1 00:00:05,679 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: I was taking a few days off and spending it 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,839 camping in the woods. I was in some forest a 3 00:00:11,919 --> 00:00:14,599 few hours from my town and had set up camp 4 00:00:14,679 --> 00:00:18,079 at the end of a four hour trail. I'd spent 5 00:00:18,199 --> 00:00:21,440 the night there already and had noticed this thin path. 6 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:22,879 Speaker 2: Leading out from the campsite. 7 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: I had no idea where it went, and it wasn't 8 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,760 on the map of the area, but having nothing better 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,240 to do on that second day, I thought I'd go 10 00:00:32,359 --> 00:00:35,000 for a short hike down the path just to see 11 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,759 if it led anywhere cool, maybe a small pond or 12 00:00:38,799 --> 00:00:43,759 a waterfall or something. I brought with me a backpack 13 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,359 with food and water in case i'd be out longer 14 00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:51,759 than expected. Walking through the trail, it was very obvious 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,359 that almost nobody used it, or at least hadn't used 16 00:00:55,359 --> 00:00:59,679 it in a long time, maybe even years. It was 17 00:00:59,759 --> 00:01:03,119 very thin and overgrown in a lot of sections, and 18 00:01:03,159 --> 00:01:06,879 I didn't see any signs of people, like shoeprints or anything. 19 00:01:08,519 --> 00:01:12,319 This went on for several miles, taking around two hours 20 00:01:12,359 --> 00:01:15,239 before I found the end, and it wasn't. 21 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 2: What I expected. 22 00:01:17,439 --> 00:01:21,159 Speaker 1: There was a house or cabin sitting in the woods. 23 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,239 At first sight, there was no mistaking that it was abandoned. 24 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,319 Moss and vines were growing out of the woods siding, 25 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:35,879 and the doors and windows were all open. Before approaching 26 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,920 any further, I looked around at my surroundings, just checking 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,200 for anything, as this wasn't a normal thing to just 28 00:01:43,239 --> 00:01:52,079 stumble across. The woods were calm and unsettlingly still, I 29 00:01:52,159 --> 00:01:54,840 went up to the doorway and poked my head in. 30 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,519 Looking down the front hallway, there was dust and debris 31 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,040 eying all over the floors, but it was otherwise barren. 32 00:02:05,319 --> 00:02:09,400 I went in a little further. It smelled of mildew 33 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,000 and rotting wood, but as I crept through the rooms 34 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,960 there wasn't much to see. Feeling uneasy though, I was 35 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,400 about to turn around and leave, but a small glimmer 36 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,039 caught the side of my eye on one of the 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,879 closed wooden doors. The handle had been ripped off and 38 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:34,080 replaced by a silver padlock. It almost looked brand new 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:40,439 and matched nothing else in the house. My curiosity immediately 40 00:02:40,479 --> 00:02:43,039 had me thinking of why there was a padlock on 41 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,360 the door to an otherwise empty and ruined cabin. The 42 00:02:48,439 --> 00:02:52,000 more I looked at it, though, that uneasy feeling just 43 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,520 took over me, and I couldn't get myself to investigate. 44 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 2: I quickly left the house and went back to the path. 45 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,039 Speaker 1: Just as I entered the trail again, I heard a 46 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,439 single footstep on the wooden floor inside the house. I 47 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,639 turned and looked at the doorway, but saw nothing, so 48 00:03:13,719 --> 00:03:17,439 I kept on walking, trying to distance myself from that place. 49 00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:22,520 As I walked back, though for the whole two hours, 50 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:26,479 I kept hearing footsteps in the distance, like someone was 51 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,560 following me. The trees densely covered the area, though, making 52 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,840 it impossible to see that far. When I got back 53 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,960 to the camp, I got a fire going early and 54 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:43,319 just sat and waited, listening and looking to see if 55 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:49,280 anyone showed up. By nightfall, I hadn't heard anything else, 56 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,120 but as the hours got later, I started hearing it again, 57 00:03:54,919 --> 00:03:58,560 footsteps out in the distance, far beyond the light of 58 00:03:58,599 --> 00:04:02,719 the campfire, definitely close enough for them to see the light. 