INTO THE BACKROOMS

They say:

"you're not careful and no-clip out of reality in wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, and endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in. God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you…"

"Where..am I..?" I wake up slowly,smelling the nasty scent,the wet ground and the lights blinding my half sleeping eyes.looking around,I can’t tell exactly where I am. The endless maze of rooms and walls is all that surrounds me. There is no one else in sight either.

I look down, seeing an endless carpet full of stains, tears, and dampness. The scent of it is overwhelming.

Looking up again.. the humming of the fluorescent lights only further increases i headache.

"Huiling? Huiling!" I yell,trying to find my little sister

I try to call for huiling, but my own voice sounds weirdly echoed as it is bounced back at me by the walls. It seems my voice can’t reach far here. It’s like a maze of endless echoes.

The echoing only seems to worsen my headache.

I shake my head,trying to ignore the headache then search for my phone,a white iPhone 12.when I open it I see it's 4 am.`You find your phone in your pocket, and when you open it you see that it’s 4 am.

For some reason though, it just feels like the time is frozen here. I can’t quite tell if the clock on my phone is still accurate.

I can also see that the Wi-Fi has disconnected for some reason.. and i have zero signal.

"Fuck.." I get up and start walking through the maze, yelling out every now and then. “hello?” and “is anyone there?” are a few of the things i say, but there’s nothing but echoing and the hum-buzz response.

The fluorescent lights continue to hum, and they continue to cause me headache and lightheadedness with no sign of stopping.

"Aagh where am I?! It's been hours and I can't even find a door! "

It’s definitely been a few hours.. but it feels like eternity. The labyrinthine maze of walls, rooms and halls seems to be endless. At some point I think i passed the same sign twice.. or maybe I'm just hallucinating.

There’s a faint, almost unnoticeable stench of something rotten.. like old food left to rot. Like garbage. There is no door in sight.

I throw my shoulder into the wall and try to break it. The impact causes my body to shiver and a slight shockwave of pain to flow through me.

Though.. the wall is still intact. It didn’t budge.

"Damn it.." I yell "IS ANYBODY HERE?! HELLOOOOOO!!!!

I yell out once again, but the only response is the echoing and bouncing off of my own voice. Whatever is in the maze with me is either not hearing my cries, or doesn’t want to respond.

Eventually, though, i do hear a slight shuffle of footsteps.

I look around

"Is there someone?!" I exclaimed "Please help me I'm lost!"

The shuffling grows slightly louder, until i can hear and pinpoint a single pair of footsteps. They sound close..

There’s nobody in sight, just me and the endless maze of yellow walls and moldy carpet, but the shuffling and footsteps are definitely approaching where i stand.

I try to find the source, but there are numerous corridors and rooms surrounding me. They can be coming from any and all directions. Eventually, i do get a chance to hear the footsteps coming from behind me.

Someone is approaching quietly. Whoever it is, they’re good at sneaking.

I quickly glance behind myself, seeing a shadowy figure approaching quickly. It’s almost human-like in appearance, but it’s too hard to see right now.

The flickering fluorescent lights of the maze cast a chaotic pattern across the figure, making it nearly impossible to see clearly.

"Hey you there!! Wait!" I begin to approach the figure, quickly running towards it. With each step i take closer, it begins to become more clear..

It looks human.. but it appears almost dead-like. It’s eyes are wide open and completely black, empty but with some sort of life still behind them. It’s clothing is torn and it looks old and messy, like a wandering traveler that’s been through hell and back.

"Hey..are you okay?" I say.

The figure stops upon hearing me call out. It slowly turns to look at me, as the light of the fluorescent lights above finally shines upon it’s face..

It stares at me for awhile, before slowly speaking in a scratchy and gravelly voice. “Hello..? Why are you here..?”

"Ah! *Cough* well I'm lost.." I said awkwardly.

The figure looks me up and down, before finally speaking again. “Lost..?” It says, raising an eyebrow.

