Chapter Text
Atsushi groaned into his hands. They were getting absolutely no good intel from this.
He and Akutagawa are stuck in a library on a stake-out mission, their task being to watch and collect as much info as they could about a lady who ‘allegedly’ distributes a life-altering and highly addictive drug.
The information that they have gathered so far was rather useless: she's an incredibly slow reader.
“You know- she hasn't made a move in like forever.” Atsushi whispered to Akutagawa.
“And that automatically clears her from suspicion? You're more of a fool than I previously took you for.”
Akutagawa whispered back, using a book to cover his mouth whilst he spoke.
Atsushi let out a loud sigh. He's so insufferable.
“I'm going to observe her from over there,” He used his thumb to point at a table positioned further away from their current position.
“Away from you.” He mumbled as he stood up.
Akutagawa hummed dismissively, using his hand to wave Atsushi off.
Atsushi mumbled something under his breath again before moving to and sitting down at the other table.
Seven painfully slow minutes passed and the only thing really worth noting was that the suspect got up and changed the book they were reading.
Atsushi flinched hard when his mobile vibrated in his pants pocket.
He pulled his phone out and saw that ‘Contact: KyoKyo’ messaged him. He quickly glanced at Akutagawa, and then the woman.. And then Akutagawa again. After making sure none of the two were looking at him (or doing anything really of note) he unlocked his phone.
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>KyoKyo<
Atsushi-kun, have you heard of this myth?
The one involving a liminal space.
>Sushi<
I don't think so
what is it :]
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Atsushi looked up from his phone to see if anything had changed but sure enough, the woman was still sat reading and Akutagawa was still watching her.
He looked back down at his phone.
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>KyoKyo<
It’s something that has really caught my
Attention. I don't think I’m able to
explain it all myself. Would you like a
link that explains it?
>Sushi<
Sure!!!! I got time
>KyoKyo<
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BackroomsVideoID
I hope you find it interesting, I do.
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Atsushi clicked on the link and was immediately taken to a YouTube video titled: ‘THE BACKROOMS- EXPLAINED.’
He couldn’t watch the whole thing since it was over forty minutes long but after skimming through the video he got the basic gist:
A liminal space that follows a level-like structure. A multitude of different monsters (referred to as entities) can be found in those levels.
It sounded pretty creepy.
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>Sushi<
I didnt finish the whole thing but i
get the gist
So do u just kinda teleport there?
>KyoKyo<
‘Teleport’ would be one way to describe it.
To travel to the Backrooms you need to
‘No-clip’ out of reality.
Like when you glitch out of a wall in a
video game.
I think.
>Sushi<
So its like a video game?
It even has levels C:
>KyoKyo<
I suppose so. When you return would
you like to do some research with me
on that topic?
>Sushi<
Sure :D
unless i get stuck in the backrooms LOL
>KyoKyo<
lol.
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Atsushi smiled and put his phone back in his pants pocket. That same smile faded when he noticed Akutagawa staring over at him with his usual angry look.
“I'm sorry!” Atsushi mouthed.
Akutagawa scoffed at him before going back to spectating the woman.
After a few more boring minutes Akutagawa got up from where he was sitting and walked over to Atsushi’s table, bending down to whisper something into his ear.
“I am going to the restroom. If *anything* happens report it back to me once I return. I’m sure you're capable of at least that.”
He said spitefully before walking off in a direction Atsushi assumes is the bathroom.
“I'm SuRe YoU’Re CaPaBlE oF aTlEeSt ThAt” Atsushi mocked when Akutagawa was out of sight.
Atsushi shot a quick glance at the woman but she was still sat reading.
He got up and walked over to a bookshelf, lazily skimming through the books.
They all seemed quite boring, but even if they weren't Atsushi wouldn't have noticed,
His mind is occupied by the myth of ‘The backrooms’.
‘It’s a myth but still creepy as f*ck..’
He decided to just pick a book at random and went back to sitting down and continuing to watch the suspect.
She didn’t look malicious in the slightest, infact, when he and Akutagawa first entered the library she smiled and waved at them. . . But then again you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Akutagawa hasn't returned yet.
Atsushi doesn’t want to immediately barge into the restroom just in case he sees something he might need a flashbang to forget. . but Akutagawa wasn’t one to waste time.
That’s just not like him.
After a moment of deliberation with himself he gave the woman one more wary look before getting up and looking for Akutagawa.
Atsushi walked into the male bathroom with a hand over his eyes and called out for Akutagawa. When he received no reply he slowly took his hand off of his face.