59 00:04:04,479 --> 00:04:07,759 It went on for several hours, hearing a line of 60 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:12,960 footsteps every ten to fifteen minutes, still though I was 61 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,759 never able to see them, and eventually it got so 62 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,079 late that I knew I had to sleep, so I 63 00:04:20,199 --> 00:04:23,160 left the campfire going. As I got inside my tent, 64 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:26,879 I was in and out of sleep for the rest 65 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,079 of the night, waking up at every small sound the 66 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:30,759 woods made. 67 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 2: After getting almost no. 68 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: Sleep, I left. What the cabin was doing there, and 69 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,720 whoever had followed me that night, I'll never know. I 70 00:04:43,759 --> 00:04:47,000 can't say what they intended to do, but their disturbing 71 00:04:47,079 --> 00:04:51,720 stalking behavior only lets me assume the worst. But I 72 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,839 can never seem to stop thinking about the disturbing possibilities 73 00:04:56,079 --> 00:05:12,800 of what was behind that locked door. This happened almost 74 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:16,639 ten years ago when I was in high school. Me 75 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,680 and my friend, while called Jake for privacy, have kept 76 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,839 from sharing this until now, mostly because we just don't 77 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:29,279 know what really happened. We had been talking about going 78 00:05:29,319 --> 00:05:32,319 to this abandoned mall near our city for a while, 79 00:05:32,879 --> 00:05:35,759 but the only thing making us nervous was that we 80 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,800 didn't have a group to go with. It would just 81 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,480 be us, and we knew that it was a sketchy 82 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:45,279 place to be. For some reason, we were both just 83 00:05:45,439 --> 00:05:49,199 really intrigued by the place and the idea of going there, 84 00:05:50,199 --> 00:05:55,639 so much so that we couldn't stop ourselves. We gathered 85 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,279 up some stuff into a drawstring bag and took Jake's 86 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:03,279 card to get there. This mall was off the side 87 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,199 of a long highway, but the state had blocked the 88 00:06:06,319 --> 00:06:09,680 view from the road with a ton of trees, probably 89 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,519 to keep people from seeing the unpleasant building so close. 90 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,759 Speaker 2: To the city. The road to get to the parking. 91 00:06:16,439 --> 00:06:19,639 Speaker 1: Lot was destroyed too, so we had to park on 92 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,240 the side of the highway, kind of nestled around some 93 00:06:22,399 --> 00:06:26,800 trees so it wouldn't be seen by passing cars. Then 94 00:06:26,959 --> 00:06:31,720 we started walking. The sun was just about setting, which 95 00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:34,120 gave us enough light to not get lost. 96 00:06:33,879 --> 00:06:34,519 Speaker 2: In the trees. 97 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: After a few minutes, the sound of cars passing on 98 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,360 the highway faded out, and we reached the edge of 99 00:06:42,399 --> 00:06:46,639 the massive, empty parking lot, where the abandoned mall sat 100 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:51,360 right in the middle. There were no cars, no people, 101 00:06:51,759 --> 00:06:56,040 and no sounds. We stood there for a moment, just 102 00:06:56,079 --> 00:06:57,720 to be sure we were alone. 103 00:06:58,439 --> 00:06:59,639 Speaker 2: Then we walked through. 104 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 1: The parking lot and up to the main entrance. 105 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 2: All the glass from the doors. 106 00:07:04,759 --> 00:07:11,399 Speaker 1: Were shattered, and inside it almost immediately became darker. We 107 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:16,560 stayed quiet at first, walking slowly and being careful just 108 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,720 looking around. Being inside this huge mall with no people 109 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,439 walking around and no lights on was super eerie and strange. 110 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,800 Feeling every step we took echoed all the way through 111 00:07:30,839 --> 00:07:34,600 the mall, which was completely dark. As we got further 112 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,959 toward the middle, we stopped for a minute, taking our 113 00:07:38,959 --> 00:07:42,240 flashlights out of the bag when we heard something. 114 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 2: Someone was laughing. 115 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,519 Speaker 1: It was from the other end of the mall, which 116 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:55,800 was pitch black. We didn't hear any talking afterward, or 117 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,879 see any lights. We both agreed that it had to 118 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,360 just be another group exploring the place, but it didn't 119 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:08,920 really make me feel any better. This wasn't ideal, and 120 00:08:08,959 --> 00:08:12,800 we were hoping to avoid other people, but already being there, 121 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:15,800 it felt like a waste of time to just turn back. 122 00:08:17,399 --> 00:08:20,560 We turned on the flashlights and started walking into the 123 00:08:20,639 --> 00:08:25,399 dark section of the mall, moving the light around. All 124 00:08:25,439 --> 00:08:30,600 the stores were emptied and had garbageing graffiti everywhere. By then, 125 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,600 the sun had definitely set too, because when I looked 126 00:08:34,639 --> 00:08:37,600 behind us at where we came from, it was pitch 127 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:42,480 black as well. I turned back around to tell Jake, 128 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:46,360 but he had stopped walking and was holding his flashlight 129 00:08:46,639 --> 00:08:52,200 steadily ahead of him. Jake, I whispered, but then I 130 00:08:52,279 --> 00:08:56,679 looked closer at where his light was pointing far back 131 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,960 in the store, directly ahead of us, I saw a figure. 