"We Went Looking for an Isolated Community. I DON'T Think We'll All Make it Out of This Forest." | ClancyPasta PRESENTS

[00:00:00] ClancyPasta Presents, We Went Looking for an Isolated Community. I DON'T THINK WE'LL ALL MAKE IT OUT OF THIS FOREST. By Marvin35, and you're listening to ClancyPasta.

[00:00:24] I've been a journalist for almost seven years. I've covered missing persons, local scandals, and stories that most people would rather not get involved in. I've had people threaten me over articles I've written, and I've spent nights in places where I wouldn't have stayed if I'd had another choice. But nothing I've covered has prepared me for what happened in the mountains.

[00:00:52] I'm writing this because I need to get the story out while I still can. The last few days have started to blur together, and I'm afraid that if I don't put everything into words now, I'll leave something important out. I don't know if anyone will believe me, but I need someone to know what happened to us.

[00:01:18] It started with a meeting at the office. My boss called me into his room on a Monday morning. He had a folder on his desk, along with several printed photographs and a few pages of handwritten notes. I asked. Have you ever heard about the community living somewhere in the eastern mountains? He asked. I shook my head. They've been isolated for decades, according to the reports we have.

[00:01:48] People in nearby villages have mentioned them, but nobody seems to know much about them. Few hikers have gone missing in that region over the years. There's never been enough evidence to connect the disappearances to anything. He pushed the folder toward me. Find out what's going on. I opened it.

[00:02:16] Most of the information was vague. There were references to an abandoned settlement, strange lights in the forest, and people seen watching from the tree line. Some of the reports contradicted each other. Others were so old that I wasn't sure they were worth anything. Where exactly are we going? I asked.

[00:02:46] The Carpathians. A remote area near the eastern border. We'll fly into the nearest major city and arrange transport from there. The exact location of the settlement is unknown. That's part of the assignment. I looked through the pages again. And... we're... supposed to find a village without knowing where it is?

[00:03:14] We have reports, old maps, and a few possible routes. That's more than we had last week. He leaned back in his chair. I want a proper investigation. Not another article based on rumors. Take a small team, document what you can, and come back with something we can publish. I wasn't convinced, but... I agreed.

[00:03:46] Two days later, four of us were on a plane. Daniel was our photographer. We'd worked together on several assignments, and he was the sort of person who could make a joke in almost any situation. Sarah was a research journalist who had spent weeks going through old records before we left. She was in her third month of pregnancy, something she had discussed with our boss before agreeing to come.

[00:04:14] She knew the risks and had insisted that she was fit enough for the trip. Michael was our driver and guide. He had worked in remote mountain regions for years and had more experience with difficult terrain than the rest of us combined. We weren't going in completely unprepared.

[00:04:35] We had two tents, sleeping bags, food for several days, a first aid kit, a camera, spare batteries, and a satellite communicator. Michael had also brought a paper map because, as he put it, electronic devices were only useful until they stopped working. The first few days went according to plan.

[00:05:05] We landed in a small city and spent most of the afternoon arranging a four-wheel drive vehicle and speaking to people who knew the surrounding area. The reports from my boss's folder were too vague to give us a destination, but Sarah found a reference to an old forestry route that appeared on a map from several decades earlier. A local man remembered hearing about a settlement beyond the last maintained road.

[00:05:34] He couldn't tell us whether anyone still lived there. Another person said the community had moved deeper into the mountains years ago. None of it was much to go on, but it gave us a direction. We drove east the following morning. The road gradually became narrower. Houses disappeared, followed by farms and telephone poles.

[00:06:04] By the afternoon, the only signs of people were occasional tracks in the mud, in rusted metal posts beside the road. Michael stopped the vehicle near a stretch of broken gravel. That's it, he said. I looked through the windscreen.

[00:06:28] The road continued for a short distance before disappearing beneath mud, rocks, and fallen branches. Can we get through? Daniel asked. Michael got out and walked ahead to inspect the damage. When he returned, he wiped the mud from his boots. The map says this track should continue for another five kilometers. It's been washed out completely. We can't take the vehicle any farther.

[00:07:00] So… How far is the settlement? I asked. Hard to say. The old reports put it somewhere beyond the ridge. We'll have to walk the remaining fifteen kilometers from here. Possibly more, if the route is changed. Sarah glanced at the packs in the back. All right, she said. Let's repack what we need and leave anything we can live without.

