A Walk In the City of the Dead - Part 4

That night, as usually the bulbs went off and the torch did not work. A screech, which only echoed to sound even louder than what it was. As he tried moving out of the ‘circle of trust’, he realised that he could not. What had happened to the safety zone? When he did manage to step out of it, he was able to spend the remainder of the night with much ease. Had the effect reversed? Was the ‘circle of trust’ no longer safe? Whether the night answered any other questions or not, certainly there has been a mental block and the area is marked as a strict NO.

Poltergeists follow the trail, they say. Earlier, non-believers have dared to step-in during the tours only to regret later. The guide asked if anyone of us were keen to try. However, there were no takers.

So far, we had only been in the Low activity Vaults. We were finally going into a High activity Vault. This Vault came with a strict warning that had our knees rattle. Before entering the Vault, we were instructed that men should stand to the left and women to the right.

There was a cry, a rather loud one. It would have had all people on the tour let out an internal cry themselves. Stupefied and scared. Some wanted to run but probably could not feel their legs. No, it wasn’t a cold pocket, it was sheer fear. The guide decided to check; it was one amongst those on the tour. The person sat and cried, inconsolably. People tried to move, push and anything they could possibly try, but the person did not budge. After nearly two hours, the person stumbled and moved. The reason for the behaviour was simply a force, an unknown force that held the person back. This incident took place nearly six months back but was fresh in the guide’s mind. Certainly, it jolted us as we walked into the Vault.

The Vault was cold, exceptionally cold. It has always been so. The left side, to which the men stood, had been highly reactive and volatile in the past. However, interestingly 99% of the victims were women. Scars, burns, injuries and wounds were common. On other occasions, women had been brutally assaulted, some even hospitalised. Some brutally battered, others thrown across to the opposite wall. Since then, this peculiar formation of having men and women on the left and right side respectively was tried. It worked and activities since then have thankfully been minor. Bizarre!

This particular Vault had no lighting at all. Lightings never worked. Brand new bulbs gave way in minutes. Torches didn’t work either. The guide’s torch had worked well, but not anymore. It died and there was drop-dead silence and stark darkness. The guide spoke and added some reassurance. And then there was a BANG and a THUD! Screams from all around the Vault ripped the silence apart. I froze and was speechless.