Without Warning...
We had barely gotten the entire group through the floor entrance when a sudden blood curdling scream erupted from the deepest bowels of the fourth floor's western most ward. The sound ricocheted off the walls and pierced our flesh like a thousand tiny arrows launched from the darkness; overwhelmed with fear the group scattered like cockroaches under a sudden burst of light ... just kidding.
The Final Floor...
By the time we had reached the fourth floor the number of people in our group had dwindled from 22 to 15. Three of those had left during the third floor investigation, claiming to be tired; the other four had gone to the assembly area when one of them required medical attention. I wish I could tell you the young woman had been savagely attacked by an enraged spirit, or bitten by a rabid bat, but apparently she had suffered an asthma attack and just needed a break.
The fourth floor was laid out virtually the same as the second with the center main wide open to both the east and west wings. Unlike the second floor this area was very brightly lit which spilled out on each side penetrating deep into the corridors making the immediate east, and west wings much less palatable from an investigation standpoint. There were also more furnishings scattered about in this area to which a number of the Trans-Allegheny guides had staked out their claim to and lounged about chatting with each other, and some of the group.
Our celebrity guide on this floor was Dave Tango. Following suite with his predecessors, Steve and Amy from the previous floors, Dave laid out the back story of the fourth floor. He must have drawn the short straw this evening because this floor was very unremarkable in it’s history. There were no horrific stories of murder, or mayhem attached to this floor, and no extraordinary, or highly unusual claims of paranormal activity. Expectations continued to decline when it became apparent nothing much to speak of had happened so far this evening either.
Throughout most of the institutions life this floor had been used as living quarters for staff. Currently it was the primary floor targeted for renovation, hence the reason for the additional furniture, and bright lights. The only noticeable difference in the structure of the fourth floor, compared to the previous, was that the western most ward, Ward T, had a wooden floor. In this area, we were told, you could sometimes hear footsteps on those wooden floors when no one else was present.
The Investigation Continues…
It was after midnight now, and Tabitha and I were well into our fourth hour of investigation. Having arrived at the site at 5pm that afternoon meant we had been there for more than seven hours in total. We were getting tired. After having walked for what seemed like miles on the hard concrete and stone floors we decided to find a room, or two, we could settle into, take a seat, and do some extended EVP, and flashlight sessions. Since Ward T appeared to be the best shot at experiencing anything we, along with most everyone else, headed in that direction.
We had fallen behind the group just a little when we stopped to speak with one of the guides about the bats. They were extremely active on this floor, and one in particular seemed to of taken a liking to me, which prompted a brief discussion. Being the last to enter into Ward T it was difficult to disguise our entrance as the floor creaked and moaned with every step as if in excruciating pain under our weight. We quickly and carefully tried to make our way to a room and hunker down for a bit, but it was immediately evident there was no way to quietly traverse these floors. Seeing the third room to our left was unoccupied we darted in and positioned our self against the far wall. It didn't take long to realize that this area was far too contaminated with people to create an environment ripe for investigation. Between the painful groan of the floors as people moved about the ward, and the persistent murmur of other investigators echoing through the corridor any EVPs we may have been lucky to capture would have been drowned out by the cacophony of sounds and therefore unsubstantiatable.
Having made the decision to leave we hastily retreated from Ward T and entered the quiet of Ward V, passed through the center main, then Ward S, and eventually made our way to the furthest east ward, Ward R. Being practically alone in this area we walked to the end of the corridor and picked a larger room in the back right corner to investigate. This room, being on the backside of the building, was noticeably darker than those on the front which still absorbed the light of the waning moon. Contributing to the darkness, and visible through two large sunken windows on the back wall, was a huge wooded hill behind the facility which imposingly overshadowed the building. We decided this room was perfect.
The Clang…
Each of windows had a recessed sill very suitable as a seat; one for Tabitha, and one for me. The windows were about twelve feet apart and each was equally spaced a few feet from their nearest wall. I set the camcorder up, started the digital recorder, and placed the flashlight on the floor. After a brief demonstration for any spirits among us as to how to manipulate the flashlight, and the ways they could communicate with us, I took my place on the window sill nearest the outside end wall of the building. To my right Tabitha was taking her seat on the window sill at the inside wall as I was asking the question; “If there is anyone here with us…” when suddenly a loud clanging sound erupted from the wall beside Tabitha. She sprung from the sill as if shot from a cannon uttering a sound I could only describe as a suppressed muffled scream, and was at my left side, back pressed against the wall before the sound had completely dissipated in the room. Obviously shaken, I asked if she had bumped something to which Tabitha adamantly replied “no!” I said, “Alright”, and followed that up with an “it’s okay”, immediately after which I was informed by Tabitha, “No, it’s not!” A response to which I had to chuckle … just a little.
When we originally entered the room I had noticed a wall mounted heating and air unit on the inside dividing wall. It was fed by a single pipe that ran along the length of the back wall under the windows about a foot off the floor and around the corner into the unit. When I heard the sound I knew immediately it had come from contact with that pipe reverberating into the wall unit. What I didn’t know for sure was if Tabitha had caused it. Since she hadn’t seen it she had no way of connecting the two, so I continued on asking if someone, or something had made that sound could they do it again. After several more requests without a response we decided to move on. Once all the equipment was off I shined the light in the corner to show Tabitha the pipe. After barely tapping it with my foot it repeated the loud clanging sound and we determined that she must have made accidental contact while sitting down.
