..4998, 4999, 5000.

"This note is intended for James, Gordon, Leonidas, or really anyone else that can find it. If you are reading this, just know that I am sorry. I didn't want it to have to be this way just as much as you did. I truly wish the best for you and your endeavors, but I can't keep doing this. I miss them. I miss them all. My family, my friends, everything that was taken from me when I was brought into this hellish realm. I know you said the rumor about the stairwell wasn't true, I know the odds are stacked against me, and I know you're probably right. I might not see you guys again, but I think this is for the best. I just want to go home. I am going to be taking some supplies from our outpost with me, I'll try to leave enough for you. Please, don't try to come looking for me. You won't be doing anything but putting yourself into danger. Again, I'm sorry for doing what I am going to do. I will never forget you three. Sincerely, Tommy."
A note found in an outpost of Level 4.
Tommy finishes writing the last sentence of his note, tears welling in his eyes. He'd told himself time and time again: "this is the best option, this will bring me back home, it is worth the risk." However, his subconscious was telling him otherwise, and James' words were still fresh in his mind. He gently puts his pencil down, careful to not wake the others up. He checks the old clock in the corner of the room — 4:35 AM. He looks down at the floor, before turning to his bag and checking his supplies. Food? Check. Water? Check. Weapon? Check. Radio? Check. Other, rather non-important items? Check. He quietly zips his bag, before carefully placing it onto his back. He closes his eyes for a moment, standing up from his chair slowly. He checks the clock again — 4:38 AM. Tommy strides toward the door, cracking it open slowly and making sure he doesn't make any noise whilst doing so. He is met with the desolate and empty hallways of Level 4, a light glow coming from the windows, the soft, nostalgic sound of rain hitting them. He takes a deep breath, before turning around and looking at his friends one last time before he leaves permanently. He catches himself shedding a tear, quickly wiping it away with his sleeve. He'd done so much with his accomplices — they were like family to him. However, it's too late to turn back now. He closes the door softly, before momentarily standing still, recollecting on his thoughts and experiences. He reminisces of his friends that were made here and his friends back home. He turns, pushes up his backpack, fixes his posture and paces down the cold office hallway.
Tommy traverses his way to the supposed entry point, located in The End. The buzz of those fluorescent lights, the tranquility of the empty shelves and the dim computer light calmes his nerves and momentarily clears his mind. He sets his bag down, taking a seat on a chair parallel to the grim "THE END IS NEAR" text emboldened on the wall. He stares at the bleak and patterned blue carpet, expressionless. He looks up at the clock in the library — it's now 6:02 AM. James, Gordon, and Leonidas would be awake soon. They would see his note. How sad would they be? Would they be mad at him? Tommy lets out a harsh sigh before standing back up, he has a task at hand. His focus is set on getting to the stairwell again. He walks over to the old office computer centered on the old wooden desk, turning it on. "Welcome! Please enter a command below." the computer bluntly prompts in bright, neon-green text. Tommy looks at the screen skeptically, before rummaging in his bag for his documentation. He finds his folder and takes it out, skimming through the various logs and documents. He pauses on File 134 — yes, this is the paper he needs. He places the now open folder on the desk before rotating himself back towards the screen. He examines the paper for a second before looking back at the screen. He slowly types a command into the computer, looking down again at the folder and double-checking the command. He sighs, placing the folder back into his bag. He looks behind him, before unconfidently looking back at the keyboard. He presses the enter key, and thereby executes the command.
Tommy had seen pictures and documentation about Level 922, but it was almost completely different in person. The desaturated shades of color makes him squint, they feel unreal, as if he was in an old black-and-white film. He looks around, checking his surroundings and the monotony of the mysterious staircase he finds himself at the steps of now. There is deafening silence surrounding him. He looks up at the staircase before taking a step forward. The sound of his footstep against the monotonous concrete sends a deafening echo, the sound pronouncing itself in reverberation. It sends a sharp chill down Tommy's spine. After a few seconds, the sound fades away, and the deafening silence returns once again. He takes another step forward, mesmerized by the brutalist and repetitive structure that is the Escherian Stairwell. He coughs, walking toward the first step of the stairwell. He stares at the first step as he realizes that this is the point of no return — either his grim and unremarkable death, or his one-in-a-million escape from the Backrooms. He'd like to stay at the foot of the staircase, weary and unsure of what to do next, but he knew that there was only one direction left — forward. Determined yet downcast, he begins his tread along the stairwell, carefully counting each step along the way. Tommy knows that if he makes even one miscount, it would ensure his death. He tries to hold back his tears as he begins counting: 1, 2, 3, 4...
..998, 999, 1000.
