(A/N: Feel free to translate the Dovahzul because I won't! Muaaaahaaahaaahahaa! Because I forgor.)
Ughhh. My head.
Why does no-clipping always have to end with nausea?!
I remained splayed out on the floor. My breakfast would spill out like a fountain if I got up too quickly.
Getting back to tip-top shape would take a little while. Besides, there was no need to hurry to recover. There weren't any entities here. Now that I'm back in Level 0, I can chill out.
"☆◎○▽◇□※"
"WHA—How the hell?!" I was jerked awake by the sound of someone's voice.
Of all the people I expected to encounter at this Level, I never expected the kid to pop up in my life again.
How the hell did he follow me here?
I patted my chest. "Oh, my heart... say, can't you, like, announce your presence without scaring the crap out of me next time?"
"☆◎☆□※"
"I'll take that as a yes."
It looks like I have company now. I don't know how, but he followed me somehow, and I was okay with it. I didn't lose my lucky charm!
First things first: my electronics!
I removed several rechargeable batteries and a charger from my backpack. Level 0 had some electrical outlets I could use.
Once plugged in, the charger released a red light. I saw that the electricity was still running on Level 0. Although I didn't have many batteries, recharging all of them would still take some time.
"Hmm."
Waiting while doing nothing is boring. The nice Faceling could have made for a nice conversation partner if he could talk. All he did was stare at my backpack and the charging batteries.
The kid was interested in my electronics. Facelings probably didn't have anything like that. They wouldn't know how to use them even if they find some.
While waiting, I started drawing on the wall.
I drew a rough sketch of an eye with chalk in hand. What else do artsy people draw when they get bored?
My eye was very realistic. Yeah, no, not really. Umm, it can pass for an eye.
I drew more eyes from scratch. I wasn't improving. Sigh.
No, wait a minute! There is another way!
"Fos los nii?" the kid said as I scrutinized his eyes. He stepped back, but I chased after him, burning the image of his eyes in my mind.
As tired as they looked, having his eyes as a reference was better than recreating one from memory.
"Yes! This is it! This looks promising!!!"
Those curves. Those eyelashes. Yeeeees! I can see them! I can see them so clearly! And what I can see, I can draw!
Under the dubious gaze of a skeptical Faceling, I sketched my masterpiece.
I used an entire wall to ensure that every little detail was present. This method transcended the limitations of drawing with mere chalk. I've achieved a higher realm!
I took a step back to take in the whole glorious view. Or so I thought.
"Th-this can't be!" I gasped at the sight before me.
I don't believe it.
I've been deceived!
My knees gave out. "It looks so shit...!"
The proportions were off. By making the scale of the drawing big, I had to be close to the wall as I drew, incapable of seeing the whole picture.
Parts of the eye were too small, too big, or just really shoddily placed in.
Delusions of grandeur. All that it was. All it ever will be.
"Zos mindah haav dii hah."
"Are you insulting me? I feel like you're insulting me."
"Dahik do hin dren, Zu'u los nu verbaasiik."
"Is that Faceling for, 'Wow, it sucks,' because if it is, I'll be hurt."
I am unworthy to draw anything remotely realistic.
I decided to swallow my artistic pride and start with something simple—a circle. A circle should be easy to draw, right? It's like an eyeball without the extra details. I cannot mess this up.
Before I could begin my next art piece, I felt a tap on my shoulder. The kid pointed at the chalk I was holding.
"What, you want this? Alright, knock yourself out." I handed him a fresh piece of chalk.
The kid stood in front of a blank wall. After watching me, he seemed to want to draw too.
"Let me tell you now. Becoming a good artist is an uphill battle! It will be a difficult path, especially in the Backrooms where art supplies are limited in variety. It'll be like climbing Mount Everest from the pits of hell. You won't have YouTube videos, Pinterest, or tutors to help you; your references will probably consist of things that want to kill you. Still, I like your attitude. Good luck!"
The kid couldn't understand me, so I just said whatever I wanted. I must say, talking to him as if he could understand me is kind of fun.
After taking a moment to think, the kid finally moved.
Is he drawing an eye too?
It resembled what I drew before. He must be trying to copy me.
