No-Clipped

Chapter 6: Attic Floorboards

The bottom of my chin slammed against the other side of the rift, my body ricocheting backwards causing me to fall headfirst. I could taste the sticky, metallic taste of the blood filling my mouth and dripping down my throat. My jaw definitely wasn't broken, but the impact was still incredibly painful.

I woke up and spat the blood out of my mouth, wiping my face with my forearm. I held my breath for a few seconds to hold in my screens, staring at the puddle of blood soaking through the wooden floorboards. I was now in what looked like an old attic. Not only was the floor made of creepy, decaying wood, but the walls and ceilings too. There were no windows and hardly any lights, aside from a faint orange glow peeking out of the cracks in between some of the planks. The ceiling was low, only two feet above my head, and there were cobwebs in every corner.

     "D...Dave said the almond water has healing abilities...right?" I said, eying the bottle laying on the floor in front of my backpack. I took two steps forward and bent over to pick it up, the floor creaking loudly under my feet. I unscrewed the cap carefully and poured the remaining almond water into my mouth. The taste of the blood mixed with the beverage was very unpleasant so I swallowed quickly. My jaw was not AS painful as it had been before, but I decided to let it take its time. I left the empty bottle down on the floor and pulled out my flashlight, shining it in front of me. I let out a sigh of relief, the flashlight making it much easier to look around.

I walked around carefully, exploring the level a bit more. It was not as empty as the lobby or the warehouse. Every section I entered was loaded with clutter. Strange, dusty furniture and tables, boxes, shelves, anything you would find in a typical cluttered attic.

I approached a cardboard box which was similar in size to the crates in the warehouse. I assumed it was similar to them, containing something random (hopefully useful) inside. I brushed all of the dust off the top with my wrist and carefully tore off the tape sealing the opening of the box, then peeking at what was inside.

Food!

My mouth watered as grabbed the food inside. The box held a large bag of marshmallows and a medium sized bag of mint-chocolate covered almonds. What is it with the Backrooms and almonds? After pulling the snacks out of the box I gasped, instantly dropping the bags to the ground and taking several steps back.

As soon as they exited the box they instantly decayed...the sides of the bags were shriveled and the sweets inside now smelled awful, with brown splotches and holes on them. I gagged and frowned, my excitement from finding the candy quickly had turned into disappointment.

     "H...how did that happen? They seemed fine when I opened the box..." I said. I grabbed my container of chips I had gotten from one of the crates in the warehouse and opened the lid.

     "Does this happen to other food as well?"

     I pulled a single chip out of the container and held it in my hands, watching it decay as well right when it left the container. I scrunched my nose and tossed the chip beside the bags of candy. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I closed the lid and aggressively shook up the container until the chips were now small crumbs. After opening it back up I opened my mouth as wide as I could and placed it around the opening of the container, dumping some of the crumbs into my mouth and leaning my head forward so they wouldn't go down my throat. I chewed and swallowed quickly, satisfied.

     "There must be something in the air that is causing the food to decay after being exposed to it...well, not exactly exposure. Just right after removing it from whatever box or container this is." I observed the rotten food on the floor and began to feel sick to my stomach, turning my head away and walking in the other direction towards one of the dressers, which was surrounded by all sorts of stuff I may find useful at some point. With the space left in my backpack after finishing the bottle of almond water and getting rid of the chips I was able to collect and fit a rope and a few pieces of paper with sketches of people with horrified or confused expressions. I planned to examine them later.

I walked for about a mile with my back arched over, dragging my backpack on the ground instead of wearing it. With each pile of clutter there were chairs, which I would stop to take a quick sitting break every once in a while. I was very tired and worn out, but I did not sleep, not completely sure whether I was in an odd or even level knowing that I may not be going in level order. I clicked off my flashlight, stopping at another one of those weird orange lights peeking out of the floorboards. I sat down on the ground and placed my backpack in my lap, taking a few staring at the light. It was...somewhat mesmerizing. It gave me a sense of tranquility.

A few minutes staring at the orange glow turned into an hour.

I slowly drifted off and then shot my eyes open, only then realizing how long I had been sitting there staring.

"Wait-snap out of it, Wyatt!" I said dragging my backpack and trying to get as far away from the glow as I could, paying attention to the light of my flashlight instead. I wanted to go back, but forced myself to keep going.

I stopped once again at a chair for a break, pouring a bit of the chip crumbs into my mouth and dropping it back inside. I pulled out the papers I had found earlier along with my mechanical pencil, setting them down on my lap. The images were oddly realistic.

The first paper had a picture of a woman with short messy hair, her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth wide open. The second was a man with curly hair who looked shocked and surprised, but at the same time confused. I took a minute to think, trying to process what these mysterious images could be representing. All of a sudden it hit me.

Could these be real wanderers...some who trapped inside the papers? Was there a way I could get them out? Many questions filled my head, which I decided to save for later as I slid the pages into the front pocket of my backpack. I felt nauseous and lightheaded, opening up a new bottle of the coconut flavored almond water and took a sip. It did nothing.

"Ughhh..." I groaned. "Do I feel this way because of how hungry I am? Is it because I haven't showered in a few days? Is it whatever made all that food decay? Whatever. All I know is I HAVE to find an exit to this level...hopefully a less painful one...and as soon as possible at that."

I spent the next few hours searching for exits. Doors, hatches, windows, perhaps another rift...nothing. That is until I stepped onto one of the creaky floorboards, falling backwards as I knocked it loose with my foot. I quickly picked myself up and brushed dirt off of my pants and shirt, removing the floorboard and setting it to the side. Looking down it was pitch black. I swallowed the lump in my throat and shut my eyes, taking one deep breath in and one deep breath out. I tightened my backpack and buckled the straps together to prevent it from falling off after the drop and lowered myself down, holding onto the edge. My fingers slowly weakened.

I decided to take the risk and let go.