In late 1986, a team of researchers lead by Dr. Frederick Dreyer (1932-1987) conducted an experiment based around the long term effects of sleep deprivation. Prolonged effects of sleep deprivation are the hyperactivity of the subconscious mind creating the ability of seeing things unseen by the normal eye such as apparitions and/or spirits. The experiment was called "Non-Dormio" latin for "No Sleep". The experiment lasted roughly for about a couple weeks from late December to early January before being shut down by Dreyer. Dreyer wanted to conduct research and analyze the long term effects of sleep deprivation. He wanted his volunteer subjects to be able to physically and emotionally communicate with their visions created by their subconscious due to their prolonged lack of sleep. His goal was to "Create a pathway to the other world”. Keeping in mind, most of the subjects had little to no deprivation of sleep he and his researchers created a drug. It was taken by injection and once injected a subject would be in a so called "Reverse Coma" and be deprived from sleep for about 24-48 hours making the visibility of said visions more likely. Dreyer conducted his research with his team in his private cabin located in a remote forested area in the outskirts of Virginia. A subject was placed in a locked bedroom with a one way mirror for viewing and analysis purposes. Dreyer records the effects of the first experiment with subject A.
Dreyer: "December 27th, 1986. Project "Non-Dormio" is in full progress as of today. It is 3:23 in the morning and subject is wide awake and has been for about 14 hours. Subject A claims to be seeing a human like figure entering and exiting through the walls. I have asked him to communicate with the apparition and to ask what said vision's purpose is. Subject pauses for about a minute and tells me "The apparition is becoming extremely violent and throwing objects around and threatening Subject". Subject is screaming and yelling and banging on the one way mirror pleading us to put him to sleep....Ten minutes have passed. We have declared that subject is weak and no longer needed for the experiment. We managed to put him to sleep and will be back to his normal brain activity when he awakes."
"It is now 8:50 in the morning. I have been woken by subject screaming in pain. I sent one of my researchers to check on him. He has told me that subject claims to be seeing the apparition still. Severe burns and scratches and bite marks have been inflicted all over subject’s body. He is mentally unstable and is said to be self harming himself. I see this as a reaction to the witnessing of the prolonged apparition and we need to dispose of the Subject before he becomes a danger to my team and I. I have ordered my team to get rid of the subject and fast"
After the first experiment was deemed as a failure, and subject A mysteriously disappeared. Dreyer enhanced his drug to keep the next subject calm while the experiment proceeded. Experiment 2 was soon well underway.
Dreyer: “December 29th, 1986. 10:49 pm. My team and I have spent all day trying to find an eligible subject for the next procedure. I have enhanced the dosage of injection quite a bit to add a little more effect but also keep the subject calm throughout the analysis.
It is now 3:59 am and Subject B has been in the bed for approximately 4 hours.
Subject has been injected and is currently in an “awake coma”
I will record on tape and write down my conversation with subject.
Tape
Dreyer: Are you seeing anything yet?
Subject B: Not yet, I’m really tired.
Dreyer: All part of the process.
Subject B: (laughs) Yeah…Doc I see something.
Dreyer: What is it?
Subject B: It looks like a person…he looks like he’s been badly hurt.
Dreyer: Ask him what he wants
Subject B: I can’t understand he just keeps mumbling and humming a song.
Dreyer: Yell at him.
Subject B: He keeps telling me to go to sleep over and over while humming “Rock a Bye Baby”
Dreyer: Can you tell me what he looks like?
Subject B: He looks like another test subject. He’s horribly disfigured with scratches and burns all over him. He’s covered in what I assume is dirt. He says he needs me to go to sleep. He looks like another test subject. Wait he’s coming toward me….GET HIM OFF!
Dreyer: “The power has just returned to the cabin. I am sitting in my chair and around me no one, not even my team nor subject is anywhere to be seen. The test room is a mess, the mirror is shattered and there is blood everywhere. I knew we shouldn’t have done it, but I had to. This sort of information should not be released to no one. I just was not aware of the danger that would ensue after we got rid of subject A. I need to find my team and subject B….”
“Oh god. Oh god it’s horrible. I finally found my team and Subject B but it was nowhere remotely close to the relief I was craving. All three of my team members have been severely mutilated. I found one with one of my syringes jabbed deep into her eye. Deep scratches all over her body, her jaw was torn clean off. She was covered in blood. I was horrified. The second team members head was removed. His eyes gouged out and his body lay limp and motionless on the floor in the kitchenette. The third, I found him out in the back. Body burnt to a crisp and one arm removed. I had raised the suspicion that Subject B was responsible for this. I had to find him and shut this whole thing down.
“I found Subject B, cowering in one of the bathrooms. He was sobbing furiously laying in the tub. He looked at me and said. “It was him, he says he was your first test rat. He didn’t deserve the fate that was brought to him. Why did you murder him doctor! WHY?! We’re you going to do the same with me?” He started laughing manically, and as he pulled out one of the kitchen knives I ran out of the bathroom and blocked it with anything heavy I could find. He is currently banging on the door, yelling that I need to get some rest. I’ve been awake too long. I’m finished with all of this. I hope I make it out alive.
January 14th, 1987. Dr. Frederick Dreyer was emitted to a nearby Psychiatric Hospital and project “Non-Dormio” was then concluded. He was claimed to be mentally insane and was charged with the murder of 5 people over the process of his experiment. After he escaped his cabin, he set fire to the entire place. The mystery behind the first subject was unsolved by Detective Jonathan Reynolds.
He states that a body was found buried in the backwoods behind Dreyer’s cabin. Dreyer confessed to murdering and killing the subject but denied any allegations to the murders of his team and the second subject. Over the month of January, Dreyer was under high surveillance in the mental institution. Doctor’s have reported of him waking in the middle of the night screaming and claiming to see the ghosts of his dead test subjects and team members standing in his room.
Dreyer was found dead on January 29th in his room. He had hung himself and had deep cuts all over his body and a message written in blood on the walls. The message read “Go to sleep.”