While Thomas slept "peacefully," on the outer edges of the UBSS Base, a group of six wanderers met up.
"Alright, let's do a headcount. Amelia?"
"H-Here!"
"Anika?"
"Here~!"
"Andrew?"
"I'm here!"
"Alexander?"
"Yo."
"And finally, Jiminy?"
"Here."
"Looks like everyone is here. Good." A roundish man with gold-rimmed glasses ticked off his checklist. Out of everyone in the group, he alone was calm and collected. Also, his travel gear was much better than the other wanderers wearing civilian clothes. All sorts of items hung from his backpack and body, like a vial with strange liquid strapped to his wrist.
Another day, another lesson in the life of Michael the teacher.
"Umm, can we call you 'Mikey' for short? That's what Hannah calls you."
One of the male students raised a question.
"No. I forbid anyone from doing so, even Hannah. She simply doesn't listen."
Michael went on to explain the purpose of today's lesson.
"There are multiple safe Levels that you can go to. Remember them well since if you ever feel like the Backrooms is too much to handle, you can always go to one of them to relax. Let's go to one now. Umm, and before I forget..."
Michael was carrying a bag. From within it, he pulled out five notebooks, one for each student.
"Here's an early Christmas present."
Backrooms Survival For Dummies—Version II x5
"Woah, there's so much information..."
"Hounds, Facelings, Skin-Stealers..."
"Negative levels exist too?"
Seeing his students flip through the pages excitedly, Michael chuckled and said, "I wrote an older version for Hannah. She's still alive today because of it, which should speak volumes about how helpful the book is. I figured giving out copies would benefit everyone. Make sure not to lose them."
"Thanks, Sir Michael!"
"'Sir Michael?' I like the sound of that. It's better than 'Mikey,' that's for sure."
A grin crept up Michael's face. Being a teacher and feeling respected—this is how it should be!
Energized, Michael enthusiastically led the group away from the camp, determined to show off as much as he could.
The Level door they were heading towards was far, so Michael had plenty of opportunities.
"With the knowledge that safe levels exist, so too do Levels that will kill you, eventually or instantaneously. Take this door, for example. The rune marking on it reveals that it leads to Level ###. I wrote the gritty details in the book."
The sound of rustling paper followed.
"He's right! A Level with nothing but Saharan deserts will kill anyone who stumbles into it without proper preparation. I know I would, and that's with loads of prep time."
"Sir Michael, have you been there? You know, since you've written about it."
"Like you, I was once a student before becoming the teacher I am today. Eventually, you too will visit Level ### just like I did and safely escape using the knowledge I'll pass on."
"Woah... the exit conditions are pretty harsh. You're pretty amazing to have done them, sir."
"Haha, it was no biggie."
Slowly but surely, someone's ego was growing.
The group rested in the middle of the tunnel an hour from base camp. Newly no-clipped wanderers didn't have the same endurance as someone who has survived the Backrooms for years.
Michael was a relatively round man—but not because of fat. All the nutritious moth jelly and traversing different levels bulked him up. However, he looked rather plump since he was covered head to toe in thick clothing.
"15 minutes are up. Let's keep going, everyone."
This time, the group moved at a slower pace.
"Make sure y'all have enough energy to run away."
"In the Hub, Sir Michael? But I thought hostile entities couldn't come in here. Even the book said so."
"Did I stutter?"
"Yes, sir—I mean, no, you didn't, sir!"
Finally, the group reached the Level Door they were looking for.
Michael pulled out a Level Key from his pocket, which was lent to him by Rupert. With a twist, the runes on the key and the door glowed with a magical light.
The door subsequently opened. Michael confidently walked in.
One by one, the group followed.
"Amelia, what's wrong?"
Jiminy was about to enter the door when he noticed his classmate staring into the distance.
"I thought I saw something..."
"Pfft."
Hearing Jiminy hold his laughter, Amelia furrowed her brows.
"What?"
"Well, even if you saw something, no hostile entities can come to The Hub because of the Keymaster's powers. That's what Sir Michael said on the way here, remember? Even the Survival for Dummies book had the same information written in it."
"..."
"Were you not paying attention?"
"A-Are you calling me dumb?! Of course, I was paying attention! Don't rush me for answers!"
Red-faced, Amelia hurried through the door.
"Hey, I didn't say that! Don't leave me alone!"
And Jiminy followed after her. Behind him, the Level Door shut on its own.
...
...
...
"They went in."
"They didn't see you, did they?"
"No. They were too busy listening to their teacher instead of keeping their guard up. Typical newbie behavior."
