Warning to sensitive wanderers
Particular parts of this tale contain topics of suicide. If you are sensitive to such areas, it is recommended that you read with caution.
Thank you for your cooperation.
BACKDOOR Backrooms' #1 Chat & Forum> Public Chatroom 5
[User_024814]: So what have you guys been up to?
[j-jeam]: oh hey new person
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: heyooooooo, welcome to the chatroom
[killa_xx]: sup
[System]: User "User_024814" has changed their display name to "Digger_Jex".
[j-jeam]: a repository member? don't see them too often.
[Digger_Jex]: Yeah, not many of my comrades use chat forums. Thought I'd break that little chain.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: pretty neat. in response to your question, i haven't been doing too much. just looking over some integrity things for this chatroom. file's 'n shit.
[killa_xx]: shoot, i gotta go. see y'all later.
[System]: User "killa_xx" has left the chatroom.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: bye! cya-
damn, they must've had something real important to attend to.
[Digger_Jex]: Must have.
[j-jeam]: what have you been up to jex?
[Digger_Jex]: Not much, really. I've just been doing tasks given to me from the Administrator.
[j-jeam]: oh, so you're getting orders from the top top? damn, impressive.
[Digger_Jex]: Yeah, he doesn't usually give them out to people like me, so I'm definitely doing whatever he asks, haha.
[System]: User "Pins_on_Dead" has joined the chatroom.
[j-jeam]: yeah, i'd be doing orders from the top as well!
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: honestly i think any of us would take orders from the top. not every day you get a letter from someone so much higher in rank than you. also heyoooooo, pins!
[Pins_on_Dead]: Sup everyone. Just got back from a recon mission with my group.
[j-jeam]: oh hey pin! how'd it go?
[Pins_on_Dead]: Swimmingly, surprisingly enough. Didn't encounter anything weird and we got some new pipes, so hey I'm not gonna say no to a new weapon.
[Digger_Jex]: Hey, a weapon's a weapon, and in this place you're gonna need new ones all the time.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: you can say that again. skin-stealers in my area are being pesky little rascals and we need to swap our weapons out all the time.
[Pins_on_Dead]: Yeah, we've been dealing with Bursters and Hounds over here. Even some Deathmoths here and there.
[System]: User "pretty_pastel_pink" has joined the chatroom.
[System]: User "Gonkster" has joined the chatroom.
[System]: User "the_scrongler_lives" has joined the chatroom.
[System]: User "fuzzy_moth_boi" has joined the chatroom.
[Digger_Jex]: That's a lot of users. Welcome to Chatroom 5, everyone
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: heyooooooo! influx of users today!
[the_scrongler_lives]: hi
[Gonkster]: Gonk!
[pretty_pastel_pink]: HIHIHI
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: yo
Admin [Gonkster]: We just got back from a hike through Level 204, and it was pretty fun!
[pretty_pastel_pink]: luckily we didn't encounter anything dangerous!
[the_scrongler_lives]: we saw some cool plants too
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: nice! glad you guys made it back safe!
[Digger_Jex]: Just had some of my friends come back from there as well. I'm glad you are safe and sound.
[j-jeam]: i don't like the jungle so i stay away from that level as much as i can. it's so easy to get lost or be snuk up on.
Admin [Gonkster]: Yeah, it's pretty spooky when you're alone. That's why we travel in our four man group!
[pretty_pastel_pink]: YAYAYAYA
[System]: User "Nishimura" has joined the chatroom.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: heyoooooo!
[Nishimura]: Thanks for the warm greeting!
[Digger_Jex]: You're Nishimura? Well damn, pleasure to meet you.
[Nishimura]: Oh, I've gotten a little bit of a following?
[Digger_Jex]: You're the only person who has basically befriended an entity like the Dark Sovereign, so yeah I'd assume you have a following, haha!
[Nishimura]: You're right there, hah.
[j-jeam]: oh wow i almost forgot about your name, it's been a while since i've read the file.
[the_scrongler_lives]: damn wish i was that lucky down here.
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: Don't we all. I'm tired of getting attacked around every corner.
[the_scrongler_lives]: what are you facing over there?
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: Mainly aggressive 227 squadrons and Volts.
[Nishimura]: Damn, so you've had it rough around there.
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: Yeah it's fucking horrible, haha.
Moderator [fluffy_foaster]: wish i could go out there again. i feel like i've been at this computer forever ffs
[Digger_Jex]: Shoot, my team needs me. I'll see you all later.
