THE BACKROOMS: Mystery of the Shrouded Halls

Chapter 7

For the next hour or so, Adrian and I begin to plan. While doing so, we also organize our current resources. We agree that I would keep the backpack, which was only filled with an empty water bottle and some plastic wrapping. And the wooden leg as a weapon, while he would hold the purse and a copy of the Sectors guide, since there seems to be multiple copies. And we would definitely need it.

During our planning session, we discuss our objectives and strategize our approach. Adrian mentions that he has only crossed paths with one of those Howler monsters once, until he reached this room. The Manila Room, or whatever. We decide that the first and most important objective right now would be to find food. But how are we supposed to do that in a place like this? I understand the Survival Guide mentions that there is a possibility of food somewhere around here, but I almost feel hopeless at the thought of finding nothing. We might also have to find a weapon for Adrian, just in case.

We read the Navigational Guide book once more in search of advice on how to move around efficiently. A few pages tell us to mark walls with paint or anything, really. Another suggests to stay on the rightmost wall whenever possible. It didn't mention anything on keeping quiet and avoiding entities, but we knew that now.

"I think we have everything ready," Adrian says. "Are you ready?" I sort through our plans and strategies in my head quickly. "Yeah, I think we know what we'll be doing."
Find food and water. Especially water, since I haven't drank in the past few days.

After making sure we've covered everything, we implement a few rules. I insist that we should always keep an eye out on each other and our surroundings. If we come across a Howler, we would run on my lead, since we both claim that I am faster. But with everything done and dusted, it was time to go.

Adrian and I both get up from the ground, where we were sorting out our supplies, and head for the door. Adrian reaches for the doorknob and begins opening the door slowly, the yellow light slowly peering onto the wooden floor.

Once the outside was put into view, a shocking sight puts me in a state of unease. The outside was completely different from the previously gigantic, dangerous room filled with pits. It was now replaced with a large room with multiple halls exiting out. "What.." I hear Adrian whisper, while I stand in awe. We're outside of the Manila Room, now, but I decide to mark the wall next to the door just in case-

The door is gone. It's completely gone, now replaced with more yellow wall. "Hey.. hey!" I yell into the newly placed wall. Now with that room gone, we were plunged back into the dangers of Sector 0. "Where did you go!?" I run back to the wall and start feeling it, pounding and slapping at it.

Adrian taps my shoulder. "Katrina, there's no use," he tells me, in a soft tone. "We should get moving, before one of those Bacteria things comes running at us." I choke my anger back down my throat and follow after him.

As we walk through one of the hallways, Adrian stays silent. Probably from all the stress and frights we've been through. I feel bad about the fit I threw, when the door disappeared, so I attempt to strike up a conversation with him. "So, where are you from, kid?" I ask, as we enter room after room, as the beaming lights and rancid air beat onto our skin. "I'm from Portugal," he responds. "Lisbon, to be exact." That seems to spark up a conversation, because as we walk, we begin talking about our lives, our favorite foods. Anything, really. Food.. my stomach rumbles at the thought of finding food.

I'm not sure how long we've walked now, but we decide to take a rest stop. Adrian plops down onto the ground tiredly, while I stay up and pace across the room. "Hey, Katrina," I turn towards Adrian, as my thoughts break apart. "What are your thoughts on this place?"
Only one word comes up when I think about it. "Creepy," I answer, with the most honest, but comedic tone I can possibly conjure up. He chuckles at my response, and so do I. I sit down next to him, with my elbows now on my knees.
"Hey, do you..," I hesitate for a moment. "Do you think we'll get out? Ever?" I look at him, and he stares back with an anxious, but soft gaze. "I'm sure we can find some way out," He explains. "Hey, we found each other, maybe we'll run into more people later." That makes me feel slightly better. After a few more minutes of laughter and such, we force ourselves back up.

As we keep walking, bizarre feelings and illusions begin swiveling inside my head. I can tell it's happening to Adrian as well, because now we're both suddenly looking around worryingly. Adrian swears he can see things scurrying around in the corners of his eyes. So do I, but instead, I can faintly discern a shadowy figure, crawling on the ceiling. I become so overwhelmed, that I just start running. Adrian runs and yells after me. Great, I had already broken the one rule we had implemented.

After about half an hour later, or what felt like it, the effects of both dehydration and hunger suddenly kick in for both Adrian and I. At some point, I slowly fall to my knees, then my stomach, while Adrian lands straight on his back. The lights above become infernal and my vision becomes blurry. I turn my head weakly towards Adrian. He's unconscious, it seems. I bury my head into the carpet a few times. It's no use, my head and ribs throb in pain as I begin crawling towards him. As I arrive next to him, that's when I notice something in the corner of the room, glistening in the light. Food. Food! And water! My body perks up slightly at the sight and I begin to crawl on my hands and knees towards the cans of food. It must be food, since the covers on the cans read 'Chicken and Rice Soup.' Behind the cans, two tan colored bottles of.. something lie on the ground. I flip over both of them, where the labels read 'Almond Water'. Almonds and water? What would that even taste like? I open one of the water bottles and take a sniff. A distinct and soothing smell of vanilla and rose water enter my nostrils. At first, a feeling of suspicion creeps up on me, but I ignore it and take a sip, then a gulp. The fresh liquid travels down my throat, and a subtle taste of sweet, watery almond butter follows right after it. It's amazing. It almost feels like my brain is being washed of its most worrisome thoughts and memories. All washed away. "Adrian!"

I get up clumsily and hurry towards him, bottle in hand. I land next to his side and get down on my knees. I open his mouth and begin pouring the liquid into his mouth. He's swallowing it, that's a good sign. His eyes open slowly and he begins sitting up. "What.. was that water?" He looks at me with surprise, and I give a slight smile. "Oh, thank you!" He exclaims and lies back down onto his back, as an exhausted sigh comes out of him.

I quickly go back to grab the cans of food and bottles of Almond Water and shove them inside the pack. "Almond Water.. who would even think of making that?" I hear Adrian say behind me. He's standing over me now, probably refreshed the same way I was. We chuckle as we get back on track. Now that we've found food, we can focus on our new goal, to find an exit.

The lights aren't so loud anymore and the air is slightly cooler. Whatever was in that water, it was really helpful. Our morale is boosted, now, but that'll probably change soon. After traveling through a few hallways and rooms, we enter a huge room, but it's much different, an unusual sight. It's the size of a very large storage room, and the more we go in, the darker it gets. Much, much darker.

"Adrian?" I ask. "It's getting dark, don't wander off anywhere.. hold on to the backpack."
I feel something tug at my back. "Ok, I'm ready," He responds. As I lead the way through the darkness, feeling the walls to make sure we don't bump into anything, I begin to feel a hallway in the wall. "Hey! Maybe we should go in here-"

I'm suddenly cut off by something behind us. A sort of light, not from the ceiling, but from a few feet behind us. Then, a sort of hissing, which Adrian and I both react to by looking back, only to find a petrifying sight. I immediately know what it is, just by looking at it and it's glowing eyes and grinning teeth.
A smiler.