[00:07:29] We spent the next hour sorting the equipment. We left the heavier, spare supplies locked in the vehicle and took what we needed for the journey. Michael checked the map one more time before we set off. The forest was thicker than it had looked from the road.

[00:07:54] Branches caught on our packs and the ground was uneven beneath layers of wet leaves. In some places we had to climb over fallen trees or find a way around patches of mud deep enough to swallow a boot. We followed what remained of the old forestry route until it became little more than a faint line between the trees. By late afternoon, the light had started to fade.

[00:08:24] We should find somewhere to camp, Michael said. We don't want to navigate this terrain in the dark. Daniel pointed toward a shape between the trees. It was a wooden building, partly hidden by overgrown bushes. One side of the roof had collapsed and several of the windows were broken.

[00:08:52] It looked as though nobody had lived there for years. We approached carefully. Michael checked the doorway and the rooms while Daniel photographed the outside. The building was empty, though there were signs that someone had used it at some point. An old metal stove stood against one wall and scraps of rotten wood lay scattered across the floor.

[00:09:23] It's not ideal, Michael said. But it's better than sleeping in the open. We decided to stay there for the night. The tents remained packed in case we needed them later. While Michael gathered fallen branches near the entrance, Sarah and I checked the room for anything that might make the night more comfortable.

[00:09:51] Daniel set up his camera equipment and took a few photographs of the building. I noticed that Sarah kept rubbing her hands together. Cold? I asked. A little. You should sit down for a while. I'm fine. She gave me a tired smile. I'm pregnant, not made of glass.

[00:10:18] I knew better than to argue. We ate canned food and drank some water. Michael started a small fire outside the doorway, keeping it low enough that it wouldn't light up the entire building. We stayed close to it while we ate, talking about the route ahead and how much ground we hoped to cover the next day.

[00:10:46] At some point, the conversation turned to the settlement. Do you think anyone actually lives there? Daniel asked. Someone must have lived there at some point, Sarah replied. The question is whether the reports are describing the same group of people or several different places. Michael stared into the fire.

[00:11:17] I've been in remote settlements before. People can live a long way from the nearest road without wanting anything to do with outsiders. That doesn't make them dangerous. You're saying we shouldn't worry? I asked. I'm saying we shouldn't decide what we're dealing with before we've seen it. It was a sensible answer.

[00:11:48] I wish I'd remembered it the following morning. We finished eating shortly before 11. The fire had burned down and the forest around us was almost completely dark. We moved our packs inside and made sleeping spaces on the driest part of the floor. Daniel and Michael settled near the doorway while Sarah and I lay farther back.

[00:12:17] I remember listening to the wind moving through the trees. I remember Sarah turning over beside me and asking whether I thought we'd find anything worth writing about. I told her we would find something. Then I fell asleep. The first thing I noticed when I awoke was the smell.

[00:12:46] It was sharp and bitter, like burnt leaves mixed with something chemical. My head felt heavy and my mouth was dry. For a few seconds I couldn't remember where I was. Then I heard footsteps outside. I tried to sit up but the room tilted around me. I caught myself against the wall and forced my eyes to focus.

[00:13:17] Two figures stood near the entrance. They were wearing dark, rough clothing that blended into the shadows. I couldn't make out their faces. One of them carried a long wooden spear while the other held something that looked like a short blade. I stayed still. One of the figures stepped over Michael's legs.

[00:13:47] He didn't react. Daniel was lying on his side nearby and I couldn't tell whether he was asleep or unconscious. The figure with the blade crouched beside him. I wanted to shout but my throat felt tight. My arms were heavy and I could barely lift my head without feeling sick. Then Daniel moved.

[00:14:16] He made a confused noise and tried to push himself up. The man beside him reacted immediately. There was a brief struggle, a crash against the wall and a sound I'll never forget. I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, the two figures were moving toward the back of the room.

[00:14:45] One of them grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her upright. She seemed barely conscious. Her feet dragged against the floor as he forced her toward the doorway. I tried to get up. My legs gave way beneath me. I hit the floor hard enough to knock the breath out of myself. By the time I managed to raise my head, the figures were gone.

[00:15:13] I could hear them moving through the trees, their footsteps fading into the distance. For a while, I couldn't do anything except lie there and breathe. Eventually, the dizziness began to ease. I crawled toward Daniel first. He wasn't moving.

[00:15:39] I checked his neck, although I already knew what I would find. There was no pulse. His camera lay beside him, its body cracked and the lens broken. One of the straps had been torn away. Michael was dead, too. I sat against the wall and stared at them.

