By Chelsea Schulz
STURTEVANT WI – There’s a secret on Durand. It’s hidden, nestled between a church and a psychiatric center. Rumor has it that the land just so happens to be a Native Burial Ground and a Pharmacy from the 1800s.
Welcome to Br8kout Escape Rooms, 8700 Durand Avenue.
As I enter the building, Ron Helmick of Racine Paranormal Investigators (RPI) and Anita Tutt, director of operations for Br8kout, greet me with information on the spiritual activity they have seen and felt. They also hand me equipment to track it.
With cameras placed in each room, the activity is easy to catch, as the monitor in the main lobby picks up on motion when no one is present. Figurines moving, orbs floating, technology glitching all at once, doors opening and closing, stalking entities and cameras moving with no explanation. Having all the equipment, Ron was prepared to document any happenings while we were present. His equipment includes a K2-EMF Meter, Mel Meter 8704, SB7 (Spirit Box), and an SLS Camera.
We move to the den, and my attention is drawn to a grandfather clock that was donated from a funeral home to a haunted house. Ron gets the SB7 rolling. Before long, a voice speaks from the machine.
“Cool,” the voice says.
We have made contact. I feel part of my hair flick and pop in my ear as if someone snapped. Ron asks if the spirit is behind me, the voice answers.
“Ron. Leave.”
It felt like there was more than one, so Ron asked: “How many spirits are in the room with us right now?”
“Eight.”
To get a reaction I lightly knocked on the grandfather clock, after I ask if it’s bothersome, and am met with a harsh “(expletive) you. Stop. Beast.”
We began to chatter among ourselves, shocked by what we heard. The voice continued, “I’m not mad, just what I’m trying to say.” Then proceeds to muse and whisper to itself as the recording continued.
I felt the need to stop to have respect for spirits surrounding us, so I moved out of the Den. Using the SLS Camera, Anita stood in the doorway by the clock to detect any spirits. It appeared that one was coming out from her head. I could not believe what I saw.
The front lobbies monitor began picking up action, the “Daycare” room was waiting to play. Ron and Anita watch the monitor in the main lobby as I began to investigate the room. Standing in between the new room addition and the daycare room I get ice-cold. A smiling clown painting had me frozen in place. Just then, the voice returned through the SB7.
“Leave.”
They were seeing orbs in the room, and I had not been moving for several minutes. A gravitational pull drew me to the closet. Or at least, that’s what it felt like.
The K2 Meter began to flash. The lights sprang from green to a blaring red. This meant one thing, something was in the room with me. The voice casts from the SB7 again, “Hello. Get out. leave,” over and over. Ron said it would be best to stop in that area. Best not aggravate it any further.
The evidence supporting this haunt is without question. Interesting how the place of business is to escape the rooms. It makes you wonder if the ghosts are stuck trying to figure out their own mystery? It’s anyone’s guess. But one thing’s for sure.
There’s a secret on Durand.