I was browsing the dark web when I gained access to someone’s desktop and began to explore his files. I found a couple files labelled locations like “(redacted area) Mansion” and “Train Station”. These all appear to be locations he’s visited and gathered videos of as well as corroborating documents about their history and eventual abandonment. One that caught my eye was called “The Abandoned Mall”. This is the one folder that only has videos, all of which are encrypted. I noticed the file has two distinct batches, one which is so heavily encrypted it might be unrecoverable and perhaps even corrupted. The other batch is still corrupted but shows a lot more promise. I’ve been able to decrypt one tape so far, and I’ve decided to detail what I saw in them below. I plan to decrypt and upload more soon. All headers will indicate the name of the camera used for the recording.
Go-Pro 1:
The clip begins with a figure running through a dark hallway. The camera is strapped to the top of his head, bobbing up and down to the tempo of his running. He’s out of breath when something finally catches his eye and shoots his head left. In the next hallway over a ray of light comes peering out through a wall. Clearly coming from the moon, it signals freedom to the man running. He quickly turns the corner and approaches the hole. It seems as if he knew of its existence as a quiet sigh of relief exits his mouth. He drops down to his knees and tries to exit the building. A woman’s screams sound out, echoing through the halls of the large building. The tortured sounds and pleas for help distract the man from his escape. He turns his head to look in the direction of the pained voice. He begins to choke up with tears as he cries a bit at the sound of her. “Oh god, I—I’m so sorry.” He whispers, his voice breaking.
He begins to make his way out of the hole, struggling due to his larger size. As soon as he gets free, a large open field is visible. About fifty yards away lies a chain link fence. The rain crashes down hard on the concrete and dirt. He breaks into a dash for the fence as thunder crackles around him. The camera shakes violently, the lens covered in the droplets falling from the sky. The sounds of his footsteps pounding down on the concrete then quickly shifting into subdued thuds of the mud compressing under his weight. He begins to slow down as he reaches the fence but slips, the man falling on his back. He scrambles back to his knees and a quick glimpse of the mall is seen, with a hooded figure standing outside the hole. He finishes composing himself then finishes his dash for the fence.
He makes way to start climbing the fence when a voice is heard in the background crying for help. The voice is different from that from the beginning of the video. The person’s words are difficult to make out, except for “Anyone, please!”. The camera man turns to see where the cries are coming from and sees the hooded figure. He breaks down into tears and cries out to it “What the fuck is wrong with you! I can’t deal with this shit anymore!”. The figure continues to stand there completely motionless. It’s difficult to tell whether the figure really is living or just a statue made to scare off others. The man continues to break down and cries out “I don’t know what else you bastards want from me!”, the tone in his voice no longer sorrowful, instead replaced with rage. A moment of silence ensues, now only the sounds of rainfall and the man’s heavy breathing can be heard. He collapses backwards and lies against the fence, defeated while staring at the hooded figure. A light giggle can be heard from the figure as it slowly approaches the man.