But the more lines he drew, the more it became clear. He was drawing an eye, that's for sure, but it wasn't anything like mine.
The eye was gigantic, yet it felt like its massive size was only natural. The scale of the drawing wasn't the result of a whim like mine, but it was more like the kid was recounting an image from the past.
The eye was fierce. There was no weakness to be found, as if it could see through everything. The eye didn't have lashes or eyelids to shield it from the elements. It arrogantly looked down on whoever it stared at as if it was only natural.
And yet, I felt a strange feeling come from it. The term was on the tip of my tongue. What was the word...
...Magnanimous?
What entity is this?
I don't recall when, but the kid tapped me on the shoulder after some time. This woke me up from my reverie, and when I looked at where he was pointing, I saw that the batteries were done charging. The red light was now green, indicating that we could finally move on with our journey.
Odd as the experience was, one thing became apparent.
The kid's better than me at drawing!
...
Level 0 is known for its disregard for common sense.
It's common sense that if I walk forward, I will continue walking forward, and if I walk backward, I will return to where I started.
Do the same thing in Level 0 and you'll find yourself lost incredibly quickly.
Directions don't matter. It's all a game of luck that most people lose. Walk forward, and you'll end up going left, right, back, sideways, and straight curved.
How much cat hair for 80 hard drives of marinated grated cheese mixed with vegan umbrellas? No me mires con esos ojos.
That was the logic of Level 0 in a sentence.
"Don't untie this," I pointed at the shoelace I fastened to his wrist and mine. "If we get separated, we'll never see each other again."
Thankfully, the kid didn't try to fiddle with it.
The shoelace indicated the general distance we had to be near each other so that the Level didn't separate us while exploring it. So long as we stay close together, the crappy space mechanics of this Level won't affect us, and I can bring my lucky charm with me anywhere.
This begs the question: Does this kid have a family? I know Facelings can have families like humans, so am I technically kidnapping some Faceling couple's poor kid? Am I a criminal?
Uhh, no. To begin with, it was he who kept following me. I countersue by saying that he's actually my stalker.
I can think of a reason. This kid looks to be around 14-15 years old, basically a teenager, and that's when they become aware of appearances.
He's following me because I'm super pretty. Yeah. That sounds about right. I'm the prettiest woman he's ever seen in the Backrooms. You flatter me, young man.
It makes sense since most Facelings don't have faces or missing some. The kid has never seen a true beauty like me before. Heh. Hehe.
I tried to pat his head, his reward for recognizing my beauty. He ended up swatting my hand away as he had done before. Ouch.
We continued exploring the Level, always seeing the color yellow in every direction. Walking around was so boring. Talking to the kid (to myself) while walking around made it less boring, but boring remained boring.
Lunch/Dinner/Breakfast inevitably came. Just as I was about to eat, I realized I knew nothing about what Facelings eat. The Backrooms Survival For Dummies didn't have the answer to that question.
I handed the kid a tiny piece of moth jelly. "Try some of this. Hopefully, you aren't allergic."
The kid poked and shook the jelly several times. It didn't look like he knew what it was.
"Just eat. Eat. Like this."
I carefully placed some in my mouth and exaggerated my chewing. He copied me, tossing the food into his mouth. Soon enough, his eyes widened.
"Hahaha! It tastes delicious, right?"
"◎○▽◇□※"
"That's a yes for me."
"☆○◇□△"
"You want more? Okay, but not too much."
I gave him a few more slices. It was nice to see him enjoy the food; it made him seem so human.
When he was done with his slices, the kid asked for more.
"No."
"◇□※▽☆◎○▽"
"I said no. Too much will get you addicted."
"※▽△▽◇□"
"No. You'll die, so no."
"No...?"
"Wait, did you just say 'No?'"
"No." He mimicked me.
"My God, you are one smart brat! Anyway, no means no!"
The kid didn't bother me after that. He probably understood that I wasn't giving him more for a reason, and the fact that I only ate the same amount he did probably convinced him.
As I said, he's clever.
After feeding the kid, it made me consider the implications of having another person come along.
It would be safe to assume that two people use double the amount of supplies I would. Trekking through Level -1 took a while, so I'm running low on supplies.
We have to get to the next Level fast.
As long as the kid and I enter the next Level, we can scavenge some supplies.
