Author's Note: Why yes, I am publishing yet another story that's been living rent-free in my mind for about a year.
So, the Backrooms is a concept that's intrigued me. I know why; I'm a big fan of psychological horror (and, really, just horror in general), so when it was trending some time ago, I knew I had to check it out for myself. And thus, I have been completely sucked in ever since—and that's why I'm writing this story now.
Now, for this story, I'll be following the wikidot version of the Backrooms, so if you notice any differences from what you know, that's probably why. However, if you notice a mistake that doesn't line up with the wikidot canon, please tell me!
And, now, one last thing before we begin:
TW: In general, this story will contain: liminal spaces, derealization, entities, (possible) graphic descriptions of injuries and death, and the other usual stuff when treading this genre. Warnings will also be put at the top of respective chapters.
With all of that said, enjoy the story!
The wet splash of a puddle broke the silence of the gloomy night.
Kaede Akamatsu was at a loss.
How could she not be? It had been a month—a month—since the disappearance of her best friend. And yet, here she was, trudging home from another failed attempt to organize a search party to find him.
The rain poured down harder now, making it virtually impossible for Kaede to see anything more than a foot in front of her. Deciding it would be too dangerous to trek any further, she made a beeline for the closest bench at the nearby park.
As she sat down, Kaede realized that the rain had thoroughly soaked her clothes. She sighed; she really wished she'd brought an umbrella with her right about now—or, at the very least, a warmer jacket because the thin sweater she wore right now provided minimal heat.
Pondering her situation—between having no luck with the police, added with the stress of not knowing if her friend would even be found at this point—tears began to prick the corners of Kaede's eyes.
(At least they'd be obscured by the rain.)
How could she be so useless? She couldn't even do something as simple as organizing a search party. She—
And suddenly, the rain stopped.
Kaede lifted her head in mild confusion, wondering what sort of forces just caused that to happen. She quickly realized, though, that it was just someone holding their umbrella over her head.
"Hey," the stranger spoke. "You alright?"
"Huh?" Kaede blinked, still recovering from the sudden intrusion. "Oh, um... Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just...thinking."
The stranger did not back down, however. "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?"
Kaede pondered over that question for a moment. On one hand, that meant she could finally get some sort of help with finding her friend. On the other hand, what if it just yielded the same results as the police? Plus, this was a complete stranger asking her this.
Ultimately, she decided that it was a risk she was willing to take, and scooted over on the bench. If nothing else, she could get her feelings off her chest.
The stranger sat down, adjusting their umbrella so that it covered the both of them now. It also allowed Kaede to get a good look at who exactly she was dealing with; the stranger was a man, soaked head to toe thanks to the heavy downpour. He had spiked-up violet hair and a small goatee to match, and wore casual clothing, along with a warm grin on his face.
Overall, he at least looked like a friendly person—whether or not that was actually true, though, was the question.
"So," he finally spoke, "what's going on?"
Kaede took a deep breath, both to calm herself and to collect her thoughts, before she started speaking.
"It's...my friend. He's been missing for a month now, and I don't know what to do. I'm trying not to assume the worst, but... And I've already went to the police. Multiple times, actually. And...And... I guess it makes sense why they aren't doing anything, now that I'm thinking about it."
The stranger furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"Well..." Kaede stared down at the damp grass underneath her feet. "Would you believe me if I said that I saw my friend fall through the floor?"
The silence that followed was almost defeaning, if not for the patter of the rain. Kaede briefly wondered then, if she should even had said that at all. But, then...
"...What if I told you I did?"
"Huh?" Kaede looked over at the stranger again, this time with a perplexed stare. Out of all the things he could've responded with, that was the one that really threw her for a loop.
"Look," Kaito elaborated, "I have something I want to show you. Would you mind meeting back here tomorrow afternoon?"
Kaede still remained a skeptical disposition, but she ultimately knew she wouldn't get anywhere unless she accepted. So, she gave a small nod. "Yeah, I don't mind."
The stranger grinned. "Great!"
