Romanian Knowledge Experiment

In 1960, Alexandru Srift, a well-known scientist, travelled to the forest of Hoia Baciu, located in East Romania. The Hoia forest had the reputation of being a hotspot for paranormal activities, the main reason for Srift’s motivation. He wrote many notes about his experiences in there, but many were found burnt upon his death, in 1993. The notes that survived detailed his experiments on the forest with test subjects. In every one of his notes he ended by saying “Knowledge is harmful, Ignorance is bliss”

Ten years later, the Romanian government developed interest in the few notes that survived, so they sought to recreate his experiments. Three mans volunteered for it. They were told this was simply to see how an average person would manage to travel in a foreign territory using only a compass and a light source. Of course they were lies, as no sane man would volunteer, if they knew what awaited them. They were also told there would be a substantial reward, should they succeed.

The first test subject was brought by helicopter to the west zone of the forest at midnight. He carried with him a backpack, food, water, a compass and an oil lantern with enough oil to last until morning. He was instructed to keep moving east until he hit a road, which would lead him into a cabin where a few government agents awaited him. He was also told to stop every thirty minutes to record any and all events in a sheet of paper.

He arrived at the cabin at 2:00 AM. He handed the sheet to the agents and was driven to a nearby city, where he was handed the reward.

His sheet read the following:

0:30 AM “I stopped at a nearby creak to rest and eat. Being in a forest at night with only an oil lantern for a source of light really managed to scare the hell out of me. I thought I kept seeing more shadows than there really were.”

1:00 AM “I stopped at a little clearing to change the oil. I swear; there must be something out there following me. I can almost be sure there was a shadow that wasn’t from a tree. Maybe an animal?”

1:30 AM “Now I’m definitely freaked out. I saw something staring at me in the distance. I only managed to see its silhouette, but as soon as I looked at it, it vanished. I’m starting to second-doubt this experiment”

1:55 AM “I’m on the road; I can see the cabin from here. That thing from before kept following me. The more I walked, the more it got closer. Thankfully, I haven’t seen it for a while, so I figure I’ll just get to the cabin without anymore delays.”

The first subject remained in alarmed for a few days afterwards, but soon returned to a calm state.

The second test subject was deployed in the same spot as the previous one, on the following night. He had the exact same gear, except instead of an oil lantern, he had an infrared camera.

He arrived at the cabin at 5:00 AM. The agents noticed he was physically and psychologically shaken. He was panting and crying in fear.

His sheet read the following:

0:30 AM “This camera really doesn’t help me navigate; I even fell a few times because of it. Almost everything I see is blue and black, except for the occasional red spot of an animal or bird.”

1:00 AM “I don’t know what the fuck you guys put out here with me, but it’s not funny. I took a break to drink some water, when I heard a rattle coming from deep within the forest. I took my camera to see what it was but... I can be sure that was no normal animal. It was big, but hunched over. I couldn’t make out its details since it was glowing bright red. I slowly walked away from it, never losing it out of my sight, even though it stayed completely immobile. I found a small ditch to hide. I guess it’s better to write in here than out in the open. I’ll quicken up my pace; the faster I get out of here, the better.”

4:30 AM “I’m sorry for not writing more frequently, I just never had the chance. Shortly after the last entry, I heard it walking towards me. I hid in a small cave and waited for it to pass. I took so long because of that, it didn’t leave me alone. I’ll probably not write anything else until I get to safety. The last thing I want is to be surprised by that thing while my guard is down.”

The second test subject was visibly stressed and was taken to a psychologist for three months.

The third subject never came back. He was deployed in the same spot, on the next night. He had the same gear, except he had a night vision camera.

When the agents were leaving the shack, they noticed a worn and ragged piece of paper on their door step. It had only one entry.

It read the following:

0:05 AM “If you find this, please tell my family I love them; these may be my last words. After I couldn’t see the helicopter anymore, I turned on the camera to check my surroundings. I can see it twenty meters in front of me. It doesn’t move as I write this. It doesn’t even blink, it has no eyebrows. It’s higher than any human or bear I have ever encountered. It’s hunched like a gorilla, supporting its weight on the extremities of its limbs. I can’t even call those things hands. It has fish-like eyes. No pupils. Pure engulfing darkness. Oh God... it’s tearing down trees as it moves.“

After the conclusion of the experiment, the Romanian government placed an electrified fence and guard towers surrounding the entire Hoia Baciu forest. They made sure not to let anyone in.

Or out.

Written by jpvl1.