[IC] Backrooms: The Thing that Breathes

Hunger Counter

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@Squirrel98 = 0

@Xandrya = 3

@Ocelot79 = 1

@Vertigo = 2

[Estylwen]

Backrooms: The Thing that Breathes

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B.?.102

@Squirrel98

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Amanda appeared to have found herself in a school. The air was musty with the smell of chalk. The greenish fluorescent lights marked the wall down the hall. The floor was glossy and well-polished. She could hear the sound of buzzing fluorescents almost everywhere she turned.

Exploring would reveal that she was in a small school indeed, or a part of a school. On the left side was a cafeteria filled with white benches and unlimited food in stainless steel containers, along with trays, cardboard plates, and plastic utensils. At the back of the cafeteria was a door with an ‘Employees Only’ sign written on it. Most noticeable about this door was the large, green exit sign above it.

On the right side, leaving the cafeteria was a glossy hallway lined with lockers and doors. These doors opened easily enough, with four on either side. Each led into small classrooms filled with wooden desks and plastic chairs.

At the far right, at the end of the hallway, was a staircase leading down to a door. This door also had a large exit sign over it, illuminated in the semi-darkness.

All the while, Amanda could feel something watching her. Two resident stuffed animals also resided in this level.

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B.?.108

@Ocelot79

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After wandering what appeared to be hallways in the daycare, Lucas would eventually find himself in a new place entirely. The air was humid and warm, with the gentle hum of a filtration system as water was pumped through the pool in front of him. About two meters ahead of him was a ladder that led down into the pool, marked by painted cement pillars in the pool.

The room itself was tiled, with plastic clouds hanging from the ceiling. Tiled pillars supported the structure of the room. However, one appeared to be slightly glitched. There was an illumination of sunlight around the corner, which one could only reach by entering the pool, which was waist height, and walking past the orange and green painted faces. Around the corner there were windows that only bore illumination, almost blinding to look at. And at the end of the pool, past the windows, was a dark tunnel.

Although the pool water was heated, one had to be wary of the cold spots; best to stay away from those.

Looking right from the pool ladder, Lucas would find a sandwich in a plastic bag and a candy bracelet on the floor, completely dry and fresh-looking. Past the sandwich, there was tiled floor that followed the pool, leading to a door with a green exit sign over it.

Within the room, there were also two stuffed animals, ever-watching.

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C.G.114

@Xandrya

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Eerie comfort.

That's the impression Michelle would get after entering the Swan Room. The carpeted floor was covered in three inches of water, cool and sterile on her feet. The carpet and walls were a mismatch of pinks, with orange-framed paintings hanging along the hallways. Useless light switches presented themselves on certain walls, where flicking them did… absolutely nothing.

Unfortunately, due to the wet nature of the floor, there were no obvious food sources to be found.

if one squinted, they could almost assume they were in a hallway of a home, or a hotel.

As Michelle entered the level, she would find the hallway split on her left side, revealing another hallway with a swan and a plastic table floating gently in the water. Beyond the swan was a wooden door with an exit sign above. If she continued walking straight, without entering the split hallway with the swan, she would be met with straight hallway, a metal door, and an exit sign above.

Right near the metal door, there was a series of dots and lines drawn in black spray paint.

What it Said

.. / .... --- .--. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.- -. --- .-- / .... --- .-- / - --- / .-. ..- -. .-.-.-

Two stuffed animals were in this level as well, watching her.

[Lexisheeps]

Hello

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B.?.102

@Squirrel98

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There it was again. That smell. The smelly smell that smelled... of putrid human scent. It reeked, and pierced through his tiny nostrils. Causing his already grumpy demeanor to sour even further. His own scent trails being dampened much to his annoyance.

Little ear holes underneath his prickly rainbow fur, listened, intently... Silence was not broken by spoken verse. Perhaps I will be quiet. Mr. Squiggles thought to himself, in a rather hopeful monotone. And perhaps they'll make a good snack! The cupcake I had was stale. The fluff worm considered, as a slight rumble danced about his mid area.

The little worm wondered which direction the human would take. Left? Up? Well, in his case, the humans were always up. After a moment of all his pondering and grumbling, Mr. Squiggles uncurled himself from his resting spot under the stairs. The illuminated exit sign cast his shadow along the lower wall, as he inched slowly along the floor.

So the hunt had begun again, and so did a new game.

Meanwhile, a not so vicious entity was considering a few hiding spots. And there certainly were a few good spots to choose from! Under the table? Next to a discarded food tray? A high squeak of a voice might have caught Amanda's attention, Wait wait, I know! But no such luck. Zuzu kept all thoughts silent, then positioned quickly.

Once settled, Zuzu didn't squeak, Let's be friends! The little voice would have been eerie in every sense of the word, being the only vocalized noise beyond the clumsy movement of Mr. Squiggles and buzzing of broken lights. A cute little, Forever and ever and ever! was not verbally uttered.

Upon entering the Cafeteria, if Amanda chose to play, she'd notice the little stuffed unicorn sitting suspiciously out in the open. Directly in front of the employees only exit. Not a sound would be made upon physical inspection, but once placed down and human back turned, Zuzu had every intent of finding a new spot to hide.

Can we be friends? I like making new friends! The unicorn lay quietly waiting, obvious to Amanda's doomed situation... and thought up ways to exploit the woman's fears.

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B.?.108

@Ocelot79

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Upon Lucas' arrival into the poolroom, a childish tune and chaotic splashing of water abruptly stopped. That smell...

Human?!? Mr. Squiggles' temper flared as he started squiggling his way to a cold spot in the pool. The little guy just wanted his bath time to be unbothered, and so he hissed happily, "Daddy, come play!"

A cute little melody rang out as a particular rainbow stuffed animal sang a merry little melody, "Splashy splash! Splash! Splashy splash like a fishy fish fishy! Fishy fish! I swim swim swim like a fish! La la splash!"

But the voice Wormy had used, was merely mimicking Maria's, Lucas' daughter.