I took out my book for wandering dummies.
Methods to enter Level 1 from...
...
...Level 0: Wait for a minimum of four days. Entrances to Level 1 will start appearing after. Take note of darker walls.
Alternative. After four days, noisy lights will flicker and slowly transform into Level 1.
"So we just wait four days," I concluded.
That's easy. Nothing wrong can happen in that time. We have enough food for a week, so we should be fine.
"Hey, we just need to chill for a bit. Isn't that great? It's better than checking out all those doors from the last Level."
"☆◎○▽◇□※▽△"
"You will be important for this operation. I'll need you to continue being my lucky charm and help me instantly find that entrance when it appears."
"..."
"Ah, you can't understand long sentences."
"..."
"Food?" I made the moth jelly in my hand wobble.
"No no."
"'No no?' Is that like a yes since it's a double negative?"
"☆◎○▽"
"I'll take that as a yes. Oh, and that reminds me. I should teach you the local language."
We have four days of free time. I can teach him a word or two, easy peasy. I'll let other people handle the rest.
*****
This woman is nuts.
I don't know her name. I don't know anything about her. All I've learned is that she is nuts.
"#### ############## ######### ############## ### ##### #### ######### #######."
"What?"
"#### ###### #### ############ ####### ############ ########## ## ###### ###### ############## ############ ####### ##."
"Why are you talking so much? You know I can't understand you."
I feel like she's trying to tell me something... but its wasted on my unknowing brain. I can't understand her. What's the point of talking so much when I can't understand her? There's a difference between her talking aloud and talking to me. She was clearly doing the latter.
The woman then shoved this book at my face. It had a bunch of handwritten notes in a language unfamiliar to me. Based on the layout of the characters and the highlighted parts, it looked like school notes.
What, do you want me to read it? Well, I can't!
"########## ################## ## ############ #### ######## ########### ###### # ###### ###### # # # ##### ###########."
I still can't understand you.
Believe it or not, we got along pretty well until she started acting strange.
We haven't moved a single step since yesterday. All we've done is wait here.
Of course, there must be a reason why she suddenly decided to stop. I scanned her to check her health, so it wasn't like she had to rest because of an injury.
The only clue I got was when she started teaching me words yesterday.
"Food?"
"...yes."
"Good job."
Those words were easy to recognize. The woman always said food with that jelly thing, and when I say the right word, she happily pumps her fist.
"Yes" was also easy to learn. She drew an X and a checkmark on the wall and said the word they meant. Since I already knew "No," it simplified the super simple task.
So why aren't we doing those things today?!
She's just been talking a lot. Like, a lot. She reminds me of a high school teacher reading from a PowerPoint slide.
"###### ####### ### ###### #### ####—"
"No."
I've decided to ignore her and focus on other things. To do that, I pretended to go to sleep.
"###### ### #####—"
"No."
With a thought, my vision changed.
The yellow wallpaper lost its color, turning into a combination of black and white. The ceiling light fizzled out along with the huuuum they made.
I saw multiple more walls above, below, on the side, colliding into another set of walls, pulling apart, falling apart, materializing, regenerating, and twisting for miles without end.
This place was a crumpled mess.
"## ##### ### ######—"
"No."
I could see other people wandering these yellow walls, unintentionally stepping on a path different from the last, and they kept repeating it every step of the way.
I can't believe I was one of them. I'm lucky to be able to see clearly now.
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power. I'd rather have the latter any day.
"##—"
"No."
There were paths out of these labyrinth of walls. To stumble on one of them required a lot of luck.
Some paths forced the wanderer to enter it. This was more common, actually.
Something would influence the walls with a wanderer exploring it to gravitate towards a path to a neighboring area. The wanderer is forced to that area, and they can do little to stop it.
(Area = Level)
It wasn't all bad. The neighboring area they would find themselves in was relatively safe. Compared to the hotel hallway and the areas its doors led to, the next area was safer.
But that's all I know about it. My knowledge of the inside of areas is nonexistent. I'm not sure why some areas have so many wanderers, but since there are, they must be safe. But I don't really understand why they are safe and vice versa.
When I had finished my observation, my vision returned to normal.
