PINES (Final)

PINES (Final)

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/96lv5p/pines/?st=JM68TVDF&sh=2b2c4683

Part 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/96tux7/pines_part_2/?st=JM68UBL9&sh=d3016ee1

These are the true events that took place the night we stayed at Pines.

As we walked through the front door past the receptionist’s desk, we turned right when we came to the large room with the tables. In the center of the building was the stair case. Climbed each floor and walked both ends of the hallway. No sound, dust, or a sign that anything had changed since the last we’d been there. Back to the stairs then up again. And again, and again. Nothing had been moved, changed, diverted. Opened the ceiling door to the gazebo, walked across to the large room on the roof and set our packs down. For the remainder of the sunlight hours, we peeked in and out of various rooms.

Inspecting more throughly than we had before, because this day we had time on our hands. Opened every wallet. Read every name. Went through every drawer, closet and looked under the mattress’s. More bibles and the occasional “get well soon” card from distant relatives, most likely to clean their conscience for not wanting to take an active part in the resident’s life. Some clothes were dirty, but most had been pressed and folded. A gold watch in this room, a silver in that one. More taped pictures on mirrors and windows propped open with old pencils or markers. We stumbled across the occasional pack of diapers or a notebook with relatives names and numbers.

Everything was just wrong. Sure, we had been inside of dozens of abandon buildings or factory’s. But all those were as you’d think. The smell of old stagnant water, and cold slimy concrete walls with beautiful graffiti slathered across to form breathe taking works of art.

It’s a tough thing to describe the sense of exploration we felt while walking these halls. In the past we had to make sure the floor wouldn’t give out or watch for stepping on nails and low hanging debris. But all I remember being worried about was leaving dirt on the carpet, or accidentally marking up one of the walls. Misplacing something that didn’t belong to me and having to sit and take an ear full of an elderly resident, of why I’m a young tattooed disgrace towards society.

As the sun started to say it’s goodbyes and the rooms grew dim, the low hum of the relaxing summer orange and cool breeze prompted us back to the roof. We got to our packs inside the large room with the large metal shelve against the wall and various staggered desks. We picked up most of the desks and moved them to one corner so we could have more room. The metal shelf wasn’t hurting anyone; so that and the papers spread across the floor stayed in place. We all sat for a moment looking out to the gazebo thinking how we could secure it. If I remember correctly there was a standard black metal latch that you would find on most back yard fences.

The door opened outward and we didn’t have anything to secure the latch. But.... We did have rope. Three or four times we wrapped the entire gazebo and triple knotted it. After a quick burn from my lighter the knot was as tight as it was ever going to get. We tried to pull the door but it wouldn’t budge an inch. So we sat with our feet back off the edge of the roof talking about the bullshit of our teachers or problems we had with our girlfriends. Laughing about that time we drank too much or an old prank we had pulled. Anything to talk about as the sun flickered off the horizon.

Then the night fell.

Before we knew it we were utterly enthralled deep within the woods. No street lights back out on the road. No sound of cars. No moon. An uneasy feeling draped over me but the tone of everyone’s voice reassured me that I wasn’t alone. “This was definitely a mistake.” Those words played over and over though my head.

Now I can’t remember the time everything started to go tits up. But I do remember all of us checking our phones and realizing service was non existent. No calls or texts going out or coming in. We sat on the roof for a decent time, quietly whispering to one another. Mostly just listening for anything we could hear. We occasionally turned on a flashlight and shined it off the roof when we heard sticks breaking, or something falling from a tree. Then we heard a loud snap, off the backside of the building. It sounded a little far out, almost close to the road where we made the discovering of the building.

