Liminal 3: Shattered Dimensions

ASYNC

Adaliya stumbled through the woods, her breath ragged, her thoughts tangled with images she couldn't escape. Atty's distorted, monstrous form haunted her every step—the way his eyes, once filled with life, had become hollow, a part of the Backrooms. And Ben... she'd seen his body torn apart, his blood soaking into the damp carpet like it was feeding the nightmare itself.

The forest around her seemed eerily quiet, the wind barely rustling the leaves as her feet crushed the fallen twigs. Every crunch of the earth beneath her felt too loud. Her heart pounded, her mind racing. She had to get away from that house, from whatever it was that took Atty and Ben.

Then, voices.

Adaliya froze, her instincts screaming to hide. She crouched behind a thick tree trunk, holding her breath as the low murmur of voices grew closer. Two men in black suits, armed with radios, strode through the underbrush, not bothering to be quiet. They didn't see her, but she could make out the conversation.

"Another breach in Sector 5. Whatever got loose in there... it's not good."

"The higher-ups aren't happy. We've got to contain this before it spreads."

Adaliya's stomach twisted. She peeked out from her hiding spot, her eyes catching the logo on their car—ASYNC. The same logo from the research her dad once mentioned. The same name connected to all those whispers about hidden government projects. She'd heard enough to know this was more than a coincidence.

The men disappeared into the house—the same house she had just escaped from. A sinking feeling overtook her. They were involved. They knew about the Backrooms. About Atty.

Adaliya's fingers clenched into fists. Whatever was happening, ASYNC was behind it. They were controlling it, experimenting with it. And they weren't stopping, not even after people had died. She had to stop them—somehow.

She needed answers. She needed to expose them. And she needed to make sure that no one else would ever end up like Atty or Ben again.

Adaliya stayed crouched for a moment longer, her mind racing with what she'd overheard. Her body was shaking from exhaustion and fear, but something inside her, a spark of defiance, kept her from giving in. She had been through too much to just walk away.

The woods seemed darker now, the canopy thick above her. She pressed her back against the tree, trying to steady her breathing. ASYNC. They knew about the Backrooms. They were hiding the truth, controlling whatever twisted nightmare that place was. But why? What were they trying to contain—or worse, unleash?

She knew she couldn't just turn her back on it now. Her life had already been shattered by whatever ASYNC was doing. Atty, her childhood friend, lost to that place, transformed into something unrecognizable. Ben, who had trusted her, was now dead. And for what? A government experiment? A freak accident they were covering up?

Adaliya looked back toward the house. The men had disappeared inside, and everything was quiet again. She bit her lip, weighing her options. She could leave, walk away, pretend she never saw anything. But where would that leave her? And how many more would suffer because of it?

Her hands trembled as she glanced at the ASYNC logo on the car again. She had to know more. Whatever they were doing, whatever breach they were talking about, it was connected to Atty, to the Backrooms, to everything. She needed to find out exactly what they were hiding.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped away from the tree and backtracked, moving silently through the undergrowth. She needed to find a better hiding spot, somewhere she could watch and listen without being seen.

As she crept closer to the house, she spotted a basement window cracked open, just enough for her to peer inside. She knelt down, peering into the dimly lit room below. The two men in suits were standing near a bank of computers, screens flickering with data she couldn't understand.