'I found mysterious staircase in forest – and couldn't believe what I found' – The Mirror US
A man who discovered a staircase in the woods was horrified by what he found at the bottom.
TikTok user Josh (@joshtheintern) claimed he was "not meant to find this place" after sharing his chilling adventure in a video that has been viewed more than 18 million times.
"While hiking through a forest I came across this overgrown entrance that led underground," he shared. "Heading inside to explore it I found myself in a maze of long tunnels and secret rooms. This is definitely one of the creepiest abandoned places I have explored " The viral clip with Josh finding the hidden staircase, engulfed by overgrown vegetation.
After descending the concrete steps, things quickly became eerie as he found himself in a dark tunnel. Switching on his flashlight, he ventured further underground, discovering a hallway lined with steel doors and another staircase leading even deeper below.
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"Heading down to the bottom I was then met with an even longer tunnel that eventually led me to this massive metal door," Josh narrated. "But passing through it I was about to find something else quite creepy."
At this point, the tunnel floor was flooded, as Josh panned the camera to show creepy footprint marks bizarrely covering the white walls. "Soon the condition of the tunnel worsened until it branched out into lots of different rooms," Josh added.
Exploring the unknown, Josh continued to recount his experience: "I still had no idea what this place was so I went to find some clues." He soon stumbled upon a mysterious small green door that took him to another dilapidated space, holding only the corroded metal frame of an unidentifiable object.
Pushing further, Josh came upon something more familiar: "These were definitely toilets," he declared, identifying the stark white tiles of two isolated stalls. His journey led to a dead-end cluttered with small rooms, one particularly notable for a door that seemed to have been "blown off", revealing nothing but an empty bookcase within.
Climbing out through a different staircase, Josh confessed, "I still have no idea what this could have been, but whatever it was, they wanted to keep it a secret." The obscure discovery baffled and spooked Josh's online audience, who offered a variety of theories in response.
"First rule when going at such a place: NEVER go there ALONE. You never know what could find you," one person declared. A second asked: "Why is nobody talking about footsteps on the wall?" A third chimed in with their thoughts: "Probably an old world war bunker intelligence post or something."
A fourth eerily questioned: "Was it some kind of old hospital? The tunnels look like the chutes dead bodies were taken through to go to the morgue." Whilst a fifth said: "Be glad you didn’t find some type of SCP [Secure, Contain, Protect] in there. This really looks like a secret hidden testing and experimental facility."