Chapter 9: Safe zone?

Holding the key tightly, I took another step forward.

I groped along the floor and walls, slowly moving ahead.

I held my breath and minimized the sound of my footsteps, but I could still feel the presence of the invisible hand behind me.

The slight disturbance in the air constantly stimulated my nerves.

‘Where could it be… the door that this key can open?’

Relying on the faint light of the flashlight in the darkness, I walked along the wall.

Every few steps, I stopped to check for any presence and then moved cautiously again.

But even in this tense situation, my legs grew heavy.

Fatigue and fear washed over me, but I couldn’t stop.

Then, I heard a creaking sound under my feet.

A rusty metal plate on the floor reacted to my movement, making a groaning sound.

“Ugh!”

A small sound echoed in the darkness.

Suddenly, I felt the surrounding air fluctuate.

The invisible hand had started to move from behind me.

Its presence was getting closer and closer.

I swallowed my breath and quickly turned off the flashlight.

‘I’ve been found… what do I do?’

I felt a cold sweat running down my back as I fumbled on the floor.

My fingertips touched a small pebble.

I carefully picked up the pebble.

And with all my concentration, I threw the pebble in the opposite direction.

Thump.

The sound of the pebble falling to the floor echoed in the darkness.

And the invisible hand reacted to the sound, moving towards the pebble instead of me.

I could feel the disturbance in the air gradually moving away.

‘I did it… now I have to move quickly.’

Not missing the opportunity, I quickly moved in the opposite direction.

I lowered my body as much as possible along the wall and turned on the flashlight slightly.

Dimming the light to illuminate only the floor, I held my breath and moved forward.

After a few minutes, a small metal door appeared at the end of the wall.

The door was made of rusty iron, and a lock was firmly fastened above the handle.

I stopped in front of the door and checked the key.

‘Finally…’

With trembling hands, I inserted the key into the lock.

The key fit perfectly, as expected.

I took a breath and slowly turned the key.

Click.

The sound of the lock unlocking cut through the darkness.

The sound felt like a signal announcing my location, and a chill ran down my spine.

I quickly opened the door and pushed my body inside.

Then, I closed and locked the door.

I could still feel the presence of the invisible hand outside, but it seemed unable to come beyond this door.

“Ha.”

Gasping for breath, I looked around inside the door.

This was another space different from the places I had been before.

It was a dark hallway, but the walls were older and more irregular in shape.

The floor was also rough and uneven concrete, not metal.

When I shone the flashlight around, I saw something engraved on the wall.

The writing was faint and hard to read, but there was a simple arrow and one word written.

[The Hub]

“Hub?”

Suddenly, the herb, a spice, came to mind.

But I soon realized that wasn’t the meaning.

‘Hub’ also meant a central place.

So, I thought that this place might be a place that serves as a kind of center for the Backrooms.

“…Is this that kind of place?”

I slowly looked around.

At the end of the hallway, there was a small emergency exit, and in the center, an old tent was visible.

The tent was covered with a worn and tattered cloth, and items were scattered around it.

I couldn’t feel any presence, but there were clear signs that someone had used it for a long time.

‘This might be one of the few spaces where you can rest.’

That was my judgment.

The appearance of that tent was completely different from the tents of the [Succubus Camp] I had experienced before.

Their tents all looked brand new, as if they had never been used.

Maybe they lived somewhere other than inside the tents.

On the other hand, the tent here clearly showed signs of long use.

Around it, empty tomato soup cans that looked like they had been scraped to the bottom were rolling around, and on the wall, there were marks where someone had scratched the dates in the shape of a right character.

I didn’t know who it was, but it was clear that these were traces left by survivors.

“Someone must have stayed here for quite a while.”

I muttered in a small voice and slowly walked towards the tent.

Without letting go of my tension, I shone the flashlight around the tent.

Holding a small pebble in my hand in case of any danger, I carefully looked inside the tent.