"Good. We have a rare opportunity before us."
The shadows of men emerged from their hiding place. They would stalk their prey no more. The time to hunt was approaching.
"Let's get ourselves a Level Key, shall we?"
.
******
"Why did you call me here, Mister Rupert? Can't we do this later?"
"You didn't return with the supply group."
Inside a military tent in the UBSS Base camp, Rupert was sitting behind his desk. A headache-inducing amount of paperwork surrounded him, but now was not the time to do them. Before him was a woman impatiently tapping her foot.
"How is your arm?" Rupert replied, his eyes landing on the hastily wrapped bandages around the woman's left arm.
The woman turned her body to the side, hiding her injury. "I'm fine. I wasn't looking where I was running."
"I heard that you shoved one of our men out of the way of a charging Skin-Stealer."
"Yep."
"Then you lured it away."
"Just the usual."
"You were gone for hours."
"Well, it was pretty noisy while chasing me. It attracted more entities, so I just kept running and hiding."
"Hannah." Rupert spoke sternly. "Don't pull another stunt like that again. It's not wise to make an old man worry."
"Okay, sorry."
"Next time, please use the gun. It's not for decoration."
"I got it already."
Rupert leisurely drank a sip of almond water. Once he put his cup down, however, the air around him suddenly shifted.
"Have you heard of the news?" he asked before sighing. "That was a stupid question. Of course you haven't. It hasn't been long since you returned."
"What news?"
"There's a new entity. Ah, but not just any entity. A sentient and powerful one has begun roaming the Backrooms."
The tapping of the woman's foot halted.
"Damn, another one? Are they one of the good ones like the Keymaster?"
Rupert stroked his imaginary beard as his voice deepened. "You should know by now that none are truly 'good.' We still know too little about their goals, and the power they possess is not for our benefit. You will get killed if you overstep their boundaries... or worse."
"Alright. Geez. Always so serious."
"It's my responsibility to teach youngsters like you to survive this wretched place. Deal with it."
"I'm not a youngster. You're just ancient!"
"Shh! There's more."
With a stern look on his face, Rupert continued. "Speaking of the Keymaster...he was the one to share the news."
Hannah tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Here." Rupert reached inside a drawer and pulled a sheet of paper out. He handed it to Hannah before speaking with a weary tone. "The Keymaster visited me earlier today. He made posters of the entity's appearance and requested that we spread it around the other Levels as much as possible. I suspect the Keymaster also gave posters to the other organizations in the Backrooms."
Rupert sighed. The Keymaster suddenly appeared like a ghost and politely requested his cooperation. Poor old Rupert lost years of his lifespan from the shock.
Whoever told Hannah that the Keymaster was good must have never met the entity in person.
"Anyway, this is the first time since humanity entered these lands that the Keymaster, or any sentient entity for that matter, requested our help. I shouldn't need to tell you how important such an occasion is."
The sentient entities in the Backrooms differed from the typical Hound or Faceling. They were intelligent, powerful, and mysterious.
In the Backrooms, they were gods.
To have a god owe you one was a huge deal.
With apparent curiosity, Hannah scrutinized the poster made of high-quality paper.
-----------------
WANTED
ALIVE ONLY
{UNKNOWN}
-----------------
Half of the wanted poster was filled with big, bold letters. The image of a humanoid entity filled the remaining space in the middle.
"..."
Hannah stopped breathing the moment she laid eyes on that thing.
It was an entity clad in dark, twisted armor that glowed with an ominous crimson light. As she stared longer, she found the term 'evil' more and more fitting to describe the demonic being in the poster.
"Rather frightening, is it not? Just picture running into that thing in any Level, even the safest one. Nightmares would be the least of my concerns. There must be a solid reason the Keymaster is after it."
"..." Hannah didn't respond.
"There's no official name for it yet, but I'm sure someone will say one that will stick. I called for you since I heard you've been wandering the Backrooms for the last five years. You may have seen or heard about this entity. If any information ever comes to mind, please tell me."
"..."
"Hannah?"
Despite having her name called out, Hannah continued staring at the poster.
"Hannah, what's the matter?"
"I... I think I've seen this entity—"
Her words were cut short.
Suddenly, a man rushed into the military tent.
"Is Hannah here?!"
"Nick? What's wrong?"
It was Nick who barged in. His eyes frantically looked around while sweat rolled down his face. When he saw Hannah, he said, "Finally, you came back! Why weren't you with the main group?! They returned hours ago! I've been waiting for you!"
