Thinking About You

Chapter 12: Mid-Orange Correctional Facility

-Audrey's POV-
-the next day-

We were on the road again, and I was wearing leggings, a sweater, and my white high-top Converse—Dakota's in control again. I also had my hair in a clip. I wasn't expecting to be so close to being done with this road trip. We are heading somewhere, but I don't know where. This is another long trip to wherever we are going. 

-time skip-

When we stopped, I changed into jeans, a white crop a pink and cream jacket, and floral combat boots. I did my makeup naturally and added a layered necklace and hoop earrings. I left my hair in a clip. 

We finally made it to New York, and we were going to the pitstop.

"We are going to the tallest skyscrapers to lean into fear, push ourselves over the edge, over a ledge outside of the building," Dakota mentioned as my eyes widened.

"Oh great, I don't like heights. Do I have to participate?" I asked as Dakota nodded.

We made it to City Climb which is 105 stories up and 1,200 feet in the air. We were all nervous because of the height We finally reached the top of the skyscraper. We walked out, and I saw the entire city. The instructor showed us how to do it and asked me to start. I followed the instructions as I saw beauty in everything around me. I never felt more alive than this moment. I saw every bit of New York. I saw people who looked like ants. I saw buildings that were level with my eyes. I saw helicopters that were also level with me. I saw myself slowly letting go of everything metaphorically and physically. My hands were out, not holding onto anything. I felt like someone on top of the world.

-time skip-

We were in the park about to read the packet.

Dakota handed us the packet; I opened it first.

"Mid-Orange Correctional Facility," We all said in unison.

"The imposing buildings of the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility can be found quietly decaying on the outskirts of Warwick, New York. In 1932, the facility became a juvenile detention center, known as the New York State Training School for Boys. This was the last stop for many young offenders before they would be sent to harsher prisons," Tanner started the read.

He passed it to Chelsea and she said: "One such case was that of Richard Biegenwald, aka the 'Thrill Killer,' who was arrested for arson and held at the reform school. At age 16, he was released, but he continued a life of crime, which included murdering nine people over several decades. Although he died in 2008, while serving four life sentences somewhere else, several investigators have recently reported interacting with this spirit. The inmates were held in cottage-style dorms, rather than cells, which allowed them more freedom, than a typical prison. They were only supervised by a cottage parent, adults who lived in the dorms with them. In 1962, 15-year-old inmate, Charles McBride, was slapped in the bathroom by his cottage parent after he had exposed himself to the man's wife. Shortly after, McBride was found hanging from a sheet above his bed. The man who had slapped him loosened the makeshift noose to let him down, which resulted in McBride falling to the floor and hitting his head which became his official cause of death."

Chelsea handed it to me.

"In the late 1970s, the facility transitioned into Mid-Orange Correctional. There was also a ride in gang-related activity, escapes, and other abuse between inmates before it finally closed for good in 2011. The most active areas include the Mess Hall which is a separate building. This was where the inmates took their meals. People hear sounds of hurried footsteps or running towards them. REM pods, music boxes, and flashlights all go haywire. The tunnels run underneath the complex and are incredibly narrow and dark. It is very easy to get turned around down here. Cottage B-1 is where Charles McBride passed away, and it's also the area with the most hostile energy. The reform building is the largest building on campus. It houses the theatre, the schoolhouse, and the chapel. The top floor is the most active. Intelligent EVPs have been recorded and shadow figures dart across the hallways. They're so large that they block any moonlight peaking in through the windows," I ended the packet read.

-the next day-

We headed to the location, and we were very close. Tanner and my brother jumped into the front seat to see the facility. We finally saw it, and it looked massive from the view. The RV parked, and we all got out and grabbed the gear.

"Will we make it through the night?" Alex questioned as I shrugged.

We set up the gear room.

"Alright, since this place is massive, we are going to start in duos. Audrey, Chelsea, and Alex, you'll be in a group. Tanner, you are with me," Dakota explained as we went our separate ways.

Chelsea, Alex, and I are headed to the reform building. We walked in, and it looked very creepy. Alex grabbed the enhanced recorder and put it in his ears. We started going upstairs to the second floor. We walked through and looked around the floor. I heard some footsteps, and I turned to look at Chelsea who had a look, asking if I heard it. I nodded my head as we asked questions. The footsteps stopped as we freaked out. Then, we heard faint wailing and it continued which made us freak out even more. As soon as we started walking again, the faint walking appeared again. Chelsea walkies Tanner and Dakota asking them if they are the reform building which they decline. We headed to the third floor, and we decided to do a digital recorder session.

"Chelsea, Audrey, and I heard a female in a lot of pain. Who is that person? Why is there a female up here? "Ale started first.

"Who was stomping around on the second floor and up here on the third floor?" I asked.

We played it back and got nothing. We headed downstairs to level zero which is where the tunnels were. We started walking in the tunnels, and Chelsea had the ovilus in her hand. We kept walking to another part of the tunnel that connected to another building, and the ovilus made a weird sound. We were all confused as to why the ovilus made that sound. We met up with the gang and started explaining what we experienced.

"So, as we left Cottage B-1, there was a ball of light, like, deep into the woods into the cottages," Dakota started to explain.

"And the second we started walking up towards it; it just darted off to the right," Tanner continued.

"It was only seen in infrared. It wasn't seen with this thermal or seen with my camera in normal vision," Dakota finished explaining.

We headed back to the gear as it became sleeping arrangements time.

Tanner go the Mess Hall. Alex got 1st floor Reform. Chelsea got 3rd floor Reform. Dakota got Cottage B-1. I decided to be on the same floor as Chelsea. Chelsea whipped out the Ovilus, and it said the word, "assault."

"Did the ovilus say the word assault?" I asked her.

"Yes, it did," Chelsea explained.

We didn't get as much on the floor as before.

-time skip-

It was time to pack up the gear room and get back on the road. The RV picked us up, and we headed to the nearest hotel nearest to the correctional facility. We made it to one and got one for all of us because it had several rooms with a bathroom for each of us. We picked our rooms and walked in. I shut my door and locked it. I grabbed my toiletry bag and some clothes and walked to the bathroom. I stripped my clothes down and turned the water on. I took down my hair and put all I needed into the shower. I got in and let the hot water sting my skin as I started to feel better about everything. Going to City Climb helped my depression and anxiety a little bit. I washed my hair, body, and face, and I got out. I put on underwear and a big T-shirt. I put in my headphones and started to listen to "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" by Taylor Swift from her Reputation album. I closed my eyes, but it was interrupted when I heard a knock on the door. I turned off my music and took out my headphones. I unlocked the door and saw Dakota standing there, acting nervous. 

"Whatcha doing here, Dak?" I asked him. 

"I really don't want to be alone tonight. Is it okay if I stay with you tonight? I promise this won't affect our friendship. It will be like old times," Dakota asked as I nodded. 

I let him in, and we got into the bed. We both fell asleep, and I knew what I was going to tell him would destroy him tomorrow.