Original subtitles

Scott, where are you?

The windows were broken, the doors were chained shut.

Definitely looked like it was abandoned.

He said he'd seen a bird man.

It almost looked like it could be some sort of skeleton.

You're scaring me.

I could just feel--

I could just feel-- What are you doing?

What are you doing?

--someone in the room with me.

And that's when I realized this wasn't my husband.

Oh my god, she's actually sleepwalking.

I loved that house.

Everything about it was perfect.

What are you doing?

What are you doing? Drawing a picture of our house.

Drawing a picture of our house.

Wow.

We'd been living in our house for almost seven years.

I loved that house.

Everything about it was perfect.

But then the earthquake hit and it all changed.

[distant sirens]

Living in Virginia, earthquakes aren't something you ever

think you'll have to deal with.

think you'll have to deal with. GARY (ON PHONE): I saw the news.

GARY (ON PHONE): I saw the news.

Are you guys OK?

The place is a mess.

My husband Gary travels a lot for his job.

He was out on the road when it all happened.

Yeah.

Here.

Hi, Daddy.

GARY (ON PHONE): Hey, buddy.

Quite a roller coaster, huh?

SCOTT: Yeah.

I had this huge welt on my arm,

but I couldn't figure out how it got there.

I figured it was a spider bite or something.

Oh, I'll call you back.

Bye.

LORI (VOICEOVER): And didn't worry about it much after that.

Let's go inside.

I'd just put Scott to bed and I was doing some laundry.

[door opening]

Scott?

Scott?

What is it?

What is it? Something was in here.

Something was in here.

Something was in here. Someone was here?

Someone was here?

Where?

It wasn't a person.

What was it?

A bird man.

He said he'd seen a bird man.

That wasn't the first time Scott had had a nightmare

That wasn't the first time Scott had had a nightmare or let his imagination get to him.

or let his imagination get to him.

I really thought that's what it was, until I heard something

I really thought that's what it was, until I heard something on the other side of the door.

on the other side of the door.

[tapping]

Look, there's nothing there, OK?

Look, there's nothing there, OK? It was just a bad dream.

It was just a bad dream.

LORI (VOICEOVER): Then I heard it again.

Stay here, baby.

[tapping]

LORI (VOICEOVER): But this time it was coming from downstairs.

It was just a pair of my husband's shoes

under the coat rack, but the tapping was still

under the coat rack, but the tapping was still coming from around the corner.

coming from around the corner.

The latch on the front door had come loose.

It's nothing to be afraid of, OK?

You just had a bad dream.

No, there was a bird man in here.

He poked me with a stick.

Look.

LORI (VOICEOVER): Scott was always

getting bumps and bruises he couldn't explain.

Did you do that?

No.

I figured he'd been playing rough with some

of the neighborhood kids and just forgot about it.

Why don't you come sleep with me tonight?

LORI (VOICEOVER): I really thought

LORI (VOICEOVER): I really thought it was nothing to worry about.

it was nothing to worry about.

A couple hours later, I was getting ready for bed

when I noticed what looked like a rash on my shoulder.

I pulled down my shirt to look closer.

I pulled down my shirt to look closer. Oh my god.

Oh my god.

I was completely panicked.

My entire shoulder was covered with these disgusting blisters.

[doorbell]

I'd never seen anything like it.

The next morning, I called our family doctor

to come take a look.

There are these marks on my arm.

They appeared last night.

They're like boils.

Really.

Let's check it out, to see what we have here, OK?

Let's check it out, to see what we have here, OK? Well, I don't see anything.

Well, I don't see anything.

You sure it's not maybe on the other arm?

I don't understand.

They were there last night.

They were there last night. Well, they're not there now.

Well, they're not there now.

It didn't make any sense.

The human body reacts to stress in all kinds of ways,

you know?

Don't worry about it.

He assured me that it was a stress reaction, probably

from the earthquake.

I doubt they were boils.

Probably some kind of rash.

I'm sorry.

DOCTOR: Don't worry.

I just accepted what he said about the boils.

I knew those blisters were there last night,

but now they were just gone, so I decided

it wasn't worth worrying about.

Kind of quiet today.

You OK?

Yeah.

LORI (VOICEOVER): Later that afternoon, I

was doing the dishes while Scott was eating lunch.

Is it about what happened last night?

No.

LORI (VOICEOVER): I went to a drain the sink and the stopper

LORI (VOICEOVER): I went to a drain the sink and the stopper felt like it was stuck on something.

felt like it was stuck on something.

I'm going to go upstairs.

[screams]

There were leeches on my arm.

How the hell did leeches get into our sink?

Oh!

Oh!

The only explanation I could think of

was that the earthquake broke the pipes

and they somehow got into our plumbing.