"Shit happened, I got chased, et cetera, etc." Hannah shrugged. "Why are you here again?"
"I was getting to that. Something's wrong with Thomas!"
"...what?" Hannah dropped the wanted poster. "What do you mean? Where is he?"
"Passed out in the medical tent!"
"WHAT?!"
In the next moment, Nick felt a rush of air blow past him. He followed the figure of Hannah sprinting away, but she soon disappeared from view.
Aaaand there she goes. Nick plopped down on the floor to rest. Phew. I haven't run that fast in ages. I should exercise more. Being stuck in a classroom marking homework all day isn't good for the body...
Upon looking around the tent, he finally noticed the other, much older man in the room who stared at him with an odd look.
Nick hurriedly stood up. "Principal Rupert! How are you this fine, er, morning/afternoon/evening?"
"A bit late for that, don't you think?"
Seeing the apologetic look on Nick's face, Rupert decided to sway the topic elsewhere. "I heard you've found young Thomas. That's good. Is he alright?"
Nick shook his head. "I don't know. He collapsed the moment I saw him. The doctor didn't find anything wrong with him, but he looked exhausted."
"Hmm. He truly is unlucky, being born into this death trap. No one who roams these lands are safe from the dangers of the Backrooms. But look on the bright side. Since Thomas is unharmed, he could simply be tired from running around. Children are curious creatures by nature, especially young... Facelings." Rupert said the last part with an odd tone.
Nick didn't notice. "I can only hope."
The conversation between the two men quickly turned awkward.
With nothing else to say, Nick turned to leave.
"Uhh, I'll go see myself out. I still need to review some study materials."
"Wait."
Rupert called out. His voice was low, like a deep rumble of the Earth. With a gulp, Nick faced the principal once more.
"Y-yes?"
"I'd like to clarify something with you. Old age has made me forgetful, so if you can explain it to me, I'll be grateful."
Oh, it's nothing serious. Phew. Nick felt relieved. The principal sounded so serious just now, so he worried he had done something wrong.
"Nick?"
"Ah, sorry! Can you repeat the question? I didn't catch it the first time."
"I asked if a wanderer can meet another in Level -1."
What an odd question, thought Nick. Why the sudden interest in that place? Does he want to settle there as well?
The Hub, the place they were currently in, and the Negative Hub, AKA Level -1, were two sides of the same coin. One had doors that primarily led to positive levels, while the other had doors that primarily led to negative levels. The former was an interconnected tunnel, while the latter was a never-ending hotel hallway.
They are essentially the same. But if the principal wants to set up camp there, then...
"It's impossible," replied Nick after taking a moment to remember the details.
"Why is that?"
"It's because every wanderer who enters Level -1, even if they went in a group, gets sent to their individual hotel hallway. Unlike other levels where the space is infinite but still connected, making it possible to meet with other wanderers, Level -1 places individual wanderers in their respective hotel hallways that extend infinitely. You will never meet another person there. Never." Nick emphasized.
"Are you certain?"
"Almost absolutely certain! There are no records of a wanderer meeting another in Level -1, so that could be the case. Although, it isn't rare to encounter entities like Hounds or Facelings."
"I see. Thank you for the quick lesson, and sorry for holding you up."
"Oh, no! It was a good mental exercise for me. I haven't touched the subject of Negative Levels in a while. This just reminded me what to revise."
By the time Nick decided to leave, he had recovered most of his strength. He waved Rupert goodbye before heading back to his classroom.
Left alone, Rupert took time off the paperwork to ponder.
"Impossible, he says..."
The UBSS was a small organization dedicated to educating newly no-clipped people. As such, information was always in high demand.
Hannah, who has spent the past five years wandering the Backrooms, was someone who could provide said information.
—You spent most of your time in the Negative Levels?
—I just found myself there one day. Maybe I no-clipped through the floor while sleeping since I don't remember explicitly trying to make my way there. It hasn't been long since I got back to the normal Levels.
—This is an unexpected harvest! You have to tell us everything! Everything!
The Negative Levels were not only more unstable than their normal counterparts, but they were also hard to escape. Information regarding that area was scarce and highly valuable.
After a week, Hannah produced a small book detailing her experiences. That same book was on Rupert's desk, half-read and half-open.
He flipped to the end, short of a few pages.
—I had a very realistic nightmare in Level -1, and when I woke up, that was when I first met Thomas.
According to Hannah's book, she met Thomas more than two weeks ago. Hannah must have been excited to finally have a companion after 5 years of solitude, so she wrote down everything she observed about Thomas.
