...So how about that recent Backrooms video by Kane Pixels, huh? Did not see that coming, at all. I really didn't think we'd be getting more Backrooms content for a long time, but *ooh* what a terrifying vibe! Terrivibing, if you will.

Anyway, who's up for some quality Dave time? It's not very long, I'm afraid, but I hope you like it anyways. I'll let you get right to it; see you at the bottom of the page!


Sink or Swim (phrase): a situation in which one must succeed through their own means, or else fail completely; often refers to a life or death occasion


As time went on, Dave found this watery new environment to be less and less pleasant. The water was lukewarm at best, making him feel clammy and chilly. It was no longer as refreshing as it had been before, either; back then, he'd had too little water, but now it was too much, and his skin felt bloated and wrinkly as he kept going forward. But most unpleasant of all was how the ceiling of this narrow canal had been lowering slowly over the course of his journey. He hadn't wanted to turn around and waste all of his effort, but now he worried that he couldn't turn around even if he wanted to.

The passage was so narrow and the ceiling so low that he was now crawling through the water on his hands and knees, stretching his neck back at an awkward level to keep the water from splashing up his nose. It was dark now, too; only the distant brightness of the hall behind him allowed just enough light for him to see the grooves of the tiled walls surrounding him. If the ceiling got any lower, he'd have to crawl backwards in order to get out, and if something had been following him- something he couldn't be sure of, due to the cacophony of water splashing against the tiles- he'd bump right into it, trapping himself in the progress.

All of this crawling wasn't easy, either. His own movements stirred the water, making it push and pull his body around in uneven rhythms. His water-logged clothes weighed him down, and he was so, so tired. Despite the noise and the tiny space and the pushing and pulling, it was just the correct series of sensations to start lulling him into a dream-like trance. He'd nearly dropped his face into the water several times already, just barely catching himself before he got a nose-full.

Despite the strangeness of the whole situation, there was almost something familiar about this place. His mind drifted along with the water, eyes half closed as Dave tried to remember what this all reminded him of. The tiles… the water… the constant, echoing splashes…

Memories started to form in his mind, shapes and colors that began to solidify into proper images: the school gymnasium in highschool, specifically, the swimming pool. Dave had always liked swimming, especially indoors. There was something almost ethereal about the bright lights overhead glittering across the constantly rippling surface. The deep, gorgeous blue of the water, the hypnotic scent of chlorine, and the strange feeling of the concrete pool ledge, rough and a bit slimy from the constant wetness.

When Rupert had suggested that they join the swim team together, Dave found he couldn't say no. He barely qualified, but that didn't seem to matter to Rupert. He'd been so thrilled that they'd both made the team, his joy infectious and all consuming. Even when Dave never ended up winning a single race, Rupert had helped him feel like he belonged.

He could almost imagine one of those races now; the droning cheers of people he didn't know, the taste of sweat and chlorine splashing against his lips, the sight of Rupert Price, fresh out of the water and shining like an angel as he waved his arms over his head, a blinding grin on his face and Dave's name on his tongue.

"You're almost there, Davie!" He shouted, waving his arms and gesturing for Dave to come closer. "You've got this! Keep going, Dave!"

Encouraged, Dave powered through; he was running out of energy, but the pool was only so long. He was getting there, closer and closer to Rupert.

…Wasn't he?

Something wasn't right. No matter how hard he swam, Dave didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Or maybe it was that Rupert was getting farther away? He was just out of reach, so close and yet so far, waving his arms frantically as he called Dave's name over and over. "Dave!" He shouted. "Dave!"

"I'm coming, Rupert!" Dave shouted back. Technically, he wasn't swimming the right way any more. He was supposed to dip his head in the water between strokes, but he didn't want to take his eyes off of him for a second. "Rupert, I'm coming!"

"Dave!" Rupert yelled, "Dave!" His voice sounded strange; high pitched and scratchy, catching in odd places as if his voice were slowly growing hoarse.

He was screaming, Dave realized, more terrified than he'd ever heard him in his life. "Dave! Dave! DAVE-!"

Dave's hand missed the floor and he lurched forward in surprise, dunking his whole head under the water.

He quickly managed to get back to the surface, coughing and spluttering and splashing helplessly. He wasn't in his highschool pool. He was in the dark, tiny passageway, and the floor he'd been crawling on seemed to have vanished beneath him, leaving him treading water that was deep, too deep. Dave tried to swim backwards, hoping to find the ledge he'd been crawling across for so many hours, but he was exhausted, barely able to keep himself afloat.

No- there was something else, too; something that sent bolts of cold, nauseating fear through his every organ. Something was pulling him down; not a physical something, but a sensation that dragged him down slowly, like a drain or a whirlpool. The water itself was pulling him down, farther away from the ledge and towards the bottom.

Dave splashed wildly, often slamming his hands and arms painfully against the walls and ceiling as he desperately tried to stay afloat, but it was no use. Dave was running out of strength.

He could hardly manage one more breath before he sank down, down, down, into the infinite, watery darkness.


Oops, you drowned, Dave! ...Or did you? You'll have to wait and see~!

Whenever I watch a video about exploring the Poolrooms, either for a let's play or someone's analogue horror skit, I'm always surprised by how often you end up crawling into very tiny spaces. Like... isn't that the worst possible option when you're surrounded by water? You don't need a lot of water to drown, so wouldn't it be better to stay in an open space where you can stand and get up easily if you slip? Just something to think about. Anyway, given how often that seems to happen in the Poolrooms, I decided to do something similar here. Dave would never willingly crawl into a tiny space of his own free will, so trapping him with his fear of losing progress in a space that happens to get smaller over time was my clever little idea.

Much like the boy scouts, Rupert convinced Dave to join the swim team with him! Such happy memories, up until that last bit. Good thing Dream Rupert was there to warn Dave in his own way, huh?

Anyway, that's it for this week. It's really short, I know, but I promise that things are about to get a lot more... interesting for Dave. And of course, we can't forget about Rupert! We'll be checking in on him next week; who knows what's going to happen with him? *Giggles evilly* I do~!

I'll see you all on that coming Monday. Until then!