Liminal 3: Shattered Dimensions

The Flower Room

Adaliya and the remaining researcher, panting heavily, burst through the "Staff Only" door. Expecting to find yet another dreary hallway or oppressive maze, they instead came to a jarring stop.

Before them lay a field of wildflowers, vibrant reds and pinks carpeting the ground. Tall white pillars stretched upward, supporting a ceiling far above their heads, giving the whole area an eerie, open-air feel. It was surreal—like stepping into a dream, yet the structure around them remained unmistakably part of the Backrooms. The flowers swayed gently as if a soft breeze passed through, though no wind could be felt.

"What the...?" the researcher gasped, his voice trembling.

Adaliya stood frozen, eyes wide, her mind racing to comprehend the shift in environment. The silence in this place was unsettling, almost too peaceful after the chaos and horror they had just escaped.

The ground felt soft beneath their feet, a far cry from the hard, sickly-colored floors they were used to. But something about this didn't feel right—it couldn't be. Not here.

"We... we have to keep moving," Adaliya whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.

She took a cautious step forward, the field stretching out into the distance, broken only by the looming white columns. The place looked infinite, yet confined. There was no clear path, no exit, only an expanse of bizarre beauty in the middle of this nightmare.

But just as they began to move, the flowers seemed to shift. Out of the corner of her eye, Adaliya thought she saw something—or someone—lurking behind one of the pillars.

"Did you see that?" she asked, her voice barely audible, the unease creeping back into her spine.

The researcher's breath quickened again. "See what?"

Adaliya's eyes darted toward the pillar, squinting. It was then she noticed something off—the flowers closest to the pillar were withered, as if drained of life.

Something was waiting for them in this field. Something worse than the Bone Thief.

She felt it watching.

Adaliya's pulse quickened as her eyes locked onto the withered flowers near the pillar. Something—no, *someone*—was hiding in the shadows beyond the columns.

"Sarah," Adaliya whispered, barely able to find her voice. "Stay close to me."

Sarah, still catching her breath, turned to her, confusion and fear clouding her eyes. "What? What did you see?"

Adaliya didn't answer. Instead, she began backing up slowly, her eyes darting from one pillar to the next, scanning for any hint of movement. The field that had once seemed peaceful now felt like a trap, an illusion of safety masking a deadly reality.

"Adaliya, talk to me. What's wrong?" Sarah demanded, panic rising in her voice. She kept her eyes glued to Adaliya, desperate for any sign of what they were facing.

"There's something here," Adaliya said, her voice strained, barely above a whisper. "I don't know what, but we can't stay still."

Sarah swallowed hard, her gaze following Adaliya's lead as they moved cautiously through the field, keeping their backs close to each other. The once-beautiful flowers now felt like they were closing in on them, like a predator watching from the tall grass.

The soft crunch of dead flowers under their boots was the only sound between them, an eerie contrast to the vast, silent space. And then, from behind a pillar—just barely visible—there was a flicker of movement. A shadow, too fast to catch, but there.

"I saw it," Sarah gasped, her breath catching in her throat. "It's—there's something there!"

Adaliya felt her heart race. She had been right.

Without warning, a strange whispering noise filled the air, as if the flowers themselves were speaking in a language they couldn't understand. The wind that wasn't there moments ago began to swirl around them.

"We need to move—*now*," Adaliya ordered, grabbing Sarah by the wrist and pulling her along, deeper into the field. They navigated between the columns, trying to avoid whatever was lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, Sarah yanked her arm free and stopped, pointing toward the far end of the field. "Look! There's a door!"

Adaliya squinted through the gloom, and sure enough, there was a metal door, almost blending into the wall at the far side. It looked old, rusted, and completely out of place in this bizarre, dream-like landscape.

"That's our way out," Sarah said, already starting to move towards it.

But Adaliya hesitated. Something wasn't right. The whispers had grown louder, almost insistent. It wasn't the field that was dangerous—it was the door. Her gut told her the moment they reached it, something would happen.

"Wait!" she called after Sarah, but it was too late.

Just as Sarah reached the door and reached for the handle, the ground beneath her erupted. The once-soft grass split apart, and a massive figure rose from below—a towering, grotesque creature made of knotted roots and decayed flesh. Its eyes glowed faintly with an otherworldly light, and its maw stretched open with a deafening roar.

Sarah screamed, stumbling backward, but it was too late. The creature lashed out with a long, vine-like arm, wrapping it around her waist and lifting her off the ground.

"Adaliya, help!" Sarah cried, her voice trembling with terror.

Adaliya ran forward, her mind racing for a solution. She had faced horrors before, but this—this was different. She couldn't leave Sarah behind. Not like Ben.

With a surge of adrenaline, she grabbed the nearest object she could find—a loose, jagged piece of metal that had been lying among the flowers—and charged toward the creature.

"Let her go!" she screamed, plunging the metal into the vine holding Sarah.

The creature howled, a sound that echoed through the pillars, and dropped Sarah, who collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

Adaliya pulled Sarah to her feet, and they ran toward the door together. Whatever was waiting beyond it, it had to be better than this nightmare.

As they reached the door, Adaliya hesitated for only a second before yanking it open. Behind them, the creature roared again, but they didn't look back.

The two women stepped through the doorway into another unknown—and the door slammed shut behind them.