Ignoring the fluff, some elements caught Rupert's eye.
The ability to see in the dark, knowing the Level behind a door with a glance, and most importantly...
Never once was Thomas afraid. That was the biggest giveaway.
Facelings are entities of the Backrooms, but they are far more human than one might think. Nothing alive is ever fearless in a world of nightmares, not even the uncanny.
The fearless are foolish, and fools don't last long.
Yet the foolish boy lives. The boy was, at the very least, far more than what he seemed.
Rupert looked at the wanted poster and flipped it. Hannah was too concentrated on the image on the front page to notice the additional information at the back.
---------------
[Last Seen: The Negative Hub/Level -1 two weeks ago.]
[Highly Dangerous. Never engage.]
---------------
"The dates match..."
Rupert rubbed his throat. The phantom feeling of a blade pressed against his skin returned to haunt him.
.
.
.
*****
Run!
It all happened too suddenly.
Run as fast as you can!
They had just finished exploring Level 39, a relatively safe forest Level with no hostile entities. It was another successful lesson for Michael and his students.
The moment they went through the door back into the Hub, they found themselves surrounded by a large group of armed wanderers.
It took one look for Mikey to understand that they had fallen into an ambush.
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out in the tunnel. A body dropped to the floor.
"...Amelia?"
Mikey heard the voice of one of his students. But there was no response. Amelia didn't respond.
"How did you miss the fucking teacher?! Kill him!"
Mikey didn't have the privilege to look over his shoulder. Before he knew it, his hand had moved on its own and crushed a vial strapped to his wrist.
"Cover!" he screamed behind him.
In the next second, a bright light assaulted everyone's vision. Apart from the UBSS group, everyone else reacted too late, and the sudden flashbang immobilized them.
"Run! Run as fast as you can!" Mikey screamed.
"No, Amelia! What about Amelia?!"
Amelia's body remained unmoving. She lay on the ground face down, a growing pool of blood coming from her head.
"There's nothing else that can be done! She's gone!"
"But—!"
Mikey sprinted away. Words be damned, he made it clear that he wouldn't—theycouldn't stay any longer.
He felt his stomach twist into a knot. Leaving Amelia's body behind made him sick to the core. However, no one would make it out alive if they didn't run now.
Hesitating for but a moment, his students then frantically followed suit.
"Wait, Sir Michael! This isn't the way back to base camp! It's the other way!"
Jiminy realized that they were heading in the wrong direction and spoke up.
"I know that!"
Just as Mikey finished his sentence, another group emerged from the tunnel's opposite end.
"How did they know we were waiting here?! Go after them! Don't let the Level Key get away!"
An ambush on top of an ambush! The students all thought the same thing. It frightened them that they could've run to their deaths instead. There are so many of them!
The UBSS class group was vastly outnumbered. A group of six, now down to five, against two groups of ten hardened wanderers with a gunman was an unwinnable situation. All they can do now is keep running.
"Whenever you feel out of breath, drink a sip of almond water and keep running!"
The students did as they were told. Running for one minute had already caused their bodies to break down from exhaustion. After sipping some water, they regained their energy, and their slowing pace regained their vitality.
"This is... how is this possible?!"
"It doesn't matter how. Don't stop running, or all your exhaustion will come crashing down. Even I can't help you then."
"But what about their gun?! They can shoot us dead even if we run!"
"They can't." Mikey peeked behind him before clicking his tongue. Their enemy was using the same tactics to chase them down. "Because they're in the same situation as us."
The chase was on.
Despite sprinting for fifteen minutes, passing hundreds of doors, neither group had yet to lose steam. No shots were fired during this time, just as Mikey stated. Nevertheless, the pursuit remained. This had now become a battle of attrition and supplies.
"I ran out..."
"Have some of mine. We're almost there."
"Thanks... Sir Michael..."
Ten grueling minutes later, a specific door in the distance caught Mikey's attention.
"There! We will lose them there!"
Mikey pointed at a faraway door. Jiminy and the group thought it looked similar, and they weren't wrong.
"It's the same Level Door we went through earlier!"
"Did we run in a circle?"
"No. The Hub has multiple copies of the same Level Door. This is one of them." Mikey spoke.
"You led us here on purpose...! As expected of Sir Michael—!"
*Bang!*
Another gunshot echoed throughout the tunnel. The sound, like thunder, struck fear deep into the hearts of the newbies.
The tunnel they were on was longer than normal. The one thing that a gunman needed the most was time to aim. It wouldn't do if the target were to turn a corner and disappear just as you look down the sights.