[j-jeams]: bye bye!
Admin [Gonkster]: See ya another time!
[pretty_pastel_pink]: byeeee!
[System]: User "Digger_Jex" has left the chatroom
[j-jeams]: they were pretty cool
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: Were they a Repository member? Digger sounds like their type.
[j-jeams]: yea
[System]: User "Apple_Topped_Jeans" has joined the chatroom.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: damn, i'm gonna run out of heyoooooo's!
Admin [Gonkster]: Gonk!
[the_scrongler_lives]: how's it going
[Apple_Topped_Jeans]: lot of people here today
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: yep!
[System]: WARNING: Server connection poor.
[j-jeams]: uhhh, that's not good. aren't the servers usually very stable?
[Apple_Topped_Jeans]: whoops, looks like i broke the servers
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: what's going on
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: hold on guys and gals, i'm figuring it out now.
[the_scrongler_lives]: this is making me somewhat worried
[pretty_pink_pastel]: no please don't let the servers go down!
[System]: WARNING: Server connection critical.
[pretty_pink_pastel]: WHAT'S GOING ON
Admin [Gonkster]: Woah, what? I leave for five minutes and connection is poor?
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: i don't know what's going on guys, nothing is wrong on the server's side.
[fuzzy_moth_boi]: wtf
[Apple_Topped_Jeans]: wait i was joking something's actually wrong?
[System]: EMERGENCY MESSAGE FROM THE MAJOR EXPLORER'S GROUP. CLICK IMMEDIATELY.
[j-jeam]: WHAT'S GOING ON FLUFFY
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: guys i have no clue what's going on, read the system message. M.E.G. just released some announcement.
[System]: User "Gonkster" lost connection to the server.
[pretty_pink_pastel]: NONONO DON'T GO AWAY
[System]: User "pretty_pink_pastel" lost connection to the server.
[the_scrongler_lives]: i'm scared what's happening why is the power going out
[System]: User "Nishimura" lost connection to the server
[Pins_on_Dead]: Well, I hope you all will be safe. I don't know what's happening, but let's hope this is just some small error.
[System]: User "the_scrongler_lives" lost connection to the server.
[j-jeam]: you too, pin.
[System]: User "Pins_on_Dead" lost connection to the server.
[j-jeam]: god, i'm so scared now
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: keep your head high jeam. we'll make it through this. we've survived this long, we can last whatever this is.
[j-jeam]: yeah, you're right. i'll keep going.
[System]: User "j-jeam" lost connection to the server.
Moderator [fluffy_toaster]: god, i hope you are all safe out there.
[System]: Error: Message could not be sent. Try again?
>Y
[System]: Connection lost. Attempt to reconnect?
>_
As I looked at the print out of the chatroom logs, I sigh in remembrance of how everything was before the blackout. We used to be thriving, living, and just being humans. We were innovating, spurring industrialization in some areas, and in general progressing our new lives in the Backrooms. We were so close to not having to worry, and only a few decades more we might've gotten there. But now look where we are. Taken advantage of once again in this vile dimension.
"If only that never happened."
Maybe I would have seen my girlfriend again before she hung herself. Maybe my close friends wouldn't have killed each other. Just… why? What omniscient entity from above decided to do this? Why did it choose to break our spirits so close to our success? Is this just some game to them?
Sick bastards.
Putting the piece of old, worn paper in my pack I keep walking forward. We just have to keep moving forward. I've wanted to end it just like my friends and loved ones, but if I quit now then that's just another chance at survival gone. Another possibility at our comeback destroyed. I'm not going to break the spirits of an already demolished race. I'm one of the only people in the M.E.G. left.
God, those groups. I can't imagine how hard it was for them. I remember how people like the U.E.C. fell, going out guns blazing, and then you look at the Repository and how they just tried to defend themselves. The Lost tried to run, but you can't run from the Backrooms. The Eyes thought they were safe, but even Argos has his limits. No matter the group, and no matter who it was, you could hear screams for miles. Just endless… endless, painful screams. I can still hear them, christ. Wherever they are, I hope they've moved on. None of us deserve to be here, not in this torture chamber of a dimension.
I'm starting to hope things like The End actually worked as an escape. At least it's better to live in a false reality rather than a painful one, right?
No, what am I talking about? Snap out of it, goddamnit! Retreating to a false reality… can't believe I've stooped so low. I have to stay here. I gotta help these people. We're all trying to push, and we can't do that if one of us takes the easy way out. It's just going to make more of us go into a fake world with fake people and fake lives. We won't survive, we won't live, and we won't be remembered. Not by going to The End.
