This is one of those ones that I can recall immediately, even though it took place about 20 years ago. I grew up in Michigan in a suburb north of Detroit. Although it was a heavily populated area, there was still places to explore within a quick drive. All through middle and high school we would hear about people who went to explore an abandoned slaughterhouse that was about 5 miles away from my home. We would always hear about other people going there only to get caught when they were either trying to get inside or when they were leaving as the location was fenced off and the local police department regularly patrolled the area. Being young and dumb, a couple of friends and I decided to take the risk and go exploring one Saturday night.
The night came and we all decided to meet up at a friends house to prepare for our expedition. We dressed in dark clothes, brought flashlights and discussed our exit strategy (where to meet, who was going in whose car, etc) in case someone were to show up. The 5 of us loaded ourselves and our gear up and headed to one of the streets nearby before heading in. We found ourselves a hole in the chain-linked fence that we could all get through and after a lot of talking, decided to head in. The doors were boarded up, but after a little wandering in the dark, we found one that looked like it had been broken open from previous people exploring.
As soon as you stepped foot inside, you felt an eerie tingle on the back of your neck. Be it nerves or something else, we did not want to chicken out as we were all trying to prove to ourselves and one another that we could do it. After turning on our flashlights, we knew that we were in for an experience. The door we had went through was for the front office that looked like it was frozen in time. Papers on desks, chairs still in place, everything looked like everyone just decided one day to stop coming in. Near the rear of the room was a door that lead towards the back slaughterhouse area, complete with warning signs advising proper PPE was needed.
We mustered up all we could and opened the door. A long hallway lead to the back area, with the only light coming from our flashlights. After heading down the hallway, we were finally in the main area. White coats were still hung up ready to use on the wall and although there was no real equipment anymore, you could still she the remains of ones that were gutted long before for parts. Dark stains were all over the floors from what we could only imagine was animal blood, so at this point we were all getting more worked up to what lie ahead.
We moved along in our adventure, checking out the old equipment, break rooms, restrooms, and anything else that we could get into. After exploring the main floor, we opted to head upstairs to see what we could find. Once we made it up the old rickety stairs, we were met with yet another long hallway with rooms lining each side. The rooms were all dark and most were locked, but the ones we could open yielded yet more office areas, presumably the “higher ups” offices. As we all ventured out in two groups, my friend and I turned a corner and saw another set of stairs leading down that was caution taped off. Looking down the stairs we realized why as there was no stairs after the 3rd, with only a long drop to the main floor.
As we realized there was only one way out, we grouped back up to keep heading forward. After turning what seemed to be the last corner on the 2nd floor, we saw a room at the end of the hallway that had light coming from underneath the door. My heart sank immediately, coming to the realization that we could possibly not be alone. My friend had brought his pocket knife (as if it could actually aid us in any way) and pulled it out, all while his eyes told a different story than the bravery he was trying to display.
How could we not see what was inside? We came all this way, we were strong 16 year olds with so much to prove, and no one wanted to be the chicken of the group. After slowly moving forward, with one last deep breath, we said our “1…2…3…GO!”, flinging the door open as quickly as possible, all running in yelling as if our primal sides were showing. In the room was a chair behind a desk with a single coffee cup resting on top and a scrap sheet of paper. Nothing adorned the walls, nothing on the floors, just the one sheet of paper. The light that we had saw was coming from outside the window where it was illuminating what was left of the parking lot. A collective sigh of relief could be heard until we looked at the paper that had nothing more than some scribbles on it, as if a child was learning to draw. Inside the desk was a couple of empty wrappers, empty soda bottles, and a single tin of instant coffee that looked almost brand new. Not needing to become a headline on the news the next day, we quickly retreated back down to the main floor to collect ourselves.
Although it does not stand anymore, we earned our “survived exploring the slaughterhouse” badges and were able to walk into school on Monday proud of what we had done.
These are not my photos, they show what the inside looked like before it was torn down.
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