I found something disturbing in Powerwash Simulator.

 I want to start this off by saying that I don't believe in the paranormal or anything like that. Never have. However, I don't have any other way to describe what I experienced.  Before I begin my story, I guess I should introduce myself. 

Hello, my name is Eric. Your average 21 year old red-blooded American.  When I first heard about PowerWash Simulator, I didn't see the appeal. That was until I saw Markiplier play it and I started to just feel how relaxing the game could be when you took your time with the levels.  Unfortunately, getting my hands on a copy was difficult. None of the stores that I lived close enough to had it in stock and due to forces outside of my control, I was unable to use the PlayStation Store. 

In the region I live. There is a special event that happens yearly. The Rollercoaster Yard Sale. At one of the stands. There was an elderly couple that seemed to be selling a lot of video games. I assumed it might've been from a grandkid or somebody that didn't want them anymore. The PS5 has been out for a couple years and majority of these games were PS4 and older. 

I saw PowerWash Simulator and couldn't resist picking up a copy. It seemed to be an old present. On the case written in sharpie read "For Billy".  They didn't seem to have any issue selling it to me. But when I inquired about who Billy was, they just looked at me with confusion. I chalked it up to senility and paid what they were asking. I just couldn't wait to just get home and pop this in the PlayStation and play it.  Which is what I did.

However, here is where the strange stuff began to happen. Immediately upon my system downloading the game. I noticed that there was already a save file on it. Which should be impossible. Saved data is saved to your hard drive, not the disc. All the disc is a glorified password. 

I tried my best to ignore and start my own save file.  I made my way through the game as normal. Well, as normal as it can be. In the game, there are message conversations that you can read. However, the game never called me by any of the normal names. No company name. They just called me Billy.  I didn't think much of it at the time. Thinking it was just some kid who modded the game. After all, It's not that difficult to mod console games if you know what program to use.

The next oddity I encountered was when I unlocked the fire station.  One of the shutter doors was slightly open and a fire truck was missing. I chalked it up to the old owner messing around. But, now I'm not sure. I understand modding in your own name. But why would you do that? if you can edit the map, especially knowing what happens later.  Why wouldn't you change more?

After completing the Fire Station, I unlocked a map that is not in the base game. If this was a mod, then they added a completely custom map.  It was a Elementary School. Seemingly burnt. Not covered in muck like the rest of the game. It looked like it was burned in a furnace. I entered the map without any equipment. No washer, no ladder/stool, and no van. It was as if I was playing a completely different game. 

The map seemed also way more open than usual. There were no invisible walls. Seemingly a rendered town, however, it got further low-poly and less-clipped as you moved further away from the school. As I entered the school, I could hear crying. Wailing.

Before I continue, I have no idea if this was a mod or something actually supernatural. Growing up, I had always heard stories of possessed games or haunted cartridges. I just never believed them. However, if it's a mod, then I don't know what kick a person would get out of what I'm about to tell you.  

In 2006, a fire broke out at a Elementary School in Limestone, Kentucky. St. Katherine's Elementary. Limestone isn't too far where I live. (Cardinal Springs). Both in the sorta South Central Area. Limestone being further east. Only Two people were inside the school at the time. Mrs. Dunne, the history teacher and a 10 year old boy. His name was withheld from wider news. Families from the area never really spoke about it either. The teacher survived and the young boy ended up passing away. His identity revealed as Billy Mayhew. 

If this is a mod, then it's a pretty sick joke. How did the elderly couple get a hold of it. why did the game say "For Billy" on it. And if it's possession, then why did the ghost wait until 2022 to possess a game. 

Anyway, enough sidetracking. I followed the sound of crying and I got to the social studies classroom. The door was locked.  Written on the concrete wall beside the door "you are broken. shattered, ye shall not walk. become whole, to free." 

Safe to say, I was very confused. I decided to walk around the school. Whoever recreated it, did so in painstaking detail. It felt as almost I was there. I could smell it and feel it. I could hear it, not through my TV speakers, but felt like I could hear it with my own ears.

It didn't take me long to realize what the riddle was talking about. Turns out this map has collectables. There were five in total:

1. A Bendy Straw located in the library
2. A jagged piece of a SpongeBob ceramic plate located behind a toilet in the upstairs bathroom.
3.  A bible located in the guidance counselor's office
4. A round mirrorless handle located in locker #222 in the east hallway
5.  A roll of film located in nurse's office

I returned to the locked classroom. The door faded out. The burn damage inside the classroom was way worse. Suggesting the fire started here. When I entered the room, the crying and all the noise stopped. The only thing in sight was a young kid. I think it's pretty fair to assume, the kid is supposed to be Billy.  Pretty soon after that the game crashed and when I loaded it back up, the game had reset itself and all traces of Billy was gone.

A week later, Mrs. Dunne was found dead in her home. News said it was a heart attack. I don't believe in ghosts. I want to reiterate that. However, this whole experience has definitely shaken my skepticism a little. When I would sleep, I would dream of Billy. Even before I knew what he looked like. Sometimes I still do.