Impaler

Hoia-Baciu Forest

The tour group arrived at their destination, the Hoia-Baciu Forest. It was the afternoon; the skies were cloudy. The tour group saw the forest, which had a strikingly frightening beauty. The trees were long and tall; there were a few bushes of different colors; leaves were on the ground as if welcoming outsiders to the secrecy of the forest.

Angelina couldn't get her eyes off the scene as she exited the tour bus. She thought it was beautiful and mysterious. "Everyone, please gather around," said the tour guide. Everyone gathered around. "Alright, everyone, I will be your tour guide for this event. My name is Floran, and I am licensed to take tour groups to the forest."

"One needs a license? Why?" asked one of the group members.

"The forest is vast, and there are many pathways. There have been many missing cases and legends. This forest is referred to as 'The Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania.' Some legends say this forest is inhabited by ghosts, aliens, and even the devil itself."

Many group members mumbled to one another; Angelina was silent but felt anxious and excited.

"Now, if you follow me, I will lead you all to the safer path. Also, please walk together as a group. If one separates from the group, it can be easy to get lost in the forest." Floran began to lead everyone to a specific path to the forest. Everyone almost clung together except Angelina. She was at the back of the group, looking around the forest. She got her camera and took pictures and videos with her phone. 

"The forest gained notoriety around the 1960s when biologist Alexandru Sift photographed a flying object in the sky above the forest. There was the disappearance of a shepherd and his 200 sheep who were never found again, and a five-year-old girl who reappeared five years later wearing the same clothes and without having aged even one day." Many tour group members shivered, but Angelina didn't seem too bothered. "There was the case of a missing woman who reappeared in the forest with a 15th-century coin in her pocket."

"Woah, are you saying that many people who reappeared from this forest could have time-traveled?"

Floran nodded. "Yes, there are speculations that this forest could lead to time travel."

"Hey man, getting lost here wouldn't be bad."

"You don't know where you might go or if you will ever return alive. The cases of many of these people were pure luck. Many people who were able to survive were never the same. Would you still take the risk?" Everyone was silent; Floran smiled. "Anyway, let's get a move on."

Angelina still walked apart from the group members. She silently stopped and wondered if what Floran said was true, especially about time travel. That was when she thought of an insane idea: to venture out to the forest alone. "The forest is visible; it shouldn't be too difficult." She then walked to the left part of the forest, away from the path Floran led the group on.

The silence and minimal visibility of the forest made her feel nervous, but she went ahead. It was nothing but many trees with similar and different shapes. The more she walked, the more she began to feel dizzy. The feelings were ignored; Angelina kept taking pictures and videos of the forest and herself. She stopped momentarily to look at the current video she had made, but there was something off when she looked at it. 

The path was gone. She looked behind her, and the trail was gone. "What in the...?" Angelina walked back to where the trail was supposed to be and looked around. "Hello! Floran!? Anyone!?" There was no response. She ran forward, wanting to get back with the tour group. The more she ran, the more she felt that there was no end. Angelina stopped trying to regain her breath. Suddenly, the young woman began to feel a fever, body aches, and dizziness. She tripped on a tree trunk, making her fall to the ground and causing her to lose consciousness.

Hours went by, and Angelina slowly opened her eyes. When she did, she couldn't see anything. Angelina slowly sat up, looking everywhere. That was when she realized it was night; the starlight shone brightly in the skies, giving some light to the dark forest. "Hello! Anyone!?"

There was no answer. Angelina put her phone and camera away in her backpack. She slowly stood up and began to walk forward. "What was I thinking? How long was I unconscious?"  The young woman began to regret separating from the group but hoped all was not lost. The more she walked, the more she heard a noise; it sounded like horses. Angelina stilled for a moment but thought there could be people if there were horses.

She began to run where the noises were heard; she then saw what seemed to be the end of the forest. It made her relieved. Angelina made it to the end of the forest. There, she felt relief and saw horses' reigns tied to tree branches eating hay. "Thank goodness. If only I could find the owners." Angelina saw the light from the corner of her eye and approached it. The closer she got, the more she heard men laughing and talking. "Ex-Excuse me; I need help." Angelina stopped in her tracks.

In front of her, there were a group of six men, but they looked different. All of them had long mustaches or beards. They wore clothing from the 15th century that confused her; the men also had long, curly hair and swords. The men were silent, looking at her. Two of them spoke to one another about her clothing and appearance. Angelina could understand them, which was strange; not many people in Romania could speak English, but she didn't complain. "Sorry to bother you all, but I got lost in the forest and need help."

One of the men stood, sword at hand. "Who are you? Are you from the cursed Ottomans?"

"Ottomans?" Angelina was confused. In Romanian history, the country was at war with the Ottoman Empire, but that was long ago. She couldn't understand why the man would bring up an event from the past. "N-No, I'm from America, sir."

Everyone looked at one another. "What are you speaking of? Where is this America?"

"Uh, everyone knows what America is. It's another country far from here; it's not Turkey."

This confused the men more. "What should we do with her? She is speaking jibberish," asked one of the men.

"She could be a spy for the Ottomans; we cannot let her leave."

Angelina felt scared; she couldn't understand why the men were suspicious of her or didn't know what America was. That was when she remembered some of Floran's stories. Was it possible she was in another time, like many forest survivors? So many thoughts trailed through her mind, but she didn't want to find out.

"I believe we should take her to our Voivode. We don't know if she speaks the truth."

The young woman heard this. "Uh, that won't be necessary. I'll go back and find my way home."

All the men stood on their feet. "You shall come with us. Come with us lightly, or we shall use force."

Suddenly, Angelina ran back to the forest. The men got on their horses with weapons and began to chase her. Angelina tried to run as fast as she could, hoping she could return to her time. She screamed for Floran or anyone but could only hear the men and their horses going after her. They yelled at her to stop, but she refused. 

One of the men got a bow and arrow aimed at Angelina's backpack. The arrow didn't pierce her skin, but there was a force, making her lose her footing. The men surrounded her. Two of them pointed their bow and arrow at her, while two others went to her, forcing her back to the camp where they tied her up and threw her onto a wooden cart. "We should leave now; we don't know if she is a spy, and we cannot risk a possible attack. Let us go to our Voivode."