This story demonstrates how I took a grasp on my abilities as an empath. This spirit had intentions of me being able to "see" it.
In July 2015, some friends, family, and I went out to investigate the Buchanan County Home. The night started off pretty quiet, nothing really happening, not even feelings of being watched. We decided to go walk around and get more of a feel for the building to see if we could find the "hot spots" that night. We didn't like to go in certain areas, as the holes in the glass on the doors now allowed for the bats that were in the attic to come down to the main floors. So we decided to go to the stairs that were on the second floor, just down from the chapel. They had a landing at the top of them that then turned to another set of stairs leading to the third floor.
We started to conduct an EVP blast to see if we could even get any voices coming across that. There was not much, we almost were ready to call it quits. Tyler and I were sitting on the second floor stairs, about three stairs up. Then I felt it. The dark, ominous, vile, disgusting feeling this guy puts off. I could "see" him coming down the stairs from the third floor. He was slowly making his way down, and then he got to the landing of the stairs. He started to peek around the wall, just looking Tyler and I over. Sizing us up, wondering what move we'll make next and what can he do to us. He smiled this crooked, gnarly grin, and that's when I said, "Tyler, get up now!" Tyler and I stood up as fast as we could, and I told everyone what I had seen. I didn't know what to think at the time, as this was the most vivid vision I had ever had. I had never "seen" a spirit that close and that detailed before. I also had never felt more terrified from a spirit like I had from him.
We got up and Tyler started to complain about his back hurting and that it was really hot. So we looked at Tyler's back to find scratch marks in the shape of a backwards "L." There were two marks going down and three marks across. This was a large scratch, too. There is no possible way Tyler could have done this to himself. The scratches were raised, too. I told everyone we needed to leave before something worse happened. My question, though, is why Tyler? If I was the one seeing him, and feeling him, why didn't he do this to me? Instead he decided to pick on Tyler who couldn't see him or feel him. I was keeping these feelings to myself too as I could "see" him coming down the stairs. I didn't want to sound crazy, not have people believe me, and/or scare anyone. Now I know I should have been telling them all along what I was "seeing."
This was the last time I was at the Buchanan County Home, and I never intend to go back.
Katie Hopkins is an avid paranormal enthusiast and historian. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in History (specialization in Civil War History) in 2010 from the University of Northern Iowa. She also has her Master of Science in Higher Education from Kaplan University. She is a member of the Unknown Darkness team based in Iowa and has been to many haunted locations around the United States.
"Seeing Spirits," copyright 2018 Katie Hopkins