After Hours, After Dark

From: 
Story type: Ghost
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Source: Form Submission

i was working for a city security company and was doing late night patrols of buildings. an old brewrey dating back to the early 1900's had been converted into offices for a local company. lots of guys had wound me up about footsteps on the floors above, doors closing in front of you and lights being turned out after you've switched them on.

this particular night i was ahead on my rounds and was feeling quite calm and relaxed. i disarmed the alarm when i entered the foyer, and at this point it becomes vital to make two points clear. firstly, the alarm system had been armed several hours before my arrival. it monitors the entire building, every room and every window. secondly, there had been no activations and nor had the alarm been disarmed. i locked the large timber front doors and walked into the foyer. there were no lights on and as custom, i walked the two story building with my torch.

the floors are carpeted but are all really old timber so the do creak when you walk. it was when i got to the rear of the second floor that the resident ghost or ghosts began to have there fun. i passed an office and noticed a desk lamp had been left on. i switched it off and walked out.

as i passed the same office about 30 seconds later, i noticed the lamp was on again. once more i switched it off and also turned off the power point. the second i walked out of the office, my hair stood on its end and i felt like a hot current had passed through me and the lamp smashed against the wall.

never the hero against an unseen foe, i did what most would do and i legged it. i got to the foyer and turned on every light in the building from the main switch, activated the alarm and went outside. i called in my experience on the radio, and naturally the other patrols reacted with moans and taunts.

the supervisor however told me no activations had registerd from the alarm since my exit, and that i was to re-enter the building and turn off the lights, reset the alarm and continue my rounds. i entered and found it a little easier to deal with, the lights were on after all and it would only take me 20 seconds to turn off the alarm, switch off the lights, arm the alarm, (once more!) and leave. the second i switched off the alarm system, every light in the building went out. i approached the main switch absolutely terrified and hoping it was a fuse. i should be so lucky. the lights were working fine.

i turned them off at the main switch and made a quite audible promise to who or whatever that i would never be back. with that, i heard something running towards the main stairs from the floor above me and the lights were going on and off at random. the footsteps got to the stairs and started their decent as i armed the alarm and dove out the door.

i am not embarassed to say that i ran for quite some distance, in shock at what i'd seen and heard, and very upset. the crutch of this encounter is that whatever was charging from upstairs towards the front door or me, (gulp!!)never set off the alarm. nor was there any eveidence of tampering when the system was tested the next day.

you see, i resigned from that type of work and went back to university, but my parting comment to my employer was simple, " i promise you that it happened, on my life these things happened, don't think i made it up because i did'nt. try going in there yourself sometime. whatever i upset in there does'nt like being harrased after hours.." today i'm 28 and still afraid of the dark...