Internet Post About A Secret Room Goes Viral, Homeowner Didn’t Expect This
A first-time homeowner named Jerry was about to embark on a strange tale that he did not sign up for, and it started with the basement of his new home.
Jerry was about to find out that some people harbor terrifying secrets. He discovered something in his new home that was probably meant to stay hidden in the cinder block walls. Keep reading to learn about Jerry's story and how his Imgur posting went viral.
A First Time Home Owner
After moving into his first house in 2015, an Imgur user named Jerry shared his weird story of cleaning out the previous owner's things. The old man had passed away, and the house was sold as-is, meaning it was in desperate need of some cleaning and a makeover.
As a first time homeowner, Jerry was okay with the house needing a little work. Little did he know exactly what he was getting himself into or what secrets he was about to discover.
Getting To Work On The Basement
After two weeks of moving his things into the house and starting some much-needed renovations, Jerry set his sights on the unfinished basement. In his post, he claimed that the basement was full of junk that needed to be tossed to make room for his belongings.
Since the previous owner didn't have any family close enough to come over and remove the items, it was up to Jerry to remove them himself -- and there was a lot of stuff!
A Secret Room Was Not Mentioned In The Listing
While cleaning out the basement, Jerry noticed a large piece of plywood leaning up against the cinder block wall. Definitely out of place, he pried it off. Apparently the wood was hiding another room because Jerry discovered a gigantic hole in the wall where more cinder blocks should be.
As a new homeowner, finding a secret room that the real estate agent was unaware of was cause for a little bit of concern. What was inside?
A Crate, Boxes And Pouches Were Found
The four-by-four room was full of boxes, crates, and tiny pouches littered across the floor. The room wasn't connected to the house's electrical circuit, so Jerry had to run and grab a flashlight to see what was inside the creates.
The place almost seemed like a bunker of sorts, but that didn't make sense. Why wasn't it cleaned out? It looked as though no one had been there in ages. Is it possible that the previous owner was hiding something?
Of Course, There's A Secret Safe In The Secret Room
"At this point, I am a little shocked, and a little scared," Jerry wrote. Curiosity got the better of him and he climbed through the small hole. The first thing he noticed in the tiny room were the gun casings stacked on top of one another. They were empty but plentiful. Why hoard empty casings?
That's when he noticed something in the corner of the room. A Sentry safe, heavy and completely locked.
To Open The Safe Or Not To Open The Safe
Jerry wasn't sure what to do. Should he call the previous owner's children to see if they know anything about the safe or the secret room? What if they wanted some of the items that were stored away?
He decided he was going to try and open the safe. Although it's a bit unethical, the safe is technically his since he bought the house as-is. The only issue being, what if he finds something bad?
The Safe Isn't Even His Most Interesting Find
He put opening the safe on the back burner, deciding to investigate the contents in the room a bit further. That's when he found hundreds of live rounds of ammunition. The scary part? They were all in unlocked cases and obviously stored here by the previous owner.
Jerry couldn't tell if it was a collection or if they were hidden away in the basement for some alternative reason. Unfortunately, he was about to find out.
Dreaming Of Stolen Merchandise And Basements
After further exploration, Jerry found more army-style bins that held similar items like the ammo. He called it a night, deciding that he would come back to the secret room in the morning. It was a lot to wrap his head around.
He would be in the right mood to tear apart the room after a good night's sleep.He wondered what types of secrets and treasures were in the basement. What on Earth did he stumble across down there?
He Stumbled Across Military-Grade Equipment
The next day brought new revelations to Jerry. He climbed back into the room to investigate the numerous boxes and crates scattered around, only to realize that most of them were labeled as military-grade.
Why would an old man have all of this military equipment? Jerry knew right then that he had to open the containers to see what lied inside. The thing is, he was not prepared for what he found.
Civilian Marksmanship Program
He found an empty rifle case that was marked "Civilian Marksmanship Program," meaning the previous homeowner knew how to use these guns. Something wasn't right, the previous owner wasn't just collecting the guns and ammo, he was using them.
