"Her situation's worse."
"How bad?"
"You really think I can even attempt to describe it? You know how much worse she's already developed. She's just become even more sick by the day; she doesn't have much time left."
"And I didn't know this sooner?"
"There was no way to tell you sooner; it all happened overnight. Get here, and take the fast route."
"Okay, I'm on my way. Thank you for letting me come over."
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 0
- {$one}
- {$two}
- {$three}
Description
Level 185 is an infinite station that is directly connected to Level 90 and Level 159, and acts as a form of public transport for the residents of both of these levels. Thus allowing travel to vast other areas of The Backrooms by boarding the correct trains at the right times.
It was easy for him to get to the station; he knew exactly where to go and where it was, despite it being so unused by him ever since his solitude. For all he was concerned, the entire level was just an oddball area down one of the paths at the Renovated Home.
The man was quick to enter, for he had to find his train. Even if she'd regressed to a state that she wouldn't even notice if he was there, the difference between him being at her passing and him not being there was was something terrifying to him regardless.
He had to make it, he had no other choice.
A few of the infinite platforms within Level 185.
One end of an infinitely long consist found in Level 185.
Level 185's platform length and count is infinite, with arches dividing up every four platforms1 that connect and hold together the arched roof and skylight, the latter of which being the primary source of light for the level, and the only source of light for the further stretches of the platform away from the entranceway of the level.
Time was already not on his side; he had so far to travel in such a small window, all whilst navigating such a large place he'd rarely visited. The man knew the odds were stacked against him, but he had to see her one last time, it was the only chance he would ever be able to again.
The platforms bustled with life, and the PA was already announcing arrivals and departures before he'd even stepped inside. It was hectic, but he knew what he had to do, he just had to get there.
The man, not even wasting a second, quickly began his scout across the level to find the train he needed. He knew the one, since he'd already used it twice before to visit years before. All he had to do was find the board, and the board would tell him his platform.
"Simple", he thought to himself.
If only that were the case.
The front of a finite train in Level 185, pictured minutes before its departure.
The platforms of Level 185 are numbered in a standard, numerical fashion. From the main entrance doors, the left side of platforms2 are labelled in ascending order from 1 onwards, and the right side of the platforms are labelled from minus 1 onwards. Trains periodically arrive at these platforms, although the actual location these trains pull in from is unknown as the tracks and platforms of Level 185 stretch indefinitely from the terminus area. However, the fact that the trains increasingly build speed upon leaving leads thought to believe that they can achieve speeds sufficient enough able to surpass the infinite length of the platforms.
Each collection of stations is accompanied by multiple destination boards which display the arrivals and departures for the next 20 platforms in either ascending or descending order, depending on if one is on either the positively numbered or negatively numbered platforms. The destination boards operate off of the mostly defunct3 split-flap display system. On these boards, each of the twenty rows will exposit the following:
- The platform number.
- The time of arrival.4
- The name of its terminus level.
- The time of departure.
As well as this, each destination board reads the current date and time, which has been modified to align with the currently used time and date system for the ease of travellers that use the level. When a train departs from a platform, the split-flap display system for the platform the train departed from will briefly remove all of its information, followed by approximately ten minutes of calibration. After, that section of the board will reactivate, and display new information for the platform's next arriving train. This cycle occurs on a 24 hour basis, creating an almost hypnotic pattern on the destination boards as information periodically gets replaced as more trains enter and exit the level.
The man was quickly walking across the platforms, scouting across the positively numbered platforms for the one he knew he had to get. He passed by countless people, watched a half dozen other trains leave for their destinations, and kept his ears carefully opened for the periodical PA announcements, just in case the train he needed had already arrived.
"The next train to depart from platform. Fourty. Is the ten, fourty four service to Field of Wheat. Calling at: Such a Familiar Route, 130 SINKHOLE ST., Memory Foundry, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘𝓼𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼, Salvaged Seaboard, and Field of Wheat." He heard echo from the PA.
He breathed a sigh of relief, the train called was not the one he needed to get. He still had time, and just had twenty more platforms to cross between to reach where he needed to be.
He thought there was time, he felt he was going to make it. He thought that he could.
A locomotive-driven consist seconds after pulling into one of the platforms.
Three identical trains parked on three adjacent platforms, pictured in an idle state after arriving at their respective platforms.
Whilst the cabs of the trains cannot be accessed due to their doors being locked,5 the insides of the passenger coaches follow a typical layout of seats that skirt along either edge of the coach, an open area down the middle, occasional tabled seats for larger groups to sit together, overhead luggage racks, and areas to store extra luggage and even bikes.6
When a train arrives, minutes after the PA system announces its arrival, the doors will automatically open for people to be able to enter into them.7 Each coach within infinitely long trains oftentimes only seats about twenty or so individuals due to the heavy dispersal of its passengers along the consist. However, for the trains that have an infinite number of coaches, finding available seats should be an extremely easy, if not time consuming task.
The man hastily arrived at the board he needed, looking up at it as countless others were. He glanced at the stops, his eyes passing from platform 40's train to Subcarrier, all the way to platform 60's train to Redworld. However, the one for The Endless City, being the one he needed, was not present on the display.
He watched and waited in hope, but the board never showed the train he needed.
Two of Level 185's consists, still in a powered state after pulling into their respective platforms.
Each train will stay at the platform from anywhere between fifteen minutes to half an hour, with approximately three minutes of leeway on the furthest wait-time. Whilst the trains will initially accelerate at moderate and otherwise realistic speeds, after about five or so minutes of travelling the trains will begin to pick up speed that is exponentially quicker than before, continuing to pick up the pace until travelling at speeds high enough to pass the infinitely long platforms and transport themselves to the levels on their route.
