In this final installment of my true-life ghost stories this Halloween season, we will visit the hauntings of my workplaces.
In my early twenties, before I got married and started my family, as well as before the events I described in my previous post, I worked at Burger King. After a short time, I was promoted to assistant manager, and my schedule changed from working during the day to working the closing shift three days a week and the opening shift two days a week.
During the morning shifts, before the sun rose and before any of my crew arrived, I began to notice unusual sounds different from the typical building creaks and the familiar bangs and clangs of machinery.
After speaking with my boss, I learned of a story involving a former employee who was allegedly murdered in a hotel, and some people believed that his ghost haunted the restaurant and had for years. However, this story was never confirmed, nor did I find any evidence in my area to support the claim.
There were several small events, and we would joke about them, but towards the end of my time there, the activity seemed to escalate.
Sometimes, late at night, we would hear loud bangs alongside other sounds consistent with someone being up on the roof. We would exchange confused glances, sharing a WTF moment before returning to our work.
However, one night was particularly unsettling; it sounded like someone was running back and forth on the roof. After a few moments, I decided to call the police.
They swarmed the location and searched the building inside and out, including the roof. But there was no one there except us minimum-wage warriors.
One night, after the restaurant had closed, I noticed through the DVR camera system a man wearing a hoodie pulled up over his head, standing in the front vestibule and looking out the front door.
From where I stood, I could turn my head to the right and see the vestibule. When I did, I saw that it was empty. I turned back to the screen to see that the man was gone.
Sometime later, after another closing manager had let the night shift go, an associate was warming up her vehicle when she noticed a man wandering around in the dark dining room. Panic set in as she called to warn the manager still inside. However, when they searched the building, the restaurant was empty.
Years later, while working in a shop on a military base, contracted to maintain and repair HMMWVs for the Army, I encountered something from the other side.
While working in the parts warehouse, I heard a loud clang that sounded like something heavy and metal had fallen just around the corner. I quickly jumped up to check on my coworkers to ensure no one was hurt and was ready to provide any help needed.
But there wasn’t a living soul in the vicinity. However, I noticed a part sitting in the middle of the aisle. When I picked it up, I found it was heavy. After matching the part number to its location, I discovered it belonged on the bottom shelf, about three feet to the left.
Yet, the sound I heard was so loud that it must have fallen from at least chest height. But I was the only person in the room at that time.
Another similar incident occurred a month later.
One quiet early Sunday morning, while chatting with the guy in the tool room, I realized something else was there with us.
There were about twelve bays that filled each side of the shop. The southside was loaded with HMMWVs, but no mechanics tended to them that morning.
That side of the shop was empty.
After shooting the shit with the tool room attendant for a few minutes, I noticed a shadow dart behind one of the HMMWVs to my left. I quickly turned to see who it was, but no one was there.
I stared at the truck. I knew what I saw from my peripheral vision. I froze. A chill overcame me as the hair on my arms stood up, and goosebumps rose along my skin.
A shadowy figure slowly peeked around the truck at me. I stopped talking, but the tool room attendant continued his story, seemingly unaware of our guest.
This dark figure peeked at me for a few seconds, with half of its head visible around the corner of the vehicle, and then it pulled back and disappeared.
Stories circulated the shop once in a while about how the building was haunted, but none that anyone took seriously. It was always a sound heard or something one heard from another.
This was my last experience in that building, and I eventually moved to another shop. So far, my sixth sense—if such a thing exists—has not detected anything paranormal in this place.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience? I enjoy a good ghost story and would love to hear yours here.
Happy Halloween!