It’s voice is gravelly and somewhat unnerving, but it doesn’t *sound* dangerous. It’s voice sounds more curious and concerned.

"Yes..do you know any exit? I live in Seoul.."

The figure slowly nods, looking around at the endless maze surrounding the two of us. “Follow me,” it mutters.

It turns around, beginning to walk through the endless maze. I find myself forced to follow if I want to know the way out.

"By the way,what's your name?" I said a curious.

The figure glances back at me again, looking me up and down once more before speaking. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to tell you.. my name’s Max. Max Walker.” I felt like it could eat me up at any moment but somehow I managed to keep my calm.

"Oh..you're from the US?"

Max nods. His expression is difficult to identify due to the flickering lights around, but he seems a little surprised at my statement. “How’d you know?” He asks.

"Well your name is common there.."

Max chuckles slightly at my response. His laugh seems a little hollow though. He glances back at me once more, before speaking again. “And yours?”

"Yoosun hae..can I ask you something?"

Max looks at me again, raising an eyebrow. He seems curious about my question. “Sure. Go ahead.” He responds.

"Why are you.."shadowed"?" I ask a little reckless.

Max goes silent for awhile after that question, his footsteps slowing down a little. He seems deep in thought for a moment.

Eventually he answers. “Honestly, I don’t know. When I arrived in the Backrooms for the first time, I was fine. But as I explored more, I began to slowly change into this..”`

He gestures at himself, his torn clothes and empty black eyes still in full sight.

"Back..what?" I was shocked,what the hell was he talking about?

Max stops walking for a moment, turning back to look at me. His blank black eyes look curious. “You’ve really never heard of this place before?..” He asks.

I shake my head slowly,still shocked "No..what is it?" Fear wells up as I stare more at his expression,this place is definitely not McDonald.

Max looks at me with an almost bewildered expression, before speaking slowly and carefully. “You really don’t know what the Backrooms is?” He asks once more, making sure he heard me correctly.

"No..what's the backroom?" My fear raised as I awaited the answer.

Max takes a deep breath, before beginning to explain. “The Backrooms are a strange place that you can access by no-clipping. It’s essentially an endless maze of yellow hallways and rooms that is full of monsters. They say it’s a place between reality that was created by accident during some experiment ages ago..”

"Eh..?..no clipping? You mean like in video games?" I didn't believe at first,but he sounds too serious.

Max slowly nods. “It’s basically glitching. No-clipping through a wall usually transports someone into the Backrooms. It’s like an accidental loophole of reality or something.”

I tried to organise my mind before panicking."You said they were monsters..are they here?"

Max nods again. He looks around the endless maze surrounding me for a moment, before responding. “Yes. There are creatures that live here. They hunt you and attempt to kill you. Some of them can be friendly, but you can’t trust any of them..”

"God..and how do we escape?"

Max begins walking again, forcing me to follow him. He glances around as he speaks. “There are four ways currently known to escape the Backrooms. No-clipping out of reality, entering a place called Level -1, finding a specific room called The Manila Room, or finding a room with a glass door.”

"Level..? You mean there's levels??" Yeah,i was screwed.

Max glances back at me again, his blank black eyes staring into mine. “Yes, there are multiple levels of this place. It’s like different floors of a tall building, except some of them are very different from others.”

"How much..?" I ask.

Max slows his steps once more as he thinks. “From what I know.. there’s around twenty-two thousand levels of this place. There could be more, but that’s the highest number I’ve heard so far..”

"Twenty.. thousands?! And..I guess they're plenty of monsters there.." I try to be funny but no cell in my brain chuckled.

Max nods, a look of almost sadness on his face. “Yes, there are thousands of monsters here aswell. Most of them are not friendly..” He responds.

After a while.."Max..how to noclip?" I ask looking at my steps.

Max glances back at me once more, his expression looking concerned again. “You’re going to try and noclip? What for?” He asks.