We have to keep fighting.
That chat happened… wow, it's been a long time. Jeez, how long ago was that chatroom log? I can't even remember. Let's see… I've been keeping a journal, trying to count the days. It's… no, it can't have been that long ago, could it?
2491 years ago.
How did I survive that long? There's… there's no way that's possible. 2491 years?! It's been a long time, but… how is my body still young like this? I should be a shriveled corpse! This is… baffling. Maybe one of my comrades can make sure I'm not going crazy.
As I walk into the desolate landscape of Level 11, I remember how it was before the blackout. Bright, beautiful, full of life, and so much atmosphere with all of the people here. This was home for a lot of people, and the mix of cultures? There was so much diversity in this place you could be talking to a Buddhist and walk down the street to talk to an Amish man. It was just amazing how many people came together to survive, keeping something with them to bring back those memories of home and comfort.
Not anymore. Now, Level 11 was just Base Beta. Dim, gray, dystopian, almost. It felt… dull. Think of having a painting, one of the best you've ever seen, like a Van Gogh, and then leaving it in the sun for months. The color fades from the artwork, removing the passion, love, care, and inspiration it gave. Level 11 was our Van Gogh, and now it was just concrete, rebar, and glass. No more diversity, no more excitement, and sadly of all, no more passion. Passion is what kept us going, and now we drag our feet through the mud of this darkened dimension.
At least there were forms of protection here. As I walked along the sidewalk, I greeted the surviving Guards of Erebus from the Repository.
"Hey, how are you all?"
"Just surviving. Trying to make it through with what we have. What about you?"
"Same as you, man. Just trying to make it to the next day, y'know?"
"Felt ya there. I'll see you around."
"You too."
I always liked the Repository. They were stern, yet comforting. Something about how they were trained or acted just gave off this brotherhood feel. That's all we really have now, I guess. We're all in one brotherhood or the other, and we just try to survive now. No more rivalries, no more fights. Just living. That's all that matters now. As I was pondering my thoughts it became a little… cold. I looked up to see the towering stature of the Dark Sovereign, standing there with his sword in its sheathe.
Greetings, sir. How goes today?
This would have surprised people years ago, but after the blackout, peaceful entities started coming to Level 11 to live with us. Now we have thi- ahem, people like Argos, the Doll Maker, and even the Beast of Level 5. They all came here because they either didn't want to fight or just wanted to stay away from the danger. They'd all get overwhelmed anyways.
"I'm doing well. How are you?"
I'm doing… well, I assume. Not much to be doing around here, so I tend to be alone most of the day.
"Damn, no one comes around?"
Unfortunately not. They are few and far between.
"I'll be sure to stop by sometime, then. Maybe we can play some cards?"
That sounds… interesting. You will have to teach me.
"I think we'll have fun. Just make sure you don't touch me when going for a card, haha."
The crystal figure lets out a deep chuckle, looking down at me. I wish I could laugh like that, with real feeling. He doesn't have to worry as much, doesn't have to fear for his life, and doesn't have to scavenge day and night for food, water, and supplies while running through hordes of entities. I wish I could be like him someday. Carefree.
Of course. I'll be sure not to harm you at all.
"Well, I had better be off. I'll see you around, Sovereign."
You as well.
I part ways with the beast, walking towards my friend's home in one of the skyscrapers in this place. I walk into the building, sliding open the glass door, and feel the warm air of the wind-powered HVAC unit pouring out of the ventilation. After running through Level 420 and kicking the ice off my boots, I desperately needed some warm air. Level 11's been chilly in general, lately. Not really sure why that is. Usually it stays around a comfortable 75 degrees, but… well, I can theorize about that later.
I walk up the stairs, not trusting the elevators, and make my way up seven flights. I'm already tired as hell, but it's better than those damn elevators. People started using them when they were tired, and when the elevator got to the floor they selected the person wasn't in the elevator. Just whatever they left on the ground. Spooky shit, so I don't trust those things one bit.
As I finally reach the seventh floor, I walk down the hallway to get to my friend's room. She should be here at this time, but with my eyes already half closed I wasn't too sure what time it really was. I test the door handle to her room—unlocked. Good for me, because I didn't feel like raising my voice to try and get her attention. I walk inside and set my pack down, rolling my shoulders to get the stress and tension off, and sit down on the small couch inside the living room of the apartment.
"I'm back, Victoria."