Kaede didn't return the smile, too occupied with staring at the darkening sky behind him. "It's getting pretty late, huh?"
He looked up, then nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We should get going, then."
The two stood up and stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something. Kaede was the one to break the silence, saying, "Thanks, uh..."
"Kaito," the stranger supplied. "And you're Kaede, right?"
Kaede gave him a look. "How do you know my name?"
"Oh, I caught it on one of the posters that you put up around here." Kaito gestured vaguely in the direction of the street.
Oh. Right. Kaede almost forgot that she had put those posters up. Well, at least she knew his intentions now. I think.
"Right. Thanks, Kaito. Even if nothing comes out of this, I'm still really grateful that you decided to help me."
"No problem." Kaito held out the handle of the umbrella out to Kaede, gesturing for her to take it. "Night."
"Huh? Why are you giving that to me?" Kaede asked, raising her brow.
"You look like you need it more than I do. Besides, my house isn't far from here. And you can just give it back to me tomorrow."
"Oh. Are you sure?" Kaito nodded, and Kaede took the umbrella, a bit hesitantly, and mustered the best smile she could. "Goodnight."
Kaito nodded and waved, and with that, the two parted ways for the night.
.
.
.
The next afternoon, Kaede breathed a heavy sigh as she stared at herself in her bedroom mirror.
She decided she looked presentable; her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she wore a long and thick jacket with a pair of jeans.
However, upon closer inspection, Kaede noticed the tears on her face, now dried, from last night that hadn't gone away. So, she used some makeup to cover them up. Once she was satisfied, she took one last look at herself before grabbing her keys, phone, and Kaito's folded-up umbrella and heading out the door.
The way the sun beamed down on everything almost made it seem like it hadn't even rained hours earlier, if not for the dew that specked the leaves of the plants she walked past and the mud that her boots tracked.
Once she neared the park, a familiar purple-haired man waved at her in the distance. Kaede waved back at him and fastened her pace into a jog, only slowing down when she reached the bench he was standing by.
"Hey, Kaede!" Kaito greeted, grinning.
"Hey," Kaede replied. "Here's your umbrella."
Kaede held out the umbrella, which Kaito took with a grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem." Kaede sat down on the bench and looked up at Kaito. "So, what was it that you wanted to show me, exactly?"
Kaito took a seat as well and looked over at Kaede. "I've been doing some research recently, and it turns out that your friend isn't the only person that's gone missing. Apparently, a few other people in this town also went missing recently."
Kaede blinked. "Really?"
Kaito nodded and pulled out his phone. "Look at this." Kaede leaned over to peer at his screen to a website filled with "missing person" posters. "Six people from our town went missing in the past two weeks."
Kaede furrowed her brows. How come she hadn't noticed this before?
"It's like they disappeared into thin air. There were no bodies, no evidence of a kidnapping... Nothing. I tried looking for any sort of pattern, but... still nothing. They all have different ages, different backgrounds... Nothing that connects them."
Kaede watched as Kaito scrolled through multiple posters, and sure enough, each person was different from the next:
Aki Kasai, age 34.
Haru Taniguchi, age 65.
Toshiko Soma, age 11.
"That's...very weird," Kaede commented. "How can someone just vanish into thin air?"
"Yeah, it is pretty weird. But I have a theory about where they all could've gone. Ever heard of the Backrooms?"
"...The what?"
"The Backrooms," Kaito repeated. "It's kinda like an alternate reality, and... Here, I'll just show you."
Kaito did a bit of swiping before showing Kaede a photo on his phone.
The moment she laid eyes on the it, an uncanny feeling immediately settled itself inside of Kaede.
Everything about the maze-like space was off; the yellowed wallpaper that tried to seem cheerful, only to fall sideways into drab and headache-inducing, the inconsistently-placed fluorescent lighting, and the seemingly damp carpet. All of it was so strange yet so familiar all at once.
"It gives you the creeps, right?" Kaito asked. Kaede nodded. "And look at this."
