Eastern Penn Tours

A tall, thin, man stood on the bottom step and blew a whistle for attention. His pale skin, high forehead and thin lips along with the Warden's uniform fit well into the theme of the evening. Haley had come to the conclusion he put on white foundation to give his face and hands their ghostly quality.

“Welcome to Eastern State Penitentiary. My name is Warden Theodore. This building is most famous for its paranormal activity; it's one reason that overnight trips into the bowels of this complex are so popular. We have expert guides who have been through these halls many times. They will lead you, but what you see, hear or experience is all on your own. Please do not leave your group or wander anywhere alone. There are places where the building is falling apart and are too dangerous to go. I'm sure you'll have enough to scare you where you're going. Wandering and possibly getting lost would not be wise." Ted looked at his watch. “It's almost 11:00pm, grab your gear and follow your guide to your appointed destination. Good night and good luck.”
 He waved and walked to the entrance. The sound of the lock being turned was loud in the quiet hall. Conversation began as a low rumble.

Haley adjusted her backpack and grabbed the required emergency kit. She turned to her group; four young women and four men, Their ages ranged from early twenties to thirty-ish.

“We'll be going to the basement or dungeon for our time at the Penn. Follow me and don’t get too far behind.” She led them down the main hall along with a couple of other groups. At each divide the campers yelled good luck to their new friends as they branched off the main hallway. Then there was only her group, alone in the long, dimly lit hall. 
“It's almost time for lights out. Get your flashlights out and turn them on. There will be no warning when the lights go out. Stop immediately until your eyes adjust to the dark.”

She heard the murmuring of her little group as they foraged in their bags for the item she requested. The lights along the hall went dark and screams reverberated up and down the damp rock walls. Some of her group did not have their flashlights ready. “Everyone shine their lights to cross with mine. This will give those still looking some extra light to find their flashlights. As you get them, turn them on and we'll know when you're ready to continue.”


When all nine lights were on, she turned hers to light the hall where there was a doorway. 
"Line up single file and follow me to the stairway down to the dungeon. There isn’t a handrail, but there is a rope to hold on to. Every other person shine your light at the steps, the others at the wall.”
 The group remained quiet as they made their way down the stairs. Haley passed them to be at the bottom when they got there.


The air felt damp and cool. The heat of the summer outside could not penetrate the thick walls.

“Are we almost there?” a young voice tentatively asked, breaking the silence.

“Not yet little Smurfette.” One of the guys teased. There was a nervous laugh from the others.


“We have one more level to go.” Haley answered the question.

At a landing she felt heavy breathing almost in her ear. She turned slightly to see who walked that close behind her. The nearest person, one of the girls, was three steps behind her. Nothing descended the steps next to her, but she heard the heavy breathing as if it were right behind her. Fear, like a cold douche of ice water poured over her. Her heart beat so fast she could hardly catch her breath. She turned fully to face her group and started to tell them what she felt when one of the girls turned and slapped the man behind her. 


“You pervert! Knock it off.”


“I didn’t do anything,” he protested, holding his hands up in the air away from her.


Before the argument could escalate, Haley whistled. Silence once again prevailed.

“What happened?” she asked the two.


“He pinched my butt,” the girl accused.


Before the man could object Haley spoke, “He didn’t do it.”


“I felt it,” she protested, giving him a look.


“I know you did, but it wasn’t him, it was a spirit. It breathed in my ear just moments before you yelled.” 


“Oh MY GOD!” Little screams filled staircase as the girls huddled around each other. The group looked up and down the stair well as if something were going to jump out at them.


“You've had an introduction to one of the residents. Let’s get to our spot and get settled.” Haley kept her voice calm in spite of the fierce pounding of her heart in her throat. The others followed her a little more closely to the next landing.

Haley had been on other tours, but always with a seasoned guide. She had experienced little paranormal activity. This was the first time she experienced something personal. She stopped and the others crowded around her barely giving her enough room to turn around.



In front of them, an arched opening with a half open, rusty iron gate awaited them. The lights from their flashlights reflected in the mist that curled and danced in the air. The girls moved as close together as their packs would allow. The men, Haley noticed, were divided. three of the men were together and the fourth stood apart, his back almost to the group as if waiting for something or some one to come from the rear.