It's been quiet for a good while. It looks like the woman gave up talking to me. She's drawing on the walls like some sulking kid.
Ughhh, fine.
Picking up the journal from the floor, I tapped her on the shoulder and gave it back.
"####### ####### ##### ##########."
"Even without magic, I can tell you're upset," I sighed.
"##### ######## ######."
"I'm sorry for ignoring you."
"####### ##### ######## ####."
"I'll listen to you, no matter how annoying you get. So, can you cheer up?"
The woman continued drawing on the wall. She was drawing an eye, like always.
It looks like the one I drew before...
While it wasn't as good, I can see the similarity.
The woman continued drawing with a frustrated look on her face. In the middle of it, she took a step back to take in the whole picture.
"Tsk."
Did she just click her tongue? She totally did.
Then, the woman started drawing another eye. Her face twisted even more than earlier.
I'll have to give her more time to calm down.
*****
Three days passed, and we were back on the move. Unlike last time when the woman led the way forward, she pushed me to go first.
Odd, but okay. Is she scared of running into something? Maybe this was payback for making her upset.
I would have told her there was nothing to fear if I could speak her language. This crappy yellow area was pretty safe. Entities were practically nonexistent.
I didn't see any danger, so I led the way.
Starting today, I observed the space around us gravitate towards the next area. I already knew it would happen, but not so soon. Still, leaving our current area as fast as possible was better for both our sanity. It's so boring here!
Making me take the lead was the best decision my companion made in our short time together.
I switched visions once more. Once again, the crumpled mess that was this area was going through an infinite number of ways to fuck with its victims.
I viewed the ever-changing space. Then, with outstretched hands, I reached for empty air.
It was as if I shouted "Slow Time" with all my might. The moving monochrome walls halted in place, and the chaotic, messed-up space stopped becoming more convoluted.
Of course, I only controlled a portion of the infinite space before me. But that was more than enough.
With every wave of my hand, the space shifted. Slowly, I made it orderly—traversable for ordinary wanderers.
In the end, I created a straight path of stable space connecting to the neighboring area. We wouldn't get lost anymore and wouldn't need to spend more time waiting for a way out.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what lay on the other side. For now, the only thing to do is walk to it.
******
The humming lights flickered. That shouldn't happen.
The kid was staring off into the distance, daydreaming. He didn't notice a thing.
The lights flickered again. Then, the Level shook.
A mini earthquake? That is definitely not normal, I thought. But since the lights are going haywire, it must be starting.
With a final flicker, the lights all around us shattered. I covered my head as shards of glass rained down from the ceiling. Thankfully, none got in my eyes. I can't say the same for the kid though.
No lights meant total darkness. I couldn't see a thing for the life of me.
"The hell is going on? My journal didn't mention this."
I relied on my sense of touch to find my backpack. Once I had it, muscle memory took over, allowing me to pull out my flashlight.
With a click, the flashlight turned on, but it remained completely dark. Despite being on, it wasn't releasing any light.
No way. Is it broken?
I checked it before. After recharging all my batteries, I tested them all with the flashlight. It worked then, but it doesn't work now.
"Kid, is that you?" I felt a pull from the shoelace connecting us, followed by a hand grabbing mine. "Hey, wait—!"
I managed to grab my backpack before the kid pulled me deeper into the darkness.
"What's gotten into you? Are you panicking? Well, it's fine since this is all part of the plan."
It was completely dark. This must be the transition period from Level 0 to Level 1. The journal briefly mentioned flickering lights—not the darkness or the earthquake, though—but definitely something about flickering lights.
We'll enter Level 1 any moment now, but a certain someone doesn't know that.
Hehe, someone's scared.
The kid continued to drag me along with his hurried steps. It was hard to walk without accidentally stepping on his foot, but I tried my best.
Surprisingly, the kid didn't bump into any of the walls. You'd think he'd have a hand forward while walking to tell him when to stop and turn. That didn't feel like the case. He took curved paths, abrupt turns, and so on as if he could see in the dark.
It made me wonder. Facelings are entities that technically lack facial features, such as eyes, noses, and mouths. So, how do they see? Is it echolocation? Is it some weird superpower?