I don't want you to drink that water.

I don't want you to drink that water. I'm going to go buy some more later.

I'm going to go buy some more later.

LORI (VOICEOVER): The earthquake made this crack right

through the middle of my flowerbeds.

I took it as a sign that it was time to finally replant

the back yard.

I was just getting started when I hit something in the ground.

I was just getting started when I hit something in the ground. Something hard.

Something hard.

It almost looked like it could be

some sort of bone or skeleton.

Maybe the previous owners had buried their pet there.

Daddy!

Hey, buddy.

Hey.

LORI (VOICEOVER): I hadn't seen my husband

in two weeks at that point.

How are you doing?

Good.

Good. Everything's great.

Everything's great.

Virginia doesn't have an earthquake in a million years

and they picked the week that I'm gone for it to happen.

and they picked the week that I'm gone for it to happen. LORI (VOICEOVER): He only had 24 hours

LORI (VOICEOVER): He only had 24 hours

before he had to turn around and head back out on the road,

so I just wanted to enjoy the time we had together.

I figured telling him about the strange things that

were happening could wait.

Gary, what is it?

Gary?

Gary?

LORI (VOICEOVER): I heard that tapping sound again.

All I could make out was a dark figure.

Gary?

LORI (VOICEOVER): Walking to the bedroom.

What are you doing?

What are you doing? Gary, you're scaring me.

Gary, you're scaring me.

Gary?

[screams]

What's wrong?

Did you see it?

Wait, did you see someone too?

What do you mean did I see it too?

What do you mean did I see it too? I was just in Scottie's room.

I was just in Scottie's room.

He yelled, and when I went in there

he was talking about some bird man.

Oh my god.

Oh my god. I don't know what's happening.

I don't know what's happening.

I don't know what's happening. OK, I'm going to check the house.

OK, I'm going to check the house.

LORI (VOICEOVER): I had been hiding everything from Gary,

but after seeing that in my room, I told him.

It was still there, right where I left it.

When I first found what I thought were bones,

I figured it was just a buried pet.

I didn't dig it out enough to see what it actually was.

I didn't dig it out enough to see what it actually was. But looking at it with Gary, it was

But looking at it with Gary, it was

clear it was some sort of mask.

That's exactly what I saw in the bedroom.

Do you think maybe it's just you dreamed it because you saw

this earlier?

I wasn't dreaming.

I was wide awake.

Scott saw it too.

Right.

Scott mentioned a bird man the other night,

you see this earlier, so you probably just

dreamed about the bird man.

I want to believe that's what happened,

but that's not what happened.

I was wide awake.

I wasn't dreaming.

Listen, you know there's a logical explanation for this.

I mean, there was nobody inside the house just now.

I could hear it in his voice.

He didn't believe me, and I honestly couldn't blame him.

He had to leave in the morning for another work trip.

PROFESSOR: No, I don't want you to take that inside.

PROFESSOR: No, I don't want you to take that inside. LORI (VOICEOVER): I really didn't

LORI (VOICEOVER): I really didn't

want him to be worried while he was away,

want him to be worried while he was away, so I didn't push any further.

so I didn't push any further.

But I had to find out more about that mask.

You found this here on the property?

LORI: Yeah, I was gardening and I hit it.

Gary dismissed the mask, but it looked too elaborate to be

just a Halloween costume or something, so I called

a friend of ours who's a history professor.

I emailed him a picture and he asked if he could

come over and see it in person.

What is it?

It's a pest mask.

You've never seen this imagery before?

No.

What is that?

Unbelievable.

It was exactly what I had seen in our bedroom, right down

to the stick and the robe and the mask.

Plague doctors wore those during the outbreaks

Plague doctors wore those during the outbreaks of the bubonic plague in Europe.

of the bubonic plague in Europe.

It was like an early gas mask.

They wore it to keep the germs away.

They wore these long robes and carried

sticks, poking the bodies to determine who was dead

and who was still alive.

and who was still alive. Why is it here?

Why is it here?

It doesn't make a lot of sense.

There was a smallpox epidemic in the late 1700s in this area,

but I don't think there were any pest houses in America.

Pest house?

Well, pest houses were basically these small huts

where they locked in all the infected

so they couldn't spread the disease,

and they would throw leeches through their windows

so they could let their own blood.

But it didn't help anything.

Could there have been a pest house here?

I highly doubt it, but I could check into it if you like.

Please.

I was completely freaked out, probably because I had

more questions than answers.

Why was there a plague mask in my backyard?

I tried to get some sleep that night, but it was useless.

So I was wide awake when I heard the noise.

[faint noise]

I couldn't tell if it was an animal or a person,

but whatever it was, it sounded like it

was coming from outside.

Scott?

Where are you?

