THE BACKROOMS: Mystery of the Shrouded Halls

Chapter 1

As I fall through a seemingly endless, dark abyss, my fingers reach out to look for something, anything. But after a few moments, I feel nothing beside me. Nothing under me. What is happening? My body feels as if it is falling rapidly but floating all the same. I begin trying to scream, screaming for someone to help me, but nothing comes out of my throat. My heart begins to race as the cold nothingness courses across my skin, like a falcon gliding across the water. I can't tell if I'm being hit by a soft breeze or harsh winds. Where am I? What is this place? For the first time in years, I felt truly alone. Focus, I think to myself. You need to focus.

My name is Katrina Prescott. Great, at least I haven't lost my mind. I remember that whenever I feel alone or scared, I tend to repeat my name, a technique my therapist had taught me.

I rack my brain, trying to remember the last thing I was doing before I ended up in this lingo-like state. Was I hiking, like I usually do every Saturday? What day even was it? My mind races as I contemplate, as I try to remember. Suddenly, my train of thought is broken, and my body comes to a stop. The horrible ride of darkness was over. As soon as that happens, a sharp pain hits the back of my skull and ribs, which knocks the breath out of me.

The first thing I hear is a loud, almost deafening sound of buzzing ceiling lights. The now warm, humid air latches onto my clothes and skin. It takes me a few moments before I come back to my senses. The back of my denim jacket begins to feel wet, not only from sweat but from something under me, which seems to hold the source of this dampness. I begin to slowly open my eyes, until a blinding, white light stops me, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut, almost like a scorching sun. This was only followed by a horrible, rancid smell which begins to enter my nostrils.

"Ack! What is that smell..?" I gag, covering my mouth and nose with both my hands.

Whatever this smell is, it has a musty odor of mold and mildew, but most of all, it smells like wet carpet. I prop myself up onto my left elbow, which activates the pain in my head once again. The floor is damp but firmly cushioned all the same. I begin to stand up slowly, while attempting not to alert the aches in my joints. But as I get up to my feet, I nearly trip on my left foot, but manage to catch myself just avoiding the possibility of tumbling back onto the nauseating floor. Getting up seemed to have helped, as my eyes were beginning to get adjusted to the lights above me. I decide to check my surroundings. I hadn't even looked up yet, as fear was stopping me from doing anything else. Anything is better than what I just experienced, I think. I slowly begin to raise my head, hoping to see that I was somewhere I recognized, somewhere safe, but I was met with something far, far worse. All I could see was a maze of yellow walls with old, peeling wallpaper. It was the only thing I could see.

"Hello?" I yell into the halls. "Is anyone there?" No response. Was this some sick joke my friends had dragged me into? "Whatever prank you're pulling... it's not funny!" I begin to feel more and more anxious when, still, no response comes.

The air is still and silent, you could hear a pin drop from a few meters away. The bright, fluorescent lights still beat down on me, but my eyes don't close shut at the sight of them anymore. The sound of their hum-buzz, however, is starting to drive me insane. By the looks of it, this place has to be an abandoned building, maybe some sort of commercial establishment filled with empty offices. The wallpaper had to have been ancient, though, with small designs of lines and arrows painted on it, not to mention that most of it is peeling horribly. How could my friends have found this place? I think as I walk through the maze of yellow. Most of my friends are pure troublemakers, I'm the only one ever responsible enough to get them out of trouble, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't join in on the fun sometimes. We would drink at nearby bars, dance all night long, and they're honestly like family to me. Especially my best friend, Josephine. She practically took me in like a mother bear, as I was always too paranoid to make friends. She's a prankster, probably the biggest in our group, but I hope she wasn't the one who orchestrated this whole mess. At least, I hope I can actually find her around here.

I had been walking around for what felt like an hour. An hour! At this point, not even they could find me. I was starting to get angry and tired. But most of all, my paranoia was now sky high. There are no windows or doors anywhere, so no one could ever tell if it was night or day. "Alright, guys, I get it!" I yell. "You can stop now, it's over!" I had almost yelled out that last word so loudly my ears begin to ring slightly. My words echo throughout the walls. I begin to worry that, maybe, my friends weren't here. Was I kidnapped? Most probably. Did I die, and this is my purgatory? I've never really believed any of that afterlife stuff anyways. Where am I? No matter what it is, I need to get myself together.

After a few more minutes of walking, I find a lone chair in a spacious room. The seat looks old and wooden, with a deep maroon color, but it resembles a precious relic to my tired legs. A lightbulb hovers above the chair, which reminds me of those scenes in thriller movies, where policemen would interview criminals, except I actually wish there were people to talk to. Behind it are two other  hallways, leading out of the room and further into this place. Grime and mold stain the surrounding walls, which are evenly and very spaced out, it looks to be about the size of a conference room. Otherwise, there seems to be nothing else around. I don't trust the chair one bit, but what else is there to do? My legs yearn for a spot on this wooden throne. As I turn around to take a seat, I immediately notice something is off from the way I came. The passageway behind me had changed. It had changed almost completely. I watch in terror as I take a few steps back, only to knock the chair down. I turn around once more, to find that the two hallways leading out the room have turned into one. The rooms had changed.