After what felt like hours of walking, Tommy finally reaches the 1000th step — 20% of the way to the 5000th step. Out of breath, with his legs straining, he sets down his bag and succumbs to his exhaustion, taking a seat on the 1001st step. He catches his breath, looking straight ahead. He pushes back his long hair as sweat pours down his forehead. He opens his bag, taking out a bottle of Almond Water and hastefully drinking the whole bottle. He wipes his lip, wondering how he will be able to handle 4,000 more steps up the stairwell. Nonetheless, he disregards the thought. He throws his empty bottle of Almond Water down the center of the stairwell. After a few seconds, it hits the foot of the staircase, the sound which it produces reverberating throughout the entire level. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, resting in the momentary tranquility. After a few moments, he gains motivation to keep going, thinking of his family back home. Now remotivated, he puts his bag on his back yet again and resumes counting.
..1998, 1999, 2000.
Sure, Tommy is motivated, but by now his legs are burning with each and every step. He is focused on counting, motivated by the thought of escaping the Backrooms, seeing his family and friends again, returning to a normal life. Upon reaching the next milestone — 2000 steps, he does not stop to rest. He is so focused on counting, he does not recognize the significance of the number whatsoever. He pauses on the 2032nd step, finally breaking out of his focused, nearly hypnotic counting. He realizes that he has accomplished 2000 steps. He coughs, sits down again, and drinks another bottle of Almond Water. He moves closer to the edge of the stair, looking up through the middle of the stairwell. He admires the architecture, nearly hypnotized by the infinitely repeating set of stairs. The smell of fresh cement and the light, desaturated shades of grey relax him. He sighs, thinking about the next 3000 steps, the seemingly sisyphian task ahead of him. He sets his bag to his side, unzipping it. He goes through his bag, pulling out an Energy Bar and opening it. He's starving — having not eaten in days. Food rations have been very low ever since a roaming group of hostile wanderers raided his outpost. He takes a small bite, reflecting on his time in the Backrooms, and pondering — is this really worth the risk?
..2998, 2999, 3000.
By now, Tommy has almost gotten used to the walking. He walks slower as to conserve energy, reminding himself he's more than halfway to the 5000th step. At this milestone, he doesn't stop for another rest — he is fully committed to making it to the final step. He miscounts a step, but he quickly realizes and corrects his mistake. He pauses for a moment, a chill running down his spine — had he miscounted a step beforehand? No, impossible. There's no way he could've made a mistake, he was hyperfocused on counting. Anxious, he bites his nails for a moment, squinting his eyes in the process. He wasn't even sold on the fact the rumor of the 5000th step was real the first place, and even if it is true, he has to worry about a potential miscount on top of that, which would mean certain death for him. He puts his face in his hands, sighing as his thoughts spiral into more and more worries. Even if these worries are true, he knows very well deep down — there is no turning back. He's already taken the gamble, dropped everything he once had, abandoned his outpost and friends, and put his full faith into a rumor with little-to-no evidence proving it is true at all. In a fit of discontent and frustration, he stomps on the stair, continuing his counting with a determined gaze: 3005, 3006, 3007, 3008...
..3998, 3999, 4000.
8/24/2023, 8:17 AM
The Silver Wanderers Outpost
Leonidas wakes up to the familiar, distant noise of rain hitting the windows outside of the outpost. He opens his eyes, pushing his uncomfortable blanket to the side. He looks to the bunk beside him — Tommy is gone. Strange, but Leonidas isn't too worried. He coughs as he stretches his arms. He sits up, looking around at the rest of the outpost. He looks at the clock, it's 8:20 AM. He slowly gets out of bed, walking toward the cabinets. He examines them, before opening one. The look on his face quickly changes to one of confusion — a lot of Almond Water is missing from the cabinet. He quickly becomes skeptical, opening the other cabinets and noticing various essentials are missing from them, too. "That's... odd." he says aloud. Had they been raided again? Perhaps he was just being paranoid. Nonetheless, he takes out a bottle of Almond Water and twists the cap. He takes a sip of the Almond Water for a few moments. He places the Almond Water on the table parallel to the cabinets and turns around, eager to wake up James and Gordon. He notices James has already gotten out of bed, he's yawning and stretching. Gordon has woken up as well, he is sitting up in bed. "Oh, good morning you two," Leonidas says cheerfully. "have you seen Tommy anywhere?" James turns to look at Leonidas. "No, we're wondering the same thing as you." he replies. Before Leonidas can reply, Gordon gets out of bed and looks at James. "Listen, he's probably fine. We both know he likes to explore — perhaps he's visiting Taggertsbane again?" Leonidas shakes his head in response. "No, that can't be it.. I noticed