The ever mischievous Wormy the Squiggles wasn't the only one enjoying a nice bath. Angelica's voice cracked against the hummed silence, "The water feels great! Won't you join me, Lucas? I'm over in the deep end."

The voice the bear was using? Carried a beautifully thick Spanish accent.

The comment had been sincere, about the water being nice. The delightful water the backrooms had provided, deserved praise. It helped keep the place clean after all. But where exactly in the pool was the talkative teddy bear? A warm spot down at the end of a slide. Somewhere between two vibrant shining windows. Rather deep water as well.

"Be wary of the cold spots, my dear." Angelica added after a silent moment, "They litter the pool like little polka dots."

But could the friendly voice be trusted? No, not really. Would Lucas avoid the water altogether? It'd be in his best interest. If the water was ignored, Angelica couldn't be bothered, nor Wormy. The bear felt they would be too wet on land to attack. And Wormy? Well, the worm just wanted a bath.

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C.G.114

@Xandrya

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"Oh hello, my dear!" A deeply dapper squeaked voice rang out, "How are you today?" It was Angelica, and the teddy was incredibly happy to get some new company. The bear was currently mimicking Michelle's husband. But what would she think of the room? "It's a lovely shade of pink, isn't it?"

The question was sincere, and so was Angelica's tone of voice, despite it's stolen human charm. The bear sat directly on the back of a swan, but the voice echoed evenly above room. "Though, I admit the black paint is a bit off setting." The bear continued to falsely comfort the human, "Still though, it really is just a marvelous hue! Glistens gently under the water, floats high within the ceiling."

But Angelica wasn't the only entity in the room.

"I think it's an awful shade." Came a bit of a grumpy tone that mimicked Michelle's youngest brother.

And the response made? "You think everything's awful." While mimicking Michelle's oldest brother.

Bickering. Perhaps from a couple who've lost their child to the backrooms. The argumentative voices seemed to be coming from somewhere near the ceiling. Wilbur and Winston was part of a skyline of sorts. Being a cloud and rainbow stuffed children's toy.

Angelica didn't bother to break up the bickering, but did offer, "How about some lunch, my dear." While still using the husband's voice.

"We have some gum!" Came a cheerful rainbow's sing-songy tone... but character had been changed. This time, the voice was Leila's. A replica. A pirated copy of a little girl's voice.

"But it's stale, mommy..." Just like you'll be.

[Squirrel98]

Amanda Lewis
@Estylwen@Lexisheeps

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If only she had chosen another place for her son to stay at while she worked. If only she had brought herself to find a father for her child, then one of them could have stayed home with Nigel. If only, if only, if only. Amanda could think of several ways to have prevented this situation. However, now it was too late. She did wish that she had hugged him one last time. Even though she still saw Nigel that morning, she could hardly remember what his warm embrace felt like. She needed him with her to feel safe. This wasn't safe. She felt a failure as a mother that she needed her child to feel safe herself. It was selfish of her. What wasn't selfish was her running into a building, following the screams of her helpless child. She needed to be strong for him. She needed to find him. That's why she wouldn't show any sign of weakness to whatever danger was waiting for her. This would grant her the biggest chance of actually finding the boy that was probably crying for his mother somewhere.

Inside the building she couldn't see Nigel or anything or anyone that reminded her of the place she had left her child at that morning. The smell was strong and the floor was so bright that it almost blinded her. Her fear of not being with her son or anyone else for that matter and Nigel's scream that kept repeating in her mind were both starting to get to her. But it was too soon to give up. It was too soon to show any kind of weakness. She just got there, and for all she knew maybe she could leave at any moment. It wasn't Halloween yet, but maybe they had planned an activity of some sort. To scare the parents? It wasn't likely, but she wanted to think that way.

Slowly, being highly alert, she walked towards the cafetaria. Inside was more than enough food for her to stay there for a longer period of time. How long were they planning to keep her there? An eternity? Was she supposed to stay there... alone... for all of eternity? She couldn't take that. She needed to find Nigel and leave. For all she knew, the food could be poisoned. Amanda immediately decided to leave the food there until she could no longer bare the feeling of hunger. She noticed the 'employees only' door that turned out to be an emergency exit, but that could be a trap. It had to be a trap, it was way too easy. In front of the door she noticed a stuffed animal. Did one of the children leave it there? It wasn't Nigel's, but maybe one of the other children was here? In that case, she couldn't leave that child alone. 'Hello?! Is anyone here? Did anyone leave this here?' She looked around. There were shadows and squeaks, but no people. She was still all alone, without anyone to comfort her with their presence.

'So what are you doing here? Did someone leave you here all alone?' She whispered to the stuffed animal. Her hand softly rubbed the unicorn's head as she showed a little smile. 'I wish my childhood had been happily enough to share it with someone like you.' She whispered as she turned her back. Where was she supposed to go? The exit door was too suspicious. There was a hallway connected to the cafetaria and it seemed that it also had a door with an exit sign at the end. That was too suspicious as well. And then which exit door was the correct one? Were both of them correct? Or maybe neither? Maybe she should inspect the classrooms?

[Xandrya]

It was terribly cliche to believe this place to be a dream, or rather, a nightmare. But what other explanation could there possibly be? All she wanted to do now was hold Leila in her arms and take her home, let her know that she was safe under mommy's embrace... But the voices, they mocked her, in a way that was strangely too personal for comfort.

"Shut up!" Michelle finally snapped, hands at either side curled up in fists due to the uncontrolled anger of not being able to just see her daughter. "You're playing a sick game that I want no part of!" Her chest was heaving up and down just the slightest as she looked at each of the exits. "Where's Leila? Where's my little girl?" She did not know just yet what the encrypted phrase was supposed to read. Off the top of her head, she figured that the metal door was the one to go through as it was harder to solve.

"Do I get a clue for this?" Her tone was a bit more normal now. The water covered her feet up to her ankles, but as annoying as it was to image having to deal with entirely soaked shoes, it wasn't her priority.