99.99% of Facelings were verbally impaired, despite some of them possessing mouths, because they don't actually have working vocal cords. Try as they might, they can't speak, only making weird, unintelligible noises.
It might be a similar case for their eyes, where they lack the necessary parts under the hood and have only the exterior.
So he can see in the dark somehow.
That's so unfair. Not only was he a Level Detector, but he could also see in the dark.
Why couldn't I have something like that?! Facelings are OP. No wonder a ton of wanderers die to hostile ones.
My friendly Faceling continued to guide me. I couldn't tell how long we'd been walking in complete darkness. Keeping count of the time was pretty hard as my mind started filling with spooky thoughts.
Despite knowing that this darkness was a good sign, I couldn't help but imagine seeing something out there.
Logically speaking, I shouldn't see anything at all. It was completely, absolutely pitch-black. There was not a single light source, near or far, anywhere.
I knew that much, but my head kept fucking with me. Weren't we in the same team here, brain? Why did you picture Slenderman fucking waving at me?!
That's why I was already out of breath, even though we were only speed walking.
Unconsciously, I tightened my grip on the hand guiding me. Being left to wander in this darkness alone would be a nightmare.
I'm scared too. Well, I can't help it!
I once read something related: that people fear not the dark but what may be lurking within.
When I first heard about it, I laughed it off. The thought of not being alone in the darkness was something I never considered back then.
The dark is just scary, period. Not seeing things and being jump-scared every time you bump into them was scary in itself.
I can't laugh it off anymore, though.
Because in the Backrooms, the residents of the dark will consume your sanity.
*Splash*
I couldn't see anything, but I stepped on a puddle.
Level 0 didn't have puddles. All it had was moist, old carpet covering the floor. Level 1, however, had puddles everywhere.
"We made it?"
Even the kid stopped moving. It looks like we have arrived.
I remembered that I was still holding my flashlight, so I turned it on. Light streamed out in a perfect cone, reflecting off gray concrete walls, pipes, and puddles on the floor.
Level 1.
"Haha! We made it! Good job, my lucky charm!" I shone the light on my companion and gave him a thumbs-up. It went unnoticed. He just kept looking forward. "Hmm? What's up with you?"
I aimed my flashlight in the same direction he was facing.
It was standing there, staring at us.
I almost mistook it for a very tall man, but the way its yellowish skin sagged under its weight and its sunken white eyes stared unblinkingly gave me goosebumps.
"Kid," I whispered as I pulled on his shoulder.
But he didn't budge. The kid kept his eyes on the entity observing us from the dark.
"We need to go. Now!" I pulled again. We needed to get away while there was still time.
Somehow, my attempts at getting the kid to retreat weren't working. He was like a boulder that refused to move. His feet were glued to the floor.
While I was panicking over the kid's unnatural behavior, the entity moved.
*Splash*
Its steps were heavy. They echoed throughout the silent Level.
*Splash*
It was getting closer to us.
Slowly, but closer.
"Kid! Come on!" I pulled again. He still wouldn't budge.
I could only pull with one hand. The other was frozen in place, keeping the flashlight pointed at the Skin-Stealer. I feared taking my vision off it for even just a second.
"This is no time to be shitting your pants!" I slapped the kid on the forehead. At least, I tried to.
He dodged before looking at me, clearly annoyed. I was even more so. "Do you not see that thing coming?! It'll kill us if we don't move!"
We were lucky that it wasn't hungry or it would've rushed us on sight. From the skin sagging off its body, it's clear that the Skin-Stealer just fed... on another person.
The skin hanging off it wasn't its own.
It won't actively kill us, but if we piss it off somehow... stop staring it down, you stupid kid! That's how you piss it off!
The Skin-Stealer was only a dozen steps away. I contemplated knocking out my companion and hauling ass. Once put into motion, however, he just swatted my hand away like it was nothing.
"Do you have eyes at the back of your head?!"
*RAAAAAGGGH!*
A thunderous roar marked the end of our luck. From its leisurely walk, the Skin-Stealer broke into a blood-curdling run.
The entity was a good three heads taller than me, with its head shrilly scraping against the pipes on the ceiling. Combined with the thunderous booms of its rapidly approaching footsteps, it made me want to scream.
And scream I did.