SCOTT: There's something going on outside.

OK, there's nothing happening.

Come on.

What's going on?

Nothing.

I just left the light on in the shed.

Go to bed.

I didn't want to scare Scott, but no one

had been in that shed for weeks.

I know I should have called the police,

but what was I supposed to say?

I've seen a man from the 18th century in my house?

[coughing]

Help us.

[screams]

Get up.

We're going to Grandma's house.

There was no way I was staying in that house a second longer.

The next day I did something I never thought I'd do.

So you've seen and felt this entity inside the house

and outside?

Yes.

LORI (VOICEOVER): I called a psychic medium for help.

LORI (VOICEOVER): I called a psychic medium for help. That's it, huh?

That's it, huh?

Mm-hmm.

He's not evil.

He's angry.

He was at peace here.

He wants to be put back where he belongs.

The psychic felt that the earthquake had disturbed

the man's resting place.

You need to rebury him.

Do you really think that will make it go away?

I do.

I know it sounds simple, but sometimes the simplest answers

I know it sounds simple, but sometimes the simplest answers are the best ones.

are the best ones.

OK.

I did exactly what she told me to do.

And I prayed it would be enough to make it stop.

I had just graduated from college.

There weren't a lot of opportunities in my hometown,

so I got a job as a high school chemistry teacher

in Sacramento, which was about five hours away.

I used one of those roommate finder services

for the first time, and that's how I met Alison.

She had just gotten out of a long term relationship

with her boyfriend and was looking to start over

with her boyfriend and was looking to start over fresh in a new city.

fresh in a new city.

Hi.

Hi. Perfect timing.

Perfect timing.

Hey, I'm Dana.

You're Alison, right?

Yeah.

Hi, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

She seemed pretty cool, unlike the house.

She seemed pretty cool, unlike the house. What's with the, um, decor?

What's with the, um, decor?

I don't know.

It was here when I moved in.

The manager was saying something about the guy who

The manager was saying something about the guy who used to live here died.

used to live here died.

I don't know.

I figured we didn't have any furniture,

so, you know, for the time being.

so, you know, for the time being. Yeah, it'll work.

Yeah, it'll work.

Yeah, yeah.

It was a little strange, I guess, but we were broke

and the furniture was free, so I thought,

who cares if it belonged to someone who died?

Well, I am going to go drop this off in the kitchen.

OK.

It was awesome meeting you.

Yeah, you too.

DANA (VOICEOVER): I noticed this photo

of three men in white uniforms.

I figured it belonged to whoever lived in the house before us.

It didn't feel right keeping this photo of people we didn't

even know in our new place, so I just put it in a drawer

and didn't think much else of it.

It must have been about 2 o'clock in the morning.

It must have been about 2 o'clock in the morning. I heard something moving.

I heard something moving.

I don't know how to explain it, but I could just feel someone

in the room with me.

Alison?

DANA (VOICEOVER): Alison was just standing there.

DANA (VOICEOVER): Alison was just standing there. Her eyes were open.

Her eyes were open.

Alison.

DANA (VOICEOVER): But she wouldn't answer me.

And that's when I realized, oh my god,

she's actually sleepwalking.

Alison.

Alison.

Ali--

Are you OK?

Yeah, I think--

Yeah, I think-- I think you were sleepwalking.

I think you were sleepwalking.

I think you were sleepwalking. Sorry, I've never--

Sorry, I've never--

I've never, ever done that before.

At the time, I just figured it was a one time thing.

I was having the weirdest dream.

I was in a hospital and this patient

was pulling me down a hallway.

I don't think I've ever done that before.

I'm really sorry.

It's OK.

It's OK. It could have been worse.

It could have been worse.

I mean, you could have been holding a knife over my head

or something.

DANA (VOICEOVER): The next day I went for a run

to check out the neighborhood.

And that's when I first saw it, this huge building.

It looked like a hospital, I guess,

but there were no signs so I couldn't be sure.

The windows were broken, the doors were chained shut.

The windows were broken, the doors were chained shut. Definitely looked like it was abandoned.

Definitely looked like it was abandoned.

I was staring at the third floor window

when something caught my eye.

It looked like a man with a red face.

And then in a blink it was gone.

I told myself that it was just the light and the shadows

playing tricks on my eyes.

God, he makes my ex-boyfriend sound like an angel.

Well, I mean, he was, you know, not perfect or anything,

Well, I mean, he was, you know, not perfect or anything, but I was pretty crazy too.

but I was pretty crazy too.

Like how crazy?

From a scale of 1 to 10, probably like 9 or 10.

I was on a lot of medication and I was hospitalized once,

I was on a lot of medication and I was hospitalized once, but I'm fine now.

but I'm fine now.

