Liminal roaming: a backrooms adventure

The Unseen Bond

The flickering sign pointed us down a narrow corridor. "Exit This Way." The words seemed to shimmer, both promising salvation and foreboding danger. Ash's flashlight cut through the darkness, revealing rusted pipes and peeling paint. Ash led the way. His steps were measured, as if he had memorized every inch of this level. I wondered what secrets he held—what memories of the world beyond the Backrooms haunted him.

"Where are we headed?" I asked Luna, my voice barely audible. She glanced at me, her blue eyes reflecting uncertainty Level 4. But it's different now. The walls—they remember us."
I shivered. The Backrooms defied logic. Time flowed like molasses here, and memories blurred into nightmares. I remembered my own descent—the flicker of fluorescent lights, the metallic taste of fear. But Ash and Luna? They were mysteries wrapped in human flesh.
Ash halted, his gaze fixed on a broken mirror. Its glass was cracked, revealing fractured reflections. In one shard, I saw myself—a girl with tangled hair and eyes haunted by too many levels. In another, Ash stared back, his expression unreadable.
"Remember," Ash said, his voice low. "Nothing is as it seems. The Backrooms—they twist reality. Trust no one." "Not even you guys?" I asked "Yes, no one" ash replied firmly. Sometimes I wonder if  my friends are real people or not.

As we turned another corner, Luna gasped. A door stood ajar—a portal to who knew where. The exit? Or another trap. Look at this portal! Maybe it's the Exit! I shouted. Don't go in there, it's probably a trap, ash said. "But it's our chance," Luna argued. "We've been wandering for so long. Maybe—"

Ash stepped closer, his hand on Luna's shoulder. "The Backrooms play tricks," he said. "They dangle hope like a noose. Trust me."
I remembered the skin stealer, its stolen faces contorted in agony. The Backrooms were a predator, luring us with false promises. But Luna's desperation tugged at my heart. She had lost something—someone—beyond these walls.
"Listen," I said, my voice steady. "We're not alone. Remember the people we saw? The ones who vanished?"
Luna nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "We have to find them," she said. "And maybe—just maybe—the Exit is where they went."
Ash's grip tightened. "Or it's a trap," he insisted. "The Backrooms feed on hope."
The door beckoned, its edges blurred. Luna hesitated, torn between her longing and Ash's warning. I understood both sides—the ache for home and the fear of deception.
"We'll go together," I said. "Step by step. If it's the Exit, we'll find our way out. If it's a trap, we'll face it together."
Luna's resolve hardened. "Agreed."
Ash's eyes held mine. "Don't trust anyone," he repeated. "Not even me."
And so, we stepped through—the three of us, bound by unseen bonds. The blinding light enveloped us, and Luna's melody faded into the abyss.