"FUUUUUUCK!!!!!" At the very last moment, I tackled the kid out of the Skin-Stealer's deadly charge. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the kid looked like he was raising his hand at that moment.
I felt the entity pass us like a rushing breeze, like a high-speed train whizzing by. Then, gravity took hold, and my shoulder hit the floor.
"Fuck...!" I groaned. Hitting the ground didn't feel good, especially while acting as a cushion for someone else.
*Boooom!*
The Skin-Stealer hit a wall behind us. I imagined what would've happened if I was one step slower. It was NOT a good image.
When I aimed the flashlight to check on the entity, I saw something completely unexpected.
"A Hound?! It was behind us?!"
Behind the Skin-Stealer was a sickly entity on fours. If the Skin-Stealer had never charged us, the dog would have crept up on us instead.
The Hound used its inhumane speed to bite into one of the Skin-Stealer's legs with its vicious teeth. In response, the Skin-Stealer smashed its arms down to flatten the Hound.
The attack sent dust and water flying everywhere, but no blood was in the mix. The Hound had retreated to a safe distance somewhere in the darkness where I couldn't see it, potentially looking for an opening. The fact that I could hear the sound of growling proved that it had stayed in the area.
Both entities were distracted by each other.
"Let's go!"
As much as the kid wanted to watch the fight, I didn't stop dragging him along until the sounds of battle became faint echoes.
Getting away was unquestionably important. A battle as loud as that ought to attract even more entities. Being caught in the middle of that shit show was a guaranteed death sentence.
I kept running until I saw a source of light in the distance. It came from a room with small windows, allowing light to spill out to its immediate surroundings.
"Safe room!"
Fortunately, the door to the safe room was unlocked. We entered the safe room and barricaded it with a heavy table.
I peeked through the windows. Nothing followed us, but I kept watch for a few more minutes.
"Fuuuuu..."
All clear. I can finally relax.
"Food?"
"...seriously? That's what you say after what just happened? You almost got us killed!"
"Food."
"Gosh, you really aren't human. Just look at me. I'm sweaty and dirty and just tired from all that running and jumping around. How can you stay so calm and clean?!"
"..."
"Fine! Let's eat! I'd rather not think right now."
The moth jelly ran out at some point, so we ate something less tasty. I can't wait to get new stuff!
After breakfast/lunch/dinner, we both just sat there in silence. I couldn't afford to draw or make noise by talking to myself, so I kept monitoring the dark world outside the room.
At some point, I began to feel sleepy. I did end up sleeping, though I'm unsure how long. I felt refreshed.
My Faceling buddy looked like he stayed awake the entire time. Was he on the lookout? He looked more tired than before.
I don't know if Facelings need to sleep, but asking wouldn't get me answers. In the end, I just chalked it up to weird Faceling biology.
Most importantly, the lights outside were on when I woke up. They had been off before, which made the entire Level, apart from the safe room we were in, completely dark. They turn on and off at random times, hours at a time.
"Exploration time! We're going to get food today and live like kings!"
"Food?"
"Yep. It's waiting for us somewhere out there."
"Yes."
"Excited too? Nice attitude!"
After we checked through the windows for entities and saw none, we pushed the barricade off the door. I pushed it open—
"Huh?"
Something was blocking the way. The door bumped into whatever was on the other side and rattled in response.
Something heavy was out there. It shouldn't be an entity, or it would have tried to rip the door off by now.
"Help me push. Push. Like this."
The two of us working together was no match for whatever was on the other side. The door slid open, revealing the hindrance behind it.
It was a crate. A big one. It wasn't the only one, either. I counted three others beside it.
Are these what I think they are?
I opened the one closest to me in anticipation.
No...
The crate was full of all sorts of stuff, especially food and almond water.
Friggin...
I checked the other crates. Clothes and other miscellaneous items like school supplies were inside. They also had some food, but mostly items.
Way...
I turned to my young companion. With a gulp, I tried to pat his head. Once again, he easily swatted my hand away.
"No, this time you have to let me! I've never been this lucky, so this can only mean one thing!"
Pat. Swat. Pat. Swat. Pat. Swat. I won't give up until I pat that messy head of his!
"Never leave meeeeee!"
My lucky charm never fails to blow my mind.