The Backrooms: Descent into Madness

Chapter XXIX - La vie est drôle

The sun sparkled on a fine Sunner afternoon, unleashing the green colors of a grassy field. This field, in particular, is where I go to think. The roar of an engine resounded throughout the surrounding forest, and bursting from the bush was a black and red bike. I swung the rear wheel around to brake and flipped the kickstand down. Removing my keys from the ignition, I took off my helmet and took a breath of the fresh air that I lacked for so long in the Backrooms. The birds sang triumphantly and flitted between the trees. I set my helmet down on my bike and walked towards a stream that ran along the far side of the field. The sky would turn orange soon, and eventually blacken to nightfall. %#*&&* was out doing work, much to my dismay, but it did give me time to Journal. I sat on a large, column-shaped rock, and pulled my leather-bound journal from my backpack. "Hey old friend, man I wish I had you when I was in there. I woulda wrote so much." I carefully unbolted the leather binding and flipped to the next open page.

"I seldom know what to write in these, but I think I have a lot of material this time. I don't think I need to write about the Complex, I wish I could forget half of what happened there, but I'm sure it's a scar I'll wear quietly for the rest of my life. The return to normality has been extreme, I'm not used to the most mundane things. I almost went Smiler when I heard an ambulance the other day, and %#*&&* had to calm me down."

My pen ran out of ink, so I put it in my pocket and morphed my pointer finger to keep writing.

"It hasn't been all extreme. I got to see my mom again, that was a very emotional moment. I also got to see my brothers and Morgan. It was surreal seeing all the people I had come to terms with never seeing again, I almost didn't want to believe it for fear that I'd been dreaming. But after four months of normality, I feel a lot more assured that this isn't some kind of trick. The trees are greener than that hell could ever trick me into seeing. The real world is less of a place and more of a feeling. I know this is all real, it's just too... something. A good feeling, I guess. Well, I'll keep you updated on anything new or old future me. Logan out."

I put the journal back in my bag and went back to enjoying the natural world that surrounded me. The sounds of trickling water and rustling grass put me at ease. Footsteps from across the field made it to my ears, even through all the wind. I already knew who it was. I pretended I didn't know they were approaching until my eyes were suddenly obstructed by two hands. "Guess who~" A voice I knew and loved said in a singsong manner from behind me. "I could never guess," I said, morphing my finger back to normal. %#*&&* removed her hands and walked around to the front of the rock. "You knew I was coming didn't you," she pouted. "I missed you," I said, ignoring her question. "That doesn't answer my question, but I missed you too." she sighed. She climbed onto the rock next to me and took my hand in hers. "Writing in that journal again?" she asked. "Yeah, so much to document," I said. "You say that like you'd forget anything that's happened," she asked quizzically. I laughed. "No, I'm not actually writing the Journal just for me. It's for our future kids, hun." I told her. "I want them to know what I was like when I was young and the struggles I went through." She smiled at that, "Of course you are." I chuckled, "Don't act like you're not excited to go down that road either." "Whatever." She rolled her eyes playfully.

We both squeezed each other's hands and just felt peace for a while, before finally, %#*&&* spoke up. "We should probably head back home sometime soon baby, we don't want our apartment that we're paying so much for to go to waste," she said in a humorous tone. "I'll only be a while longer honey, you go on ahead." She turned and kissed me, before pulling back. She hopped off the rock and started walking back to wherever she parked her convertible. "I'll be sure to have dinner ready, babe." I smiled at her. "You are too perfect," I said. "I know~" was her quick response. The sun had sunken far in the sky and the colors of the sky grew dark. The stars peered through the shady veil. It was the perfect time. My body turned black and morphed into Smiler form. I left my two extra arms unformed. I hopped off of the rock and looked up at the moon. Swirls of black wispy mist rose from my body. I never did get the full hand of this form. I'm sure there's more it can do beyond what I've already done. I raised my right arm and searched my natural impulses for instruction. Suddenly, a white ball of blinding light grew into existence in my hand. Moments later, a beam of white light loosed from my hand, the recoil sending me back on one leg and forcing me to lean back. The beam sliced through the air above me and cut a cloud in half. "Fuck... hopefully no one saw that," I whispered, morphing into normal form and running to get on my bike. Speeding home for a fantastic dinner, with my favorite person, in a normal world where I am definitely not considered normal.