some of our supplies are missing. He wouldn't take them with him if he was visiting another outpost." James begins to grow worried. He quickly strides over to the cabinets and opens them, examining the lack of supplies himself. "What... why would he take so much?" James stutters confusedly. Gordon sighs in response. "Look, he's probably okay. He wouldn't do anything outlandish—" Leonidas, now standing over the table in the center of the room, begins to weep, startling James and Gordon. "Oh... no, god no," he mutters softly. "Why..." James and Gordon both look at what Leonidas is staring at — a note. They both quickly walk over to the desk, standing beside Leonidas. "What is it, Leo?" Gordon says, now concerned. Leonidas doesn't respond to his question, prompting Gordon and James to hastily read the note Leonidas is still focused on. After a few seconds, James slams the desk with his hand, and begins to slowly pace around the room. "Damn it!" Gordon jolts his head over to James and slowly stands up, attempting to say something to calm him down, but James quickly interrupts him. "No, how could we allow this to happen?! He's.. he's going to die! Just because of that stupid rumor!" Leonidas still stands at the desk, crying and rambling. Gordon attempts to calm Leonidas down. "Look, sure, he won't get to the Frontrooms by jumping off the five thousandth step, but maybe he'll be able to no-clip somewhere else, and—" James interrupts him and shakes his head. "No, because it's just a fucking stairwell! That's all it is! A black and white, useless staircase! And... and even if, even if he did end up somewhere else, god knows where that is. He could end up in the Void for all we know!" James attempts to continue his rant, but Leonidas finally speaks up. "Maybe... maybe we could send a M.E.G. team to look for him? Or maybe Taggertsbane would—" Gordon checks the clock again, before looking back at Leonidas and cutting him off. "Look... I don't think we'll be able to do that. M.E.G. won't send out anyone this early, and.. we don't even know if he's gotten there and jumped already. Plus, Taggertsbane is a Party Crasher base, not—" James takes a chair and sits down, beginning to stare at the floor, contemplating, as Leonidas begins to cry again. Gordon goes back to his bed, sitting on top of it and wondering what to do next, expressionless. Leonidas stops crying, and stares at a spot on the wall with a solemn expression on his face. All 3 of them fall silent, the reality of the situation setting in.
..4998, 4999, 5000.
Now counting aloud, Tommy begins to feel a mixture of relief and distress as he approaches his final destination. He's scared, on the verge of tears. He's begun to regret his decision to come here. He thinks of the time he first met James, Gordon and Leonidas in that dark alleyway on Level 3 years ago. Back then, he was simply a child — 13 years of age. He was 13 when he entered the Backrooms. He wasn't mentally prepared for the trials this place has put up whatsoever. It was just a car ride home on a brisk summer evening in New Hampshire. The car hit a bad pothole, causing him to close his eyes in fear. When he opened them, he was just gone. Just like that. Stolen, ripped away from his childhood, his life. It wasn't fair — it isn't fair! And to Tommy, only one thing could ever make it right. Not the "Promised Land", not an outpost on a habitable and tranquil level. No — the only thing and the only place that could ever make him happy again was home, nothing less. He would take any measure necessary, any risk unyieldly and any trial ambitious. No longer would he settle for an outpost, or the bleak and mocking nature of each level, or the hum buzz of fluorescent lights in The Lobby, or the hostile entities looking to devour him at every corner he turns. No longer. He wants to show whatever malevolent force is behind this multilevel complex of horror, albeit the universe or an omnipotent entity — it can't chain him, it can't break him, it can't make him accept his fate. He made it. Tommy tearfully counts the 5000th step. He sits upon the edge of the step, his legs off of the side of it. He sighs angrily, placing his face into his hands and doing his best to remain silent. He's terrified, sad, regretful, and most of all, angry — angry at whatever force is behind the Backrooms, whether or not there's even a force behind it in the first place. His mind is clouded with mixed thoughts. He'd finally see his mom and dad again, he could barely remember their voices. He's finally going to be able to make up for his lost time. He'd see his sister Ashley again, the return of playful fights and petty, unimportant arguments. He'd see his quaint, rural town again. Each memory Tommy acknowledges strikes a dagger at his heart. He reminds himself: But, what if it isn't true? He disregards the thought. He realizes that it doesn't matter if this rumor was true — if jumping off of this "sacred" step really does take you back to reality, or if it was all just an elaborate lie to kill wanderers. He'd escape the Backrooms either way. He stands up, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. After all, he'd already made the decision to jump when he walked upon the first step of this useless, monotone set of stairs...
...And, without further room for hesitation or doubt, Tommy jumped.
Category:Tales