Maybe he had special military permission to have the items in his house? That didn't seem right either, so Jerry decided to open the crates. The contents almost had him running out of the room...
Way More Ammo Than Any Civilian Needs
Things got a lot more serious after Jerry opened the crates. Hidden in the room was an SKS air rifle, crates of blank ammo, two crates of rifle ammo, a box of 19mm military-grade ammo, a box of 8mm ammo, boxes of Wolf 39mm ammo, and a dead grenade.
That's a lot of ammo for an old man. Why was it hidden away? The weirdest part is that Jerry's strangest discovery is the most harmless.
Pennies?
In one of the crates, he stashed a boat-load of pennies! So what was the connection between all of the military equipment and the pennies? They must be worth something, why else would he store such a large quantity?
They were worth hiding for some reason, Jerry just couldn't figure out why. His concern started growing as he tried to figure out why the previous owner was hiding all of these things in the basement.
The End Of The World Is Upon Us
Maybe they were doomsday "preppers." People who like to be super prepared for the inevitable collapse of society because of war, a natural disaster, or the zombie apocalypse. They usually stockpile ammo and guns. But wouldn't there be canned goods and water, too?
Also, some collectors like to save pennies from pre-1980s because they were made out of copper. Something that could be used for trade, in case the dollar loses its value in the world.
Time To Circle Back To The Safe
Now, back to the creepy, heavy-duty safe in the corner. Jerry couldn't move it due to the weight, so he was going to have to figure out how to open it in the room. Cracking the code was out of the question, so he gathered his father's tools to try and pry it open.
After spending way more time trying to pry the safe open than he would like to admit, Jerry finally called a locksmith.
Any Ideas Of What The Old Man Locked Away?
Jerry took to his Imgur thread that was now gaining an audience following, telling everyone that the locksmith was going to come by the up-coming Monday and to stay tuned for an update. Seemed as though everyone was excited to see what was inside!
If the old man thought it was fine to leave military-grade guns and ammunition out in the open, what could he possibly have that warranted him locking it away?
And Then There Was Silence
That was the last time the Imgur thread heard from Jerry. After the radio silence, the internet world began to hypothesize what happened to him. Some say he got the safe open, found a ton of cash, ditched the thread, and ran. Others say the viral story gave him some unwanted attention and that Jerry posted something he shouldn't have
Little did the spectators know that the latter is relatively close to the truth.
He Lives!
After two years, Jerry took to the thread again, his subject heading reading, "UPDATE: If anyone remembers or cares." He dives into the scary story of what his life had been like for the past couple of years.
Crazy things began to happen to him after the posts went viral, forcing him to go into hiding for years before feeling comfortable enough to go back online to finish his tale of the secret room.
Weird People And Late Night Disturbances
First, two days after posting the story, strange-looking people rang the doorbell. Having no idea who they were or what they wanted, he didn't answer the door. They stuck around for a few minutes before getting in their car and leaving.
The next night, something startled him awake, and his dog began to growl. That's when something either hit his house or someone knocked on a door or window. Who does that in the middle of the night?
Wrongful Break-in Made Him Paranoid
Two nights later, someone broke into Jerry's neighbor's house. Nothing was stolen, but it was very clear that the intruders were looking for something specific. It may have been pure coincidence, but Jerry is fairly sure the people who broke in next door thought they were breaking into his house.
What if they were tech-savvy enough to track where the posts were coming from? Thankfully, no one had been hurt, but Jerry was beyond paranoid.
After That Fiasco, It's No Wonder He Moved Out
Jerry told his followers that he would not reveal what he found in the safe, saying that he's too paranoid about posting it online after everything that happened to him.
He has since moved out of the house, not wanting the new owners to go through what he did. The world may never know what the old man was actually preparing for, and the ending of this freaky tale leaves us with more questions than answers.