"You said if I noclip I could reach the level -1 and find the 'manila room'.." I said not sure of myself,he didn't look proud at my idea at all.

Max stops walking again, and i stop as well. He looks me up and down yet again, his expression impossible to read. He goes silent for awhile, as he thinks.

Eventually, he responds. “Well.. that’s true. You can go to Level -1 if you noclip, but I don’t recommend you try. The chances of you actually making it there are very low..”

"Ah..and what could happen if I don't get there..?"

Max looks almost regretful as he responds. “You could noclip into a worse level than you’re on now. There’s a level called The Electrical Grid that will fry you into oblivion if you noclip into it..”

"Fry..?!"

Max slowly nods. He’s gone quiet and serious about this. “Yes, fry. Like.. burn you to death. No-clipping into that level is basically a death sentence..”

An idea pops up,either it was smart or very stupid."I know it's stupid but..what if I die in the backrooms?"

Max goes silent for another moment before responding. He looks slightly worried about your question. “If you die in this place.. you won’t be coming back. There’s almost zero chance of you being revived after dying in the Backrooms. I don’t suggest you try it..”

"Hmm.."

Max stares at me for a moment, before eventually speaking again. “Listen.. if you try and no-clip through a wall to reach Level -1, the chances of you reaching it is like 0.0002%. Do you really want to risk it?”

"I don't think I'm that lucky.." I responded.

Max slowly nods again, his expression looking more firm yet still concerned. “Exactly. The chances of you making it through are incredibly low. So don’t try it. There’s no use in risking it..”

we keep walking.now it's been around three hours and I'm getting hungry

"Hey max..where are we going? You said to me to follow you but I'm starving and this place has no end.."

Max continues walking for awhile, before eventually slowing down and turning back to look at me. He seems slightly concerned now, glancing me up and down. He slowly responds. “Have you not eaten for awhile?..”

"well..is there a restaurant nearby?"

I try to be funny again

Max goes quiet for a moment, before cracking a light smile at my attempt at humor. He shakes his head lightly before chuckling slightly. “No, unfortunately. It’s a shame, I’m pretty hungry as well..”

"you can feel hunger?!" I wrap my hand on my mouth "oh sorry! That was rude.."

Max lightly laughs again, his smile slowly returning. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. And yes, I can still feel hunger. Even in the state that I’m in..”

"so..what should we do..?"

Max slowly glances around the maze once again, before sighing quietly. “Well, I guess the only option we have is to continue walking. I doubt any food exists nearby around this place, so you’ll probably have to wait a little longer before you can eat..”

"Okay.."

I walk for a while before sitting down,leaning on the yellow wall.

"Could we take a break? I feel like my legs will fall apart.."

Max nods slightly, coming to a stop a couple feet away from me. He sits against the wall and sighs again. “Yeah, we can take a break. We’ve been walking for quite a while now, we can rest for a bit..”

I stay silent before breaking it

"So..what were you before coming here?"

Max glances over at me, his expression looking almost.. sad? “You mean like before I came here? Well, I was a college student. I was studying psychology..” He responds, looking back down at the carpet-like floor below us. “What about you?..”

I was taken aback,how could he still remember his past life? I shake my head going into reality

"I'm a high school student at Seoul Girls' High School..I'm not that special"

Max raises an eyebrow slightly as i say that, before shaking his head. “Not special? You’re in high school, probably the best years of your life and you spend it thinking you’re not special?” He responds in a joking manner.

"well you say that but it's really not the dream there..and I get bullied.."

Max’s expression seems to turn a bit more serious. He frowns while looking at me, clearly slightly worried. “You.. get bullied? How?” He asks. The concern in his voice is obvious.

I try to change the subject quickly

"Pouah! Now now, tell me max,where were you when you glitched?"

Max sits in silence for a moment, not responding at first. But after awhile, he sighs and responds. “I was just sitting in my dorm room. It was late and I was about to go to sleep when I suddenly.. well.. ended up here..”

