As I put the finishing touches on my Charleston-based horror story, I continue to explore the Holy City's dark side. Here are some guidelines I have to make sure I don't accidentally become PART of the mystic realm:
If you go alone, use a flashlight but never a lantern or you will see things you won’t be able to forget. Ever.
Don’t go in groups larger than seven.
Leave any food you bring outside the church, and never let it cross over graves in the churchyard. If it does, destroy it with fire.
If the church has stained glass windows, be careful of the light that shines through it. It’s ok if blue or green light touches you, but never red or yellow.
The water in the font is no longer holy. It’s something else entirely.
The Bibles will be blank until you confess.
If you see someone praying at the altar, do not approach them. If they approach you, leave immediately.
If you take video, DO NOT look at it while you’re still on church grounds.
Don’t go into the confessional. The man talking to you is not the priest.
The cross on the wall changes, don’t look at it for too long.
The storm you hear outside is not real. The rumbling comes from elsewhere.
If you hear the organ playing while you’re in the vestibule, your time is running out.
If it plays while you’re in the sanctuary, your time is up.
Don’t remove anything, and if you notice you’re missing something, leave it behind. It’s not worth your life.
If you have to stay overnight, sleep in the sanctuary, but not on a pew. Leave before sunrise. Make the sign of the cross before departing, and watch to make sure everyone else with you does, too. If they don’t, they’re not what you think.
Always leave through the same door you entered.
NEVER visit the same abandoned church twice, especially if you forgot something inside. That’s a lure. On your second trip through, they’ll know enough to keep you there forever.