132 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,440 They were standing by the entrance to the shop and 133 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,200 just looking at us. 134 00:09:07,399 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: I think what. 135 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 1: Terrified us so much was just how creepy it was 136 00:09:11,639 --> 00:09:14,600 for them to just be standing there without saying hello, 137 00:09:15,159 --> 00:09:16,919 or just walking away or something. 138 00:09:18,279 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 2: And as more and more seconds. 139 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: Passed, my heart felt like it was beating out of 140 00:09:23,039 --> 00:09:27,240 my chest in terror. Before Jake finally moved his light away, 141 00:09:28,399 --> 00:09:31,679 both of us turned around and started quickly walking back 142 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,159 where we came from. We were constantly swinging our lights 143 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:41,399 around as we navigated through the darkness. Our footsteps echoing 144 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:46,240 around us made it hard to hear anything else, only furthering. 145 00:09:45,879 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 2: The panic we were in. 146 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,799 Speaker 1: Then our lights finally reached the entrance to the mall, 147 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,360 and just then running footsteps came. 148 00:09:56,159 --> 00:09:57,759 Speaker 2: From the floor right above us. 149 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: I shined my lights, only catching a glimpse of a 150 00:10:02,159 --> 00:10:06,960 person running down the hallway. This is when Jake and 151 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,720 I started sprinting, heading straight for the exit as we 152 00:10:10,759 --> 00:10:13,519 could hear the footsteps start making their way down the 153 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:18,879 escalators towards us. We managed to get out and continued 154 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,480 running through the parking lot and all the way to 155 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:29,279 the trees. Looking back, nobody had followed us out. As 156 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,320 we walked back to the car, I almost threw up 157 00:10:32,399 --> 00:10:36,279 from my heart racing so fast. We got in the 158 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,879 car and drove back to Jake's house, and after that 159 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,639 we never talked about it. I don't know what that 160 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,039 was the way it all played out, though. I just 161 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,679 can't see how a couple people would plan all of 162 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:55,679 that without meaning harm. Thankfully, we didn't assume anything, because 163 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:59,600 if we had stayed there and continued exploring, there's really 164 00:10:59,639 --> 00:11:16,639 no saying what would have happened that night. There's an 165 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:20,799 abandoned hotel in my town that's been vacant for decades. 166 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,279 It had been bought out several times before, but every 167 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,039 time they ended up going bankrupt after just a few years. 168 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,840 Our town is small and kind of old fashioned, so 169 00:11:32,919 --> 00:11:35,799 there's really no reason for anyone to visit unless they 170 00:11:35,799 --> 00:11:39,320 have family here, which means that there's really no reason 171 00:11:39,399 --> 00:11:40,000 to even. 172 00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 2: Have a hotel as big as this one was. 173 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 1: It was at least six stories and was probably the 174 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:51,639 largest building in our town. Anyway, when I was twenty three, 175 00:11:52,159 --> 00:11:56,440 I just casually decided to check it out. I felt 176 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:00,200 like there was nothing actually dangerous or scary about it. 177 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,080 It was just an empty abandoned building that would be 178 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:07,200 cool to walk around and look at. I decided to 179 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,200 go during the day because I figured that if anyone 180 00:12:10,279 --> 00:12:13,159 was there during the daytime, then they were probably just 181 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,879 harmless people exploring it like me. I parked at a 182 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,759 store that was a half mile away, then walked to 183 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:25,320 the hotel. It was mostly isolated on the side of 184 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,320 the road, being that most of the stores surrounding it 185 00:12:28,399 --> 00:12:29,879 had already been torn down. 186 00:12:30,879 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 2: The hotel itself. 