do their act." Knight-lock added

"Mr. and Mrs. Myers do the dirty work, 1820 was the year were the town people believed in spirits, ghosts, superstitions and rituals. Based on the article, there is a fortune teller who foretold that the first daughter will having a bad luck coming… so the mayor gathered all the people who knows rituals and rites and perform it on the said creepy town theater… in that statement, it shows that all people was a hundred percent believes in bad lucks back there… the point is the Myers suddenly die due to so-called car accident but who foretold the media that the spirits are roaming and whispering that the wife of assistant Myers was with them?... people buy the story they've created, there is no records or even articles that shows findings or even records that the town has a horrifying and spooky histories. Making the town people specially the mayor believes in their story…Jesus Christ! You're Genius" I stated calmly.

"And when the people believes on the so-called mystery, it is easy for them to pretend-" –Price

"pretend that they are dead due to a car accident because of the so-called revenge of spirits… when the news spreads the town people including Martha and her family freaked out and doesn't plan to interrogate for an answer-" –Gray

"while the town people are terrified, the smart couple wastes the town's money for some stupid shits" Pendelton added

"So our leads were Rose Myers and Rudolf Myers?" Price asked me

"Probably Yes" I simple stated.

"In addition, Thomas Martin was the so-called great architect in that time right, so maybe he has something to deal with the destructions?" Gray murmurs

"Thomas may cover Myer's plan in return of a million dollar" lock amazingly utter

"Once the couple run the money, the architect suddenly disappeared to the frame" Price added

"Then boom! Myers and Martin was our Culprit here" I stated

"Then, if they really are, what is the connection of Mr. and Mrs. Richardson and Blade Chase to them?" Gray asks

"Then we should make a research about them" Pendelton stated while pinning our new information to the board

"Don't forget Dolores Copper on the frame, her dad maybe passed away but I am sure that she was either in their house or in the facility for aged? We should ask her." I stated

"But sweetheart, we're not sure if she remembered everything" Price utter

"there's nothing wrong if we try asking her what she knows… if she don't have the ability to remember everything then we should do our research instead" I utter looking at his eyes.

"We're too close" Pendelton stated.