The Morning That Changed Everything
The dawn had been deceptively peaceful. Alan Woods trudged down the sidewalk, his backpack slung over one shoulder as the crisp morning air nipped at his cheeks. School loomed ahead—another monotonous day of lectures and half-hearted socializing. "Maybe I'll skip third period", he mused, kicking a pebble across the pavement.
Then, the ground betrayed him.
One moment, his foot pressed against solid concrete; the next, the sidewalk rippled like liquid. A gasp tore from his throat as the world beneath him dissolved. His body lurched downward, swallowed whole by the earth as if it had been waiting for him all along.
The Yellow Hell
Alan awoke to a sterile, buzzing nightmare.
Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, their harsh glow reflecting off endless yellow walls—monochrome, suffocating. The air reeked of stale carpet and something metallic. He scrambled to his feet, heart hammering. "Where the hell am I?"
Two hours.
That's how long he'd wandered the maze, his breaths growing ragged. Every turn led to another identical corridor. His wristwatch spun wildly, its hands jerking in nonsensical circles. Time meant nothing here.
The Recorder's Warning
A glint of plastic caught his eye—a tape recorder duct-taped to the wall. Alan snatched it, fingers trembling as he hit play.
A man's voice, crisp but weary, crackled through the speaker:
"If you're hearing this, you're not in Kansas anymore. Or Earth, for that matter. This is Leo Mercer, Commander of the Human Defense Force. You're in the Backrooms—specifically, Level 0. Congratulations, kid. You've won the cosmic lottery."
Alan's stomach dropped. "Backrooms? Level 0?" The terms meant nothing, yet everything.
Leo's voice continued, methodical: "Your only way home is forward. Find a wall with… visual static, like a broken TV screen. Phase through it—yes, 'phase.' You'll enter Level 1. Look for the next recorder there."
A pause. Then, almost as an afterthought: "Oh, and Level 0's mostly safe. Entity spawn rates are low here."
Alan exhaled. "Mostly safe. Okay. I can work with—"
"…Though 'low' doesn't mean zero."
The Duller
A thud echoed behind him.
Alan whirled around. At the end of the hall, something lurched toward him—tall, emaciated, its ink-black limbs twitching at unnatural angles. No face. Just… hunger.
Leo's voice turned grim: "Meet the Duller. Fast. Ravenous. If it's here, run. Don't look back."
The recorder clicked off.
The Duller's head snapped toward Alan.
Run. Fight. Survive.
Adrenaline scorched through his veins as he sprinted, the Duller's guttural shrieks nipping at his heels. He skidded around corners, eyes darting for the "static wall." "There!" A patch of air shimmered like a mirage—
A wooden crate materialized underfoot. Alan crashed to the ground, supplies exploding across the floor: a canteen of almond water, an emergency axe, and a small blue stone that rolled to his palm.
The Duller lunged.
In blind panic, Alan slammed his fist down—crushing the stone. A surge of blue energy erupted, snaking up his arm. Lightning crackled under his skin.
The Duller struck.
Alan swung.
Electricity detonated from his knuckles, hurling the creature backward. It screeched, smoke curling from its chest. "Holy shit. I just—"
But the Duller wasn't done.
The Kill
The fight was brutal. The Duller moved like liquid shadow, dodging his wild punches. Alan's muscles burned; his newfound power drained him with every spark.
Then—an opening.
He seized the axe and swung.
The Duller's head hit the floor with a wet thud. Its body crumpled.
Alan collapsed, gasping. The axe slipped from his numb fingers. "That stone… gave me this power. But it's killing me too."
Gritting his teeth, he stuffed the remaining supplies into his bag and staggered toward the glitching wall. "No time to rest."
With a final breath, he stepped through.
Level 1: Habitable Zone
The world reassembled itself into a sprawling warehouse—forklifts rusting under flickering neon lights, catwalks veering into darkness. Somewhere above, a broken staircase led to nowhere.
Leo's voice echoed in his mind: "This is just the beginning."
Alan clenched his crackling fists. "Let's see what else this hell has in store."