Time was essential.
And in a tunnel stretched longer than usual, your target isn't going anywhere. No corners to turn. No distractions. Just the stillness before the shot.
They had no cover.
In the distance, the gunman showed a victorious smile before passing out from exhaustion.
"Fuck!" Mikey cursed as he tumbled to the floor. A searing pain drilled through his thigh and carved into his flesh. His left leg refused to move the way he wanted to as the fabric of his clothes was dyed a dark red.
""Sir Michael!""
The group stopped in their tracks. Mikey was their guide, teacher, and, most importantly, leader.
"No, don't stop! Remember what I taught you, and take this!" Mikey tossed the Level Key to his nearest student. Jiminy caught it, but he didn't continue running.
"Go! What are you waiting for?!" said Mikey.
"You guys go first."
Jiminy passed the Level Key to someone else. He downed his remaining almond water and pulled Mikey off the floor and onto his back. His cheeks were noticeably bulging. He stored all the almond water in his mouth.
"You can't...!"
Jiminy didn't respond. He ran as fast as he could while carrying Mikey. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps spurred him on. His muscles screamed for rest, but he endured it and kept pushing himself forward.
Every time he felt himself slow down, Jiminy gulped down a portion of the almond water still in his mouth. With Mikey on his shoulders, it was more frequent than he wanted to, but he persevered nonetheless.
The other UBSS students reached the Level Door and slammed it open. "Hurry! Get your ass over here! You can do it!"
"Listen to me, Jiminy..." Mikey's words were now nothing but a whisper. A combination of blood loss and the discontinued consumption of almond water was now taking its toll. Even if he wanted to push himself off, he didn't have the strength to do so. "I'm just dead weight... You've done your best... Leave me..."
Jiminy's movements slowed to a standstill. However, with one last gulp, he downed the remaining almond water, replenishing his energy.
He grunted. "Sorry... I can't do that!"
As he sprinted across the tunnel, Jiminy could see his vision distort. It started from the peripherals; he slowly lost sight of what was around him.
Is this my limit?
The beating of his heart rang loudly in his ears. His body felt warm all over, whether from exertion or from the blood of his teacher trickling down his back. Jiminy wasn't a machine, and almond water wasn't all-powerful. He was bound to inevitably crumble.
More... I'm so close...
His classmates had disappeared inside the Level Door. It wasn't their fault. Once they stopped to rest, they were out cold soon after.
More...
The footsteps behind him were getting louder. Jiminy didn't need to look back to know that their pursuers were almost upon them.
...I'm alone.
Slowly, the Level Door began to close. The glowing runes on its surface flickered, gradually dimming.
I can still...
Perhaps he could make it if he went for a mad dash forward. But that would mean abandoning Michael.
No, we can still...
Jiminy unwaveringly held on to his hope. His mind remained set even when he couldn't take another step forward. Even when the distortion spread from his peripherals to everything but the path forward, he held his head high with determined eyes.
In a way, it was pure insanity.
Finally, Jiminy's vision went completely dark. He passed out from the avalanche of exhaustion.
But he was mistaken about one thing.
The distortions in his peripherals were not the result of his exhaustion, nor were they an illusion.
"What the fuck—?!"
"It's... it's...!"
"Fall back! FALL BACK!!!"
It started as nothing more than a slight distortion on the walls. But as she moved closer, the mellow light of the tunnel vanished into a whirlpool of shadows.
The pursuing wanderers quickly retreated after seeing such a phenomenon. They didn't know what or why it was happening, and they weren't willing to stay to find out.
Nutrisha materialized into being.
"I hear humans."
The minor disturbance attracted her attention. She glanced at the fleeing wanderers and stepped forward in their direction.
"Always. They run. Listen not."
She was just about to chase after them. However, when she saw the two passed-out wanderers on the floor, Nutrisha had an idea. She no longer deemed it necessary to chase after the humans running from her.
"They need help. I help them. They help me. This will work."
The distortions cradled the unconscious Michael and Jiminy. They engulfed her as well, and they all disappeared into another place.
Nutrisha knew nothing about human biology. She didn't know how to heal a person, much less keep one alive.
But it didn't mean she was stupid. If she couldn't help the two humans...
"What the fuck is that?!"
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!?!"
"JINX! I SAID IT FIRST! ANYWAY, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"
"CALL THE PRINCIPAL!!!"
...she just needed to find someone who could.
Distortions descended upon the UBSS camp, the closest human settlement in the area.
The sleeping Thomas didn't stir.
.