We tiptoed over to the edge and listened intently. There was a loud crack that had the sound of leaves crunching draped over it. And again. A few seconds would pass in silence; and then again and again. It was certainly foot steps, that much we could put together. But of a deer? Yeah sure that’s it. But all sorts of thoughts are running through your head when you’re seventeen and actually living a horror movie. Trapped on top of an unfamiliar building, deep in unfamiliar woods. With no cell service or vehicle to run to. As the steps drew closer and closer, they didn’t seem to mind the inconsistent flash of our light. But why would a deer care? Or why would a murderer care? The steps were close enough to the building that they were going to break the tree line. Then silence.

About twenty seconds dragged by before Randy clicked his light. No body, no figure, just eyes. A single jet set of golden eyes ricocheted the light straight back up at us. We froze at the thought that whatever this was had been starring at us in the dark. It would take a couple steps to the left and stop. It didn’t blink and it didn’t divert its gaze once. A couple steps to the right and the eyes vanished behind a tree. The sounds of the steps faded off and returning our heartbeats to normal. But we never saw the eyes again. We receded quietly back to the door of the large room where we all moved.

We discussed the event for what it was and different possibilities. For about thirty minutes after that we explained the point of how stupid this all was to ourselves. A couple hours passed, and slowly one by one our voices passed into whispers, that eventually closed off. Our heads grew heavy and our sight dimmed. And a sort of relaxing comfort fell across the room.

Not even two fucking minutes later this sound penetrated the room, with the most piercing and aggressive sharpness. We all sprung up confused as hell, Randy already on his feet with his knife in hand. Looking around the dark room didn’t help the situation. All four flashlights were on and moving quickly to attempt to locate the source of the sound. For some reason we all continued to look at the metal shelf against the wall.

“BEEP”

“BEEP”

“BEEP”

Over and over and over. Not even a second in between. Far to loud to talk to one another; even screaming. And all in one large momentous motion. Out of the corner of my eye. Russ is standing in front of the shelf. Actually it seemed the metal shelf was standing in front of him. Being the six foot four inch monster he was, he rose his knee to his chest and kicked the metal shelf as violently as he could.

To add astonishment to our already fear of being murdered, Russ had kicked this thing clean through the wall. So we thought... Until the metal shelf completely disappeared, it was entirely gone. The sound that followed the disappearance, sounded like a metal shelf being kicked down and elevator shaft.... Because that’s what had happened. Russ kicked a metal shelf down an elevator shaft. Our main goal was to remain silent and not be noticed. Then Russ, kicked a metal shelf down an elevator shaft.

I think you all can kind of assume what that sounds like.

Four floors down, this large metal shelf dinged and donged it’s self happily to the ground. Not only was that sound traumatically loud but it seemed that the beeping got louder. One of us pulled out our phones and quickly began typing away in the “notes” app. “Fire alarms?” Sure as shit that’s what it was. Every single fire alarm on the entire property went off to signal low battery life. Quickly realizing that there’s no way in hell, are we about to remove the battery system in three floors worth of alarms. The non verbal agreement to leave was ushered.

And in a maddening frenzied panic, we began grabbing all of our belongings and throwing them into our backpacks as quickly as we could. Mid-Stuffing of rope and a blanket into the packs, the alarms cut. A single last beep of fresh air and silence fell once again. We froze like “Red Light”. And almost started to soon at “Green Light.” But there never was a green light. Just silence. Sweat was the fastest thing moving in the seconds that followed after.

We quickly but quietly continued to aggressively stuff our packs as fast as we could. Progressively we slowed the speed at the awkward silence. I think we had packed for all about fourteen seconds. John had opened the door and Randy was the first one out. No one spoke a word as we followed single file. Across the roof and at the gazebo, the knot holding the rope was to secure to undo it by hand. Randy had his pack on the ground and began searching for a knife. He pulled the blade from the sheath.

Before that thin steel touched the rope, I had reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. Randy looked back and we kind of just stood there for a second, as the ear ringing silence over grew the roof. In a very low and uneasy tone we discussed the current situation we found our selfs in. Not only was the thought of descending the building in the dark enough to make us want to jump off the roof. But so was the fact that we then had to maneuver unfamiliar woods to locate a road. Then a couple miles to achieve cell service...