Despite the speeds the trains reach, the insides of the trains do not experience any effects from the increase in velocity, allowing its users to be able to sit in moderate relaxation as the train goes to its destination. The actual arrival at the levels themselves occurs anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour after departure from either Level 185, or the previous stop the train had been at.
When the time for arrival does elapse, the train will begin to drastically slow down before pulling in and arriving at the level predetermined by the timetable. Whilst boarding onto the train is theoretically possible when the train arrives, the lack of a platform, the random areas the trains stop at, and even the lack of tracks make this an incredibly difficult task. As such, entering Level 185's trains from anywhere outside of their parent level is prohibited, and the trains are only to be used as an exit at their respective stops.
"The next train to arrive at platform. Minus Seventeen. Is the eleven, fifty service to To Be At Sea. Calling at: Boiling Desert, Silent Sounds, and To Be At Sea."
"The next train to depart from platform. Sixty. Is the eleven, twenty eight service to Redworld. Calling at: The Island, The Saline Dunes, Lukewarm Hotel, Aurora Liminalis, Corroding Retail Outlet, Welcome to the Desert, and Redworld."
"The next train to arrive at platform. Fourty. Is the eleven, twenty eight service to Subcarrier. Calling at: Sublimity, Sewer System, Clean Sewers, To Be At Sea, Thalassophobia, and Subcarrier."
"The next train to depart from platform. One. Is the eleven, fourty one service to Camp. Calling at: 130 SINKHOLE ST., Salvaged Seaboard, The Giant's Causeway, To Be At Sea, Memory Foundry, and Camp."
"The next train to depart from platform. Seventy Eight. Is the twelve o' clock service to The Looping Basement. Calling at: Attic Floorboards, Alone, and The Looping Basement."
"The next train to depart from platform. Ten. Is the eleven, zero nine service to The Progressive Decay. Calling at: The Underneath, Corroding Retail Outlet, The Living Level, Mud Slide, The Infinity-Scraper, The Infinite Mall, and The Progressive Decay."
"The next train to depart from platform. Six. Is the eleven, twenty two service to Futuristic Halls. Calling at: Castellos' Museum, Endless Dreams, Stormstone Keep, Port of Misgivings, Westminister Alley, Such a Familiar Route, M1nd is S0ftwar3, and Futuristic Halls."
"The next train to arrive at platform. Four Hundred and Five. Is the eleven, twenty six service to Protected Caverns. Calling at: Golden Gai, Pipe Dreams, Aeturnum, Port of Misgivings, Watery Grave Caves, and Protected Caverns."
"The next train to depart from platform. Minus Nine Hundred. Is the eleven, thirty three service to Descent. Calling at: Stomach Lining, Boundless Sewers, The Backway, Downtown Diner, Call of the Void, The Summit, Tranquility, and Descent."
"The next train to arrive at platform. Minus Ten. Is the eleven, fourty nine service to Dead End. Calling at: The Infinite Valley, Unreal Estate, Welcome to the Jungle, National Park #474, The Frozen Lake, The Dry Hill, Concrete Boxes, Archeology, Concrete Wastes, Memories of Memories of Memories, and Dead End."
The man waited and waited, watching the boards across multiple platforms switch their letters from destination to destination, eyeing them as the time kept ticking by. Without ever pausing, the PA kept announcing, but not a single announcement was for a train he needed.
The man, feeling sorrow brew within him, succumbed to his failure.
A singular locomotive right at the end of Level 185's platforms, pictured here after a locomotive from the front took the coaches away to its destination.
The return journey
Should one have successfully boarded a train, they will be able to ride along its predetermined route right up until the terminus stop right at the other end of the line. At the terminus—unlike the behaviours exhibited at the Level 185—the trains will continue to move after stopping at their final station, and will eventually arrive back at this level at a new, random platform. When pulling in, the locomotive and coaches will be assigned an entirely new set of destinations, making continued travel inside these coaches after they leave a second time wildly unpredictable.
Much like travel between the other levels, the arrival time between the "final" stop and Level 185 can take a varied amount of time to undergo, though the time does not exceed the lengths of time that have been documented for the gaps in time when travelling through the usual scheduled levels.
Entrances And Exits
Entrances
Level 185 is accessed from both Level 90 and Level 159. Access from the former can be achieved by following along one of the trails that leads to the perimeter fence, specifically one that goes to a wooden turnstyle. Operating this turnstyle and attempting to go down the small public footpath behind it will transport individuals to the entrance doors of this level. To access Level 185 from the latter, all one has to do is find an abandoned train station building of a similar design to the interior design of the platforms. Going through any of the doors will immediately transport oneself to the exit doors on this level specifically.
Exits
As the trains of Level 185 can stop at practically any level of The Backrooms, listing a concrete list of exits is a futile affair. Instead, one should try to memorise the more commonly used nicknames of levels in order to know the terminus stations on the destination boards, and the stops announced by the PA in order to easily traverse using the trains.
Alternatively, should one not desire to use the trains, exit can be done through the large exit doors or cutouts in the walls at this levels edge to return to either Level 90 or Level 159. The entryway into either of the two levels is—whilst predetermined for every door—not marked in any way for wanderers to know whether or not they'll be entering either of the two levels.
"Where were you."
"It… It didn't arrive."
"What do you mean it 'didn't arrive'?? You could've gotten any stupid train and just travelled through levels on your own! You could've been here in minutes, but you weren't! You just avoided her and us like you always do."
"I'm… Sorry."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying, Esther. I wanted to be there, I really did"
"Like how you were there for rest of mom's deterioration, yeah I bet."
"I'm sorry for that, too… I didn't know how to handle your mother's change like that."
"Yeah, well whatever. Not like you care, but she passed in the night. Stay in 90, and don't talk to me ever again."
"I… Understand."
"Good, goodbye."