Inside the tent, there were old blankets, mats, and a few empty cans.

There was no presence that seemed threatening.

I let out a sigh of relief and entered the tent.

‘It would be good to rest here for a little while.’

My legs were so tired they were trembling, so I collapsed and lay down in the tent.

The inside of the tent was cozier than I thought.

The blanket was old and had a musty smell, but it was much better than the cold concrete floor.

I curled up inside the tent and took out a small can of drink from my pocket.

It was a sports drink.

Gulp.

I took a sip of the drink and slowly caught my breath, looking around.

It was quiet.

It was so quiet that it was rather unsettling.

‘Is it really safe?’

Except for the doors on both ends, this hallway was quite small.

But you never know when or where a monster might appear.

For a while, I listened carefully to the sounds around me.

But I couldn’t hear anything.

Maybe this place really was a place where I could rest for a little while.

Unlike the Succubus Camp, there was a possibility that this was a place where they, the monsters, were not active.

“Please… let nothing happen while I’m here.”

I curled up further inside the tent and closed my eyes.

My heart was still beating fast, but the fatigue was already so extreme that my small body couldn’t overcome it.

I wasn’t sure if this place was safe, but I needed a place to rest, even for a little while.

I rummaged through my pocket and, fortunately, found one remaining can.

The cold metal touch on my fingertips gave me an unexpected sense of relief.

“I can solve one meal with this.”

I used my fingernail to pry open the lid of the can.

My fingernails were short, so it took a bit of effort, but I managed to open it with a bit of this and that.

As the lid opened, the familiar scent of tomato soup hit my nose.

It was a processed food smell that was both familiar and unappetizing, but right now, hunger was greater.

After taking a spoonful, I found that it was fortunately not poisoned or spoiled.

I carefully filled my stomach, one spoonful of soup at a time.

This soup, neither hot nor cold, felt like the best banquet right now.

After finishing the soup, I took another sip of the drink.

The cool sensation going down my throat was very welcome.

“Phew… at least my stomach is full.”

I pushed the empty can and drink can aside and unfolded the old blanket inside the tent.

The blanket carried the traces of time, but it was enough to cover my body.

I lay down on the floor of the tent and covered myself with the blanket.

As the tension gradually eased, fatigue rushed in all at once.

Inside the empty tent, all I could hear was my own cute breathing.

As I closed my eyes and curled up, my mind quickly became hazy.

‘How fortunate that I can rest here for even a little while.’

Overwhelmed by fatigue and relief, I quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Scary thoughts no longer came to mind.

February 1, 2025.

Day 1 in a safe-looking space.

I barely survived another breathtaking moment of tension.

I managed to open the door, avoiding the invisible hand, and arrived at a safe space.

It was a place called [The Hub].

At first, I thought it was the herb you eat.

But that doesn’t make sense.

I figured it meant something like a central passage, so I let it go.

And, I found a tent there, and from the traces around it, I could tell that someone had survived here.

I couldn’t tell where that person went.

Did they survive to the end and escape?

I hope so.

If possible, I wish they had left a note for the next person to escape, like the diary I’m writing now.

Is this too hopeful?

It’s a bit sad.

Anyway, thanks to the tent this person left, I was able to eat the last remaining can and drink and relieve my hunger, and I was able to rest for a while in the tent.

It was really fortunate.

My tired body feels like it could fall asleep at any moment, but I’m still anxious.

Still, I should be glad that there’s a place to catch my breath like this.

Phew, I hope nothing happens tomorrow…

…No, while I’m sleeping.

Found a safe-looking place!

[The Hub]

The Hub looks like a small tunnel.

There are doors on both sides, and in the middle, there is an old tent that seems to have been there for a long time.

There were also a few soup cans that looked like they had been eaten.

If something dangerous happens later or if it’s too hard to bear, let’s come back here.

Phew, it’s really fortunate that there’s a place like this.

Yeah.

There should be a resting place in this kind of horror genre.

Of course.