What a completely. Fucked. Situation.

After the sweat had dried and our heart rates fell to what felt like normal. We only then succumbed to the fact that our decision to stay the night, was the final nail in the coffin. Randy had slipped his knife away into an easier spot to reach. We proceeded back to the large room to our rear. Dropped the packs on the floor where we had them before. I kept my knife closer than usual and I noticed so did everyone else. And once again the silent game continued, of wich were getting very good at playing.

It was difficult to decipher how time pass’s when it’s quiet and you can’t see.

It was about forty five minutes? Maybe ten? Before all of our eyes widened. The sound was so subtle that I could almost describe it as a physical feeling of the building having a faded heart beat. Slight vibrations. Such faint bumps and reverbs. They created a pattern, a two step if you will.

Footsteps.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Indefinitely a being on two feet. The sound would fade ever so slightly; and within a minute it would taper back. No words were said. Just watching one by one as everyone took out their knives once more. Then the unforgettable sound of those feet.

Climbing the stairs.

It didn’t take long to realize that whatever or whoever was walking beneath the roof, was in fact walking up and down the halls. Back and forth. It walked to the far end of the building on the second floor, that’s when the sound would fade. And as it encroached our side of the building the sound got louder. We huddled in a tight group and unanimously agreed that it was certainly a person. Walking back and forth down the halls. Certain they were checking room after room for anyone else.

For us.

We decided to tiptoe out of our room and onto the roof and lean over the building. Staring straight down at the ground, and waiting to see a flashlight being shined out of the windows that belonged to the rooms. Randy and myself were on the front of the building as equally were Russ and John off the back. No lights. Just foot steps. We very quietly made our way back to our room. Closed the door and had our knives ready. “There’s no way someone is inside the building and can see. We’re outside and can’t see anything.” But sure as shit. Those feet climbed the stairs and brought them to the third floor. Only the floor beneath our feet separated us from them. From, it.

As the sound faded we crawled on our hands and knees to the elevator shaft. And waited. It didn’t take long for this thing to make a U turn at the far end and head to our side. Our heads were all past the threshold of the opening in the wall. The foot steps became clear, and very heavy. Loud. Like incredibly heavy boots. Directly under us only about four feet away, this thing came to a halt. They stopped at the elevator shaft. I didn’t blink let alone breathe. I could have sworn I heard Randy’s heart beat next to me. The silence was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Then those heavy boots spun on the floor. The dirt on the bottom of them had to have scratched the floor as this thing turned around. Step after step they walked away.

But not to leave..... To the stairs.

We crawled back to the opposite side of the room that faced the gazebo. We stayed low. And peered our of the windows. Knives gripped fiercely, sweat pouring. And tears beginning to form. The amount of fear that coursed through our bodies was enough to make this adventure, the last we ever had. Even to date. Step after step this thing climbed the stairs.

Then silence. The steps stopped. And the tears began to fall.

In one sudden burst, the small ceiling door that led into the gazebo from the stair case, was thrust open and we heard it smack the ground. Four foot steps and this being was inside the gazebo. We couldn’t see any lights through the windows that were on either side of the door. Fear was pulsating faster than the blood in our veins. The door to the gazebo attempted to open. Thankfully our knots held it tight. The door sank back to its original position. Then immediately the door slammed against the rope as hard as someone (or something) could hit it, and again. Twice something slammed this door with all of its force. But the rope held tight.

A second or two passed in silence and the footsteps retreated back down the stairs. As the being descended the stairs we slowly opened the door and crawled back out onto the roof. Once again on our hands and knees we made our way to the edge of the building peering down towards the front door. The steps faded as it descended. As the sound of leather blended into the black, we held our breathe again to expect them to exit the building. But no one ever left the door. Once again; the Pines has a magical way of subduing all events with silence.

