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The original was posted on /r/paranormal by /u/Tellier71 on 2024-04-06 21:43:45.

I have always been a staunch atheist and not a believer in the paranormal, but I saw something in Albania and can’t get it out of my head. I’d like to start this off with a bit of a history lesson.

During the second world war, Albania was occupied by the Nazis. After the Second World War, Albania decided that the best way to fend off fascism in the future was to become communist and isolationist. They closed their borders in 1946 and declared themselves the world’s first atheist nation in 1967. Religion was outlawed in 1967, and religious buildings were repurposed or destroyed. Previously, Albania was a mix of primarily Catholicism and Islam, and just because it is not legal does not mean a person will stop practicing their faith. Catholics were seen as a special threat due to a perceived loyalty to the Holy See over the State. Shkoder, a city in Northern Albania, housed a prison that held and tortured practitioners of Catholicism. Many people died there when they refused to give up fellow practitioners under extreme forms of torture.

This prison is now part of a museum called the Site of Witness and Memory. The first part details the events leading up to and following the outlawing of religion by Enver Hoxha, and the second part details what went on in the prison. At the end, you are permitted to walk into the prison and its cells. On the bottom floor, some cells display prominent people who were held there and resistance in the face of a concentration camp, others display anti-religious propaganda, and some tell stories of camp conditions and how information was shared throughout the camp. Most of the cells are empty, but you can walk inside them. Each measures about 5 feet by 5 feet. The last room is much larger. It is where the inmates were brought for questioning. The original desk, typewriter, and telephone are there, as well as a chair where the inmates would have sat.

There is a second story to the prison. I went upstairs to check it out, but all of the cells were empty. To be sure I didn’t miss anything, I poked my head into each one as I made my way down the hallway. Once I was sure the cells were empty, I began to walk back to go downstairs. Out of the corner of my eye in one of the cells, I catch a black figure. I caught a surprising amount of detail for only catching a glance. It was about 5’6, emaciated and was standing head against the corner, hands on its face and facing away from me. Pure black, and with shadows spreading out away from it. At first I thought it was a cardboard cutout I had missed, so I took a couple steps back to check. The room was empty.

I was overtaken by a sense of pure fear. I wasn’t in any danger but I don’t think I was ever that scared before. I ran out of that museum, I’m sure I got a couple odd looks from security and other attendees.

I haven’t been able to shake what I saw. I don’t think I believe in the paranormal, but I also have no explanation as to what I saw. It looked and felt real. I came across this subreddit and thought you guys may have answers. Sorry for the long post and maybe the overexplained background.