I Thought Someone Was Walking Behind Me

I wasn’t there for anything paranormal.

I was in St. Augustine for a few days and decided to visit the fort because it felt like something you are supposed to see. History, views of the water, all of it.

It was the middle of the afternoon. Bright out, plenty of people around. Nothing about it felt eerie or dramatic.

I spent some time walking along the outer walls, then made my way inside. The rooms are darker once you get in, but not in a scary way. Just thick stone, small openings, that kind of place.

At one point, I stepped into one of the interior corridors where there weren’t many people. You could still hear voices from other parts of the fort, but they felt far away.

That is when I first heard it.

Footsteps.

Not loud. Just close.

Behind me.

I assumed someone had come in after me, so I shifted slightly to the side to let them pass.

But they didn’t.

The footsteps stopped when I stopped.

I stood there for a second, waiting. Then I took a few more steps forward.

Same thing.

Steps behind me. Matching mine, but just slightly off.

Close enough that I would have expected to feel someone there if I turned around.

So I did.

No one.

The corridor was empty. I could see straight through to the opening on the other side. No one coming in. No one leaving.

I stood there longer than I should have, trying to make sense of it.

Old buildings echo. Sound carries. That was the explanation I went with.

So I kept walking.

And it happened again.

This time, I didn’t stop right away. I just kept moving, listening.

Step.
Step.
Step.

Then just behind it.

Step.

I turned quickly.

Nothing.

And this is the part that stayed with me.

It didn’t feel like I was being followed.

It felt like someone was walking with me.

Same direction. Same pace. Not trying to catch up. Not trying to get my attention. Just there.

After that, I went back out into the courtyard, where more people were.

The feeling stopped almost immediately.

Everything went back to normal.

I didn’t say anything at the time. It didn’t feel like a big moment. No visuals. Nothing dramatic. Just something I could not explain.

Later that night, I looked it up.

I found other people describing something similar. Footsteps in the corridors. The sense of someone moving alongside them.

That made me more uncomfortable than the experience itself.

Because it meant it might not have been just me.

I have been in plenty of old buildings since then.

Nothing has ever felt like that again.