And there we sat on the edge of the building to scared to move or speak. Collectively we slid back and re-entered into our large room. I don’t believe anyone said a word to each other. After all, what was there to say? We sat quietly, shivering cold from sweat soaked cloths and the knives never to be put in the packs again. Maybe it was an hour or two of dead silence and fear before Russ reached out and tapped me on the shoulder. I glanced at him and he motioned out the window. A horizon was visible now, the sun was once again waking up as quickly as it had vanished. Bringing in a full cycle of emotions, opposite of those without its presence. We silently relished in its homecoming and the promise of clarity that comes within physical sight.

Dawn.

It was just bright enough for the pressure to ease from our shoulders and at least get up and stretch our legs. As we all stood and looked at each other in astonishment of the events that took place, we couldn’t help but smile that we were alive. Until the sound of a car door slam shut. John looked at me and asked “Andy?” Yeah it must have been my brother in-law. Who else could it be? We opened the door and Russ made his way to the edge first. Before I could get to him, he dropped to his knees to stay out of sight. Instinctively we all did the same and rushed to the edge. As I looked down, almost against the building was this four door, old beater of a car. I couldn’t get a make or model of the vehicle but saw the driver was walking towards the back of the car.

An incredibly old women took her time as she shuffled foot after foot towards the trunk. The passenger door opened and another women around the same age exited the vehicle with a walker. She too made her way to the rear of the car. The driver had placed her keys in the trunk and popped it open. She reached in and withdrew a standard metal shovel. The passenger reached in and pulled out a black suit case. Both of the women then made there way to the front of the building by one of the windows.

The passenger placed the suit case on top of her walker and opened it. Once it was opened, she slid it off and dropped it on the ground. Neither lady had any indication of our presence nor did they make an attempt to look around for anyone. The drive took the shovel and began digging right against the building. She got about a foot deep and once she reached that depth; the dirt she extracted began to fill the suit case. Load after load, this elderly women filled the suit case of dirt until it was overflowing off of all three open sides. Once this poor case had exceeded its limit of dirt, the passenger reached down and slammed the case shut.

With all of her strength and with one hand on her walker, she hoisted the case up and lifted it back into the trunk of the car. The driver tossed the shovel in behind it and slammed the trunk shut and made sure it was locked. Both ladies shuffled there way back to the front seats and pulled away as easily as they entered. As they left, the familiar kiss of the silent Pines air pleasantly greeted us once more. “HAHAHA, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?” We all looked at Russ as he just shook his head. And we couldn’t help but smile and begin to laugh with him. At that point we were done questioning this fucked place and just wanted to get the hell out of there.

It was bright enough at this point where we felt confident enough to get out of that building. We picked up our packs and sliced the rope on the gazebo. The door on the floor still left open from that mysterious entity only hours before. We took the stairs from the roof straight to the ground floor and briskly jogged our way out of the building. We stood out front and all turned around and looked back and the white walls that enticed us a week earlier. It felt good to be in the open and not cornered anymore. We just wanted to get as far away from here as we could. We took maybe ten or fifteen steps before Andy’s headlights were seen coming up the hill.

What a fucking. Relief.

We hopped in the truck to be welcomed with the scent of grease and pepperoni and the sight of an extra large pizza waiting for us. On the drive back we told him the story and how glad we were to be done with that place. . . As time went on, the Pines became a distant memory. We graduated high school and two days later I was off to boot camp. Three months later I returned and wanted to see my friends more than anything. We bullshitted about bullshit. And had the great idea of going back to the Pines for the hell of it. It wasn’t very difficult to convince the guys to do the same. The next day, we met up at the deli we used to work at, had a quick bite and drove to the Pines. About five minutes away the car grew silent. No one spoke. As we climbed the drive way that once held such mystery, the air was different. It was more relaxed, more calm.

