In the early 1900's Riverside California was home to thee California State Asylum for the Insane. Pretty intense. The Asylum existed for around 50 years, it was shut down in the mid 1950's and turned into what is now know as California Baptist University.
When the Asylum was in use the staff would lock all windows and doors at night and leave the Asylum through underground catacombs, series of underground tunnels and passageways. It is rumored that when patients "misbehaved" they would be taken down into the catacombs and punished. The punishments given to the mentally insane in the 1900's are the equivalent of modern day torture, bad enough to send shivers down even Mr. McCains back.
Anyways.
The rare and few California Baptist University students who have risked suspension and explored the supposedly haunted catacombs beneath their campus have bone chilling stories to tell, and so of course I had to do a little exploring of my own. [how John Cusack* of me...]
Adventure beings with a tour of CBU campus. My friend Daniel points out an eerie stairway leading down to an old wooden door on the side of one of the old asylum buildings.
"There's one of the entrances to the catacombs" he says
"oooohhh lets see if its unlock" I insist, well knowing that with a little research this would be my blog topic for the week
Hesitantly he agrees and in a train me, Daniel, Janelle and Devron take the narrow steps down to the ultra-spooky door.
"Do you think it'll be unlocked?" I ask as we all stare at the door
Without a reply coming from any lips I decide to brave-heart it and turn the handle, I mean honestly, the worst that could happen is like, a huge rat being on the other side of the door...or like, a ghost...but we didn't really consider the latter.
"ohhh mannnn its totally unlocked, lets go in!" I have no idea where this bravery/complete disregard for common sense-is coming from, but its there none the less, and I convince the rest of my group to follow me into the PITCH BLACK FRIKKIN CATACOMB.
Once the door was shut, we became a pretty uniformed group, it's not my belief that fear brings out the organization in everyone.
Janelle has two cellphones stretched out infront of her, leading or train with the little light that they give off, Devron is holding tight on to Janelles shoulders, Daniel has one hand on cellphone and one hand pulling me through the narrow passageways. At the point of actual "Hey lets walk really far away from our only exist and explore this incredibly scary place" I lost all nerve.
We walk through an honest to God MAZE of underground passageways light by not more then four cellphones and come to a door. At this point I notice Daniel being a little more on edge.
JOAIW@%$#^FWIFBL
we heard a weird sound, that was the best impression of it I can give...
It sounded like a cross between a bump and scuffle and it scared me half out of my skin and we turned and ran.
Once were out of the death-trap-catacomb-of-doom Daniel proceeds to actually fill us in on the history behind the catacombs, which up to this point neither me nor Janelle knew of. He ends his tale with "and every time you reach that door you hear the knocking of the tortured" It sounds like a typical ghost story, but after just experiencing it, it's enough to scare your socks right off you...(haha...)
Okay so of course, being completely illogical teenagers seeking some entertainment and thrill in life, we decided that it'd be a brilliant idea to go back down and test the theory of the "knock of the tortured" because we had an argument in the group of wether it sounded like a knock or a rat or something else that goes bump in the night.
Organized in the same line up with start our walk back through the catacombs, what I now assumed to be like, my last few moments of life.
Before the door thats allegedly haunted, theres a turn. You don't see the door untill you turn the corner, and at this point, I don't want to see the door. Daniel is litterly dragging me down the hallways, and at this last turn I put my foot down and refuse to turn the corner.
Unfortunately, Daniel's bigger then me and so it pretty much came down to "see the door" or "have my arm ripped out of it's socket"
As a turn the corner were all completely silent. Hands are grabbing who ever they an reach, and were just about ready to move closer to the door.
knock knock.
O MY GOD. I've never ran so fast in heels in my ENTIRE LIFE.
I don't know if I believe in ghosts but I believe in that knock.
*1408 reference...its a stephen king novel...and movie!
p.s. This is the first blog to actually meet the 800 word request.
yay.
3 comments:
that was spooky. fun to read. the detail and thought put into it I thought was better than your other blogs as well. nice work.
you are a really good story teller. good job.
Okay so I am a student at California Baptist University and have been there for the last six years (BA and MPA). I once about three years ago was a teachers aid for a teacher that has been with the university for 20+ years and he informed that the catacombs use to be used as an entrance to the James building and to access office until 1991 when a student who was depressed hung him self from the southern entrance of the catacombs. So ofcourse me and some friends decide to go down into the catacombs with my master key code (abuse of power, i know). But like your experience when I got down to the door their was no need for my code. So when we went down their we made it down the major hallway when we saw from about 100 meters away what looked liked a kid hang in the door way. Flipped out, turned around and ran, got lost and then when we got back to the door. we heard the knock, loud as day. It was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. I did not miss a chapel for a month after that!
Post a Comment