“Below is the dungeon where the worst of the worst were incarcerated. They were the sexual predators and murderers. Girls, you may be attacked, so keep close to each other.” She cleared her throat to keep the tremor from showing.


“Can we go back up top? Or change where we are staying?” one girl whimpered.


“No. You agreed to go wherever you were assigned.” Haley didn’t like being there either. This was the second time she had been to this area. The first time was on her orientation. She had never wanted to come back. Like her charges, she also had no choice of her destination.

Her guide then, a young man who seemed as evil as the ghosts that supposedly haunted the Penitentiary. He walked the halls with his group trailing away from him, calling for the ghosts to appear. In fact, he demanded that they come forth and show themselves to the new guides. The new recruits stood stiffly in the common area waiting for something to happen. They all wore the night vision goggles. A pebble came flying across the room and bounced off the wall. The leader taunted the spirit to do more than that.

Haley had been frightened when the pebble first appeared but she was a little skeptical. Maybe the man had thrown the pebble to scare them. As they had continued down the hallway, some complained their hair being pulled, arms were scratched, and one girl was pushed so hard she fell. There was some doubt that it was a ghost because it was pitch black and they had tunnel vision with the glasses on. Haley had not incurred the ghost’s wrath so she was not so sure it was a ghost doing all of that. Still she felt her body shake.

Tonight was different. She didn’t have the glasses on, yet. She heard the deep breathing near her ear and seen the result of the girl being pinched. Now she tried to act calm and unafraid in front of the group.


“The Iron Gate was locked at all times, even the guards did not have a key. The warden was the only one that could open it. Be aware of your partner at all times.” She turned her flashlight down the stairs and her little group waited while she passed through them and started down the steps before they crowded in behind her.

The sound of their steps echoed in the stairwell. Wisps of air passed them, moving like fingers on their skin and hair. The girls brushed the air as if bees swarmed around them. Some of the girls tucked their hair inside their knitted caps. They complained they were being touched all the time.

“Come on girls,” one of the men voiced his impatience, “Not every breeze is a ghost. It’s just warm air mixing with the cool air and causing a breeze. If you were really being touched by a ghost, you would know it. Believe me it wouldn’t be a slip of air touching you.”

“You think you’re so smart? How do you know what a ghost does? Have you seen one?” one of the girls shot back at him.

“In fact, I have. I belong to a local ghost hunters group. I have seen a ghost do things to a house and to a family.” There was no response from the others. They followed Haley in silence.

"Why are you here?" One of the men queried.

"I want to see if all the stories were true."

The stairwell curved so the room at the bottom of the stairs was not visible until they reached flat ground and followed the curve away from the steps. Haley found the knob on the wall for the lights and turned it. The incandescent lights in their old fashioned sockets flickered and buzzed. They stayed on but went from bright to dim as if at the hand of some whacked out controller.

"Is that normal or is a ghost doing that?" One of the girls ventured.

"It is normal. We are a long way from the power source." Haley took a few step away from the group. “There are twelve cells. All face the center of the room. Pick one and stow your gear. Bring your head lamps and flashlights, but don’t turn them on.” Haley moved to the cell closest to the main stairway. As she walked past the stairwell, she heard loud clanging if metal banged against metal. Her heart started to race again. Was this a joke? Was someone going to come here and pretend to be ghosts just to scare the group? Or was it a ghost? There was no way to tell. She heard no footsteps on the stairs.

“What are you waiting for, Haley?" one of the men called, shining his head lamp at her.

“Nothing, just thought I heard something.” she dropped her back pack on the metal bed and pulled the light pack and case out. With a few adjustments, she was ready to start the tour.

“I picked two names from the list before I met you all. Steve? Karen?” The two came forward. “You will be the leaders of your groups. Actually as leaders you will follow the group. I will lead the way. You make sure nothing happens to the others or let us know immediately if you see anything that could be a ghost or potential danger behind us. We're going to tour the rest of the lower cells and see what happens.”

