Waking Up a Sleeping Giant

The first weeks inside HellVault felt like entering a place that had gone quiet, not gone dead. The building carried its own gravity. Concrete corridors pulled you forward, then turned you around, then dropped you into rooms that seemed to hold their breath. We were not just moving into a workspace. We were learning a system that had been idle for years and was ready to be put back to work.

Claiming Ground, One Corridor at a Time

Progress began with paths. Hallways were narrowed by old shelving, mystery pallets, and forgotten equipment. Dust sat in layers that told their own timeline. We started from a central cluster of rooms and pushed outward, clearing routes to the blast doors and marking the thresholds so carts and cases could pass cleanly. The blast doors became natural checkpoints. On one side you felt circulation and open volume. On the other side the air settled and cooled, heavier with the smell of paint, oil, and steel.

Temporary Power, Practical Light

Early on, visibility and safety were the job. I ran extension cords, staged rechargeable power banks, and set compact LED work lights where they would do the most good. A doorway wash, a counter light, and a floor light would turn a black room into a place you could sweep, sort, and stage. We moved those lights like lanterns, room to room, establishing islands of control until we could return with a permanent plan. It was not glamorous, but it was safe and it kept momentum.

Learning the Building’s Rhythm

By the second week we could read the place better. Morning light found a few narrow windows and threw pale stripes across the walls. By evening, the temperature dropped and the building spoke in ticks and sharp pops as the structure cooled. Wind moved through dormant vents and made a low hush in the long halls. The sounds were easy to misread at first. After a while we knew which were harmless and which meant a door had actually opened.

Early Discoveries That Shaped the Plan

Even in the first sweep, we found assets we could use. In one older corridor, a wall-mounted CRT monitor glowed to life with static when we powered the strip for testing. Legacy electrical disconnects and conduit banks lined the walls in another hall, many still labeled and intact. Several lab rooms held heavy counters, metal casework, and deep utility sinks that were worth saving. In a transfer room, we found a pass-through window with a sliding steel panel, a perfect real-world detail for both the film and the attraction. These pieces were not props pretending to be industrial. They were the real thing, and they helped set the tone for how we would build.

From Unknown Maze to Working Base

By week three we had a backbone in place. Safe walk paths were marked, thresholds were cleared, and a handful of rooms were staged for daily use. We set up a small shop zone with basic bench space, a charging station for lights and comms, and pallet staging for incoming materials. The goal was always the same. Make tomorrow’s work faster than today’s by putting tools and supplies where they will be needed next.

What Changed in Us

On day one the facility felt like an endless labyrinth. By the end of the fourth week, it felt like a living project. The space had not changed as much as we had. We had adapted our routines to its layout and its mood. We learned to pace our days by the temperature shifts, to listen for the harmless pops that come after sunset, and to keep a light in reserve for the rooms that swallow headlamps whole.

Laying Track for What Comes Next

Those first weeks gave us more than cleared floors and workable power. They gave us confidence in the building. The plan from here is steady. Finish the permanent shop lighting. Continue zoning bright work light for build areas and softer control for rooms that will become sets. Keep documenting the best finds as we go so the story of the place shows up on screen and in the haunt without us having to fake it.

If you want to see where this began, read The First Walkthrough. For the evolution of our lighting plan, see Lighting the Darkness. For the finds that shaped our style, visit Trash or Treasure: The Vault’s Surprising Finds.