Narrator

I've been leading groups into abandoned places for nearly 10 years now. Fort de la Chartreuse, outside of Liege, Belgium, has always been my favorite. It's a sprawling maze of brick tunnels and cold rooms that saw heavy use during World War II. The occupying German forces supposedly used parts of it for interrogations and detainment, though no official records were kept.

Now the fort lies abandoned and boarded up, overgrown, forgotten except by urban explorers and local scouts daring enough to sneak in after dark. Tonight was one of those excursions. We had our rules. Strict silence. Total darkness. The road running alongside the fort wall was busy enough that headlights passed often, forcing us to climb quietly and swiftly.

Now the fort lies abandoned and boarded up, overgrown, forgotten except by urban explorers and local scouts daring enough to sneak in after dark. Tonight was one of those excursions. We had our rules. Strict silence. Total darkness. The road running alongside the fort wall was busy enough that headlights passed often, forcing us to climb quietly and swiftly.

we'd anchored ropes at a sheer wall months earlier barely noticeable from the street i went in first as usual slipping silently into the fort ahead of everyone else finding my assigned spot deep inside the tunnels my job was simple

we'd anchored ropes at a sheer wall months earlier barely noticeable from the street i went in first as usual slipping silently into the fort ahead of everyone else finding my assigned spot deep inside the tunnels my job was simple

wait silently at a narrow junction directing explorers toward the main path if they hesitated or got turned around once inside the fort everything shifted the air was always precisely fifty seven degrees fahrenheit no matter the season and though the road was close not even the rumble of trucks penetrated these walls

wait silently at a narrow junction directing explorers toward the main path if they hesitated or got turned around once inside the fort everything shifted the air was always precisely fifty seven degrees fahrenheit no matter the season and though the road was close not even the rumble of trucks penetrated these walls

it was like entering a vacuum utter stillness that pressed against your eardrums there was a constant breeze slight but noticeable moving through the tunnels in gentle pulses almost rhythmic like slow breathing i squeezed into my spot a small recessed alcove cut into the brickwork and waited it was pitch black no flashlights permitted only touch and sound even after all these years the place still unsettled me

it was like entering a vacuum utter stillness that pressed against your eardrums there was a constant breeze slight but noticeable moving through the tunnels in gentle pulses almost rhythmic like slow breathing i squeezed into my spot a small recessed alcove cut into the brickwork and waited it was pitch black no flashlights permitted only touch and sound even after all these years the place still unsettled me

The tunnels were narrow, tight enough that I had to tilt my shoulders sideways in some passages. Sound bounced strangely here. Footsteps seemed to echo behind rather than ahead, the acoustics tricking you into believing you were being followed. You'd stop, and for a second, there would always be one extra step, a lingering echo that unsettled everyone.

The tunnels were narrow, tight enough that I had to tilt my shoulders sideways in some passages. Sound bounced strangely here. Footsteps seemed to echo behind rather than ahead, the acoustics tricking you into believing you were being followed. You'd stop, and for a second, there would always be one extra step, a lingering echo that unsettled everyone.

It must have been at least half an hour of silent waiting when I first saw the faint glow down the corridor. I frowned. Somebody had broken the rule. Matches, maybe. Or a tiny lighter. The dim flicker bobbed gently, rhythmic, like someone slowly pacing. But as I watched it approach, I realized something strange. There were no footsteps. None at all.

It must have been at least half an hour of silent waiting when I first saw the faint glow down the corridor. I frowned. Somebody had broken the rule. Matches, maybe. Or a tiny lighter. The dim flicker bobbed gently, rhythmic, like someone slowly pacing. But as I watched it approach, I realized something strange. There were no footsteps. None at all.

Just that wavering light moving smoothly down the hallway, impossibly silent. It drew closer, closer, and then, without warning, the light blinked out. Complete darkness returned. I shifted uneasily, feeling a trickle of cold sweat slide down my spine. The hallway felt colder, emptier somehow, despite knowing rationally it couldn't have changed temperature. But my nerves were getting to me.

Just that wavering light moving smoothly down the hallway, impossibly silent. It drew closer, closer, and then, without warning, the light blinked out. Complete darkness returned. I shifted uneasily, feeling a trickle of cold sweat slide down my spine. The hallway felt colder, emptier somehow, despite knowing rationally it couldn't have changed temperature. But my nerves were getting to me.

I took a quiet breath to steady myself. that's when i felt it a sudden slight warmth against my face humid and human a moist breath in the otherwise dry tunnel air i froze completely my muscles locking there was something directly in front of me i could smell it a faint scent of sweat damp earth and old fabric

I took a quiet breath to steady myself. that's when i felt it a sudden slight warmth against my face humid and human a moist breath in the otherwise dry tunnel air i froze completely my muscles locking there was something directly in front of me i could smell it a faint scent of sweat damp earth and old fabric

familiar and yet horribly out of place whoever or whatever stood there had stopped breathing it knew i was there my own breath trapped painfully in my chest as we both stood utterly still neither daring to move my pulse throbbed in my temples deafening in the silence I strained my ears desperately for some clue of movement. A shifting weight, a scrape, a breath. Nothing.

familiar and yet horribly out of place whoever or whatever stood there had stopped breathing it knew i was there my own breath trapped painfully in my chest as we both stood utterly still neither daring to move my pulse throbbed in my temples deafening in the silence I strained my ears desperately for some clue of movement. A shifting weight, a scrape, a breath. Nothing.

Only silence and the suffocating closeness of the tunnel. Minutes passed like hours, my lungs beginning to burn. Finally, just as my chest spasmed for air, the warmth slowly receded. I exhaled silently, shuddering in relief, trying to convince myself it had only been a trick of my nerves or imagination. But I knew better.