As we peaked the hill, the new discovery was more than disturbing. We had been gone for only a few months, but now the entire building sat in ruin. And I don’t mean three months worth of ruin. But of years. The amount of mold and growth stretched up and breached the windows. Not a single window remained intact. Vines and weeds penetrated every door and window the building owned. We got out of the car and didn’t say a word. Just blank stares at a memory that was not this far off. The front door was in pieces and completely rotted. We walked inside and the reception desk was smashed and destroyed. Pieces of soggy wood scattered the floor. The ceiling tiles were spread far across the floor and the air ducts and wires were now hanging freely like a maze.

To the left where the large room opened, not a single chess table stood. But just a vast open room of floor tiles ripped up and smashed thrown about the place. We went to the stairs, and the smell of years of decay welcomed us. Some steps were completely non existent, the hand railing had disintegrated and was gone. As we went down the halls of the rooms. Each room was the same story. A mattress that was ripped to pieces, a floor that felt unsafe and weak. Closet doors were smashed to pieces and the scent of mold and death was to heavy to breathe normal. The hallways had missing floor boards and the walls were stripped of there skin and exposed the plywood strips and insulation.

The strange thing was.

There was no longer a single piece of personal belongings in a single damn room. No wallets, no shirt, pants, money, cards, pencils, pens, books, papers. Like I said, it’s as if this place had been abandon for at least ten years. Everything was to confusing to make sense of. On our way back down we walked to the end of the large room with the chess tables in. At the back end of that room was the kitchen. We decided to explore the kitchen more than we ever did previous. We had discovered a wooden door that we didn’t see before. As we opened the door we got extremely nervous because this door lead directly to another stair case. A stair case that lead down into a basement we didn’t know existed.

We all stood in front of the doorway and looked down into the pitch black. We pulled out our phones and turned on the flashlight. At the bottom of the stairs, the room opened to the right. In that room there was about five or six metal filing cabinets. On the far right wall there was a doorway that opened to a hallway. We turned and looked down the hallway. Our lights couldn’t reach the end of it. This hallway ran the length of entire building. And laying on the floor covering every inch, was every single personal belonging that was missing from the rooms. The amount of shit had to have been at least a foot to two feet high. We decided to climb on top of everything and walk the length of the hallway.

The left wall was made of cinderblocks and the right wall was natural rock from the hill. Roughly in the center of the building on the right, the rock wall seemed to have been exploded outward into the hallway. Natural stone was scattered on top of the belongings. As we looked in where the rock used to be, it had seemed someone had taken a shovel and dug out a massive empty room underneath the building. There was nothing inside of it except dirt and a strange scent. But again. Whatever had done this did it from the inside out. We continued the hallway to the end and back. As we left the hallway and came into the room with the filing cabinets we opened the drawers. Each and every single drawer was completely filled with files. All of wich had an individual residents name on it. We pulled one file and opened it. All I remember seeing was something to the effect of

“Patient X_____ is subjected to the Pines for Mental Voices. Voices saying.. (If you go into the public the people of Branchville will skin you alive and hang you.) Patient X_____ is currently on medication X_____.”

So we pulled another file, and file after file they all said the same thing. Not only were the residents all experiencing the same voices but the paper went onto say that “God” himself was telling them this. I had snagged two or three files to keep for myself.

After my military leave was over, and I had to return back to North Carolina to my duty station. I forgot about the Pines. We all forgot about the Pines. A couple years drifted and the memory came back to me. I tried to attempt to locate the files once again but my mother had thrown them away long ago, otherwise I would be posting pictures of the paperwork. I know reading part three hasn’t brought closure to anyone, but it still hasn’t settled with me either. At some point I will go back, and at least try to find another file or paperwork.

I also want to share my appreciation for the support everyone has shown me for this story, so much so that we are debating staying the night at the Pines once again. And posting a video of it. So please let me know what everyone thinks! Again, thank you.

Submitted September 17, 2018 at 06:12PM by Squid34 https://ift.tt/2NNMFMd