Haunted York

In the north of England, there is a city, unlike any other in the entire country. That is the city of York, which still holds onto it's medieval history, as many castles still stand here, amongst other buildings from the middle ages. It is a marvellous wonder, like visiting a time from long, long ago. Yet this book (podcast) is not a tourism guide. No, we are here to discuss true horror. As York's medieval history holds many dark tales, that are openly discussed.

The Jorvik Vikings once invaded the city of York, terrorizing it's people during those much darker times. Many believe the spirits of such long forgotten warriors, still linger the shambles of York, frightening passers-by, especially late at night. You'd be most unlucky to discover a shining helmet, floating in the sky, soon a shape below it would form, revealing a rotten spirit who is almost nothing but a skeleton, with loose, yellow flesh dangling upon it's remains. It may even attempt to attack you, yelling in a tongue you won't understand, it's rusty axe aimed at your head. Some have seen this entity, others have claimed to see multiple of them. Like an army of demons, marching the streets, soon to vanish before your very eyes.

There is a horrifying history of torture, deep within the underground dungeons of York. Hundreds were killed and put through agonizing terror. Devices that would cut off your fingers and other limbs, cruellest of all was the rat trap, where a swarm of rats, inside a metal pot, would be placed beneath a living human. The rats would soon ravage their way through the poor victim's stomach to get to freedom. The pain of having several rats tear through your flesh must have been unbearable. As horrific as this is, what the people of today have witnessed, is equally chilling. The dungeons and prisons of York have been preserved for historical reasons, you can visit one at a museum and a tourist attraction has been built, where another once stood. Fortunately, most ghosts seem to shy away from the living, especially when there are many around. However, it is after closing times when the ghosts begin to haunt. Night time security have often discovered horrifying sights so ghastly, that many have quit. One man heard crying in one of the prison cells, it sounded like a teenage boy messing around. He wondered what on earth a young lad like that, was still doing here. He was furious though, storming through the dark corridors with a flash-light, expecting to see a dumb kid messing around. He tracked down the whimpers and looked inside the cell, what he saw instead, he'll never forget. It was a young man, bloody and beaten, his right arm sawed off and bleeding, dressed in nothing but rags. He saw the security guy and screamed, reaching out to him, before quickly vanishing. The staff member was dumbfounded, he couldn't believe his eyes, he saw the ghost of a long dead torture victim. The same man saw another ghost, after witnessing that previous horror, you'd think he'd have quit, but the last sighting he saw, was ultimately the deal breaker. He had seen and heard less horrifying encounters in these dungeons before, there was a young woman who kept singing medieval songs, but was never seen. The last haunting he saw was of a young lady, screeching on a torture table. She wasn't dressed, so without seeing her medieval fashion, he thought she was alive.

"How'd you get here?!" He gasped, believing this was a cruel prank someone had done.

"Oh bless me, my savior has come to my rescue!" The woman cried, speaking in old English. That's when he knew she was a ghost and that something horrifying was about to happen. Before he could react, she was suddenly set on fire, the flames were blue and green. Her skin fizzled to a crisp, as her agonisingly screams deafened his ears. He could only watch in horror, as this once beautiful woman burned to ash and then evaporated into nothingness. Anyone could understand why he'd want to quit his job, after a horrifying encounter like that.

York's dark history may be interesting, there are many tourist attractions to see that explore these occult myths. However, when you look too far into this darkness, sometimes it stares right back at you. Beware the paranormal!