Since the door was right there, I'd close it with my foot and lean into the cushions. Sleep was a delicacy these days, and I was just about to get into a very nice nap when Victoria came around the corner and tapped my shoulder
"Well what are you doing here so early, sleepy head?"
I'd laugh a little bit. She was always good at lightening the mood, and even then we were just really close friends. I met her about three months after I joined the M.E.G., and at that time she was a newbie interested in manufacturing or I.T. like I did. We became close over time through small talk and interest in the same fields, and… well, the rest is history. Now we're here, surviving as much as we can in the Backrooms. She likes to jest and call it the "Darkrooms" sometimes. I swear…
"Thought I'd drop by and say hello. It's been a few weeks since we've last talked."
"Yeah, you're right. Say, did you get anything good?"
"Not really. Just more of the usual."
"Damn, I was really hoping you'd find a steak somewhere."
"Haha, I wish! I'd love a nice ribeye right now."
"Don't we all…"
She sits down beside me and we chat for a few minutes, making sure I still stay awake. Once silence shadows over us, I finally remember that question I had a while ago.
"Hey, you're still keeping track of every day, right?"
She looks over at me, a little confused.
"Yeah, why? Need to know the day or something?"
"Yeah, just… I looked back at that old chatlog and couldn't help but notice that the dates are radically different. If I was counting right, then the blackout started 2491 years ago, but that just seems… so impossible. Like we should be dead right now, right?"
She stays silent for a few seconds and gets up, rustling through a few papers at her desk. There were pages going all across the room, and eventually she came back with a binder full of pages. They all had marks on them, in groups of five, and the number "73" in the left corner and a year in the right corner.
"Ok… so since they're in groups of five there are 73 groups in each year, and I have… a lot of pages here. I came into the Backrooms around 2019, so I started counting from then. Is that fine?"
"Yeah, I just need to start from 2022. That's when this chatlog was from."
"Alright… help me count these pages, there are a lot. This binder is from 2019 to 2200, and I have the rest."
"Wait… so we've been here for this long?"
"I write down every day."
"God… alright, let's start counting."
Countless binders and pages later, we finally catch up with today's date and begin calculating. Being restricted to pencils and paper for calculations, even if they were small, took a little bit of time. Reminds me how spoiled we were. You never realize how much you take for granted until it's all taken away. Easy communication, fast calculations, entertainment, and direction. We used to be survivors, but then we transformed into the embodiment of the sin of Sloth. Too dependent on our technology.
"What did you get from your calcs?"
"Yeah, you were close to right. It's been 2,529 years since that chatroom. Since the blackout started."
"How… how is that possible, Vic? How can we live that long?"
"I don't know… the Backrooms are very odd, so maybe there's some sort of time distortion?"
"No, I know about the time distortion, but… gosh, it just seems crazy that we've been surviving for 2,500 years. How have you and I stayed alive? How have we not gone and died like the U.E.C.? Like the Maidens or the Lost or…"
"Taylor, maybe we're just lucky. Maybe we just have our wits and didn't panic like everyone else. People went mad over the power stopping, and while we may have been worried we never lost our common sense. Maybe we're just survivalists at heart. I don't really know. I'm just happy I'm still alive."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right."
I'd let my head hang, looking down at the floor in a confused state of disbelief. It's just hard to imagine that you've survived for 2,500 years when the normal human life expectancy is 25 times less than that. I guess she's right, though. The two of us were really careful about what we did and didn't go out unless we had to. Victoria sits down beside me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, giving me a hug.
"We could all use one of these, right?"
She would giggle a bit and soon I'd be chuckling right alongside her, hugging her back. While sitting there, the sunlight peeking through the blinds started to… dim.
"Are your blinds moving?"
Victoria would get up and look behind her to the blinds, confused at what I had said.
"No? They never move on their own."
We both get up and walk to the blinds, opening them to look outside. There would be people running through the streets, panicked, and when I opened the window their yells and screams were echoing throughout the city. I could see some entities trying to calm people down, since they didn't know why they were panicking, but when Victoria and I looked up at the sky we soon learned why everyone was screaming.
The sun was fading.
"That's… that's not normal, right?"
I look over at Victoria, expecting an answer, and see that she is completely terrified. Her eyes were wide, and her pupils conveyed pure horror at the fact of the sun disappearing.
"Victoria, we gotta keep our heads on, alright? Let's figure out-"
"NO! NO NO NO! THE SUN! DON'T GO!"
"Victoria, please, don't panic! We have to stay focused!"