Others had gathered in this ward by now and the fatigue was starting to set in. My legs and back were aching from walking and standing on the hard floors, we were both hungry, and in need of a restroom break. With about thirty minutes remaining on this floor to investigate we made our way back to the center main building to ask the guides if there were any places open this late where we could get a bite to eat on the way to the hotel. Only one of the guides present, Pam, was a local and told us about a place coincidently located across from the hotel. We talked with her for a short while and expressed the desire to use the restroom before we left the building. She asked if we wanted to go then since she needed to fetch the young woman who had the asthma attack from the assembly area anyway. We agreed, and off we went to the assembly area.
Walking With Ghosts…
Pam talked with us the whole way, about a 10 minute walk, back to the reception area where the inside bathrooms were located. She was a full-time employee of the Asylum, and relayed some interesting facts about the property, ghost tours, and previous TAPS visits; all of which is lost to me now. After we used the restroom, spoke with some other guides, and the deputy/ paramedic on site this evening, we continued on the assembly area. Once there Pam informed us we had a few minutes before we needed to meet back up with the group so I grabbed a couple waters for me and Tabitha and took the occasion sit down for a while.
Besides us, Pam, and the other four members of our group seated several tables away there were two more Trans-Allegheny guides seated at different tables. They were the two young ladies who stood by the door as we passed them on the second floor. After we had sat there for a few minutes the younger one spoke up recognizing us as the couple they had waived to as we passed them on the second floor. We confirmed that it was us, and introduced ourselves. That’s when she asked who the third person was walking with us in Ward B after we had come back from Ward E. I wasn’t certain I had understood the question, so asked her what she meant. She said, that when we came through the door on the way back from Ward E, her and the other guide could see a third person walking with us in the shadows, but as we got closer to the light they didn’t see them anymore. After we passed them and moved on to investigate at the other end of the building they continued to watch, assuming this person had ducked into a room, but no one else ever emerged from the shadows.
I am certain we were the only ones in Ward E at that time, and as far as I know the only people on that end of the building. It’s possible the guides could have fabricated a tale to add some excitement to the night, but I really don’t think so. First of all, if that was their intention then why didn’t they stop us as we passed to ask that question? It’s because, at the time they didn’t know we were alone, and fully expected to see someone else come out of the shadows … eventually. Secondly, it was purely by chance that we ran into them again. If we hadn’t detoured off the fourth floor to use the restroom we would have continued on to the medical building without ever going to the assembly area the rest of the evening, thus never knowing about the ghost who walked with us….
The Last Building…
The medical building was a separate structure on the far west side of the property and behind the main facility. It had not only served as the Asylum’s hospital, but was also the hospital for the town of Weston for a number of years. This was the first time it had been made available for investigations, and it really wasn’t ready. It was small by comparison to the Asylum; smaller even than any single ward of the main facility we had been in this evening. Only the first floor had been cleared out for tonight, so there wasn’t much area available to roam. The main hall of the building was very brightly lit because the power feed was directly from the clock tower and unable to be shut off.
We arrived there several minutes ahead of the rest of our group who were still on the fourth floor and went on in. Pam gave us a brief run down of the buildings history and then went outside to sit on the steps in front of the building. The only two rooms of interest were the morgue, and a darkroom for reading x-rays. Otherwise, since the place had never been investigated by anyone, there were no paranormal claims to speak of. We wandered about for a few minutes until the rest of the group showed up with Zach leading the way.
With 19 people moving about the place this building quickly became very crowded. Tabitha and I decided we had our fill of paranormal investigation for the evening and headed outside to sit on the steps with Pam and another guide who had shown up. We chatted for a bit until Pam talked us into doing a flashlight test on the steps. She set up the light and tasked us with asking the questions. We played along for several minutes asking questions but without any responses. We somehow got onto another subject abandoning the test all together during which time Ozzy Osborne’s name was mentioned; and the flashlight came on. I chalked this up to coincidence, but Pam continued on a line of questioning that was Ozzy related, but to no avail….
Our evening ended shortly after that. Apparently the rest of the group was even less impressed with the medical building, or similarly as tired. Either way we were led back to the reception area, and from there made our way to the parking lot, and then the hotel.
My Mysterious Journey…
My interest in all things mysterious began my freshman year in the library of Lexington High School when I discovered a series of books titled “Monsters and Mythical Beasts”. I was fascinated by these thirteen books that covered everything from dinosaur sightings in Africa, to Bigfoot, ghosts, aliens, woolly mammoths, the Loch Ness Monster, and much, much more. Throughout my high school career I must have read that series dozens of times; the whole while thinking and planning ways to seek out these creatures and prove their existence.
Today this concept exists in the form of Destination Truth, Ghost Hunters, Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files and a host of other series. Only, instead of it being me proving these creatures that fueled my imagination as a youth really do walk this Earth, it’s Josh Gates, Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, Ben Hansen, and others out in the field, doing the leg work, and pursuing my dream. I’m content to live vicariously through these shows; these people; knowing first and foremost this was my idea. Knowing I dreamt of these adventures, played them out in my mind many times over, and designed the traps and tricks to draw these creatures from obscurity and myth … into reality.
The End…
…or is it?
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