Wandering After Home - Backrooms Novel

Level Fun

 It's been a while since The Fun War. I still couldn't believe the outcome of the War. I can still remember the shock that came across me when I saw a few Partypoopers that I knew, being stabbed by Wanderers. It hadn't even occurred to me as to why they did that. Everyone straight up knew how dedicated we were to helping Wanderers. It was not until I overheard a Partygoer promising a Wanderer a way out of The Backrooms, did I fully understand what was going on.

Wanderers in The Frontrooms have a keen sense of expressions, and a few of them had one such expression of 'A person cannot heal in a day'. In this case, a Partypooper cannot heal in a few years either. I've been stuck in Level Fun since The Fun War ended, too scared to go out and attempt to exit Level Fun, for fear that Partygoers would find me. I can't tell you just how much I despise those smiling paper bags now. It was all their fault. We hadn't done anything to deserve what they did. But as much as I hate their guts, I'm wearing a yellow smiling mask in place of my Partypooper mask. The Partygoers don't come chasing after me when they see me with it, I figured they must think I was one of them. Maybe they pass it off as just me being strange by wearing Partypooper clothes, or they think it's how I celebrate that Partygoers won, assuming I was one. It takes all my will not to fly at those Partygoers and attack one of them, and even more so to not be angry at Wanderers.

I'm walking through the hallways of Level Fun, as I do, I hear the Partygoers with their nursery rhymes. Must be hunting a Wanderer. I turn from the noise and proceed away from it. There is a thud from the far side of the hallways, echoing down corridors. I pick up my pace to see what it is. If it's another Partygoer, it wouldn't matter anyways. I reach the source of the noise in a matter of seconds and to my surprise, it's a Wanderer. Barely any Wanderers are in Level Fun, mostly because of the frightful rumors they heard about Partygoers there. For whatever reason, this one had either not heard of those rumors, or was taking a daring risk. I turned to go, but it was too late. The Wanderer had seen me already and it raised an arm to catch my attention. I quickly dash from the scene before the Wanderer could speak. I round the corner, just outside of The Party Room and sit down. I heard the small steps of the Wanderer as she walked down the hallway, heading straight into The Party Room. A poor choice. I peek my head in The Party Room and catch a glimpse of the Wanderer taking a slice of cake and putting it in her mouth. She seemed completely unaware. I was feeling increasingly guilty about letting this Wanderer fall to her demise, so I decided to take her away from the scene.

I walk into the room and stand beside her. I paused for a second to wait for her to finish chewing before I began to speak.

"I wouldn't trust that cake if I were you. It reeks of blood."

She looked up and replied, "Hm? What do you mean?"

"The cakes are made of human flesh and blood. The Partygoers turn that into cake batter."

I watched as she paused for a moment, bending slightly to look at her hands which were now covered in drippy red. The look of horror on her face was pitiful beyond words. I looked away from her eyes to avoid cringing at the sight of her hands. The soft steps in the hallway outside the Party Room caught my attention. Partygoers. I reached for her arm and pulled her under the table. She fell with a thud on the ground, alarming the Partygoer in the distance, who quickly approached The Party Room. There was a brief moment of laughter, before the Partygoer decided that no one was in the room and slowly retreated back into the hallways of Level Fun.

"You're lucky. If that Partygoer had seen you, he'd start singing a nursery rhyme and you'd be in his hands."

"How did you manage to stay alive? Where did you get that mask?"

I considered the question, pondering if the Partygoer was still around. I listened for the slow sluggish steps of a docile Partygoer, and heard none. Reassured, I gave my response in a whisper.

"I'm not a Wanderer. I'm a Partypooper and the mask is a private matter."

There was a long silence before the Wanderer turned to face me.

"I didn't know you were one, sorry. I have never seen one before. Do you perhaps know if there's any other of you around here?"

"Not in Level Fun. Most of what remained of us were killed on Level 52."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

I didn't quite meet her eyes. I didn't want to. I know she couldn't see if I was in pain or happy or mad or any of that because I had a mask on. But it doesn't change the fact that I can't bear to look at her. My loss. Our loss. We were losing to begin with. We lost to the Partygoers who didn't deserve their victory. They say good always wins, but over here in Backrooms, evil always wins and I'm sick of it.

I'm sure she noticed that I was hurt by the mention of the Partypoopers losing The Fun War, and she said "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it'd hurt you."

This time, I turned my head to face her. "It's fine."

"I really don't mean to intrude or anything, but why are you wearing a partygoer mask?"

"Disguise." I said coolly.

In backrooms, there wasn't exactly a well known system of telling time, and barely a day and night cycle either. Not in most levels at least. There is no telling what time it really is at Level Fun. But I figured that if a Wanderer was hungry enough to eat a Partygoer cake, they must be starving by now. Getting a Wanderer out of Level Fun is no easy task. I can certainly leave Level Fun with a better chance of survival at most given times, but a Wanderer has no such luck. So, I decided to try something barely any Partypooper has done before. To collect pieces of present wrapping and huge boxes to disguise the Wanderer as a really big present. I instructed the Wanderer to stay under the table and never leave under any circumstances unless I returned, and then left to fetch the items.

There are present boxes scattered all throughout Level Fun, ribbons on party tables and wrapping on the ground. I spent some few hours picking those up before rushing to return back to The Party Room. At the time I returned, the Wanderer had fallen asleep and was thankfully still under the table and unharmed. I spent a few minutes in peace reassembling the boxes, taking them apart and forming a new box. I wrapped up the box in present wrapping and placed the lid next to the box. I then squeezed myself under the table and shook the Wanderer awake.

"You're back?"

"You think I was going to die or something?"

"No, I just thought it'd take you longer."

"Is that some sort of insult?"

"No! I was just...nevermind...What's with the present?"

"It's a box. If we want to get you out of Level Fun alive, you'd have to get into that box and let me put the lid over your head. I'll transport you out of Level Fun and then you can get out of the box."

She gave a tired yawn and blinked. I was getting quite anxious as the more time we spent in the Party Room, the higher the chance of us getting killed.

"We don't have much time! Those Partygoers could be anywhere and if they find you, then we're both dead. Please, come to your senses!"

She was clearly grumpy from the lack of food and the interrupted sleep, and in a daze, she slowly climbed into the box and sat down. I placed the lid on the box and wrapped it up in ribbon.

I leaned close to the box's wall and whispered loud enough for her to hear me speak, "Stay quiet. If they hear you, they'd suspect something is up."

I heaved a sigh and picked up the present and got on my way. Partygoers turned this way and that and none of them suspected that I was carrying anything other than a cake or a lethal present. They didn't turn to face me or even stop me. They simply walked on and ignored my presence. I sensed an exit nearby and rounded the corner to reach it. I take a deep breath and push myself in full speed to the wall, I go right through it and in a blink, I'm in another level with the present still in my arms. Level 11. I instantly calm down and slowly undo the ribbon on the present. The Wanderer brusts from the box and lands on the sidewalk of Level 11.

"Where are we?"

"Level 11. It's one of those safe levels. I'll try to find you some snacks. Just follow close behind."

I walked into a nearby skyscraper with the Wanderer close behind, just as the door slams shut.