The Backrooms: A Love Story

The Backrooms: A Love Story Part 3

A sensation of soft cloth under my back and the smell of dust was the first thing I registered as I slowly returned to consciousness. A pulsating pain radiated from my right arm, jolting me fully awake.

"Take it easy, Elias" a familiar voice flowed over me, calming despite the concern lacing it. Turning my head, I found Fran sitting next to me, her eyes bearing signs of worry.

"Are you okay?" Fran took a closer look at me.

"Well, other than the arm I guess." Fran gently touched my bandaged arm, she must have taken care of me while I was out.

"I've been better... How long was I out?" I gave a glance at the tied up mannequin.

"About three hours," Fran answered, following my gaze. "And it hasn't moved since we tied it up, if that's what you're wondering." She rose and began to pace, a sure sign her mind was whirring with thoughts.

"I noticed something odd when we were fighting that...thing." She continues.

"You gave it a good bashing at the very start, way more than I could have mustered, but why didn't it break then? It seemed indestructible the whole time up until a certain point. Did you somehow toggle a switch on it?" Fran asked, her brows furrowed in thought. I shook my head, it was quite a struggle but eventually I somehow managed to overpower it, my gaze drift towards the dormant fluorescent fixtures.

"Well, when you turned on the lights, it gave me this surge of power...Or rather, that thing got weaker?" We'd noticed a correlation, a surge in the mannequin's aggression each time the lights flickered or dimmed.

"Recall the first time we went down those stairs, I shone light on it with your flip phone, that could have aggravated it somehow."

"I was out of it then, right?" Fran's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, the mannequin flickered a flash of light from its head, almost like a photographic flash. You seemed like you were hypnotized. Then it happened again when we were sleeping, it made you walk all the way back to the stairs."

Fran shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as if suddenly cold. Her face pale under the dim light.

"This is so strange, Elias. I don't understand what's happening to me. I'm not still under its influence, am I?" Her voice wavered, the fear evident in her tone. "You... noticed it too, right Elias? Fran fell silent for a moment before finally voicing what we'd both noticed during the battle. "It was targeting me, wasn't it?" I moved closer, offering what little comfort I could. I could see the fear that she held within, the fear of being under the control of something unknown. And as much as she tried to conceal it behind her strong demeanor, I knew she needed reassurance.

"Fran," I called gently, causing her to look up. Our eyes met, and for a moment, I could see how vulnerable she was. She must've been terrified when I was out for the past three hours.

"Listen," I began, "I don't know what's happening, and I don't have any answers. But I want you to know this: I am here. We are in this together. No matter how weird or dangerous this situation gets, I've got your back, okay?"

She stared at me for a long moment, and then, slowly, she nodded, her grip on her nerves visibly relaxing. A small smile touched her lips, and in that moment, I felt something warm spread through me.

"I'll take your word for it." She gave me her best smile yet.

Fran turned to the rags on the floor worn by the mannequin.

"So if its weakness appears to be light," she said, "That could explain the hood it was wearing."

We spent more time examining the mannequin, poring over its inanimate form. Its body, now dormant and seemingly harmless, held no clues, no hidden switches or visible signs of malfunction. It was just an ordinary department store mannequin, yet we had witnessed its transformation into something unrecognizable, its inanimate body possessed with a terrifying strength. But despite our efforts, it revealed nothing that could aid us further.

"Alright, then let's find another storage room." I start to pack up, though not as quick as I can since my arm still aches.

Fran agrees.

As we pack, the silence that filled the room was heavy, weighted down by an unspoken conversation that lingered between us. The chaos of the mannequin encounter had given us a temporary respite, but we couldn't avoid it any longer. I could feel Fran's gaze on me, her eyes thoughtful, her mind probably turning over my confession made in the heat of the moment. As did I, I definitely have confessed to her. Is she going to pretend to forget? This is too awkward, I'm just going to pretend-

"Elias," she began softly, her voice cutting through the silence. "About what you said before...you know, before we fought that thing..."

I felt my heart rate pick up, a lump forming in my throat as I awaited her words. She had promised to address it, and now, the moment had come. Despite the unusual circumstances, or perhaps because of them, I found myself holding my breath.

The room seemed to still, every sound fading into the background as I focused on her. "Y-yes?" I managed to croak out, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Elias," she began, her voice softer than I'd ever heard before. "I appreciate your confession...but,"

Her voice trailed off, her expression unreadable. I felt my stomach drop.

The silence that followed was thick and palpable, like we were both tiptoeing around the inevitable. She took a deep breath.

"I...I have someone, outside...in the real world. You have to understand, I can't just..."

"But, Fran, it's been decades, almost a century..." I blurted out, the words leaving my mouth before I could stop them. What an idiot!

She turned to face me again, her eyes filled with a quiet strength.

"I know," she replied, her gaze steady. "And I can't deny that we've shared... experiences here that are beyond normal. But I'm just not ready... to..."

"I understand," I said, cutting her off. I didn't want her to feel cornered, to force her into saying something she wasn't ready to say. It hurt, of course it did, it really hurts, but I understood her position. It's unfair for me to expect her to just let it go in a blink of an eye. Yes, it's unfair. So stop being hurt.

"Let's focus on getting out of here, alright?" I suggested, attempting to lighten the mood. I could see the relief flood Fran's face, and she nodded gratefully. "We still have a lot of figuring out to do."

She smiled, a small but genuine smile, her usual determined demeanor returning. "You're right, we do." She agreed. "Let's find our way out of this maze."

The weight of our conversation still hung in the air, but for now, we had a common goal, and it was this goal that kept us going. Despite the pain, the confusion, and the unsaid words between us, we knew we had to keep pushing forward, for our own sake.

Fran got up, her demeanor shifting back to the determined woman I admired, our mission once again the focus of her attention. I watched her, my mind still wrestling with my feelings, but with a newfound resolve to keep them in check, at least for now. We have something to do, and it was time to focus on that.