Forests were always the worst to film in. The outdoors were noisy, there were bugs, the weather could always be an issue, and it rarely produced footage that they didn't have to doctor the shit out of in order to produce a creepy video.

"Not gonna lie, guys, I feel like we could've shot most of this in literally any forest," Dean said, repositioning the hiking bag on his back so that their equipment would stop digging into him.

"Yeah, but you know that some local or someone who's been here a million times, would notice and pitch a fit in the comments," Chris replied, glancing over his shoulder at Dean. "Besides, we're in fucking Romania and we aren't getting rained on like we did at our last outdoor overnight. How are you not enjoying this trip?"

"I am. Like, don't get me wrong, Bro, it's been dope... I'm just not big on the hiking part."

"I get that," Chris chuckled, pausing a minute to run a hand through his long, bleached bangs—always camera ready. "Hoia Baciu is a dispersed camping area, right? We can throw our tent down wherever?"

"Yeah," Arlo offered from up ahead. "Should we camp in the dead circle?"

"I know he did not just say that," Dean said, shaking his head, to Chris's amusement.

"Maybe not that far from the car," Chris said as Arlo also came to a stop, turning to look at them. "I don't really wanna carry our stuff that far."

"Same," Dean nodded.

Arlo sighed, nodding as he looked around—hazel eyes scanning the seemingly endless sea of dark tree trunks surrounding either side of the trail. "True... So we find the circle; film some stuff there, since it's kinda the big unique thing here, come back, get the tents set up, eat something, then film the rest right around camp once it's dark?"

"Sounds good to me, man," Dean said, again shifting his backpack.

"What's up guys, I'm Chris."

"And I'm Arlo. Welcome back to our channel, and if this is your first time watching one of our videos, we're so happy to have you here."

"Yeah, and if you like this video, don't forget to hit that like button," Chris added with a well-practiced fluidity.

"And subscribe! It really helps us out," Arlo said, leaning back into frame.

"So, guys, today we have a really cool investigation for you. We're currently standing in what is widely considered to be one of the most haunted forests in the world. That's right, we came all the way to what's known as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania, to explore the legendary Hoi Baciua Forest."

"It's Hoia Baciu," Arlo said, drawing Chris's attention.

Dean stopped recording.

"What did I say?" Chris wondered aloud while flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

"I dunno exactly, but you definitely botched it," Arlo laughed.

Chris looked between the two, his chin jutting slightly. "Should I do it again?"

"Nah, it's fine." Dean snorted. "We can just cut to a voiceover with some panning shots for that part. The rest was good." He placed the lens cap back on his camera and tucked it into his bag.

"You know, this place is actually pretty relaxing," Chris commented while he took a moment to pull a bottle of water out of his own bag, which was sitting just off the trail to Dean's right. They rarely included things like their bags or convenience items in shots while filming. It kinda messed with the look and also tended to cover up their designer-brand shirts and jackets. Plus, it was more work later in editing when it came to blurring out logos for brands they didn't have contracts with.

"Did you expect to be more creeped out?" Arlo wondered as he collected his backpack too.

"Honestly, after we did the interview with what's-her-face yesterday, kinda... yeah." Chris took a long drink then twisted the cap back onto his water bottle.

"I dunno if it's just the accent or the fact that she was old and looked so serious about it, but some of those stories just... they legit sounded like they'd happened."

"Yeah...but I didn't think any of what she described was as intense as other claims we've heard, though," Arlo reasoned. "They were more of just kinda weird, folklore-type stuff. Random lights, and pretty, naked girls who are actually spirits, and stuff..."

"Unexplained disappearances," Dean added.

"People missing was pretty much the worst of it," Arlo said, "and like... it's a forest. People get lost in forests without it being anything paranormal."

"See, I still kinda don't get how that happens," Chris said. "Unless you went way off a trail or something."

"I think that's exactly how it happens." Dean pointed at Chris. "People go off-trail and get turned around and shit. Next thing you know, your ass is lost and a bear is making a meal of you or something."

Chris's eyes widened. "Yo, wait, are there seriously bears around here? I didn't even ask y'all about that."

"Yes, there's bears—wolves too, I think." Arlo scratched the back of his head. "And if there's large predators, then there's gotta be prey animals too, so if we do hear any weird things tonight, it's probably deer or rabbits or something similar. We can play it up, though, like it's something paranormal. Most viewers won't know the difference."

"Fair," Chris said as they started down the trail again. "Scared the hell out of me the first time we started doing these overnights outside and we heard that fucking fox screaming when we were split up."

Dean laughed, shaking his head. "That was some funny shit."

"Funny for you two." Chris snorted. "You knew what it was."

"Perks of coming from the sticks before blowing up on YouTube," Arlo said, pausing to check the time on his phone. "For real though, going back to the getting lost thing, we do actually need to pay attention in a place like this. This trail isn't super obvious and I just started thinking about how difficult navigating in here might be once it's dark."

"For sure," Dean agreed.

"Definitely," Chris followed.

"So, before we arrived, we met and sat down with some of the locals in Cluj, the nearest city to the forest," Chris said as he and Arlo walked side by side, Dean following behind them with the camera. "They said people have reported paranormal and UFO activity, getting sick shortly after visiting and leaving the woods, and even an entire flock of sheep, along with their shepherd, vanishing without a trace."

"There's actually a well-known clearing in this forest, right in the middle, where it's said that nothing grows," Arlo added. "Some people believe that the clearing is sort of the center of all of the strange activity here. And that's exactly where we're headed now, guys."

"Dude, I'm already so creeped out. Like, I think I keep hearing something like behind us or maybe it's like off that way a bit," Chris claimed, pointing at nothing in particular off to their left.

"I know," Arlo said, angling his body a little better for the shot. "I totally am getting the feeling that like... Of being watched, you know?"