[Ocelot79]

Lucas thought that he had been in an accident and was knocked out. The room he was in was nonsensical, and made him feel sick. He stopped and tried to recall what had happened before and after arriving at the daycare, trying to pinpoint the exact time he must have been knocked out. He knew that the daycare wasn't normal that day, but none of the events that had transpired beforehand were anything out of the ordinary. Moreover, this wasn't feeling like a dream in the first place. Everything was too vivid and life-like for it to be a dream.

The pool in front of him was a bizarre sight and added to the unease of being in that room. The room itself was warm, an indication that the water below wasn't freezing cold or perhaps that there was heating somewhere close to him. Yet he couldn't spot the source of the heat. It made no sense because the daycare was never that warm or damp, it was as if he was in a completely different place altogether. Combined with the dark tunnel across, the room gave the feeling that it was an abandoned area somewhere underground. Even the light that was coming from the windows seemed artificial. For a moment, he thought that this was all an elaborate prank, but this wouldn't explain how he went through corridors within the daycare to arrive at this place. The hallways were too lengthy and too straight to fit in that building or even within an entire building square.

What seemed like a strange dream immediately turned into a nightmare when he heard his daughter's voice coming out of a stuffed doll. Lucas looked at the doll, completely stunned and unable to understand what he was perceiving. Surely his daughter's voice couldn't be originating from there, and then why was he hearing his daughter in the first place?

Baffled and infuriated at the same time, he leaned closer towards the pool of water, trying to understand what he was looking at. The place was making him sick and he would prefer not to get down there and swim towards a dark tunnel if he could avoid it. It was obvious that his daughter was not in the room, even if he could hear her voice. After some thought he moved away from the ladder and picked up the plastic bag and the bracelet, which seemed just as out of place. He then walked towards the door with the exit sign.

[Estylwen]

B.?.102, The School Room

@Squirrel98

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The longer Amanda denied the cafeteria food, the more tantalizing it appeared. Metal trays of waffles and fresh toast wafted through her senses. The drizzle of cinnamon and caramel, the fresh goodness of melted butter. Every second that ticked by, the food appeared more and more appetizing, as if the room was beautifying itself for her.

The room could sense her indecision, and, through an act of trying to be ‘helpful’, a sudden clap echoed through the school as all the classroom doors slammed shut. Even prying at them with a crowbar wouldn't get them to open.

There was sudden pressure at the far window near the stairwell that led to the far exit.cracks appeared along the window. Pressure built. Until, with a terrible crack, water began gushing through the shattered remains of the window, filling the hallway. One inch, than two, covering her feet, and getting the stuffed animals wet.

If she continued to remain uncertain, she would drown in this school…

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C.G.114, The Swan Room

@Xandrya

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The plastic swan in the room watched through lifeless eyes as Michelle spat at the stuffed animals. And, at Michelle's desire for a clue, the swan almost seemed to bob happily up and down in the water.

The room hummed, waiting patiently, expectantly. It was up to the entities within, after all, to help or hinder their human guests.

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B.?.108, The Polkadot Pool Room -> P.G.107

@Ocelot79

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With the plastic bag and bracelet pocketed, Lucas found no resistance as he opened the door.

What greeted him was a strange sight indeed. There was a beige carpeted floor that spread out down the hallway in front of him. The walls were painted like a fence, with a painted sky behind it. A few stickers of a dog and a fire hydrant decorated the walls.

To his left, Lucas would find a steel door with an exit sign over it. Behind him remained the door he had entered through, an exit sign hanging above on this side as well.

What was in front of him was the most interesting part, however. A steel double door, resistant to be opened by any traditional means. Pushing or pulling didn't make the door budge. Even throwing all of one's weight against it accomplished nothing.

No, there was something very specific needed to open this door. Like a puzzle…

On Lucas' right, he would find scribbled along the painted wall in black spray paint a coded message.

What it Says

--- -. . / .-.. --- -. --. / -.- -. --- -.-. -.- --..-- / - .-- --- / ... .... --- .-. - / -.- -. --- -.-. -.- ... / --- .--. . -. / - .... . / -.. --- --- .-. .-.-.-

In this room as well, there were stuffed animals present…

[Lexisheeps]

B.?.102, The School Room

@Squirrel98

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A certain squiggles hadn't gotten very far before the water started down the hall. Bath time? He thought, but then a cheerful, "Whee, slide!" Escaped him as the rushing water reached him and carried him down the hall.

With the water's strong odor and his sudden bout of happiness, the worm completely forgot the Amanda human was even in the room. All sounds he made, however, sounded exactly like a replica of Nigel's voice. Even if unintentionally. Would Amanda notice the familiar giggles within the hall? Would she?

The words repeated in Zuzu's mind's eye, I wish my childhood had been happy... The ponycorn had heard all sorts of last vocalizations from wounded, dying, scared parents. Had a bit of a soft spot for the more repentant ones. However, as a chaotic neutral, the ponycorn didn't try to comfort the woman.

And the minute Amanda finally turned around, cried out, "Mommy!" with Nigel's distinct tone of voice. Zuzu was competing with Wormy's vocalizations. The pony wanted the mother's attention, for good or for worse, and knew full well that the worm would only attack her...

Cherish, "I love you," what you have before it's gone, "Mommy!" always. The unicorn was now sitting next to a fresh pile of sandwiches, as if beckoning the woman to eat before she perished. But the top sandwich, though appeared at first glance to be strawberry jelly preserves... was actually filled with blood. Blood that oozed over to cover smooshed spiders.

Hmm, tasty.

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B.?.108, The Polkadot Pool Room -> P.G.107

@Ocelot79

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Upon entering P.G.107, Lucas would see six little stuffed platypuses. Two of each color. Two, two, and two identical stuffed animals. Replicas of themselves. The stuffed animals did not move upon the human's entrance into the room. They had finally solved the mysterious puzzle and wanted to assist him.

So they sat frozen in time. On the floor. Three separate colors of the six. One pair of three sat quietly before door number one. And the replica trio sat before door number two. But both trios of the stuffed animals were placed rather particular.

One lay against the door longways. The short little body extended itself to the best of it's ability. The other two? They curled in on themselves as they sat close together. Against the door as well. So close, close enough to touch. It looked almost as if the two were hugging, but there was just the tiniest gap between bits of fuzzy fluff fur.