DANA (VOICEOVER): A bottle and a half of wine later, I was just

drifting off to sleep.

It was Alison sleepwalking again.

By the time I got outside, she was at the end of the street.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): She walked straight

DANA (VOICEOVER): She walked straight to that creepy old building.

to that creepy old building.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): She was reaching her arm out

in this weird position.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): Like someone was leading her inside.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): By the time I reached the entrance,

she was gone.

Alison!

I was really scared to go in there,

but I was even more afraid that she might hurt herself,

so I had to go in after her.

Alison?

DANA (VOICEOVER): It was this really creepy old

homeless lady.

Did you just see someone walk through here?

[woman's voice]

I thought I heard Alison's voice outside.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): She was staring straight at me

but she was in her own world.

Alison!

DANA (VOICEOVER): And that's when

I noticed she kept looking back at something inside, something

she was afraid of.

What are you doing?

Alison, no!

DANA (VOICEOVER): Between her jumping out

of a window and her history with mental illness,

it didn't take long for the police to rule Alison's death

a suicide.

I told them about the sleepwalking and that look

on her face when she jumped, like she

on her face when she jumped, like she was afraid of something.

was afraid of something.

I told them everything.

Everything except the man in the window.

I don't know why I didn't.

The newspaper article about her death

said that the abandoned building used to be a hospital.

I did some research and found out

that the man who lived in our house worked in the psych ward

as an orderly.

That night I had a really weird dream.

It was just like the dream Alison described.

I was walking down this long hallway with a woman

in a hospital gown.

She was holding my hand, leading me towards these doors.

And she kept looking back like she had something to show me.

MAN: Hey, hey!

MAN: Hey, hey! Wake up, wake up!

Wake up, wake up!

Hey, wake up!

I almost hit you with my car.

What were you standing in the middle of the road for?

DANA (VOICEOVER): I had absolutely no idea.

I don't know.

DANA (VOICEOVER): It took me a minute,

but eventually I realized--

but eventually I realized-- I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

DANA (VOICEOVER): --that I had been sleepwalking.

I had walked three blocks in my sleep from my house

to that old hospital.

I don't know what would have happened if he didn't wake me

up.

Mom, I'll be OK.

I had no idea why this was happening to me.

I just woke up in the street.

My mom insisted that I come home,

but I had too much on the line with my new job.

I promise I'll be safe.

Bye.

DANA (VOICEOVER): I was positive I closed that door.

I couldn't sleep that night or the night after.

I managed to stay awake grading homework,

but I could barely keep my eyes open in class.

By the third night, I couldn't fight it anymore.

[screaming]

DANA (VOICEOVER): I prayed I was just dreaming,

but somehow I was back inside that hospital.

I kept pinching my hand, trying to get myself to wake up.

My nails were digging into my skin

so deep I started bleeding.

That's when I knew I wasn't dreaming.

I was there.

[whimpering]

The place was like a maze.

I was trying to find my way out, but every hallway led me back

I was trying to find my way out, but every hallway led me back to the same place.

to the same place.

[screams]

I kept telling myself, they're not really here.

It's only a dream.

Wake up.

Wake up. Wake up, and they'll all go away.

Wake up, and they'll all go away.

I kept looking for a way down, but I couldn't find the stairs.

The whole room was filled with smoke, and I could hear a fire

The whole room was filled with smoke, and I could hear a fire and feel the heat.

and feel the heat.

[scream]

Let me out of here!

Let me out of here! Let me out of here!

Let me out of here!

I can't breathe!

His face was covered in burns.

His face was covered in burns. Let me out of here!

Let me out of here!

There they were again, just standing there, staring at me.

All of a sudden, the one in the back walks towards the window,

opens it, and jumps.

When the other two jumped after him,

I knew I had to get out of there.

Help!

Help!

Help!

DANA (VOICEOVER): I knew those faces.

It was the men from that picture.

One of them stopped and looked straight up at me.

Then he ran away with the others.

No, please help!

I could feel the fire start to burn my skin.

I had no other choice.

I had to jump.

It was like she came out of nowhere,

but I knew she was real, that same homeless woman.

And as soon as she grabbed me, the fire was gone,

the smoke was gone, the orderlies and patients

were gone, and I was awake for sure at this time.

My doctor convinced me that it was just a crazy night

of sleepwalking and bizarre dreams brought on by the stress

of Alison's suicide.

Maybe that's true, I don't know.

What I do know is that 20 years ago, there really

was a fire in that hospital.

And the orderly who lived in my house, the one

in the picture, he and the other orderlies

ran off and abandoned seven psychiatric patients who burned

ran off and abandoned seven psychiatric patients who burned alive on the fifth floor.

alive on the fifth floor.

I found all of that out later, so how could

I have possibly known when I was dreaming it?