"It doesn't happen with a bang, but with a terrifying silence... Raindrops begin to slow down mid-fall, and dust particles freeze in the air as if time has suffered a seizure. For a few fleeting seconds, physics loses its foundation and reality forms a 'glitch'... Then, everything returns to normal, except for one thing: you are no longer here."
(The scene shifts to the school basement, where the lighting is dim and the sound of muffled laughter fills the room.)
Senka: (Spreading maps and glitchy photos across the worn-out table, his eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence) "Listen closely, this isn't just some internet myth! The Backrooms are the only explanation. Why didn't they find a single trace of Daniel? No body, no clothes, no digital footprint... Because he simply is no longer in the 'here' that we know."
Kael: (Playfully punching Senka's shoulder while waving his heavy-duty flashlight) "Man, this big brain of yours is going to make us famous! Imagine if we actually find the entrance and film just one clip? We'll break the internet! 'The Shadow Club Solves the Missing Persons Mystery'... That title alone is enough to get millions of views."
Lena: (Staring intently at an old photo of her and Daniel, her voice carrying a tone of desperate hope) "I believe you, Senka. Daniel always used to say that this world sometimes felt like a cheap movie set... Do you think he's still waiting for us in there?"
Dorian: (Sitting in the dark corner, coldly flipping a lighter in his hand, his eyes fixed on the floor) "Waiting is the easiest thing a person could do in there... The problem isn't getting in. The problem is that the place doesn't have an 'exit door'."
Senka: (Smiling with absolute confidence) "We'll find the way out, Dorian. The human mind designed the rules, and there's definitely a loophole in those rules. Tomorrow, we'll go to the old warehouse... That's where Daniel's phone pinged its last signal."
(A brief silence falls, broken only by the buzzing of the lone fluorescent bulb in the basement, acting as an early warning.)
Senka: (Placing a strange, wire-filled device into his backpack) "This device will detect any 'fluctuations' in the electromagnetic waves. If the Backrooms truly exist, reality there vibrates at a different frequency."
Kael: (Laughing sarcastically while swinging a baseball bat) "Frequencies? Vibrations? Senka, you always overcomplicate things. All we need are strong flashlights and someone physically fit like me, just in case we have to run after Daniel's 'ghost'."
Lena: (In a quiet, reproachful tone) "Kael, stop joking... Daniel wasn't just a 'ghost', he was our friend. (She turns to Senka) Do you really think he's still... him? I mean, three years in a place with no sun..."
Senka: (Pauses for a second, his intellect shining through his intense hope) "Lena, in quantum physics, time isn't a straight line. Maybe only three minutes have passed for him! Daniel's intelligence surpassed all of ours; I'm sure he found a way to adapt. We just need to reach that 'weak point' in the warehouse wall."
Dorian: (Standing up suddenly, the scraping of his chair against the concrete floor making everyone freeze) "A weak point? You call it a weak point, I call it a 'trap'. Have you ever wondered why no one comes back? It's not because they can't find the way, it's because the place... it changes you."
Kael: (Raising an eyebrow mockingly) "Oh, 'Mr. Mystery' is back to bestow his dark wisdom upon us. Dorian, where is all this confidence coming from when you haven't opened a single book on the paranormal?"
Dorian: (Staring at Kael with a terrifying coldness) "From my nightmares, Kael. The sound of the 'buzzing' hasn't left my ears for months. (He turns to Senka) If we go there, don't rely too much on your intellect... rely only on your instinct."
The orange sunlight was slowly retreating, as if the day itself refused to accompany them inside. The four stood before the rusty iron door.
Senka: (Checking his device, which started emitting a sharp beep) "The frequencies here are completely unstable... It's as if the wall in front of us isn't as solid as it seems. Daniel went missing right here, exactly behind this container."
Kael: (Kicking the door open) "Come on guys, the place is just a dust depot... There's nothing here but—"
He didn't finish his sentence. Suddenly, they all felt a cold draft emerging from nowhere, carrying the sickening stench of old, moist carpet.
Lena: (Gripping Senka's arm in terror) "Senka... look at our shadows... they're disappearing!"
At that moment, everything froze. The dust particles slowed down, and an absolute, heavy silence prevailed.
Dorian: (In a horrifying whisper) "It happened... The trap has sprung."
Senka took a single step forward, but his foot didn't touch concrete; instead, it sank into the floor as if it were a thick liquid. He screamed, and Kael tried to grab him, but the pulling force was immense, dragging them all down in a human chain of panic into the unknown.
~The Fall into "Level 0"
The orange sunlight vanished instantly, replaced by a pale, sickening yellow glare. They all slammed onto a floor that was uncomfortably soft. Senka opened his eyes, and the intelligence that usually defined him was replaced by an existential shock.
Endless yellow walls, moist carpet, and an electric hum piercing the skull.
Kael: (Whispering, his face completely pale) "Where is the warehouse? Where is the door we came through?"
Senka: (Looking at his shattered device, then at the infinite corridors around them) "We did it, guys... We're in 'Level 0'."
Lena: (Crying silently) "The place... it smells like death."
Dorian: ....
~ CONTINUES ....