The three eggbutts and their zombie copies laid silent, not wanting to give any verbal clues to Lucas. If the man got on his hands and knees to examine the eggbutts, he would hear soft little quacks. First the long stretched out one, a moment of silence, and then the two cuddly ones in quick secession. One quack each. One quack per puppyduck.

Visual Clue:
__________
| door way |
| door way |
| door way | Quack? Quackquack?
| door way +`
| door way |
| __ __oo__ |

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C.G.114, The Swan Room

@Xandrya

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Michelle's outburst affected the three stuffed animals in the room. Being told to shut up, was an automatic silencer for Wilbur and Winston. The floating duo suddenly became stationary. At a quick glance, a human would probably assume they hung from the ceiling from clear string. But there was no string, no support. The pair lingered in the air, as if frozen by time itself.

The calmer tone the mother took, pleased a frustrated Angelica. If the bear had been able to move it's facial expressions about, it would have changed from a frown to something a bit softer. The bear pondered, "A clue? Well, in order to give you a clue, a key is needed."

A sighed, "A magical key is needed in order to get the clue you seek." The bear paused a moment, calculating it's next words, "But I can give you a clue to find the key."

The room echoed with the bear's normal dapper English accent. The words spoken, were a poem. A riddle of sorts...

Key Clue

"Mother
One way or another
Nice or Naughty
Yes or No
To or Fro
Magically clever
Father
Acilegna, esaelp"

part 2

The bear waited silently, intently, for Michelle's answer. Did the mother teach Leila her manners?

[Estylwen]

C.G.106, The Princess Palace

@Vertigo

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Upon entering the Princess Palace, Abel would notice the area gave off a feeling of 90's jungle gyms. There was a castle-themed jungle gym with four small slides leading into a pool of multicolored pink balls. Entering the jungle gym and moving past the slides led to platforms and netting. Climbing up to the highest level in the platforms allowed for a bird's eye view through the netting over the room, about four levels high, and ten feet higher than the castle. From the top, Abel would beable to see, beyond the other few jungle gyms and tables in the room, there was no obvious way out.

Except for, well, what was in front of him.

The platforms were pressed against the wall, netting along the sides and roof, trapping Abel to two choices presented at the top.

Two slides, actually.

The left slide was sky blue, the right slide was baby pink. Both descended away from each other, and it wasn't easy to tell where they ended up.

Over the left slide was a black painted arrow, and some spray painted text. ‘Do you really want the truth?’

In this room were two stuffed animals, watching.

[Xandrya]

"A magical key..." Michelle scoffed at the idea, that which was a tad more insulting than talking, floating "stuffies", as Leila would always refer to them. The thought of for some reason never seeing her again almost caused Michelle to break down to her knees, yet it was her daughter's agonizing screams that made her push forward. Or maybe the key is simply on that table... she rationalized to herself. It seemed that whoever drew up this game had a sick sense of humor; sick enough to make a woman getting off a long and laborious shift stand in still water only high enough to make her day even worse, as if it wasn't already the case.

"Well, hello dear," Michelle mimicked the voice, exaggerating a polite tone. She was addressing the pink bear as she approached it, a thought which was beyond insane but not without merit given this particular predicament. "Why don't you help me find my little girl, hmm? What do you say?"

Given the hypothetical question was just that, Michelle went ahead and picked up the bear. She eyed the swan momentarily, then pushed forward toward the wooden door. She was ready for whatever happened to be on the other side, or so she'd like to think.

[Lexisheeps]

@Vertigo

Distinct giggling mixed eagerly with the sound of plastic balls being rustled together. To and fro sounds of shuffling and enjoyment. Little squeak voices chatting amongst themselves, clearly amused by the playfulness this room had to offer. It was hard to make out each squeak voice as they playfully swam around the pastel pink ball bit. "Game?" "Game." "Game? Game." "Game, game?" "Game? Game."

But suddenly, one of the balls flew clean out of the pit. All three of the little voices gasped, rather dramatically, as the ball was in mid air. The ball hit the floor with a bounce. A second smaller bounce. Then small mini bounces until it rolled smoothly along the floor. The ball rolled all the way to the other side of the room. Hit the opposite wall with a hard smack and ricocheted before finally stopping in a crack on the floor.

One voice bellowed out with a screech, "I'm telling!"

Sobs wailed out by the one about to be told on, "I didn't mean it!"

"Yes you did, Mister!" One squeak quickly turned into another, "Not uh, Misses!"

But the pink eggbutt's annoyance was growing, "Game!" Hazard demanded.

With Hazard's vocal annoyance, the three little plush platypuses grew silent. That sent! No, not the stale fruity one that Mr. Squiggles gave off. That yucky human scent! Eww! The voices became frantic again, "Human. Human human." "Human." "Human here human." "Human." "Daddy?" "Isabella." "Isabella? Abel." "Abel, Isabella?" "Daddy? Game."

The three squeakers started up again, making it hard to tell who was who, "Daddy?" "Isabella." "Isabella? Abel." "Abel, Isabella?" "Daddy? Game." But then the shocked trio quickly excited all over again, "Game?" "Doggy." "Game? Game Hide and Seek game?" "Doggy treats? Hide."

The little squeak voices continued. This time though, the voices faded as they proceeded to burry themselves into the ball pit, "Woof?" "Woof." "Woof? Game Hide woof Seek game?" "Doggy woof? Hide."

"They are rather rambunctious, aren't they?" Came a giggle from none other than Angelica. The teddy too, was enjoying some playtime in the ball pit room. "But don't worry, I don't think they want to kill you, my dear. Though," Angelica hesitated a bit, "They play rough. And I do believe Mr. Squiggles is in here as well, so best be careful not to step on him."

It was true. The rainbow caterpillar was on a bit of a mission. The loose ball, he wanted it. Mine. He thought to himself. But there was a human in the room now, so any future movement would have to be calculatedly cautious.

