Survival: The Backrooms

Level 0

They crept along behind the caravan, Zach's heart pounding as they neared the alleyway. Kevin, on the other hand, wore a wide grin and peered around the corner with eager curiosity.

"What's wrong?" Zach asked, hoping to quell his own growing sense of dread.

Kevin furrowed his brow. "There's nothing there. No people, no weapons, nothing."

Relief washed over Zach, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. "Maybe they turned around and we missed it. We should go."

But Kevin, undeterred, dragged him back into the shadows. "No way, dude. We have to find out where they went."

Zach hesitated, knowing the risks of getting caught by the militia. "I don't know about this, Kev. What if we get hurt or--"

But Kevin was already striding deeper into the alleyway, searching for any sign of the militia. Zach followed reluctantly, his eyes scanning the shadows for danger.

"Kevin, come on," he whispered urgently as they reached the end of the alley. "We have to go. The bus will be here any minute."

Kevin whirled around, his face alight with the thrill of the chase. "Just a little further, man. We're so close!"

Zach sighed, knowing he couldn't convince Kevin to turn back now. As they pressed on, his fear turned to frustration. "There's nothing here, Kev. We lost them. Let's get to camp."

But Kevin shook his head, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the alley. "They were here, I know it. We just have to keep looking."

Zach watched as Kevin disappeared around a corner, his heart sinking. He knew there was no stopping him now. All he could do was follow and hope they made it out in one piece.

Eventually, they reached the end of the alleyway. Only a few feet lay stretched before them and then a plain brick wall. Kevin kicked the dirt in front of him. "Dang, I knew it was too good to be true."

Zach felt a huge weight off his shoulders. He sighed in relief and placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, it's ok. We can have tons of adventures at camp. We might even see a bear!"

"You think so? Maybe I can tame it and keep it as a pet!" The excitement was already coming back to Kevin.

"Y-yeah..."

They started to make their way out of the alley when they heard it. The mechanical rumbling from before, only this time it was headed right towards them.

Zach's voice caught in his throat. "What are we going to do?" he hissed, his words strained with fear. Who knows what they'll do when they see them poking around where they're not supposed to?

The backed up slowly, getting closer and closer to the dead end. They saw the bright lights of the cars ahead. Marching. Shouting. Just about to round the corner.

Zach's fingers clenched around his backpack straps as he took another step back. Suddenly, his foot slipped off an edge, and he toppled backwards into a void of darkness. The wind rushed past him, stealing his breath as he plummeted into nothingness.

For a moment, it felt like everything had come to an end. There was no sound, no light, no hope. Just a crushing sense of emptiness that swallowed him whole.

The first thing Zack saw when he came to was yellow wallpaper. 

He groaned and pressed a hand to his throbbing head, trying to piece together what had just happened. The impact of hitting the ground had left him dazed and disoriented. As he slowly came to his senses, he became aware of a deafening hum that filled the room - the fluorescent lighting overhead buzzing like a swarm of angry bees.

Looking around, he saw that the walls were painted a sickly yellow, their surfaces smothered in peeling, damp wallpaper. The floor was just as damp, and when he got to his feet, he felt his jacket clinging to him, reeking of mildew and mold.

He staggered backwards, trying to make sense of his surroundings. This had to be a dream, a nightmare. But the clammy, damp air that filled his lungs and the moldy smell that stung his nose were all too real. His heart began to race. This was no dream. He was trapped in this decaying, forgotten place, with no idea how he'd ended up here or how he was going to get out.

The next thing that came to his mind almost gave him a heart attack. 

"Kevin?" He yelled, nervously. His voice was as shaken as he was. "Kevin!" He yelled again, louder. His voice bounced off the maze of walls and came back to him. The only thing he got in response was the continuing buzzing. It was unusually loud, like the lights could explode at any minute. 

He took a step forward, but his foot got caught on something. He looked down. His bag! He still had his bag! He practically dumped everything out, searching for something, anything, to save him from this terrible nightmare.

He finally just turned the bag over, shaking until he heard the loud thump of his phone crashing to the floor. Quickly, he dove for it. It came to life at his touch. A wide smile grew across his face as he opened it up and attempted to call the first name that appeared in the contact list, but any hope he had left in him was shattered with a robotic voice, telling him his call could not be connected. He pulled back and looked at his phone. No service.

No service.

No hope.

He was trapped, and he was alone.