(Aleena and Eli have settled in a strange town deep in the Backrooms’ endless wheatfields. The town appeared long before they arrived, but now something is changing—and Aleena is the only one who seems to notice.) This is an excerpt from chapter 14.
Aleena and Eli set out to explore the town's streets, focusing on the houses believed to be vacant. As they walked past Harold's place, they sensed he might be watching them from behind the curtains, but it didn't faze them. Their mission was clear: to investigate the empty homes for any signs of unusual activity. Eli glanced at Aleena as he secured his pistol back into its holster.
"Did Syra mention what
we should be on the lookout for?" he asked. They walked closely together,
but Aleena's mind was elsewhere, distracted by thoughts that had little to do
with their mission. Eli halted her momentarily, recalling Syra's instructions.
"Oh, right. She said we need to check for any abnormalities in
the residences."
“What does she mean by abnormalities?” Eli asked. “Houses that have
unusual structures within,” came the reply. Eli's confusion deepened. He
pressed, “What do you mean?”
“If a house appears distorted in any way inside, we are instructed
to mark the door, and someone will arrive to seal it off to prevent entry,”
Aleena paused before adding,” Syra, informed everyone but I guess you weren’t
listening, because you were too busy flirting with Molly.” She rolled her eyes
and smirked at him. He scoffed in response,
“Oh, now I see, you’re
jealous.” Aleena arched an eyebrow and shot him a disapproving glance, shaking
her head in frustration.
“Hold on a sec, no I’m not
jealous,” she lied.
“If you say so,” Eli teased. Aleena frowned and said,
“We need to check out that
house, so, let’s focus on our task,” she insisted. Together, they approached a
dilapidated white house, where several boards on the fence lay broken and
scattered. The door creaked slightly ajar, and Aleena felt an unsettling vibe
about it. They exchanged a nervous glance and took a deep breath before
entering.
As soon as they stepped
inside, they noticed dark vines creeping along one wall of the Livingroom.
Suddenly, something caught Aleena's attention, and she gasped as a shadow
darted into another room. She gestured to Eli, and they both drew their
weapons. Aleena glanced around and saw the walls of the old house subtly
shifting. The wallpaper began to resemble the patterns from the yellow maze,
making her uneasy. She urged, “We should leave, now.”
Eli shot a quick glance at her; he moved toward the room where the
entity had vanished. Just then, Aleena clutched his arm, her eyes wide with
concern as she slowly shook her head.
She leaned in and whispered,
“Do you want to end up back in the yellow maze?” The possibility of ending up
back in the yellow maze is strong. The urgency in her gaze made him pause, realizing
that this was more than just fear; it was a serious warning. He gave her a
quick nod, and they hurried out of the house. However, as soon as they stepped
outside, the entity lunged at them, knocking them to the ground before it sped
away down the road.
Aleena exclaimed in dismay, “No,” and without hesitation, she and
Eli raced back toward the town hall building. As they entered, they saw Syra
with a raised rifle, aiming at them but once she saw who they were, she lowered
the rifle.
“What happened?” she asked, then suddenly they heard screams
and dashed out. A man was being torn apart by a Hound, a terrifying
creature that lurks in nearly every level of the Backrooms. His screams echoed
as the creature viciously clawed at his leg, leaving a scene of horror in its
wake. Syra, Eli, and Aleena fired their weapons at the creature, but it
was Kyle's shotgun blast that finally brought it down.
Two other men quickly followed up by throwing a net over the beast,
ensnaring it. They will manage to take it outside the colony. One gives the
final blow that will end its life. Aleena looked around, uncertainty in her
eyes, and asked, “What do we do now?”
With a heavy sigh, Syra replied, “We need to burn the body when he
dies.”
“Why?” Eli asked.
“He will turn into one of them and that’s a fate worse than death,” she
responded. Two individuals transported the injured man to the
hospital. With just two doctors currently present and a handful of nurses
on duty, Aleena felt uncertain about his chances of survival. Later, she and
Eli found themselves at the
Diner, where the mood was heavy. Aside from the cook and two
waitresses, only four other people occupied the space, contributing to the
overall somber atmosphere. Aleena was filled with sorrow over the man who
ultimately succumbed to his injuries, and his body was incinerated.
Nevertheless, she shared with Syra the story of the house from which the Hound
had emerged. Soon after, the structure had been boarded up with old wooden
planks, its windows obscured and the door firmly sealed shut. The men
carefully secured a bright yellow tape around the perimeter of the structure,
marking it off with precision and intent. Eli, sensing the weight of the
moment, leaned closer to her, his expression softening as he reached out to
take her hand in his.
“Don’t feel bad about what
happened,” he reassured her, his voice steady and comforting. The warmth of his
grip offered a small solace amidst the chaos that happened a few hours ago. Aleena
sighed, her voice trailing off as she began, “I understand, but…”
Eli quickly cut in, his tone firm yet understanding. “But nothing,”
he replied, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
“It wasn’t your fault; it was something we couldn’t have predicted, and it’s truly unfortunate.” Aleena nodded in agreement, her expression softening as she processed his words. Just then, the waitress approached their table, placing their meals in front of them with a warm smile. “Thanks,” Eli said appreciatively, and they both dug into their food.
(Thank you for visit. The images used in this blog are for the readers entertainment)