[00:16:07] My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't keep them still on my knees. Sarah was gone. I searched the room for my phone, then remembered that we had barely received a signal since leaving the city. I found the satellite communicator near the entrance, crushed beneath a fallen piece of wood. Its screen was shattered and the casing had split open.

[00:16:36] I pressed the power button anyway. Nothing happened. I tried again, then set it down. There was no way to call for help. The vehicle was miles away and I had no idea how far the people who took Sarah had gone. I didn't have much time to grieve. Whoever had come into that building could still be nearby.

[00:17:06] I gathered what I could carry. A bottle of water, a small first aid kit and a pocket knife. My camera was damaged beyond use and I left it where it lay. Before I went outside, I looked at Daniel and Michael one last time. I'm sorry. I still don't know if I said it aloud.

[00:17:38] The forest was quiet when I stepped through the doorway. The fire had gone out, leaving a patch of grey ash beside the building. I found footprints in the mud. Several sets heading north through the trees. I followed them. For the first hour, I moved as quickly as I could.

[00:18:02] The ground was uneven and my head still hurt, but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Sarah behind. I kept expecting to hear her calling for me. Instead, I heard voices. They came from somewhere ahead. The words meant nothing to me.

[00:18:27] The language was unlike anything I had heard before, with unfamiliar sounds and a rhythm I couldn't place. I crouched behind a fallen tree as several people passed through a gap between the branches. They carried spears and bows. One of them had a bundle slung over his shoulder. I couldn't see what was inside it.

[00:18:58] When they were gone, I continued along the trail. The trees began to thin as the ground rose. From the top of a slope, I caught sight of several wooden structures clustered in a clearing. Beyond them stood a larger building with a steep roof and dark openings where windows should have been. A village. I had found the settlement.

[00:19:28] For a moment, relief washed over me. There were people here. If I could explain what had happened, perhaps someone would help me find Sarah. Then I noticed the figures standing in the clearing. They were watching the forest. One of them turned toward the slope where I was hiding. Even from that distance, I could tell he'd seen me. He shouted something.

[00:19:59] The others looked up. I ran. Branches scraped my face as I pushed through the undergrowth. I heard shouting behind me, followed by the sound of people crashing through the leaves. I couldn't understand their words, but I didn't need to. They were following me. I stumbled down the slope and landed hard on my hands.

[00:20:29] Pain shot through my right leg. I got back up and kept moving. Though every step hurt more than the last. I don't know how long I ran. Eventually, I reached a narrow stream and followed it downhill. Hoping the water would cover my tracks. My lungs burned. And my mouth felt like sandpaper.

[00:20:59] When I finally stopped, I was in a shallow hollow between two large rocks. I crouched there, trying to breathe quietly. And, finally, someone was standing on the other side of the stream. I nearly bolted before I realized he wasn't holding a weapon.

[00:21:22] He was a man, perhaps in his forties, with a rough beard and a deep scar running from his left ear to his jaw. His clothes were similar to those worn by the villagers, but they looked older and more worn. He held a wooden staff in one hand. He raised his empty hand when he saw me.

[00:21:50] Don't run, he said in English. I stared at him. You speak English? Yes. Keep your voice down. He glanced toward the trees behind me. They'll be searching this area soon. Come with me if you want to live. I didn't trust him.

[00:22:20] Why would I? Everyone I'd seen since waking up had been armed, and two of them had killed my friends. But... The man spoke my language, and he seemed to understand that I was frightened. Who are you? I asked. My name doesn't matter right now. Can you walk? Where's the woman they took? She's pregnant.

[00:22:50] They brought her here. His expression changed when I mentioned Sarah. They took her to the main building, he said. The one with the carvings above the door. Why? He looked away. Because of... What they believe. I grabbed his sleeve.

[00:23:19] Then tell me what they believe. He pulled free. But he didn't leave. I came here... Ten years ago. I was a hiker. I got lost after a storm and... Ended up on their land. They took me in, but... I wasn't allowed to leave. At first, I...

[00:23:48] Thought I could earn their trust and find my way back to the road. After a while... I stopped trying. Why? Because... They watched everyone. They controlled where we went, what we ate, who we spoke to. They said the forest belonged to their god. And that outsiders brought corruption with them.

[00:24:20] He glanced in my torn clothes. I learned their language. I did what they told me. Eventually... They stopped treating me like a... Prisoner. Then... Why are you helping me? His jaw tightened. I had a... Wife... Here.