[Estylwen]

C.G.114, The Swan Room -> P.G.101

@Xandrya

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Moving with the stuffed bear through the wooden door, Michelle would walk up a short flight of steps, coming out of the water, and find herself in a peculiar room.

It appeared like a small office, a messy one at that, with papers strewn about the floor and litter in the corners. There was an office chair and a large desk, littered with useless objects like a rolodex, a phone, a lamp, and endless piles of papers. There was so much paper, in fact, that it made it hard to see the dark wood that the desk was made out of.

It contained four drawers, the bottom right of which was locked. Curiously, though, the three other drawers would open easily enough, concealing their little treasures for the time being.

On top of a steel cabinet in the corner of the room was a red box, the smell of cigars and biscuits wafting from its loose lid. The tin, in fact, did contain both cigars and biscuits, but no obvious way to light the cigars.

Beside the steel cabinet, and drawing the eye to the center of the room along the far wall, was a bright red, unmistakably obstinate phone booth. It would open easily enough, revealing a phone that would utter a dial tone if picked up. There was a shiny metal keypad just begging to be pressed, with numbers running from zero to nine, along with pound and star keys.

This was a puzzle room. And like all puzzle rooms, there was a way to solve it. It would seem the red booth needed something, the phone and it's keypad needed something, and that something was hidden in this room.

Of course, if Michelle decided to forgo the puzzle, there was a door to the direct left of the stairs she had come up from, and a way out.

[Squirrel98]

Amanda Lewis
@Estylwen@Lexisheeps

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Amanda was shocked to see another stuffed animal in the room, but that wasn't all. Both of them spoke. They actually spoke. And they spoke in the voice of her beautiful son. Why was this happening? Did Nigel turn into one of those dolls? But then which one? Were they simply teasing her? She didn't have a long time to think about that as water started filling the room. Whatever was controlling the environment, it needed her to make a decision, to make a choice. She needed to take a risk. However, the fear started getting to her and making her feel weak in the knees. She walked up to the unicorn sitting with the food. It sounded friendly, as if it really cared about her. Maybe she should trust it? Slowly, Amanda's hand reached for the sandwich next to the stuffed animal. As she wasn't a very trusting person, she felt the need to check what was inside it, even though it looked like regular jelly. What she discovered, made her unable to hide her fears like she had been doing until then. Blood... and spiders. Two of her worst fears. Those combined with the fact that Nigel was in trouble and that she was all alone with these talking stuffed animals... She couldn't deal with it for a moment. She started shaking her body as if the spiders were crawling on her, then distanced herself from the food and the unicorn and crawled up in a ball, crying.

'What are you doing, Amanda? You aren't a kid anymore. Act like the adult you are. You are stronger now. Nigel needs you.' She said to herself, trying to get herself to stop crying and stand up. It was however the water filling the room that made her snap back to reality. Right. She needed to make a decision now. Hesitant and shaking, she inspected the rest of the food. She took apart everything, making the sandwiches and waffles into mere crumbs. The crumbs that she deemed to be safe, she started eating. She didn't want to, but she needed her strength and who knows how long it would be until they would offer her food again.

Okay, now what? She needed to choose one of the exit doors. The unicorn was with the exit door in the cafetaria and the worm was with the exit door at the end of the hallway. She needed to choose one, but both of them sounded like her little son. The unicorn talking about how they loved her, the worm who had hidden himself until then and everyone knows that kids love hide and seek. 'You tried to trick me into eating that sandwich, didn't you?' Amanda whispered to the unicorn. The worm had done nothing wrong yet. It only hid himself for her. Maybe she sould trust it more then? Or it was simply waiting for the right time... Both of them sounded suspicious, so she couldn't help but trust her gut for this one. That is why she started walking down the hall, towards the worm and the exit door there. Her hand reached for the door knob and started to feel if the door was unlocked.

[Ocelot79]

This room was even more unwelcoming that the previous one. Strangely claustrophobic, in spite of the painted sky above making it appear slightly larger, it looked like a hallway somewhere in the daycare that would lead to a storage room. The design dissimilar of that of the daycare, as if it was a part that was forgotten and never renovated. Lucas was pretty sure that the daycare itself wasn't that old, and such a room shouldn't exist in the first place.

The door in front of him wouldn't budge; it would certainly not be opened by force. It was clear that there was no hidden key or any other button or device that could open it. Aside from the stickers on the walls, the room was bare. Lucas quickly noticed the Morse Code close to the door. He didn't make the connection between the two, but still wanted to see what it meant. He opened his phone to check the translation online, but couldn't find a signal. Another indication that he was underground, he thought. He opened his wallet, pulled a card that was blank on one side and took note the Morse code so he could translate it afterwards.

Lucas also tried knocking the door, but there was no response. In fact, there was almost complete silence, as if he had discovered some abandoned part of the construction. The fact that it was illuminated and in good condition proved otherwise and it was adjacent to the bizarre heated pool room he came from, after all. Nothing made sense.

He then checked the door on his left, which didn't appear to be locked. With some hesitation, he chose to go through it, instead.

[Estylwen]

B.?.102, The School Room -> P.G.101

@Squirrel98

---

Water gushed in as Amanda opened the decending door, coating the floor of the office space in front of her. As she took a few more steps in, the door behind her automatically shut, sealing behind any further watery disruptions.

Indeed, it appeared she was in some type of office, with a thin layer of water covering the dark floor, and dark painted walls staring back at her. Beside her was a large desk, strewn about with papers and other useless junk, like a lamp. The desk had three drawers, the bottom right of which was locked.

To the far left was a phone booth, bright red with fluorescent light glowing within it. The wired phone within had a dial tone if picked up, but didn't seem to have the ability to make calls. The keypad within was shiny, as if begging to be pressed, with numbers from zero to nine, and the poud and star buttons.

Beside the phone booth in the far upper left corner was a steel cabinet with a red tiffin up top, filled with biscuits and cigars.

To Amanda's right, there was a short staircase that led down to a shut door, sterile water covering the last step. The door didn't seem to be locked, and would prove to be a way out if she so chose.

Among the strange sights, Amanda would see a small teddy bear floating in the air, and could swear she heard the sound of breathing.