They headed down the hall to one of the larger blocks of cells. 
“Is anyone here with us tonight?” She asked aloud, holding her EMF reader out in front of her. The lights blinked on and off.

“Someone is touching my hair,” one of the girls spoke up, informative but not scared.


“Did you die here?” Haley asked. A rock hit the wall to her right and she jumped. The girls screamed and one of the men swore.

Haley flashed her light in the direction of the rock. A black shadow moved across her light at an angle to the group. It moved back quickly the other way and disappeared.

“Move out a little bit so we aren’t so close together.” she whispered.

“I don’t want to be alone.” One of the girls whispered back.

“Have your partner stand back to back.” Only she could see the young woman’s head shake back and forth. The girl's partner turned and planted her back next her reaching for her hand.

There was paranormal activity. Haley could see a number of light orbs, flitting around the group. Karen and Steve saw them and tried to point them to the group. They couldn't be seen with the head lamps on.

There were black masses that moved across her vision but they had no definite shape or size. She gripped the flashlight handle tighter. There was no need to fear, they would not harm her.

“Can you come to this little light and make it change color?” she held the meter out in front of her. It was as if she had put food in fish tank. She felt the swarms of something brushing across her arms and hand. She dropped the meter. It bounced on the rocky floor and the lights went out.

“What did you do that for?” Steve came to her and picked up the meter. Right away the lights went on and flickered from one color to another rapidly. Steve went rigid.

“AGHHHHH” He couldn’t speak.

“What is going on?” One of the others asked. They flicked on their head lamps and saw Steve and Haley.

“What is wrong with him?” one man started toward Steve as if to take the meter from his outstretched hand. He stopped and fell back barely catching his balance. Another man slowly walked forward feeling the air near Steve’s hand but met with no resistance. He took the meter and Steve sagged.

“You all right man?” He didn’t touch Steve. "There is something there; a shadow figure right behind Steve."


One of the men stepped out holding a cross and a flask. He shook it toward the shadow, “In the name of Jesus Christ I demand you to leave!” The shadow danced toward him and he threw holy water from a small plastic bottle, but it didn’t go away.

One of the other men joined him with similar ammunition. “There are others here, show yourselves!” One of the men demanded.

The four girls screamed and one yelled, “Stop, are you nuts? You'll just make them mad and they'll attack us.”

“We have come to drive you from this place. We don’t know why you are here, but you need to leave. Go back to whomever sent you.” He made another sign of the cross. 
From the corners of the room black shadows emerged from the walls. They swirled around the group. The men again held out their crosses and sprayed the holy water at the swirling black shapes.

The girls began crying in earnest, “I want to go home.”

“Go back where you came from.” The two men yelled. But the black shadows danced around them. They circled, herding the men closer to Steve.

“Stop what you are doing!” Haley was terrified. She fumbled for the walkie-talkie she had for emergencies. “Code 4, Code 4 and Hurry!” She yelled into the black box. It crackled and buzzed but there was no answer.

One of the shapes moved toward the girls, who cowered near Haley.

She felt the air turn cold around her and her breath made rapid wisps of steam as she tried to control her fear.

Why had she taken this job? It seemed fine since she didn’t believe in ghosts. They were figments of people’s imaginations. Now there was something in front of her. She couldn’t speak. The lights on the EMF were going wild, flashing back and forth.

A tendril from the specter moved as if to touch her.

“Oh Jesus, Help me!” She cried and immediately the black tendril recoiled and the shape moved toward the men.

The air was still frigid and the girls were shaking. The men were in the center of the hall. Pebbles flew around them and growls were heard reverberating around the walls.

“Stop! Please, Stop!” Haley wasn’t sure who she was talking to, the men or the black shapes. She needed to get help and the girls to safety.

“Go back to the stairs and go to the main hall. See if you can find someone. I don’t think they heard the emergency call.” The girls ran to the stairwell, their head lamps bobbing reflections on the walls.

Before they could reach the stone steps, the sound of iron screeched as rusty metal rubbed against rusty metal. There was a harsh clang and then the sound of metal rasping against metal.

“The gate! It's the gate!” One of the girls cried and pulled her friend up the stairway out of Haley's vision soon the sound of their footsteps were gone.

