Burned red candles illuminated a ghastly scene at an abandoned warehouse in West St. Augustine. Animal skulls littered the floor, a small alter with a bloodstained cloth was draped in the corner, and written on bloody walls one could make out the words “Ave Satanas” [SIC].

“It is very disturbing,” claim security guard Daniel Lange who discovered the remains of the mass. “You don’t think something like this could happen here.”

Lange investigated the warehouse after he was informed by nearby businesses that people were seen coming from the warehouse late at night, and muffled chanting could be heard from inside. The warehouse, located off Northwood drive, was recently rented by a group to use as temporary offices and storage while they built a new church on donated land nearby.

“I noticed that the chain around the door was cut, and after calling out, went inside to take a quick look around. The smell in the place was awful, and it was extremely cold. It felt like a place you didn’t want to be.”

After discovering the blood soaked altar, Lange immeditately put in a call for backup.

“There was no way I was staying in there alone,” Lange explained. “I went back to my car, and unholstered my weapon and waited. It felt like a long time before they showed up. I even prayed a little.”

The owners of the warehouse, College Park Properties, were just as surprised. In a statement over the phone they went on to explain, “We certainly would not, and give not permission for our property to be used in such a manner. We will certainly work with officers to help find the group that vandalized our warehouse.”

But others are not so sure.

Dr. Luther McHale, who teaches a course on the occult at the Case University Divinity progam warns about ignoring such events. “There seems to be a tendancy to treat incidents like this as random, youthful vandalism. When it could be far more extensive and dangerous. Many locations which have held the so called “Black Mass”, seem to create agitation and panic in the faithful.”

According to a 2004 poll by Barna Research, nearly 35% of Americans believe Satan to be a living being with supernatural powers, and nearly 200,000 americans identify themselves as Pagans, Wiccans, or Satanists.

"Its very widespread,” warned McHale, “and their numbers are growing. With the rise in popular culture of movies like Harry Potter and Twilight, the occult is no longer something to be feared, but celebrated. Add this to the ready information found on the internet, as well as “guides” ready to convert the unsuspecting—it could easily become an epidemic.”