Kaito scrolled down on the photo to show a small note attached to it. It read:
"If you're not careful and you no-clip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.
God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you."
Kaede looked back up to meet Kaito's gaze. "What the heck...?"
Kaito gave her a knowing nod. "You said your friend fell through the floor, right? I'm thinking he probably "no-clipped" into the Backrooms."
Kaede stared at Kaito long and hard for a moment at that statement.
"What?"
"Okay, I know I said that I saw my friend fall through the floor, but don't you think entering a completely different reality is ridiculous—and not to mention—impossible?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense when you look at all the evidence!"
Kaede rolled her eyes. "Even if the backrooms was a real thing, what was the point of showing me all of that if there's not even a way to get there and find my friend?"
"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you."
"...Huh?"
"Well, I'm not sure if it'll actually lead us there, but I wanna at least try finding an entrance to the Backrooms. So, will you help me?"
Normally, Kaede would have turned down an offer like this. Normally. However, she was desperate at this point, desperate enough to throw herself into a situation that had the slimmest chance of being successful.
"Fine," Kaede finally spoke. "But only because I want to find my friend. And after you answer this: what do you get out of this? I mean, you could go by yourself if you really wanted to, right?"
Kaito rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess so, but... I understand how you feel. I also had a friend of mine go missing not too long ago. Similar circumstances, too. Fell through the floor. And even if I can't find her, I want to at least help someone else find their friend. ...Or family member. Or whatever. You get the gist."
Kaede remained silent for a long minute. Then, she nodded and stood up. "Alright, I'll help you. But assuming this place is real, we should be prepared. Plus, I want to do some research of my own. I'll meet you back here tomorrow morning, okay?"
Kaito rose to his feet as well. "Right! I'll bring a camera so we can document our journey!"
Kaede turned to leave, but stopped to briefly look back at Kaito. "Thanks again, Kaito. I really appreciate all your help."
Kaito chuckled. "Of course! See ya tomorrow, Kaede!"
The two waved goodbye and parted ways once again. This time, however, Kaede made the trek back to her home with newfound hope and optimism.
Maybe, just maybe, she would finally find Shuichi.
.
.
.
The first thing Kaede did when she got home was search up "the Backrooms" on her computer.
She did manage to find the website where the photo Kaito had showed her was posted. Unfortunately, that's where her research ended. The original poster was anonymous, meaning that Kaede couldn't trace back an account to message.
Crap.
Okay, no worries. She could still at least pack for the trip.
And so, that's what she did. Kaede started by opening her bedroom's closet to see a white backpack hanging on the wall directly in front of her.
She grabbed the backpack and examined it, checking for wears and tears. It looked okay for the most part besides the fact it was a bit dusty, and that made sense considering she hadn't used it since high school (which...wasn't that long ago, but still). After brushing it clean, Kaede crossed her arms and thought about what she should bring.
Oh, snacks! Kaede exclaimed to herself after a bit. They were probably going to be out for who knew how long, so they'd need something to keep up their energy.
So, she made her way to the kitchen and began searching for any non-perishable snacks, like granola bars and crackers, placing them into her backpack. Kaede made sure to pack them strategically, ensuring efficient use of space and to keep the snacks from getting crushed.
As she finished packing the snacks, Kaede's eyes landed on her light pink water bottle that sat on the counter across from her, reminding her that she should bring some water, too. As such, she temporarily abandoned her backpack to grab the bottle and fill it with tap water from the sink.
Walking back over to the table where her backpack sat, Kaede slid the water bottle in the side pocket for easy access. She then walked over to the fridge, retrieving a couple of regular water bottles from inside and placing them inside the backpack, too.
"What else...?" Kaede mused, staring at the small bit of space still left in her backpack. Then, it occurred to her: her music player.
It was more for herself than anything, but Kaede needed something to distract herself if needed.
So, Kaede took her backpack and promptly made her way back to her bedroom. She went over and sorted through her mess of a dresser until she came across the palm-sized device, along with the earphones that came with it.
