ENCOUNTERS IN THE ABANDONED FACTORY

Camila watched from across the Boyacá Avenue at the abandoned factory, a place that had always piqued her interest. At this hour of the night, with the full moon casting its pale light, the structure, surrounded by high walls and rusty bars, seemed to have absorbed all the years of the city’s history, every shadow, and every secret.

—Why do I keep doubting? —She said to herself as she tightened her grip on the bag containing her camera—. I can't turn back now; I'm almost done with this project.

For several months, Camila had been entering abandoned buildings to photograph and capture what they hid when the sun set. Even without success in finding anything paranormal, she returned home with a smile; the photos she took reflected a gloomy atmosphere in every place, filling her with fear and, even more, excitement for entering the next site.

However, this factory held an air of chilling majesty. Its imposing brick structure contrasted with the modernity that sought to cover the remnants of an ancient and mysterious Bogotá. This Bogotá was what she wanted to immortalize.

Camila crossed the avenue when no cars were in sight on either side. She took out her camera and turned on the flashlight on her phone. She felt that mix of anxiety and curiosity pushing her toward the unknown, urging her forward in search of the entrance.

She walked along the fence, looking for a space to slip through. With each step, the trees inside seemed to watch her, swaying in the wind. She found a small door that creaked slightly as it moved. Looking closely, she saw that the chain that once secured the door was broken. Without giving it much thought, she entered the place, the grass brushing against her legs as she left the trees behind, the moon guiding her path until she reached the main building.

Camila pushed open the door that led inside. The metallic sound echoed in the stillness of the night, breaking the silence. The noises outside faded as she closed the door, as if she had crossed a threshold into a parallel world, a world filled with secrets.

The place was desolate, as it should be. However, Camila felt she was being watched from every corner, from every nook. The icy wind slipped through the broken windows, making her shiver; her skin prickled as if the wind whispered in her ear. She gripped her phone tightly, shining the flashlight from side to side and scrutinizing what it illuminated. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or the fear, but she noticed how some dark stains seemed to retreat from the light.

She slowly advanced while exploring the first floor, a vast empty space where machinery once stood. The marks on the dirty, blackened tiles hinted at what had once operated there. At the far end, she came across a staircase that creaked under her weight as she climbed. With each step, the creaking resonated louder in her ears. The unsettling sensation of being watched enveloped her, forcing her to swallow hard. Upon reaching the second level, she found herself in a long corridor, where the ancient dirty glass windows seemed to stare back at her. Camila pointed the flashlight, illuminating shadows that darted across the walls and quickly hid.

Her heart raced with every step she took, delving deeper and deeper. Among the broken glass, she noticed something in her distorted reflection: a blurry, elongated figure seemed to peek out, appearing and disappearing in the gloom. The air turned colder and denser, as if an invisible presence was slipping around her. She forced herself to capture the moment with her camera; the flash illuminated the desolate place momentarily before plunging her back into darkness. She checked the image she had just taken: behind her, a woman dressed in tattered clothes was visible, her hair floating like dark tentacles and her eyes glowing a vivid red as they watched her, while her own face was shrouded by the shadow of a bony hand.

Camila quickly spun around, searching for the figure, but the hallway was empty. A deafening silence surrounded her, and her breathing began to quicken, as if her body demanded more air. Each breath grew larger, more intense, and noisier.

An unsettling pain settled in her chest. What she had come to document filled her with dread, but also with an inexplicable thrill. With effort, she continued to advance to the next window; her steps echoed as if each one cost her more. Out of the corner of her eye, her reflection seemed to transform: a distorted grimace loomed on her face, freezing her blood. She turned her head, searching for the reality of her image, illuminated by her phone’s light, but the glass continued to show that long smile stretching wider and wider.

The atmosphere became heavier. Her body trembled, and the pain in her neck and back increased with the tension. She felt a cold presence on her shoulder, as if someone were breathing close to her skin, freezing her in place. She dropped her phone, which fell to the ground with a dull thud. Camila looked at the glass again, with difficulty, and there was that woman, so close to her ear, floating between the darkness as if her feet melded with the very dust.

Camila tried to break free from the paralysis enveloping her, tensing every muscle to move, but each attempt seemed futile. With a choked scream in her throat, she finally turned and ran, as her distorted reflection remained watching her flee. The sound of her footsteps echoed in the hallway, with an echo suggesting that something or someone was following her, advancing behind her in the darkness.

She ran through the corridor back, the sound of her steps mingling with her gasps, and her heart thudded so hard that it hurt her chest more and more. However, the walls ahead began to close in, and the darkness behind her embraced her, causing her to hesitate in her last step, tripping and falling down the stairs leading to the ground floor. She lay on the floor, her eyelids growing heavy, and before she faded away, she saw the shadows dancing around her as they slowly approached.