The Backrooms

Chapter 1: It Begins

    Harper Williams groggily opened her eyes to the sound of loud buzzing. Her head was pounding. Where was she? Was this a nightmare? What was that horrible smell? She slowly sat up, her hand pushing down against the musty carpeting. Harper looked around. It looked like....some kind of office space? Wherever she looked, there was yellow. Just plain, ugly yellow. The buzzing was continuous, and it was starting to become unbearable. 

    Harper tried to remember how she got there. Suddenly, it hit her. She had been at home, leaning against the wall texting Carrie Sanchez, her best friend. Suddenly, she had felt herself fall through the wall, and everything had gone dark. "How the hell did I....? " Harper thought to herself. No...it was impossible. There was no way. A wall couldn't just take someone to a hellhole like this, could it? That was something that she had only seen in movies! Harper stood up, her legs and back aching. She winced. She looked around once more, observing her surroundings. 

    Harper pulled out her cell phone from her pocket. There was no service. She sighed and tossed her head back with a groan. Harper was a tall, slim 17 year old, with tiny freckles dotting her fair skinned face and wavy auburn hair that went down to her back, with eyes as blue as the sky. She wore ripped jeans and a pastel blue sweatshirt to match her eyes, along with worn out sketchers that she had bought two years ago. 

      As Harper began to explore, she felt more and more uneasy. Something...wasn't quite right about this place. "Hello?! Anyone?!?!" she cried out. There was no answer. Harper was beginning to panic. Was this some kind of sick prank? "Mom?! Dad?! Carrie??!?!" She cried out once more. "Come on, if this is some kind of twisted joke, it's not funny!" She shouted in a panicked voice. Once again, she was met with no answer. She started to run, and her heart was pounding against her chest. The place was endless, like a labyrinth. Soon, she stopped running, out of breath. She put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. The exit was nowhere to be found.

     "Okay...okay okay....just calm down Harper...this is all just a bad dream..." She attempted to reassure herself. "If I pinch myself, I'll wake up and I'll be back in my room." She pinched herself, but nothing happened. It became clear to her that this wasn't a dream. Harper couldn't process all this. Was she stuck here forever? Would she die here? When would she see her family and friends again? Her mind raced with hundreds of questions. But just then, she heard a low growl come from across the hall that snapped her out of it. Shivers went up her spine.

It was clear to her that she wasn't alone, either.