Kaede carefully wrapped the earphones around her music player, then put them in her backpack.
Kaede took one last look at her backpack, and once she was satisfied with everything, she zipped it up before placing right beside the door for convenience.
Kaede let out a heavy sigh as she looked around her bedroom. It would all be worth it, she told herself.
(Hopefully.)
.
.
.
The early morning mist created an unsettling atmosphere as Kaede stepped out of her house the next morning.
Nonetheless, Kaede didn't let that falter her and continued on to the park. Eventually, when the park was in her view, she saw that Kaito was already sitting on their designated bench.
"Morning," Kaito greeted as Kaede walked up.
"Hey." Kaede waved, then gestured to her backpack. "I've packed everything we need. Ready to go?"
Kaito hopped to his feet. "Yep! and I got the camera!" He pulled a small camera out of his pocket, flashing it at Kaede for a second, before putting it away. "Did your research?"
"Kinda. I did find where the photo you showed me yesterday was posted. I couldn't find anything else beyond that, though."
"Yeah, I kinda assumed that would happen... But, hey, it's not a big deal! Just follow me. I'll take you where we need to go."
Kaede obliged, and the two set off. Their destination wasn't too far from the park, only about a five to ten minute walk. The destination itself, however, was... questionable, to say the least—a group of abandoned and dilapidated buildings made up a "complex" on the outskirts of the town.
"Well, this doesn't look sketchy at all..." Kaede commented, then turned to face Kaito. "I feel like I should mention that I'm carrying pepper spray on me."
"This isn't anything weird, I promise," Kaito assured. "It's... Do you remember that photo mentioning something about "no-clipping?"
Kaede quirked a brow. "Yeah...?"
"Well, apparently, that's how you enter the Backrooms."
"Meaning?"
"It's basically like teleportation. You pass through something like a wall, and... Actually, I think it'll be easier to see for yourself. Let's start searching and let me know if you seen anything out of place!"
Kaito started marching off into the complex, and after a moment's hesitation, Kaede followed.
The sound of their footsteps echoing was the only noise that carried through the desolate place. Kaede clutched the straps of her backpack as she began to look around.
Nothing particularly interesting caught her eye except the random debris from the buildings gathered in clutters on the ground. Still, Kaede couldn't help but feel like something off about this place.
"Alright, this place is giving me the creeps," Kaede voiced as a cockroach scurried past her feet. "Are you sure we should be here?"
"Of course!" Kaito assured, peeking around a corner. "Oh! I think I found something, Kaede!" He disappeared down the corner, and Kaede followed with a grimace. The two continued down a narrow corridor that led to an open space, bordered by the buildings.
Kaede began to open her mouth to protest, once again, that this place was creepy and they should leave immediately, but something odd suddenly caught her eye.
A large shadow was cast on the wall parallel to her and Kaito. Kaede couldn't quite put her finger on the exact reason why, but she knew it defied the laws of physics somehow.
"...What?"
"This was the no-clipping thing I was talking about," Kaito explained, gesturing to the shadow. "Well, apart of it. It's supposed to take you to the Backrooms if you interact with it."
"Oh." Kaede stared at the shadow for a good moment before looking over at Kaito. "Well, you first."
"Right, okay!" Kaito steeped himself and slowly put his hand up to the anomalous shadow. Nothing happened, however, when he touched it directly. "Huh."
"Well, that didn't work," Kaede muttered, putting a hand to her head. "I guess we should—" She took a step back, only for legs to give out from under her, causing to stumble. "WHOA!"
She plunged into a brief darkness, only vaguely aware of what was happening. No light. No sound. Nothing.
And then...
Author's Note: And with that, the first chapter comes to a close. Thoughts? Questions?
Obviously, this is the introductory chapter, so from here on in, the chapter length will be longer. How much longer? I'm not sure yet, actually. Guess we'll find out together next chapter when we enter level 0.
And if you feel like chatting about this story with me (or just talking to me in general), feel free to find me at strawberrymixt on Tumblr.
And that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time.