[00:24:50] She was born into the community. She believed what they told her, at least until she started asking questions. When... She... Became... Pregnant... The leader accused her of carrying a child that would bring misfortune to the settlement. They said the pregnancy had to be cleansed. He swallowed.

[00:25:19] They took her away. I never saw her again. I didn't know what to say. They... Told everyone she had been chosen for a ritual. He continued. The leader says their god demands sacrifices whenever the community is threatened. People disappear.

[00:25:47] And everyone is told it was... Necessary. Nobody questions him because they know what happens... To those... Who do. And... Sarah? She's an outsider. She's... Pregnant. To them... That makes her a suitable sacrifice.

[00:26:19] My stomach turned. Then... We have to get her out. The man nodded, though he looked frightened. I can... Take you close to the building. After that you'll have to be careful. There are always guards near the entrance. We started moving through the forest. Keeping below the ridge so we wouldn't be visible from the clearing.

[00:26:50] The man knew the terrain well. He avoided the obvious paths and... Led me between thick clusters of trees, stopping whenever he heard voices. As we walked, he... Told me more about the settlement. The leader had ruled for years... Using fear and religious devotion to keep everyone obedient. The people had grown up hearing that the outside world was dangerous and that...

[00:27:20] Leaving the forest meant abandoning their god. Some had probably... Never seen a road or a vehicle. I asked whether anyone else had tried to escape. Yes. He said. Most were brought back. Some... Weren't. He didn't explain what happened to them.

[00:27:54] We reached a ridge overlooking the village shortly before dusk. From there, I could see the main building more clearly. It was larger than the surrounding houses, with dark wooden walls and carvings above the entrance. Several people moved about the clearing, carrying bundles of wood and baskets. Two guards stood outside the building.

[00:28:23] I looked for Sarah, but... There was no sign of her. How do we get inside? I whispered. The man studied the building for a while. There's a narrow passage behind it. It leads to a storage room. The door is... Usually kept shut, but... The latch doesn't fit properly.

[00:28:50] If we can get past the guards, we may be able to enter without being seen. How do we get past them? He looked toward a stack of firewood beside one of the houses. I'll draw their attention. When they move, go around the back. Don't wait for me. You're coming with me? No...

[00:29:19] He looked at me. And for the first time I saw how tired he was. I've... Spent ten years pretending to be one of them. If they see me helping you... They'll know. Before I could argue. He picked up a stone and threw it toward the far end of the clearing.

[00:29:46] It struck the side of a wooden structure with a loud crack. Both guards turned. The man shouted something in their language and ran toward the noise. The guards moved away from the entrance, yelling at him as he disappeared between the houses. I... Didn't... Wait.

[00:30:13] I hurried along the back of the building, keeping close to the wall. The narrow passage was... Partly blocked by broken boards and old baskets. At the end, I found a low wooden door. I pushed it gently. It opened a few centimeters before catching on something inside. I forced it wider... And slipped through.

[00:30:43] The room smelled of damp wood and old smoke. Crates were stacked against the walls and a... Narrow doorway led farther into the building. I could hear voices somewhere beyond it. I moved slowly, trying not to make a sound. The corridor opened into a larger room. Symbols had been carved into the wooden beams and...

[00:31:11] Faded paintings covered parts of the walls. Most showed the same man standing above kneeling figures. I assumed he was the leader. At the far end of the room, someone lay on the floor. Sarah. I rushed toward her and dropped to my knees. Her face was pale and... There was dried blood near her hairline.

[00:31:41] When I touched her shoulder... She flinched... And opened her eyes. Are you there? I'm here. Can you stand? She tried to sit up, but pain crossed her face. My head hurts. I know. We need to get out of here. She looked down at her stomach...

[00:32:10] And pressed a hand against it. The baby... She whispered. Don't worry about that right now. We need to move. I helped her sit up. She was conscious, but... She could barely put weight on her feet. I looked toward the corridor... Listening for footsteps. A voice... Sounded outside.

[00:32:40] Then another. Sarah grabbed my arm. They're coming. They're coming. I helped her to her feet... And guided her toward the storage room. We had almost reached the door... When footsteps entered the main room. I pulled her behind a stack of crates... And crouched beside her. Several people came inside.

[00:33:09] I could see their feet through a gap between the boxes. One of them spoke in a low voice... And another answered. They moved around the room... Checking the corners. Sarah was trembling. I held my hand over her mouth. Not hard enough to hurt her... Just enough to stop a frightened sound from escaping.