Something was in this room with her…

---

P.G.101

@Xandrya

---

As Michelle stood in the new room, a strange occurance happened. The door to her left would swing open, momentarily showing a decending staircase and gushing water. The water immediately curled across the floor of the office, wetting papers and other useless junk.

Then, the door would swing shut, and the strange occurance would end.

Except for one thing. Michelle could swear she heard… breathing. Labourious, desperate breathing…

---

P.G.107 -> C.G.106, The Princess Palace

@Ocelot79

---

Lucas would enter the unlocked door on his left and find a sterile white room with a single pole slotted through a hole that led to what appeared to a lot of pink and pastel colours.

Without a lot of hesitation, Lucas would grab home of the pole and slide down into the next room. What he would see off the bat would be strange indeed.

In front of him would appear to be the backend of a play place, or a jungle gym, designed to be a princess palace. If he walked ahead he would begin to see the ball pit, and the entrance to the jungle gym. There was a single ball that had left the pit, centered in the middle of the floor. A worm-like stuffed animal was in an elongated shape near the ball, as if trying to reach it.

The jungle gym itself seemed to be the sole equipment in the room, with its entrance giving way to netted platforms that rose up a couple meters before Lucas would reach the end: two slides. The left slide being sky blue, and the right slide being baby pink. Above the left slide was some black spray painted text, ’Do you really want the truth?’.

However, among all the sights he would see, there was something his ears would pick up on. Breathing. Low, and deep breathing…

He wasn't along here.

---

C.G.106, the Princess Palace

@Vertigo

---

As Abel took in the sights, he would briefly glance away. In that moment, he would hear a loud thud, like of heavy shoes hitting the floor.

Looking in the direction of the noise, Abel would notice a steel pole connected through a hole in the ceiling to the floor, like a fireman pole. It was placed in the far back corner, in an unobvious way. Perhaps he merely missed seeing it at his first glance of the room…

Regardless, Abel couldn't shake the feeling of something else now being in the room with him.

[Vertigo]

__________________________________________________

She should've never trusted him with Isabella. He should've never trusted himself with Isabella.

That was the first and last thought in Abel's mind, before his daughter's screams became his entire world. Vision tunneling, he dashed inside the daycare — or at least, he thought he had. Looking around now, he wasn't sure where the hell he'd ended up. The jungle gym itself wasn't that out of place, he figured, never actually having set foot inside a daycare before. A room with a bunch of them and no way out? With some creepy spray painted text? Slides leading into who knew where? Starting to look out of place. And where had he even entered this damn place from? There was no door.

"Truth, huh. Now what truth would that be..." he mumbled as he stared at the text, rubbing at his knuckles to steady his hands, still shaking from anger. Rampaging through the damn place wouldn't help. If anything, it'd make it even more difficult to find an exit, he wagered.

Abel took a step closer to the slides, nearing the one without text, when he heard giggling. He froze, quickly unclenching his hands and assuming a more relaxed posture, just in case there were children about. "Someone out there?" he called in what he hoped was at least a semi-friendly tone — but probably wasn't.

Through the netting, he could see movement in the ball pit. He expected to see children, terrified and hiding from whatever was going on. The more the voices spoke, though, the clearer it was that they did not belong to children. Not... sane ones, anyway.

Then they spoke her name.

Abel lashed closer to the netting, trying to see who — or what — lurked in the pit. "Who are you? Who is doing this? What do you w—"

Another giggle. He whirled around, gaze searching the floor below, until it landed on a pink teddy bear. The voice seemed to be coming from it. Was he supposed to believe the toy talked? Bullshit. It must've had a voice box inside. Perhaps it was even a small robot. Regardless, someone had to be responsible for it, and that someone must've been watching.

The pink teddy bear wasn't making much more sense than the other voices had. "Who are 'they?'"

A thud.

Once again, Abel was forced to turn around and find the source of the noise. This time, it was pretty easy; a steel pole was crossing the room from floor to ceiling, and he could have sworn it wasn't there before. Abel's gaze followed the thing up to the hole. He could probably use that to climb. Better than the slides. But that meant getting down from his vantage point and crossing a room with... something out there, waiting for him. He knew he wasn't alone.

Abel drew in a breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his head. Right. Calm down. Just... one damn thing at a time. Before anything else, he stuck a hand into his pocket, fished out a few doggy treats — which the voices had also mentioned, through what had to be a freak coincidence — and tried tossing some into the ball pit he'd first heard the voices from.

[Xandrya]

It was a bit overwhelming stepping into this new office of sorts. Michelle would have loved to be welcomed with open arms by a group of people, not exactly caring who as long as in the center of them all was Leila excitedly running towards her. But that wasn't her reality. She glanced around the room, bleak as it was. If she was to find a key here, it would certainly take her quite some time, which was bad news considering her hunger was only worsening. It was then the door swung open, startling the young woman. Water poured in and she instinctively took a few steps back. Once the door shut close, her grip on the teddy tightened to the point where her knuckles turned white. She waited for a moment, and listening close enough, Michelle could hear additional breathing aside from her own. It could have easily been speakers strategically placed in order to create such effect, though that's a rational thought Michelle would have had she not been alone in the room faced against whatever was trying to terrorize her.

Leila, think of Leila... she thought to herself. That's all it took for Michelle to find the courage to start moving again, the previous feeling now replaced with the same internal rage as before, temporary as it was. She walked over to the phone booth, instantly being drawn to it due to its bright red hue. As she was looking over it, the scent of food filled her immediate surrounding, though there was nothing in sight, no food. Unless...

Michelle reached up towards the box after placing the teddy on the desk. It was once she had it in hand, lid fully uncovered then, that she discovered some cigars and also, but most importantly, biscuits. Good old glorious biscuits. Tossing the cigars out near feet, then quickly wiping her hand on her pant leg, Michelle grabbed a biscuit and instantly took a bite. For a moment since first entering whatever hell this was, Michelle felt relieved. The young woman didn't care to count how many biscuits there were; she just kept eating, bite after bite, until her stomach was no longer complaining of hunger and slowly began to feel full. Of course, after devouring all carbs that was bound to happen. For the first time, Michelle reached around for her bag and it was then she instantly realized, before even having the zipper between her fingers, that she had a granola bar in her bag. But she didn't beat herself up over the oversight that much; there was plenty more to worry about, things which were indefinitely more important.