"Yeah, for sure. For sure." Chris nodded, casting his gaze around them while drawing his brows together into a look of concern. Not too much though, just something to start setting the mood, but leaving plenty to build towards later.

"Bro, it's not even dark yet eithe–" Arlo cut himself off as they both jerked to face the direction Chris had actually pointed in earlier. "Did you hear something just now, too?" Arlo said, his voice absent of the slightly higher tone he usually used while 'in character'.

Dean lingered on the two of them for another second before directing the lens in the relative direction that the boys were staring in.

"Are we still recording?" Chris asked, looking directly at Dean, which immediately got the cameraman's attention. They normally didn't do that for shots that would end up being this early in the episode.

"Yeah," Dean said plainly.

"...For real, I actually thought I heard something," Arlo said, squinting into the distance.

"No, I heard that too," Chris agreed.

Arlo shook out his arms and rolled his shoulders. "I legit didn't like that."

"Why? What'd you hear?" Dean asked. He could always edit his voice out later.

"What'd it sound like to you?" Arlo asked, refocusing back on Chris after a brief glance at Dean.

"Like..." Chris's brows shifted from faux concern to real confusion. "Sort of like a girl's voice. I didn't hear words, but kind of almost like singing or like, when little kids mock each other.

"Two pitches? One kinda high, then one lower? Arlo asked.

"Yeah, like—Nah~nah." Chris tried his best in his low register to recreate the sound.

"Same," Arlo agreed before looking at Dean. "Go ahead and cut it, I wanna walk back and grab our bags just in case someone's actually around here right now."

"Word," Dean said, ending the recording. They'd again left Chris and Arlo's backpacks to walk a little ways while filming the cut about the claims surrounding the forest. It was another thing Dean didn't particularly enjoy about filming outdoors versus some vaguely unsettling hotel or someone's creepy house—worrying about someone finding and snatching their shit. Tourists, hikers, campers, and even sometimes fans or other Youtubers had free reign to just waltz right up on them and potentially ruin a take whenever they were recording in an open location like this.

"Watch, that will have been the best thing we'll get for this whole overnight," Chris commented.

Arlo laughed. "Why would you put that kinda energy on us?"

It took them only a few minutes to find where they'd left their bags and collect them. That was one of the nice things about Hoia Baciu at least. It's strangely warped and twisted trees made better landmarks than what you'd find in your average forest back at home.

They trekked on further—occasionally chatting about whatever came to mind—sometimes stopping to snap a picture or two or some selfies with a particularly odd tree—potential thumbnail or social media shots. But after what felt like at least another thirty minutes, Dean called for the other two to hold up.

"Yo, how far in is this dead-clearing-circle thing?"

"It does feel like we've been walking a long-ass time," Chris agreed as the three of them came to a stop.

"Honestly, I feel like we should have gotten there by now," Arlo said, looking around. "Did we go off the trail?"

"I was following you," Chris said.

Dean nodded. "I know we just came from that way."

"Guys, what if we somehow like... accidentally passed it and just like..."

"Kept going not knowing we went around it?" Dean finished Chris's sentence. "I mean, eventually if we just kept going we'd end up outside of the forest or on a better-marked trail. This forest isn't that big, right?"

"Nah. Portola Redwoods is bigger," Arlo stated as he stared up at the canopy above them.

"...What?" Chris wondered after a moment since Arlo was still staring silently.

Arlo took a few steps, his focus still directed upwards. "Trying to tell where the sun's at..."

Chris's fingers brushed his phone in his pocket. "Why don't you just check your phone for the time?"

"I don't know what time the sun sets here," Arlo explained.

"Well, it's—" Chris's eyes widened as he stared at the screen of the phone he'd pulled out of his pocket. "Damn, it's already a quarter till five."

Dean frowned. "We should probably hike back then, actually. If it's already almost five, then there's no way we're getting back to the car and getting camp set up before dark."

"Dammit..." Arlo sighed, finally leveling his gaze again, just before his sneaker caught on something, and he stumbled. "Shit," he hissed as Chris barked out a laugh.

"Yo, you okay?" the bottle-blond managed to ask between his chuckling.

"I'm fine," Arlo groaned. "Just almost biffing it on a branch, don't mind me."

"You mean a root?" Dean said, smiling.

"Yeah, whatever," Arlo said, now looking down for the culprit, but then he froze, confusion tugging his brows together. "...wait, what the hell?"

"What?" Chris wondered aloud as he moved closer.

Arlo stooped down to brush away a few leaves, and then tug something up out of the dirt, before straightening to his full height again. "Are you serious?" he said more to himself than to the other two.

"What?" Chris was right up on him now. "What is that?"

"A... bell?" Arlo said, turning it once in his hands before giving it to Chris.

"Oh, the little ringer part is stuck," Chris said, trying to carefully dig the dirt out with his index to see if he could free it.

"Hey, didn't Old Gal say something about a bell?" Dean asked.

Chris's jaw dropped open, and then so did Arlo's—excitement buzzing through the expressions on both boys' faces. "She did!"

"Dude, yeah!" Arlo said, looking at Dean. "We should totally use this when we film after dark!"

"What had she said about that one? Like, if you find a bell in the woods or something, don't ring it?"

Arlo nodded. "So random..."

"It is," Dean agreed.

"That we just happened to find a bell?" Chris asked, dusting off his hand on the side of his pants, now that the majority of the dirt had been scooped out of the object.

"Maybe that legend is pretty popular, and someone brought this out here," Dean suggested.

"Well, it's ours now," he said, beaming as he held up the small, porcelain bell, and gave it a small test shake. The clear, sweet chime rang out into the quiet, bouncing off the trunks of the trees. "And we're definitely gonna use it."