Ancient Fort

This is a story I am excited, yet apprehensive about.

This takes place at our Accounting Head Office. This building is massive and in the shape of a perfect square with an inner courtyard of what looks like modern mixed with old cobblestone paving. This inner area is big enough to have roughly 20 vehicles parked inside. It still has large wooden doors, complete with old bolts swinging inwards when its opened. It consists of 5 floors complete with a number of prison cells safely tucked away on the windowless first floor. On the 2nd to 4th floors on the left hand side of the building are the administration offices. As far as I know the 5th floor is not in use.

On the right hand side of the building, from the 2nd floor up, is what we call the barracks. This was basically cheap housing apartments which are specifically for the officers that do not get enough pay as yet to afford different living situations. The windows facing the inner courtyard are old wood paneled windows. This building always gives me the idea that it was built to protect from and withstand outsiders. Now to my story...

I was at our Accounting Office to drop off some documents that were overdue. Just my luck the elevator was broken and I was dismayed at the idea that I will have to climb the stairs with the heavy documents. Much to my relief someone I knew walked by and he offered to take me to the elevator - obviously these elevators are modern - situated on the opposite side of the building. I was glad for his help, because this place was enormous and had so many doors leading to who knows where! I once followed a passageway just to walk through a wooden door leading into nothing, but an empty windowless passage. That place will confuse even a person who is good with directions.

Anyway, he took me to the back part of this building - an abandoned part I will add - with nothing but small rooms. Most of these rooms had their doors closed, but the ones that were open looked so derelict with just old iron bed frames and crooked closets. It reminded me of an abandoned mental hospital. The fact that the modern lights, although switched on, still cast a gloomy atmosphere didn't help much. Even walking on the tiled floors you could hear the hollow sound made due to the old wooden floors beneath. As we were walking, I felt that this place definitely housed non-living entities. It felt like someone was walking behind me. I just got such a sense of loss and abandonment. These entities were not aware of our presence, I believe, because it's like they continue their business undisturbed. I cannot even place what time era these entities were. I felt that we were intruding.

There was a time when I was standing in our Debt Office. I proceeded to go to the ladies room which was situated in a passage that leads off into this abandoned area. Luckily it is not too far away, but you did have to walk through an old archway that was closed off by 2 wooden doors with glass windows. As I stepped into the ladies room, I heard a muffled mumble come from one of the larger rooms to the right of the ladies toilets. It sounded like one of the guys I knew so I thought I would go give him a fright. When I got there, the double doors were locked and you could only see boxes of papers, yellowed with age, standing there. Suffice to say I bolted and didn't even use the bathroom.

Also, I've heard, that the elevators go to the 5th floor even when no one presses the button. Maybe this is a glitch. Maybe not.

I've tried to do some research on the building, but come up with nothing. I'm tempted to take pictures the next time I'm there, but I'm worried someone who works there might read this story. A part of me wants to go back and explore, but another part of me is going, "Do you really want to be in that part alone?"

Thanks for reading

Shlain

PS: It's now 3 weeks after I wrote the above story. The elevators all over the building are broken. Guess which floor they're all stuck on?