Door (7)

I ran my hand down the limbs now covered in fox-like fur and thought.

"Still, this should help somewhat with escaping the Backrooms."

I had no idea whether ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this transformation was only possible in this corridor and its rooms, or whether it would work in other Backrooms or caves since they were Backrooms too — or even on Earth. But one thing was certain: the enhanced physical abilities would help with my current situation, and with escaping the Backrooms, however I managed it.

"Well, time to head out."

Now that my limbs had fully returned to my control, there was no point lingering in 4T0 any longer.

A waste of time. Yes, literally a waste of time. Doubled, at that.

I headed for the corridor outside.

But putting on a shoe with only one of a pair left felt a bit off, didn't it?

"Then I just won't wear any."

My soft paw pads pressed against the floor.

Shoes? Those are for weak-footed humans.

I'm human too, but I'm no longer a weak human.

Unlike stepping with shoes, my feet touched down so lightly that the sound of walking vanished entirely.

But even feet like these — enhanced-body feet — were still feet.

Worse, my paw pads had nerves even more sensitive than a human's, so in a place like that scorching hot space earlier, I wouldn't just be unable to walk — I'd be rolling on the ground.

"I wonder if I can find some clothes and shoes."

I couldn't keep wearing these clothes, burned here and there and riddled with holes.

Especially since that angel keeps taking candid shots of me and posting them to the gallery — I can't just stand by while skin shows all over the place.

"Wait. Why do I need to look for them myself?"

Spatial anomalies and inexplicable phenomena like escaping the Backrooms can't be understood just by looking, but clothes? Wouldn't those be plainly visible to someone who can see?

So, I asked someone who could see.

"Nice."

I followed FallingForever's directions and sure enough, there was a door that looked like a gemstone sliced flat and polished whole.

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1D0.

"That D really grates on me.."

The first things that come to mind are Die, Death, stuff like that.

But the last digit is 0, so it probably won't come to that, right?

If it were truly instant-death level, it would've been 1D7, 1D8, 1D9.

FallingForever declared it with total confidence.

Anyone talking that big has to be trustworthy, right?

I turned the jewel door's handle and pulled it open.

Inside was a large mirror, a wardrobe, and a set of drawers.

So the D stood for Dressing room?

Click!

Feeling a little relieved, I stepped in and flipped on the light switch.

The lights blazed bright — almost excessively so.

I immediately yanked open the wardrobe doors.

"What the hell is this."

If SaveMe says so..

Then at the very least, no dangerous thing would happen, just as it said.

Really? Actually, maybe there's some invisible platform in there.

It said it wouldn't be dangerous, so that eye isn't hostile — maybe it's something transcendent, like that thing in the cave. Honestly, the 7 at the end bothers me a little — no, a lot — but still.

It can even know that? Has it watched what happens inside that place?

The sky. A boundless, brilliant blue sky. And there, floating in the empty air, a round leather door opened.

Immediately, legs covered in reddish-brown fur stretched straight out from it.

"There's nothing under my feet.."

Could it be that there's an invisible platform just a little below, once my whole body is through?

But wait — what happens if there isn't one..?

The very instant that worry crossed my mind —

Whoosh!

A tentacle appeared from the side and coiled around my legs.

"What the—! Aagh!"

Then the pulling force dragged my entire body straight through the leather door.

The fortunate part of the story would be that my legs were held upside down in the tentacle's grip, so I didn't fall.

The unfortunate part would be that the tentacle's owner was the enormous eyeball lurking in the blind spot beside the door.

"Ugh.."

I'd felt a little relieved since I couldn't see it when I opened the door. But it was hiding right next to me.

Once my body was fully inside the space, I could clearly sense from this giant eyeball the same transcendent something I'd felt from that blurry figure in the cave.

Should I at least say hello?

"Uh.. hello..?"

And then —

"Hello?"

"Uh.. what?"

The reply came right back.

So this one, unlike that thing, can speak.

"Do you happen to have.. clothes..?"

"Pfft—"

The eyeball suddenly began trembling violently.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Laughter rang through my skull, filling it completely.

And as it laughed, the tentacle wrapped around my legs gradually loosened.

"Hey, hey! I'm falling!"

The tentacle clamped down on my legs again.

"Ah, my mistake. You were just too funny."

Funny? Do you have any idea how important clothes are to a human?

They're the kind of thing that gets you thrown in a cell if you don't have them.

"You still don't seem to have any idea who I am."

Who I am?

Hmm.. if something feels similar, there is one being that comes to mind.

The tentacle-like quality feels similar too.

"Uh.. um.. could you be a friend of that thing I saw in the cave..?"

"The cave..? No. I don't know what that is, but I doubt it."

"Then.."

Only then did the appearance of this place come back to mind.

Empty air. Endless empty air.

And it knows who I am?

"Could you be.."

"I am FallingForever."

So this is the angel who reset an entire world and was punished for it.

"You're CaveEscapeRope, right? But didn't you say you were from Earth?"

"Earth.. that's right."

"Hmm. Were there those who escaped from the Backrooms to Earth.."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. So, you said you needed clothes?"

With that, another tentacle flew out and wrapped around my body.

Soon the tentacle snapped clean off from the eyeball — no, from FallingForever's body — wound itself completely around me, pressed flush against my skin, and flattened itself onto my body.

"Uh.. this doesn't seem like clothes.."

"Hm? Oh. I know. Clothes."

The tentacle clinging to my body swelled briefly, then began taking on color and shape.

"Hold on.. something's off here?"

Flapping hems. Long ribbons trailing outward. And bright, cheerful colors.

And a skirt.

No — it had turned me into a magical girl.

"Hey!!"

"Heh heh.. I just wanted to play a little prank."

Then the magical girl outfit melted away again, transforming like living flesh pressed against my body.

I really thought it was going to turn me into an actual magical girl.

Turn me into a girl and use its tentacles to.. no, that can't be it. I don't look anywhere near androgynous enough to be mistaken.

The flesh split apart again, taking on shape and color, and became a T-shirt, pants, and a vest.

"There. This should do. I'm bored, so come visit often, won't you?"

Come often..?

"You're not leaving?"

Could it be that, since it's being punished, it can't leave freely?

It's a different Backroom, sure, but it could escape the place it's in now.

"I cannot leave."

Then it held me upright again and stretched me straight out through the leather door. My body passed through above the door, but the part of its tentacle that crossed the door's plane vanished instantly.

No — watching it come back down, maybe it simply can't interact with the door at all.

Though it can still see the door, which means it's still a far greater being than that black fox, I suppose.

I bent my body carefully over the top of the door, slipped out into the corridor, and looked down again — FallingForever had already hidden itself away to the side once more.