Haley walked with measured steps across the common area to the doorway leading to the hall where she'd left the men. She didn’t want to look. She didn’t want to see what was happening. All her preconceived notions of ghosts had flown away. They were real. She had no idea what they were, but they were black spirits of some sort. With her goggles in place she started back to the open area where she left the four men being herded to the center of the room.

From the doorway she looked for the black shapes, but saw none. The men stood in a circle, their shoulders almost touching as they faced what ever was attacking them. Their head lamps were out. Their clothing was systematically being shredded from their body. They were so caught up in their ritual of demanding the demons return to hell and reciting some kind of Latin litany; they didn’t realize what was going on. She began shaking. The men were going to die and then these awful things would come after her.

“OH, Jesus help me and these men.” She whispered. she hoped the evil spirits feared the name of Jesus.

Just then one of the men rose into the air and flew toward the wall. He fell and lay silent.

That stopped the men’s ranting for a moment. “Who went?”

“David.” Came the hoarse response. "I felt him lift into the air and heard a thud. Stand strong my friends. We can defeat these demons. They are nothing. Powerless against the Holy Ordinances.”

Haley watched from her vantage point beside the archway of the door. Steve pulled another plastic bottle from his waist pack and began to chant and sprayed the air with the contents.

The other two followed his lead. They chanted, one waving his cross and the other holding his cross and rosary. In the green light of her goggles, Haley saw around one of the men's neck was a cross of David. It was then she noticed the Yarmelke. The religions were well represented here, but the spirits or demons were not impressed. To her horror she heard the deep raspy voice from somewhere in the room.

“We know all the priests and prophets. Who are you to come and demand we leave?”

“We are men of God, who are not afraid of you. We have come with the tenants of the churches to drive you back to Hell where you belong.”

There was a roar and Haley cringed behind the wall. Where were the others? When was help coming? She wanted to run up those steps and seek safety herself, but she couldn’t, these were her charges.

Haley observed the reaction of the three men to the roar. She believed in Hell and the Devil. She had gone to Sunday School as a child. Never did she think she would see actual demons. All the classes and ghost hunting videos and TV shows did not prepare her for this.

Another deep raspy roar broke her train of thought. “You are nothing. God himself hasn’t sent any angels to help you so I get to have you all to myself. You do not have the purity of soul to come and confront us. You have only words memorized. I too know the scripture and have had a longer time to learn it. You didn’t read all the scriptures that you should have.” Another evil laugh filled the room.

Haley began to shake at the voice, she peeked around the corner. What she saw was worse than she could have ever expected. Three of the men hung suspended in air. She saw one man slumped along the wall. His mouth was wide open and his expression one of horror. There were black shapes dancing around him, black fingers stirred his brain and flowed in and out of his open mouth.

She slowly turned her head to look at three men suspended in mid air; one was kicking and gasping as two of the black shapes held him by the throat. The second man’s shirt hung in strips as something raked his back and front, his mouth screamed a silent howl. His body was facing the ceiling; belly upwards and arms hanging limp towards the ground. He wet himself and there was a puddle on the floor beneath him. The black shapes moved though his body like a sewing needle.

Haley’s eyes moved slowly to the third man. What she saw, she didn't believe could happen in the spirit world. He had his clothing stripped from him. The black forms moved in and out of every orifice of his body. Haley closed her eyes, the picture of his torture burned into her brain. She couldn't breathe.

Something grabbed her waist and pulled her off her feet. She screamed with all she had in her and was immediately released. She whirled to face her opponent, heart pounding and her breath coming in gasps. It was the leader of the guides.

"What's going on here?" He demanded.

She shook so badly she couldn’t stand and slid to the stone floor. Before he could ask, she motioned behind her. “Don’t go in,” She croaked.

He ignored her and stepped into the doorway then looked down at her. His eyes buggy looking from the night vision goggles. “Where is the rest of your group? Did you let them explore by themselves?”

She shook her head and held out her hand for help to stand. Haley moved around him and braced for the chaos she had just witnessed. She stared around the entire parameter of the room, it was empty.

THE END