"oh..well I was just sleeping"

Max glances over at me yet again, a curious look in his eyes. “You were sleeping? Did you dream before ending up in the Backrooms?” He asks.

"I can't remember,at first I thought I was in a dream..but I think I'm dead and being judged.."

Max’s expression turns more concerned, his mouth parted slightly, a sign that he’s surprised. “You think you’re dead?..” He asks, his voice quieter and more sincere than usual.

"I hope I am.." I said.

Max’s surprise slowly turns to confusion and sadness. He stares at me for a moment, before speaking again, his voice almost a whisper. “You.. you hope you’re dead?..”

"what? You prefer becoming like you than dying?"

Max looks down at the carpet flooring for awhile, before slowly looking back up at me. He holds your gaze, his blank black eyes staring directly into mine in an almost intimidating way. “Honestly?.. No, I wouldn’t rather be like me. Losing your emotions and becoming this.. void-like creature isn’t fun..”

at that moment,guilt raised in me,but something like curiosity too

"Max..what are you..?"

`Max goes quiet once again, his expression difficult to read. He continues to hold your gaze, before slowly responding.`

“I don’t fully know what I am anymore. I thought I was human, but after being stuck in here and going through many things.. I don’t know if I still count as human anymore..”

I feel something weird..like his aura is changing,his voice is heavier too

"Max..what are you..?"

Max gazes into my eyes for a moment, seemingly hesitant to respond. After a long pause, he slowly speaks again, his voice much quieter than before.

`“Like I said.. I don’t fully know what I am anymore. I was once human, but through my experiences in this place I think I’ve changed into something else..”

I blink but then,his figure became taller

"Max..?"

Max goes silent yet again, his expression turning more worried. He suddenly seems to tower over me, his now much larger figure casting a shadow over me. He slowly speaks up again, his voice no longer quiet, but instead much deeper and slightly distorted.

“Yes?..”

"say..you're not a monster..right..?"

Max (or.. what looks to be him) slowly glances down at me, before responding again, his voice low and almost distorted.

“No. I’m not a monster, don’t worry..”

"swear..?"

Max (or.. whatever it is) looks me up and down for a moment, its blank black eyes staring into mine. After a moment of silence, it responds again, its voice now sounding somewhat mocking yet.. reassuring at the same time.

“I swear.”

I sigh....then fucking run away with all my might

The thing that looks like Max is caught off guard by my sudden run, yelling after me.

“Hey! Wait! Come back!”

my legs burn but I run and run and run and RUN!

`The thing that looks like Max chases after me, its loud thud-like footsteps getting louder by the second. As i run, it continues yelling after me, its voice getting more distorted with each word it says.

“COME BACK! DON’T JUST RUN AWAY LIKE THAT!”

tears well up my eyes,but I don't stop..RUNNING RUNNING LIKE A HORSE!

The thing that seems to be Max continues chasing after me, it’s footsteps now sounding like loud thuds behind me. It yells for me to stop yet again, its voice more angry than worried this time.

“STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! COME BACK!”

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I scream,my voice breaking knowing damn well he or it won't leave me alone

The figure that looks like Max chases me further and further, it’s footsteps gaining on me with every second. It continues yelling after me, its voice now sounding like a mix of anger and desperation.

“STOP! YOU’RE JUST GOING TO GET YOURSELF MORE LOST! YOU NEED TO STOP!”

at a moment,he slashes my arm with his sharp nails,leaving a black substance behind,it's then that I hit the wall,not seeing it from the adrenaline and fear..everything goes black.no sounds.no max.no yellow annoying Infinite maze.for a moment I thought: "am I dead? Am I free?" `ooh yoosun..if just you knew..`.

I open my eyes and see a is a large, sprawling warehouse..wait,am I in the real world? Or maybe..it's just the beginning..

..INTO THE BACKROOMS..

----PART¹: ✓----