The Backrooms Level 2 Novels & Stories

"I'll stay vigilant, Luna Nora. Be quick and careful." I gave her a thankful nod before clutching the torch tightly and stepping further into the Black Door Room. The darkness enveloped me, save for the flickering light cast by the torch. Thick layers of dust coated every surface, and cobwebs clung stubbornly to the forgotten relics, as if time had frozen in this secluded chamber. Using the torch's light to guide my way, I cautiously maneuvered through the room, clearing cobwebs and revealing scattered debris. Among the forgotten remnants, a pile of square wooden pieces in a corner drew my attention.

No stairs, no other visible exit just this dark hallway, lit by naked bulbs hanging from the ceiling, casting long, twisted shadows on the raw walls. The corridor stretches before me like a forgotten tunnel. Grey metal doors line both sides, numbered randomly – 2A, 2C, no 2B. Some have electronic locks blinking faintly red, others are closed with old rusty padlocks. The place reeks of abandonment, a secret level of the tower where no one ever goes down. I move forward cautiously, on tiptoe to muffle the noise, the folder still pressed against my chest like a pitiful shield.

Ahead was a living area complete with a truly gigantic flatscreen, a pool table and bar area to the left of that, and a staircase leading to an upper level on the far right. The space was bright with the golden rays of the mid-morning sun streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the entire back wall. That brightness stabbed at her eyes, compounding the headache throbbing in her temples. Squinting through the pain, she took in the multitude of guns, stacks of cash, and what looked like ancient artifacts carelessly scattered throughout. Zeroing in on the artifacts, Livia could feel the tingle of them even from thirty feet away and briefly wondered if they were made of dakaryian

Jonah takes us to a back office that leads to another back office that opens up to a storage room with a very scary catwalk staircase up to the moment floor. I’m pretty sure we’re about to be killed when Jonah ushers us up it and through a beaded curtain, into a room lit up with black light. The floor is painted black, with sigils and symbols in glowing phosphorescent colors. There are bean bag chairs scattered around the perimeter of the room and an impressively tall hookah in one corner. Shelves hold jars of herbs and dirt and murky liquids I want nothing to do with.

Beth looks outraged, pulling away from me. “How would you know?” I grin. “Ever seen yourself sleep?” Her lips move as she struggles to come up with a response when Quill calls out, “I hope we don’t have to share a barrack! I have sensitive hearing!” “You don’t have the right body parts to share a barrack with us,” I shoot back. “Have fun sharing one with Anderson.” Quill shudders. The Level Two island is vastly different from the Level One and Zero islands. The ground is wet mud, making it hard to walk. There is also this creepy mist in the air, which one only sees in horror movies or swamps.

Just stayed there, ass up, hole gaping and winking, letting everyone see how thoroughly he’d been used. The harnessed host from the entrance appeared again, voice low and calm over the constant wet sounds of flesh slapping flesh around us. “Pairing round complete. The floor is yours. No limits. No refusals. Use each other. Fill each other. Break each other. When you’re ready for the next level… the back room is open.” He stepped back into the shadows.

The High Chamber of the Council was silent, save for the soft sobbing of the Elders. Lyra didn’t stay to watch them crumble. She had a more important mission. Guided by the data Tessa was pulling from the main computers, Lyra and Rowan headed for the elevators that led to "Sub-Level 9." This wasn't a floor on any public map. It was a place of shadows, located deep beneath the city’s concrete foundations. As the elevator descended, the air grew cold and smelled of old ozone and salt. When the doors finally slid open, the sight made Lyra’s heart ache.

I wouldn’t want him to come bursting into that room before I was there. I pulled myself in through the ceiling door and into the crawl space above and started making my way towards the back room where Jo was. I moved slowly to make less noise and I had to watch every step and stay on the support beams. I opened the cover in the back room and I lay on my stomach as I looked down and into the room.

It was Clarissa. It sounded like she had even locked the shop door, probably to keep anyone else from coming in. Then she headed quickly toward the back storage room. Each step brought her closer. She seemed to be pulling off her pants as she walked. A second later, that same heat and wetness surrounded me again. Even though nothing had technically happened yet, the intense friction alone was enough to make my head spin. "Mmm…" This time, I couldn't hold it in. A long groan slipped out of my throat.

They collapsed into heaps of smoking carbon, but I knew there were hundreds more coming up from the shadows of the First Tier. ​“We can’t stay here and trade blows!” Aris shouted, her voice nearly drowned out by the skittering of a thousand more Hounds in the fog. “The Second Tier gate is a mile up the 'Basalt Throat.' If we don't reach the pressure-lock in ten minutes, the mountain will initiate a 'Hard Reboot' of this entire level! It’ll turn the First Tier into a vacuum!” ​“Run!” I screamed to the army. “To the Throat! Don't look back, and don't stop for the fallen! If you fall, you’re already data!”