The leftover food then stored away, Michelle diverted her attention to the phone booth once more. Maybe I can dial out... Fully aware that her idea was a huge maybe, she stepped into the booth, looking around as she picked up the receiver. There was a dial tone, nothing unusual, and then she pressed 9-1-1, holding her breath as she waited for whatever outcome was to come her way.

[Lexisheeps]

Angelica, The Talkative Bear

@Estylwen @Ocelot79 @Vertigo @Xandrya @Squirrel98

The sentient stuffed bear was pleased with the situation. Quite pleased indeed! A grand total of four visitors. Four living humans to play with. The bear's voice echoed through the backrooms, "Ahh, it's quite a lovely party the four of you make!" But the voice couldn't be pinpointed to one specific spot. Even the bear that Michelle had been holding, seemed to lack vocal resonance in it's spot on the desk.

The taunting continued, "Two of you are in a room, while two others different. Perhaps the two pairs of you could be amicable. If not to me, then at least to each other."

The bear thought about exactly what it was going to say next, with a bit of hesitation to it's English accent, "There are others here such as myself, but I cannot promise they're not trying to kill you. You'll notice a few messages through the rooms, one specifically says to run."

The bear chuckled, "I don't know how serious of a threat being told told to run down here is," Angelica hesitated slightly, "Considering there's not much to run to. Still though, I would avoid Mr. Wormy Squiggles, Esq. at all costs. He's quite a grumpy little fellow, you know. Bit of an ankle biter, that one."

As part of the game, Angelica didn't bother mentioning exactly what Wormy looked like. Not his sharp rainbow fur, nor his adorable hissing before being stepped on... No, the four humans would just have to figure out who was who, on their own. And whether or not the ankle biter remark was literal or figurative.

"And the others, well..." With one last little sassy laugh, "Good luck!"

---

C.G.106, The Princess Palace

@Vertigo

The eggbutts were pleased with the dog treats Abel had given them. Any giggling they currently did, was aimed at the friendly father...

"Daddy!" Came Isabella's voice, but it was only the eggbutts playing a game of pretend, "Daddy, come play!"

If Abel did go into the ball pit to search for Isabella, the eggbutts wouldn't appear to be sentient, should they be uncovered from within. But could any of the stuffed animals really be trusted?

___________

@Ocelot79

But Lucas would also hear the giggling and a clean vocalization...

"Daddy!"

The sound also came from the ball pit, but as Lucas hadn't given the eggbutts a present, their intent with this father was a little more vicious. Like normal, the voices changed to match that of the parent's child. In this case, Lucas would have heard Maria calling out to him, "Daddy, come play!"

___________

@Ocelot79 @Vertigo

Each time either father turned away from Wormy's direction, the little guy would inch closer to the ball on the floor. Otherwise, he remained stationary. Would either father notice the constant repositioning?

---

P.G.101, The School Room

@Xandrya

"9-1-1. What's you're emergency?" An American accent had picked up. A woman who sounded like maybe she was from the east cost... then again, maybe not... "Where's your location? Who am I speaking with?"

But then the voice shifted from the American accent, to the distinct English sass Angelica enjoyed utilizing regularly, "Exactly when did you get sucked into the daycare, my dear? I think I might have dozed off."

The copy of the bear that Michelle had placed down, would no longer be in the spot she'd left it. Gone without a trace, almost as if it's existence was imaginary. No more hugging friend bear for this broken individual. Angelica giggled at their own thoughts, I wouldn't want her to accidently throw up on me, considering I'd just had a bath.

___________

@Squirrel98

Angelica sat on the desk, exactly where Michelle had placed them. The bear was silent.

If Amanda listened closely, she'd hear Nigel's giggles coming from inside the phone booth. She'd be disappointed by what made the sound though. It wasn't the phone or an answering machine. It'd be three stuffed platypuses sitting directly near the phone. One orange, one white, one pink.

Each eggbutt took turns giggling, if only to make themselves sound like a single entity. And in this case, they sounded like Amanda's son. They were giggling at Michelle. Angelica was cleverly playing a trick on the poor dear. And they thought it was the greatest thing ever!

___________

@Squirrel98 @Xandrya

Should either of the mothers decide to look about the room further, Wormy sat silently in the top left drawer of the desk. The little guy was pleased with himself after solving the riddle a long time ago. He decided to take naps in this room. It was a compacted dark area- his favorite type of spot.

A code on a sticky note for the phone booth? Lay directly under him? Perhaps. Maybe the note had shifted with his shuffling. As salty as Wormy normally was, the little guy was simply too tuckered out to bother, should anybody disturb his chosen sleepy hideout.

[Squirrel98]

Amanda Lewis
@Estylwen@Lexisheeps

---

The new room in which she ended up, seemed to calm Amanda down a bit. The spiders, blood was gone. The talking stuffed animals were gone. However, there was still no one around her and no sign of her child either. It only took her a couple of seconds to notice the teddy bear floating in the air. A new stuffed animal? How many were there in this building? Yes, it was a place for children, but still. This one probably could talk too. She was prepared for that. Suddenly, the breathing of another person was loud enough for her to hear. Someone else was here? A human being? They had to be human if they were breathing like that. This meant that she wasn't alone anymore. Finally, she was able to breath again and think rationally. Now was she able to be strong for Nigel. Of course it was strange that she couldn't see or touch the other human, but the fact that she wasn't alone was the only thing she cared for. A box moving on its own, revealing the cigars and biscuits inside, proved her theory to be right. It was indeed another human being. As Amanda had just eaten and she didn't know how hungry the other person was, she chose to not bother them.

