"I fucking hate doing work out there in Brookline." Mike muttered under his breath from his seat on a bucket in the front of the van. Max just laughed like he always did, Stephen on the other hand scolded him from behind the wheel of the van "Listen here lad this is where the work is I aint paying you to bitch I'm paying ya to work Mihaal" Mike exclaimed " I dont mean to bitch Steve, its just every time we work at this guys house I get this weird feeling." The van grew silent in acknowledgement that freezing January morning on 93 north. The tension as thick as the traffic.
The lads pulled up to the austere looking house, somehow isolated in this area so heavily populated. The cold hit there skin as soon as the doors opened, they begin piling tools and ladders dragging them into the house often violently yet elegant. Like a drunken ballerina proving a point in a pub. They where greeted at the door by a frail balding man, a scarecrow personified. This was the keeper of the grounds, Mr. Price, he loathed them thought of them as the unwashed masses unfit to pass the thresh hold of his employers door. They in turn thought of him as a righteous bird dogging cunt. You could say the only thing they had in common was their mutual employer, Mr.Prescott.
They had never met Mr.Prescott though they had worked for him well over two years now. They had been helping with a remodel of a specific section of the house. Turning some old gym area into a laboratory sorts. Though things where constantly changing and they where not quite sure what the original plans consisted of. They where the only contractors that lasted longer then two months. A steady revolving door of masons,carpenters, and plumbers. It was a great point of stress for the boys, but they where there to provide the power.
On that fateful day in January early in the morning they where to finally turn on the power to finish the job. They had never been able to go through the front door they always used a service entrance. Mike thought this strange but he kept it to himself, he just wanted to finish the day and go home. As they brought their equipment into the house and headed to make the final connections. They noticed that the house was louder then normal as if their where a hundred people just above them talking in a low whisper. Mike thought it was just his ears acting up, a few years standing next to jet engines will do that to you. In a different life he had been an electrician on fighter jets, when he was younger and not so jaded. Now he just worked in rich peoples mansions from warheads on foreheads to hipsters and their edison bulbs. He hated the mornings, its always when he chose to self reflect. Maxwell boomed with his boisterous voice "Whats all that fahkin noise kid." " Yeah I had told ye Mr. Price we where to be the only ones working today for christ sake I cant deal with people complaining about no power ." "No worries Mr.Mcgee our glorious employer is entertaining this morning I assure you they have much more important things to concern themselves with, then the likes of you three." muttered Mr. Price as he escorted them to the basement. " Youre a fucking weird one arent ya?" chuckled Maxwell as they descended down the stairs. They reached their work area and began to set up, Mike grabbed the heavy cuts of wire and began to walk them out. All the while Mr. Price read them the riot act about unrestricted movement throughout the house. They where to be escorted everywhere Mr.Price then took his leave. Mike was excited todays work would bring them practically through the whole house albeit in a crawl space that ran around the perimeter of the house. It was strange as their where stairs inside these crawl spaces leading to the next floors crawl space. They began running their wire Mike pulled while they fed. The crawl space was big but he still had to hunch and occasionally crawl on his hand and knees. He had to go up two floors as he did the speech became louder he could hear who he assumed was Mr.Prescott and his guests. They spoke strangely as if almost in tongues. Oddly enough he had heard something like this before only once when his great grandmother was on the phone. It was his last memory of her, he remembered she sounded scared. A sense of dread settled over him as he reached his destination and connected his wires. He returned to the others, they began to finish up it had only taken a few hours but they where now ready to turn the power on. The murmuring upstairs had stopped Mikes nerves had settled. He began to pack the tools while the others finished the work, he was low man on the totem pole. This had been the case for most of his life it was his family curse. He didnt buy into all those things. It was said that his ancestors where so powerful the gods bestowed upon them a curse. That they would always be less in the eyes of other men hindered and they where cursed to suffer the sins of others. Mike called for Mr.Price as he had to begin packing the van. Mr.Price appeared as if almost out of thin air he startled Mike. They began to exit the house as they did Mike found himself looking at pictures. Something caught his eye a face he had seen before. He dropped the tools he was holding suddenly and picked up the picture. Mr.Price began to steam as if a tea kettle he whistled " GET YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OFF MR.PRESCOTTS THINGS YOU FUCKING URCHIN." He was to focused on the photograph to notice. That same jagged smile those same eyes. His head began to throb with pain, it couldn't be it had been ten years since he had seen that face. He would never forget that man he thought he was dead he thought he had seen it. He watched his plane explode that freezing night outside Fairbanks. He felt guilty because he felt relieved as if somehow he knew a great evil had left this world. It was not long after that he was removed from service, disgraced. As he looked up and turned around to confront Mr.Price he saw that jagged smile and those same eyes again. This time in the flesh, he knocked over the table as he jumped back and yelled " Boys fuck this I need some help." His words echoed through the now strangely silent house. All at once he noticed it had become dark a darkness as thick as ink. He couldnt think hell he wasnt even sure if he could breathe, all he heard was a sinister laugh and it kept getting louder. All at once the darkness dissapeared and gave way to a violent light. A white light accented by the white walls floor and ceiling of the room he was in. As the room came into focus he saw them there he attempted to flee only to realize he was strapped to a strange wooden chair. From what he could see it had strange markings, oddly familiar to him though he could not place from where. His ears rang louder as he scanned the room as he saw his friends laying unconscious. He heard voice one he remembered it was high and soft but cut to his bone. "Looks like your friends aren't as lucky as you, though we do have a history and I owe you so much I am your employer Mr. Prescott." Mr. Price shocked Mike with a cattle prod and screamed " Clap for our employer he has graced us with his favor." Mike screamed in pain. "Now Mr.Price I appreciate the enthusiasm but our man here cant clap he seems to be all tied up maybe we should release him." Laughed Mr.Prescott. Well Mike didnt know what the fuck was going. He did however know one thing that mans real name wasn't Mr.Prescott. " Your name isnt Mr.Prescott. You're Colonel Boyd and you are supposed to be fucking dead I went to your funeral I saw your plane explode." " So you do remember, though you did a bit more then just attend my funeral and witness my death, you killed me. Or should I say tried to kill me." barked Colonel Boyd. "Id reckon to say you don't even know you did it, that's the trick with your kind. Most of you don't even realize you're doing what you do. You come from a long line of protectorates and I from a long line of emissary's. We could trace our lineage back thousands of years to before time its self." Colonel Boyd sighed. " Every time I catch one of these savages I have to explain the whole thing and its becoming rather tedious. Maybe I should outsource this, I'm sure my friends at Disney could manage, the lore isnt to complicated. Though I digress." Mike laughs almost maniacally. Colonel Boyd says in frustration " Im here trying to educate you and you're peanut sized brain is laughing at me I suggest you take me seriously." Mike says through laughter " Seriously, seriously.......you cant seriously..... did you see Star Wars, dude you're fucking stupid." Colonel Boyd visibly annoyed nods in Mr. Price direction. The cattle prod buzzes and Mike begins to scream " ahh such a sweet song." sings Colonel Boyd. " See thats whats funny about you protectorates every time I catch one you have jokes and a unique personality. Though you all die just the same." Screams Boyd practically unhinged. Mike yells " Listen man I dont know what you mean by any of this, I have never tried to kill anyone and I dont even think I could spell protectorate but I swear if you let me out of here ill only break your fucking knees for killing my friends."