Haunted Manor

The Manor had been abandoned for the last fifty years. It’d fallen into disrepair. The rumors that swirled about hearing strange noises coming from within had led Rooney straight to it. Her interest in the paranormal, in Florida especially, was something everyone knew about her. She was surprised it’d survived the last three Hurricane seasons. Three years where there were two Category three and four Hurricanes each season that did damage across the state. South Florida had gotten the worst of it in at least one each of the three years. The Manor had somehow gone primarily unscathed each year. 

Rooney wanted to investigate. She’d felt drawn to it for some reason. As if something that lay within was beckoning her to investigate. As if something that lay within wanted her to reveal the truth. She was hesitant because of the recent weather reports of a possibly Hurricane forming. There most current reports were that it was a Tropical Storm that could end up intensifying out of nowhere. She’d chosen to investigate anyway. The overwhelming feeling of dread filled her though. A feeling that the impending doom of a Hurricane coming would happen when everyone least expected it. She’d prepared in the event a Hurricane formed with little to no time to prepare. She’d rather be prepared in the event she got stuck inside the Manor. 

She got to the Manor earlier than she’d thought. At nearly ten in the morning she was on a nearby park bench wondering how long it’d take her to pick the lock. She’d hadn’t exactly let anyone know she was going to investigate it. She’d felt overprepared after getting there. She had a week's worth of everything after all. A notification alerted her to the report that the tropical storm had become a Category two Hurricane. It’d strengthened overnight. She went against her instincts and called the Curator asking if she could investigate the Manor. He hesitated citing the Hurricane. He didn’t want her stuck there considering it would be barreling through Florida in the next few days. She let him know she’d only be investigating overnight and leave the following morning. She’d resume her investigation after the Hurricane passed. He let her know he’d be there in thirty minutes. 

He warned her there was a possibility that the storm would make landfall by the following afternoon after checking recent reports. She promised him she’d be okay if she got stuck there. She had supplies in the event she was stuck there. Both agreed it was best that he come back early the following morning to take her back to her apartment so she could better prepare her own apartment for the Hurricane. She was perfectly fine with that. She’d gotten an uneasy feeling about everything out of nowhere. She was determined to investigate regardless. It hadn’t taken long for her to find everything. She’d looked in the places nobody thought to look. Flynn had appeared to her. He’d told her everything she wanted to know over the next few hours. She thanked him for being so willing to share everything with her. 

A weather notification appeared on her phone. Her worst fear was confirmed. The Hurricane had strengthened out of nowhere. It’d become a Category four. Flynn told her of the safe room he’d built specifically for Hurricanes. It had a bathroom as well. The Curator had told her the toilets worked in the event she had to use the bathroom at any point in time. Ben called her letting her know he was going to come earlier than expected. To bring her back to his place considering they may not be able to get her back to her own apartment. She’d reassured him her place was as safe as possible. She’d already done everything needed prior to leaving. She was okay with going back to his place to ride out the Hurricane. 

The Hurricane had moved faster than anyone thought. It’d begun moving over the Eastern part of Florida by the following morning. Ben called her letting her know he was going to try getting there. He wasn’t too hopeful. She let him know she’d found the secret room that seemed to have been built specifically for a Hurricane. A room he’d no idea existed. She assured him she’d be safe until the Hurricane passed. He insisted on trying to make it there to try getting her back to his place to ride out the storm. Both knew it might not be safe enough to do so. He hoped he’d be able to though. He didn’t want her to be alone during the Hurricane either. 

Six hours passed before he texted her letting her know he’d just pulled into the carport. That it’d become unsafe to go back to his apartment over the last few minutes. She rushed out to help him inside after seeing how quickly the winds had picked up. She took him to the safe room. Where Flynn appeared to him. The trio talked about restoring the Manor over the next twelve hours. Flynn wanted them to restore the Manor back to its original glory. Or as close as possible. Ben and Rooney agreed. They’d vowed to turn the first floor into a Museum. To make it Hurricane proof. She was going to live on the upper floors while the downstairs was the Museum. One room was going to be everything Flynn told her. 

The Hurricane had gone into the Gulf by the following morning. Flynn said his final goodbyes before moving on. He was happy with their promises and clear dedication in the short time he’d made himself known. She’d put all the notes in each room to work on each room. Both agreed it’d take six months to restore it before opening it to the public. Ben hadn’t made any changes to the Manor in the time since he’d become the Curator. He didn’t feel comfortable making any changes. He’d wanted to restore it for a while. He did so with Rooney’s help. They’d employed a few other Tour Guides aside from Rooney. Rooney had become the official Owner though. She’d kept Ben as the Curator though. Both had moved into the upper floor to better maintain the Manor. To make sure everything was okay when future Hurricane seasons came.