Then the floating bear that she saw earlier started to talk. Four? There were two others here? Oh, they were in a completely different room. But in the same building nonetheless. So they weren't alone. There were four of them. Four to keep each other company. To help each other out. To collectively search for their kids. Never had she cared more about the other parents than in that situation she was in right now. The threat didn't bother Amanda. They were in a scary situation indeed and the unicorn did try to poison her, but there were no attempts to end her life yet. There was no use in being scared over what was yet to come. At least, that is what she told herself as flashbacks of moments with her uncle and sister came to mind. Wait... The bear mentioned someone named Wormy. Was that the stuffed worm that she had seen before? The one that had hidden itself until the water starting filling the room? Should she indeed avoid him? The bear didn't seem that dangerous. However, the unicorn had not seemed dangerous either until the attempt to poison her.

Then... Nigel's voice... It was just like before, when the unicorn and the worm talked in Nigel's voice. This time the stuffed animals were laughing as if they were them. How dare they? Tears started filling her eyes. She missed the little guy so much. But she had to be strong. If she stayed strong, she would find him again and save him from this place. That is what she tried telling herself. It felt as something was pulling her to the phone booth, but she didn't know who or what to call. That is why she went towards the desk. She recognized the worm from before. So it had followed her to this room. Since it seemed to be sleeping, she decided to not turn on the lamp. Putting on the light would probably wake him up and since he was dangerous according to the bear, that was not a good idea. She started looking around for some kind of clue on the papers on the desk, moved around some papers and looked closely at each of them. With each move she made, she tried not to make too much noise. For a second she thought of moving the worm. I mean, it didn't seem to be bothered by the water on the floor before, right? But she decided not to follow through with her thought and focus on what she could read on the papers.

[Ocelot79]

The room was more spacious than the previous one. The air was stale and the kid-friendly design felt out of place, with none other than him being present.

Like the previous room, the decor seemed a little old for a modern playground. As if it was made many years ago and was then abandoned. However, none of the toys or the paint seemed to have significantly degraded, if anything they were unnaturally uniform. But what really perplexed Lucas was the verticality. After going through an impossibly long trek through hallways and rooms, he had to go down a pole to reach another playground, reinforcing his belief that he was well under the surface. Moreover, backtracking was now more or less impossible. Climbing up the pole would be very difficult and would lead back to the hallway with the locked door.

Before he could observe the place more thoroughly, he heard the Bear's creepy, otherworldly voice. He froze still, baffled by what the Bear had just uttered. He couldn't pinpoint the voice's location nor could he spot any speakers or a device that could emit the sound.

"There's four of us down here? Are we trapped in this place?", Lucas thought.

As soon as the Bear ended its speech, Lucas heard his daughter once again. This time calling him from the ball pit. He slowly approached the ball pit, trying to discern where the voice was coming from. He knew that this wasn't actually his daughter, just like at the pool. But unlike the pool, the voice was much closer now. As if this wasn't enough, Lucas could clearly hear someone breathing close to him, even though he was alone. The feeling of a looming, impending threat was now present.

Knowing that his daughter was not actually inside the seemingly shallow ball pit, he observed the playground more toughroughly. The Bear had mentioned someone named Wormy who was clearly not present, either. He then noticed the ball at the center of the room with a stuffed toy next to it. For some reason a single ball being outside the ball pit felt intentional, as if someone had carefully put it there, especially with the creepy toy being right next to it.

He turned his attention towards the jungle gym and the slides. Above the left slide a message read "Do you really want the truth?". Then it clicked.

This was a trap. Someone, quite possibly the playground's owner, had abducted his daughter and was now playing a twisted game with him and possibly another three people at some installation beneath the building. It explained why the playground was empty, as well as why there were messages, directions and voices at at kid-friendly rooms that were clearly being maintained.

Lucas was infuriated but, for the sake of his daughter, he kept his composure and decided to play along for the time being. Going against the directions right now would make no sense and could lead to a dead end or perhaps some deadly trap. It was apparent that whoever made this place wanted the actors to play along. And so Lucas approached the left slide with the intent of finding out "the truth".

[Estylwen]

PG.101

@Squirrel98

---

Amanda would find, through her shifting of the papers on the tip of the desk, a curious thing. Most of the papers were invoices. Boring business things. What made them curious objects of fascination was the name written across the top.

It was her name. Her address. An overdue water bill. Electrical bills with amounts being forwarded. Home insurance demanding renewal. It was like she had disappeared for a year, and no one had told the companies she had contracts with.

Alas, there were no other secrets to be had here, or anywhere on or in the desk. Except, of course, what was hidden under the rainbow worm.

If Amanda wanted the key to progress forward, she would have to steel her nerves, and venture into territory no human had yet done in this particularity of the backrooms:

Confront her fears.

---

C.G.107, The Princess Palace -> P.G.107, Kids Backroom

@Ocelot79

---

As Lucas spiraled down the left slide, he would find himself an abrupt, nonsensical change. He was back in the room with the locked door and its morse code painted on the wall. He could see the opened left door with the pole he had slid down moments before.

He could see, indeed, that he had gone in an elaborate circle. He could also see that physics were broken and nonsensical here, wherever he was. He had somehow descended into the Princess Palace room, and ascended a little, then descended again into the Kids Backroom, descended a little too far to have it make sense that these places were physically connected…

Regardless, he was once again in the room with an addition of his slide. There was one other addition: A small Polaroid camera on the floor in front of the wall with the Morse code. It seemed filled with the paper necessary to print photos.

Perhaps he could use it. But how? And how did it relate to the Morse code? Maybe he could snap a photo for his notes…?

Again, the door directly in front of him was locked, requiring some kind of knock.

(OOC: Hunger Counter = 3)

As Lucas debated on what to do, he could feel hunger pains growing in his stomach. Quietly, at first, then more, with more force. His mouth watered, and he could feel an almost maddening hunger that started taking over his other senses.

On top of this, his vision began to behave poorly. It faded in and out, becoming blurry. And as he stared at the wall, he saw a line cut across it, then open up to reveal a large, bloody, red eye, staring directly at him. The walls around the eye also began to move, in and out, like the wall was breathing…

As he stared, the eye would stare back…