THE BACKROOMS: Mystery of the Shrouded Halls

Chapter 21

The smell of salt and fresh air enters our nostrils through the door above us. We pry open the large wooden box using Lilah's long, slim, pointed knife and inspect the contents.
"Holy.." Damien begins. Inside is what can only be described as 'heaven' in this dreadful world. About 10 bottles of Almond Water and metal boxes of food are placed evenly inside, and, most importantly, 3 large red boxes titled 'Med-Kit' are in there as well. And finally, a large plastic bag filled with thick, green marshmallows lies in the corner. "What's this?"

"These.." Charlotte opens the bag and takes one of the marshmallows out. "Are greasy marshmallows.
I almost gag at the name, and an expression of disgust washes over Lilah's face. "I don't know why they're called that either," Hayes says. "But you're supposed to eat them melted, or else eating them solid may have a negative effect on your body. However, if you melt them down a little and eat maybe.. 10 of them, you gain a lot of energy. This is valuable."

Charlotte and Lilah use the contents of the Med-Kits to patch both my leg and Damien's arm. "There are more boxes in the water out there.." she says. "We'll have to go back and get another. We got really lucky this time.. these boxes are extremely rare."
Charlotte and Hayes had been looking for something so valuable, just for us. Joy, more people I won't be able to get over if I lose them.
"I don't know how to thank you.." I say, before Charlotte pops a marshmallow, melted by some Almond Water, in my mouth. "You don't need to.. you saved me, after all."
"Sure.. it's my job to protect you all, as well," says Hayes, hiding a smile behind his face.

Hayes tells us we'll have to stay in this cluttered room, the 'entrance,' as most people call it, while all our wounds and scratches heal. He said it would take 4 days, judging by me and Damien's bites, and how long it would take for them to heal.
"4 days!?" I exclaim. "Do.. do we have time for this?" Hayes and Charlotte tell us we have all the time in the world.
"Sector 11 is one of the biggest M.E.G bases in the Backrooms. Don't worry, it won't run off anywhere."
"Yeah, and it's necessary that we rest," Charlotte replies. "Because we'll have some swimming to do." Lilah shudders when she hears those words, and Damien and I look at each other worryingly.

"Well, here's the thing," says Hayes. "For some reason, there is a property in this Sector, in which an individual can hold their breath for much, much longer than usual. About an hour. The bad news, is that we'll have to go underwater. The good news.. we actually have a chance to get through this."
There's a moment of silence, before Hayes's next words fall into our laps.
"...if we avoid the Thing on Level 7."
He explains that something named 'The Thing on Level 7' is a giant aquatic entity, which is actually a 'myth' in the Backrooms, so it may or may not be real.
It will eat practically anything that's alive. But it has been rarely seen, up to the point that these have only become lowly rumors among Wanderers. Real or not, thank god we didn't come across that thing, because the stories that Hayes and Charlotte tell us about it are petrifying. And that could be a problem, along with the trip underwater, in just 4 days.

"I think I need some sleep," I say tiredly. I lie down on the couch and kick my feet up, as the others keep each other company. "Are you sure she can swim? Especially with that kind of injury?" I can hear Lilah ask. But I just ignore it. Slowly, I focus of the sounds of the waves above, and drift off to sleep.

***

I knock on Josephine's door and wait patiently on the porch. I can already hear the commotion inside. Huh, her parents must be busy today, I think to myself. Josephine and I are both 22, but still live with our parents, since we're both confused and uncertain with our futures. Thankfully, we were accepted in each of our households, and even found some jobs we could possibly work in.

Suddenly, the door is opened by Mrs. Hallbaker, Josephine's mother. "Oh! Katrina, what a surprise!" She exclaims. We hug each other and she invites me inside. "Josie is in her room, if you need her. Would you like anything from the kitchen?"