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It is a popular belief that the thirteenth floor on any given building is said to be unlucky and will bring misfortune to those that use it. This stems from the use of tarot cards and how the thirteenth card is the death card represented by the grim reaper. Though tarot usage in itself can be quite controversial and a lot of people may dismiss it as child's play, or in some cases dark magic, a lot of buildings such as hospitals, and even government buildings don't have a 13th floor. It is uncertain if it is because of superstitious reasons, but the fact remains.

Another interesting fact about the number 13, according to a man named R. Schwaller it is "the manifestation of the good, or bad generating power" a belief that may hold some truth. Though a lot of people may choose to believe that it is the bad that draws more power from it then the good simply because the bad is more recognized then the good. Example would be friday the 13. Not just the movie, but the day itself. On that day you can usually catch at least a few conversations about superstition, or even read posts about it on social media. Quite the interesting topic indeed.

Though not all places heed the number 13 and it's ghastly origins. One hospital in particular decided not to be persuaded by superstition. The Third-Hand Hospital, which stood not very far outside of Modesto, CA.

Upon construction of this hospital they decided to put in a thirteenth floor and even called it the thirteenth floor instead of changing it to the fourteenth. Even though changing the number wouldn't actually change the floor it was on, it could have definitely provided a bit of mental support for those that did succumb to superstition.

It opened soon after the construction because the need for hospitalization was on the rise due to the increased amount of violent activity that had been happening.

Promptly the hospital began taking in people and the rooms quickly filled up including the ones on the thirteenth floor. Many guests even though they were injured were hesitant to be placed on the thirteenth floor, but unfortunately the employees didn't want to be bothered by superstition and ignored their requests and placed them in their previously assigned rooms.

About a week after opening a man named Walter Genuise who had suffered from a broken leg due to a motorcycle incident, decided to get up to go to the bathroom that was down the hall. As he walked slowly, using the crutches he had, he began to hear footsteps from down the hall. Suspecting them to be only staff he didn't pay it any mind and continued onward to the bathroom.

As he reached the bathroom he tried opening the door, but unfortunately finding it locked. To his dismay he began to turn around to walk back to his room agreeing to try another time. As he started moving back from behind him he heard the sound of a door creaking. He glanced around to now find the bathroom door open.

He blinked, but his restroom issue was overpowering his curiosity as to how that happened. He walked in and turned on the light and used the restroom. After finishing, he braced his crutches and shifted them around to wash his hands. He glanced in the mirror briefly to look at himself and as he did he saw a dark figure in the corner of the small bathroom. He quickly looked around almost losing his balance to find nothing there. It was just him, and his startled reflection.

He sighed and shook his head convinced he was losing it and started to make his way back to his room feeling a bit shaken up, but no worse for wear.

The next morning the staff had an emergency in Walter's room. He had mysteriously gone into cardiac arrest and was convulsing. It took them awhile, but the doctors managed to stabilize him.

This was the first sighting of the dark figure and the first of many mysterious disturbances in that hospital on that floor, and it had only been open a week.

One of the most talked about and reported cases happened on the thirteenth floor of that hospital about a month after opening.

A woman named Margaret Hensley had been bedridden for about 2 weeks in the hospital due to a heart attack she had suffered. Margaret was a sweet older lady, and despite her age was so full of life. Even after her heart attack there was still so much energy and purpose in her eyes. if you ever got the chance to talk with her, this would become apparent immediately. She loved company and would welcome even strangers in her room if they wanted to look in on her.

Margaret paged the nurse one night requesting some water. The nurse told her with a smile that she would retrieve it and be back momentarily.

Margaret smiled and nodded then closed her eyes for a minute. Upon opening them she saw in the corner of the room a dark figure sitting in a chair. She smiled at it thinking it to be only a person who might be lonely and wanted someone to talk to. She began telling it about her life and different things that lead up to her heart attack. She was a bit nostalgic with her words, but she never had the sound of regret in them. She enjoyed the company, and turned to look back at the figure in the chair, but to her slight surprise it was gone.

About a minute later Margaret went into cardiac arrest and began convulsing. The nurse finally returned with the water to find Margaret that way. Unfortunately the nurse wasn't able to retrieve fast enough help to save her, and Margaret died. This was the first mysterious death that had happened.

However it wasn't the unexplainable death that makes it one of the most talked about happenings, it was what the doctor saw on the stomach of the victim that had the staff baffled. When they lifted up her shirt to check for any other reasons for the convulsions, they found the number 13 seemingly carved into the skin of the just-deceased Margaret Hensley.

Much discussion about this event circulated amongst the staff and talk of removal of the patients on that floor started to be discussed, but it wasn't until 2 years after their grand opening that the decision was finalized.

The incident that made it clear to everyone that this floor was an omen was one afternoon every EKG machine on the 13th floor went off at once. Over 20 people at one time began convulsing. Which caused the entire staff to regroup on the 13th floor at once to try to help everyone. Unfortunately 6 of those patients didn't make it. Even more mysterious then that, every victim had the number 13 carved into their skin upon inspection.

Survivors of this dark figure all talked about their experiences and discussed their encounter with this malevolent entity. None of them were sure what it was, or why it was there, or even how it got there, but one thing was certain for all of them. As long as it was there, the thirteenth floor wasn't safe.

No records show of any type of cemetery or burial ground that this place was built upon, nor was there any clear reason what it's purpose was, but the thirteenth floor became only a storage floor to which no one was allowed up there without supervision, and when the situation did rise for someone to be up there was to only be up there under stringent orders and to leave asap.

Stories of this black figure have circulated among the public and other reports have had similar instances occur, and many people said to have seen it, but no one really knows when or if it will strike again.

But of course this story isn't real is it? I suppose all you nonbelievers will probably rub this off as another "spine-tingler" and move about your day.

Surely there is no such thing as a black figure that causes this kind of thing is there?

I suppose you just have to go to the thirteenth floor of that hospital to find out, but be careful truth-seekers, because not all truths are pleasant, and not all truths are what you'd expect, and most of all, not all truths can be explained.