“Akutagawa? Are you here,” he called out again, starting to walk down the line of pale-blue stall doors.
He knows Akutagawa absolutely hates his guts (no question about that) but he really didn’t seem like the type to - again - waste time like this.
Whilst walking along the stalls, something odd caught his eyes. A slight discolouration of one of the doors, it also possessed a handle that none of the other doors had.
Atsushi wasn’t sure if it was supposed to even be there, but there is one thing he's sure of. The uneasy feeling it gave him.
He knocked on the stall door and after receiving no indications a person was inside he turned the door handle and opened the stall.
Atsushi expected to be met with a toilet but he was met instead with a long corridor with worn-looking yellow wallpaper and a moist looking carpet.
“Uh-”
Was this that backrooms place? In the video it was a whole maze. Is the maze at the end of the corridor?
He took out his phone and took a picture of this strange place, then texted Kyouka the image.
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>Sushi<
Yo i think i just found that backrooms
place. Lol.
— SUSHI SENT AN IMAGE —
[MESSAGE UNABLE TO SEND:NO SIGNAL]
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Despite the cool, calm and collected tone his message was holding, Atsushi was anything but those things.
Maybe the library just had some.. Some other hidden compartment?. . . that seemed likely.
Atsushi took a small step closer to sniff around the air. His ability gave him an acute sense of smell.
Among the unsanitary smell of the bathroom around him and the musky scent of that.. place, Atsushsi could pick up scents that had to belong to Akutagawa.
A heavy smell of iron.
So he did go this way.
Atsushi gulped. . . does that mean he has to go in there?
“A–Akutagawa!” He called out into the strange hallway, his voice coming out shakier than intended.
No answer.
“Akutagawa!!” He called out again.
Atsushi’s body shook at the thought of entering that. . place. But Akutagawa wasn’t responding and. . .
After a long moment of hard mental deliberation Atsushi decided to step in the hallway and try to find him.
Once he crossed into the hallway he instantly looked back- the door was still there, he wasn't stuck. That calmed him down a bit.
“Phew,” he sighed and started walking down the hallway whilst calling out Akutagawa's name. As he travelled further and further down the corridor it eventually opened up into a large maze-like place of old yellow walls and dirty yellow carpet.
“Uh..”
He considered turning back but he didn’t want to abandon Akutagawa.
He sniffed the air again, whilst he gagged at the musky scent of this strange place he was able to pick up that scent of iron again. Akutagawa sure went far.
After a while of turning corners (and ignoring the grating feeling of ‘unease’ in his mind) the scent Atsushi was following grew stronger and stronger and stronger, until. . .!
. . .
What is that creature.
It stood in the centre of a pile of blood in a large clearing of those bland yellow-wallpapered office walls.
It wasn’t moving, it looked like a statue but every cell in his body was telling him that *thing* shouldn’t be approached.
He thought he was following Akutagawa.. That pile of blood wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.
Atsushi stared at the creature- stunned.
Thin as a pencil, as tall as a lamppost, Its tar-like body is wrapped with loose wires. He remembers it from that video.
This wasn’t safe. He isn't safe.
Atsushi took a shaky breath in and stepped backwards as slow as he could. He stood stock still when both of his feet were on the ground, when the monster remained still he took another step back.
Then another.
And another.
His steps grew faster until he ended up running away, faster than he thinks he ever has.
‘Oh f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck’ Atsushi mentally yelled inside his head, trying to be as quiet as he could. Who knows how many of those *things* are in here!
He HAD to find Akutagawa. With the two of them together things would get much easier- he's sure if he could just contact-
Contact! He could call Dazai-!
Still running, Atsushi took his phone from his trouser pockets but as a result of his shaky hands, dropped it. He stopped to pick it up, deciding he was far enough from the creature to stand still for a moment.
He swiped up to unlock his phone and clicked on his messaging app. But just before he clicked Dazai’s contact, he froze.
Thumping.
Like a large animal stomping on the ground. But he knew this was no animal.
The thumping was progressing closer to him. That thing knew where he was.
Atsushi’s legs started moving before he could even process the fear surging all throughout his body.
This was a nightmare.
His heart thumped with fear, his body fueled on pure adrenaline.
Atsushi ran and ran until that *thing* either lost sight of him or interest.
He slumped against one of the identical wallpapered walls, his breath coming out in loud, tired breaths.
Atsushi’s eyes went half lidded, his body tired.
Just before he could even start to try and make sense of his overwhelming situation, he saw something peek out from one of the yellow walls in front of him.
His breath hitched.
It swivelled its head, looking right at him.
He ran.