Through teary sniffs she'd try to talk to me. I was just trying to not do the same as she plowed into me and wrapped her arms around my torso, crying into my chest.
"T-Taylor, the sun… it's going away! T-The blackout is j-just… why won't it s-stop? The sun i-is all we had l-left! Now even l-level 11 is going to be d-dark! How are w-we going to survive without l-light?!"
"Hey, we'll survive, okay? W-We can figure out a way, like fire!"
She lets go and walks away, opening the door for me. In a tired, saddened voice, she speaks.
"please, go. i have some things to do."
I don't even bother fighting her. If I did, she'd just be persistent and we'd both leave unhappy. Besides, this was her apartment. Not my jurisdiction to stay if she wants me to leave. I walk past, grabbing my things, and walk to the door. She stops me before I'm fully out of the room, turning me around and giving me a kiss on the cheek. With a weakened yet genuine smile, she closes the door softly and locks it. I let out a sigh and walk down the hallway.
"I hope you're going to be okay, Victoria."
It was only about ten minutes before I had left Victoria's apartment to leave the building, and when I exit the front door to the tower I can feel the freezing air. I look around and tighten my jacket against my body, seeing if anyone was around. No one was near me. Not alive, at least. The sun of Level 11 was one of the last things keeping people alive, and now the spirits we had before were shattered.
"Dear god…"
People wanted out now that the sun was gone. People we dangling from ropes around their necks four stories off the ground, some had just cut their wrists and let the blood flow, or they were assaulted by the once peaceful entities of Level 11. Seems like since the sun was gone, so was the 11 Effect.
"Fuck. I'm gonna have to be careful."
As I pulled my scrap cleaver out I heard some faint noises from above. I look up, wondering what it would be, and see all of the bodies hanging from the building I had just exited. On the seventh floor, I saw her hanging there. Victoria had enough. She was dependent on the sun, and it disappearing had broke her.
It had broken me as well.
Now I was walking the streets of Level 11, hearing people suffer and cry at the now absent rays of sunlight. The remaining Guards of Erebus fighting off hostile Facelings and Hounds, the last members of the M.E.G. taking the easy way out, and heartbreakingly children running around for their moms and dads crying for answers. One ran up to me and cried, grabbing my pant leg.
"Do you know where my momma is? Pwease, I need to find my momma!"
They were so small. They didn't understand the severity of the situation, the desperation, and the utter destruction of all we had left. All they knew is that they were alone in a pitch black city, full of ravenous animals that would tear them apart when they got the chance. With a monotone voice, I responded to the poor child.
"I'm sorry buddy. I don't know where your momma is."
They sniff, cry, and run off to ask another person. That might've been the final breaking point for me. I can't imagine the terror of losing your mother as a child, while also being in a darkened city with no sunlight. The tear ducts on that kid will never stop pouring. I just hope that they manage to find a way to keep pushing. Not many of us can, and I had been pushing for long enough.
I shuffle along the sidewalk and return to the Sovereign, who would be looking down the alleyway with his back turned to me. He hears my footsteps and speaks to me over his shoulder, not turning around quite yet.
What brings you here, my friend? Did you bring those cards you were talking about earlier? I'm quite excited to play.
I felt like a disappointment for not bringing a deck. I think I had left it in my apartment a few blocks down, but that didn't really matter anymore. I had made up my mind on what I wanted to do next. It was time for my story to end.
"Hah… I'm sorry for not bringing them. I actually have a request."
He turns, looking at me with a concerned aura. Even though he had no pupils or irises, I could see that he was worried about my well being.
What is your request? I hope it is something nice.
"I… I wish it was. I wanted to know if you could kill me."
He doesn't speak for a few seconds.
Why would you want me to do such an act? You do not seem like the man to give up easy.
"I'm not. I've been pushing to survive for over 2,500 years, but with the sun disappearing my spirits have… broken, to say the least."
And you're sure this is how you want things to end? By my hand?
"Anything better than being shredded by some hound."
He lets out a sigh, and for once his whispers don't talk a peep. He draws his blade and approaches me, raising it to my neck. As he lifts it to swing, I close my eyes and have my final thoughts about everything. About me, Victoria, the M.E.G., the Backrooms, and us as a people. We can't handle our last source of hope being snuffed out like a dying ember. People needed the sun. We all need the sun. It was the one thing keeping us going, reminding us of home and how the beautiful rays of light blessed us all with the ability to see.
But the sun vanished. And with it, so did humanity.
Slice