[00:33:37] One of the figures came closer. I could hear him breathing. Then something crashed outside. Several voices shouted at once... And the footsteps turned toward the entrance. After a moment... The people in the room hurried away. We waited. I counted to sixty... Before I moved.

[00:34:06] Sarah was leaning against the crates... Struggling to stay upright. Can you walk? I whispered. A little. We made our way back through the storage room... And out through the rear door. The passage behind the building was empty. I kept one arm around Sarah's waist... As we crossed the ground toward the trees.

[00:34:34] We were nearly at the edge of the clearing... When I heard a shout behind us. Someone had seen us. I pulled Sarah into the forest. The ground was steep... And covered with wet leaves. Sarah tried to keep pace... But she was exhausted. Every few steps... She stumbled... And I had to catch her... Before she fell. We couldn't keep going like this.

[00:35:06] I led her toward a large fallen tree... Whose trunk had split open near the roots. The hollow beneath it was narrow... But... There was enough room for her to lie down... If she curled onto her side. Get inside... I whispered. She stared at me. What about you? I'll lead them away. I'll come back when it's safe. No... Don't leave me here.

[00:35:36] I knelt beside her and took her hands. Listen to me. If they find us together... They'll take us both. If you stay quiet... They might pass right by. She shook her head... Tears gathering in her eyes. I don't want to lose the baby. I know. I helped her into the hollow...

[00:36:03] And pulled loose branches across the opening. I... It... Wasn't much of a hiding place... But... From a few steps away... It looked like part of the fallen tree. Before I left... She caught my wrist. Please... Come back. I wanted to promise her I would. Instead... I squeezed her hand...

[00:36:32] And forced myself... To let go. Then... I... Ran. I made as much noise as I could... Crashing through branches... And kicking stones down the slope. Behind me... Voices rose from the trees. I kept moving until I could hear several people following me. I reached a steep drop... Hidden beneath a layer of leaves.

[00:37:02] My foot slipped... And I fell hard down the slope... Striking my leg against a rock. Pain shot from my ankle up into my knee. I rolled several times... Before hitting the bottom. For a few seconds... I couldn't breathe. When I finally managed to move... I... Crawled beneath a tangle of roots... And branches.

[00:37:31] I could hear people moving along the slope above me. One of them stopped nearby and... Said something. Another answered. Their footsteps continued... Downhill. I stayed... Where I was... Until the voices faded. My right leg... Was swollen. And putting weight on it made me feel sick.

[00:38:01] I had very little water left. My phone was useless. The satellite communicator was destroyed and... The road was somewhere beyond the forest. I don't know... How long I've been hiding... Here. I've tried to work out which direction I should go... But... I can't risk moving while they're... Still searching. Every so often...

[00:38:30] I hear distant voices or... The snap of a branch. I can't tell whether they're looking for me or... For Sarah. I keep thinking about the hollow tree. I should have stayed with her. I should have found another way. I keep replaying the moment I left... Wondering whether I made the wrong decision. But if I hadn't let them away...

[00:38:59] They would have found us both. At least... That's what I tell myself. I've been trying to get a message out of my phone... But there's no signal. I've checked again and again... Hoping that moving farther from the village might help. Every time... The screen shows the same... Thing. No service.

[00:39:30] I can't stay here forever. My water is almost gone and... My leg is getting worse. I forced myself to keep moving... Putting one foot in front of the other and stopping whenever the pain became too much. Eventually... The trees thinned along a rocky slope. I climbed as far as I could... Holding onto roots and branches to keep myself from falling again. And...

[00:39:59] At the top... I checked my phone. One... Bar... I almost laughed. After everything that had happened... One... Tiny bar of signal was the first bit of luck I'd had in days. I don't know how long it will last. My hands are shaking and... I've been typing as fast as I can... Trying to get everything down before the connection disappears.

[00:40:28] I don't know if anyone will believe this... But I... Can't keep running without telling someone what happened here. Daniel and Michael are dead. Sarah is still out there... Somewhere... And I... I don't know if she's alive. I don't know how to get out of these mountains. If anyone reads this... Please...

[00:40:58] Get help. Don't come looking for us yourself. I have to keep moving. I can hear them... Coming. Thank you all so much for listening to tonight's episode of Clancy Pasta. I really hope you enjoyed.

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[00:41:57] Cheers.