187 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 1: Though, looked a lot worse than the last time I'd 188 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:39,080 seen it. The brick was crumbling and the whole place 189 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:43,919 seemed like it was fading and decaying. I went up 190 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:48,720 to the front and glanced inside. It was mostly empty, 191 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,519 with only a few things scattered around like chairs and 192 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:57,559 old furniture. I stepped in and walked through the lobby, 193 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:03,080 opening the door to the staircase. The whole stairwell was 194 00:13:03,159 --> 00:13:06,759 covered in shadows, as barely any light was getting in. 195 00:13:07,919 --> 00:13:10,159 All I could see was a dim beam of light 196 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,159 coming from one of the floors above. It was only 197 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,960 just enough for me to find my way up the stairs, 198 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,240 but when I got to the door on the second story, 199 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:24,559 it was blocked. Something on the other side was keeping 200 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,559 it from opening, and a sheet of wood was covering 201 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,919 the window on the door. I left it and continued 202 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,279 up to the third story, opening the door and entering 203 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:40,240 the hallway. This was probably the most creepy setting I'd 204 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,759 ever been in. The hallway was dark and musty, with 205 00:13:44,879 --> 00:13:47,279 only a small window on either end. 206 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 2: To light up the corridor. 207 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 1: I walked down a little bit, then went into the 208 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:58,559 first room with an open door. Oddly, it looked kind 209 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:03,159 of normal. There were layers of dust covering everything, but 210 00:14:03,279 --> 00:14:05,600 all the furniture was set up as if it had 211 00:14:05,639 --> 00:14:10,039 never been moved. There were even towels and soap left 212 00:14:10,039 --> 00:14:14,039 in the bathroom. Still, as I was looking at all 213 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:19,039 of this, I heard a small thumb. I turned around 214 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,919 and faced the doorway, not sure if that was from 215 00:14:21,919 --> 00:14:22,759 the floor I was. 216 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 2: On or the one below me. 217 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:31,759 Speaker 1: A few seconds later, quiet footsteps creaked the floorboards. 218 00:14:31,279 --> 00:14:32,759 Speaker 2: Coming down the hallway. 219 00:14:34,519 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: As they got closer, I just stared at the doorway 220 00:14:37,879 --> 00:14:41,559 and hoped that they weren't on my floor. After a 221 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,279 few seconds, though, I heard them stop, followed by a 222 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:48,320 door opening and then slamming shut on the. 223 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 2: Floor below me. 224 00:14:51,039 --> 00:14:55,519 Speaker 1: Afterward, there were no footsteps or really any sounds at all. 225 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,200 I tried to be quiet, walking up to the hallway 226 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,840 and looking out to make sure nobody else was here. 227 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,879 Thinking about it, though, I couldn't see why another person 228 00:15:08,039 --> 00:15:11,799 just exploring the place would walk so deliberately to a 229 00:15:11,919 --> 00:15:15,600 room and slam the door. And the more I thought 230 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:20,559 about it, the more nervous I got. Only adding to 231 00:15:20,639 --> 00:15:23,440 the eeriness was how silent. 232 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:24,919 Speaker 2: The whole place was. Now. 233 00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:29,759 Speaker 1: After a minute of standing in the hallway and thinking 234 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:34,559 I'd had enough, I quietly walked back to the staircase 235 00:15:34,799 --> 00:15:38,919 and opened the door, Entering the dark stairwell and starting 236 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,879 to descend. There was no way to be quiet. On 237 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:48,200 the metal stairs. Each step was an unavoidable hollow thumb. 238 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,279 But as I passed the door to the second story, 239 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,200 I noticed a small gap in the doorway that definitely 240 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:01,360 wasn't there before. Then I looked down at the stairs 241 00:16:01,399 --> 00:16:06,039 ahead of me. A figure stood in the stairwell only 242 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:10,320 a few steps below me, barely visible in the darkness, 243 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:16,480 but their eyes stared right at me. They looked dreadful 244 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:22,679 and emotionless. With no choice, I started carefully walking on 245 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,360 the edge of the staircase, passing. 246 00:16:24,919 --> 00:16:28,039 Speaker 2: By them, with only a couple feet between. 247 00:16:27,679 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: Us, as his eyes followed every move I made. Once 248 00:16:33,639 --> 00:16:36,240 I got to the bottom, I opened the door and 249 00:16:36,399 --> 00:16:39,639 ran out into the lobby, where I could finally see clearly. 250 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,440 I hurried back to my car and sat in the 251 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:48,799 parking lot for a while. Looking back, that was probably 252 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,000 the dumbest thing I'd ever done. I guess I just 253 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:56,360 didn't realize what I was walking into. I'm not sure 254 00:16:56,399 --> 00:16:59,399 why that person was there or what they were doing. 255 00:17:00,279 --> 00:17:03,799 Leaving when I did was probably the only good decision 256 00:17:03,919 --> 00:17:28,200 I made.