Level ES-1 - "Foggy Concrete"

You don't even know what you feel anymore. The only thing you know is that you are alive.

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Unsafe.
Unsecure.
Unknown Entity Count.

― Description ―

One of the few images showing the concrete hallways and the Dark Fog of Level 1.

Level ES-1, also known as "Foggy Concrete", it takes the appearance of a macrostructure formed by an infinite number of corridors and rooms that, despite being essentially different from each other, share a series of properties that are both merely compositional and inexplicably anomalous.

The complex in question divides and communicates its great variety of different areas adjacently and through the repeated use of walls and small side openings in the shape of a vertical prism.¹

However, the most essential, and at the same time least understood, characteristic of Level 1 is the constant presence of a thick, deep and dark Fog that uninterruptedly cannibalizes numerous areas of the level and exponentially makes its exhaustive exploration difficult. The latter, due to its remarkably extranormal properties not documented anywhere else in The Backrooms.

Main Elements

The walls, for their part, are mostly composed of a whitish and unusually robust concrete, which, on the contrary, has a weak hardness. Depending on the momentary location of the explorer, said white paint tends to vary in terms of its state of conservation ― from unhygienic appearance, to brilliant polish ― and it can even be altered by exceptionally grayish layers.

In comparison, the rooms and hallways incessantly separated by those stand out for their great heterogeneity and notorious unpredictability. Firstly, the space they cover is not constant and is in continuous alteration; While certain spaces do not reach three square meters, others have come to occupy the equivalent of football stadiums located in The Frontrooms.²

Inside the rooms and hallways you can find various structures and even deteriorated and decaying furniture. Instances of these formations include uneven ramps, concrete pillars erected at unusual points, partitions disconnected from any other walls blocking the path, or uneven holes in the ground.³

In the same way that the interior of these spaces is highly variable in terms of its length and width, the same happens with its height. Certain explorers have indicated having come across spaces in which the roof of the cabin was not discernible from its position at ground level, while others, on the contrary, claim the encounter with essentially empty areas; that is, without any soil on which to progress, replacing it in its place with a deep moat with no apparent bottom. This, added to the perpetual, oppressive silence that covers the entire level, causes the slightest sound to produce a strident echo.

The Fog

The element that has most difficult to explore and document Level 1 for a long time is the dense, gloomy Fog that randomly passes through numerous areas of the vast concrete complex. To more easily understand their fundamental properties, the following table summarizes them.

The primary threat posed by the presence of the Fog appears with direct contact with any part of the explorer's body; When this happens, the affected subject loses all sensation related to the five senses of the human body ― sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste ― within the affected area and permanently as long as contact with the Fog persists.

This means that, unless you manage to escape its reach, every traveler who becomes trapped inside will feel a deep sense of disorientation that can lead to notoriously dangerous consequences. One can only imagine that the mere fact of submerging the upper part of the skull will completely deprive the affected person of their vision and hearing, causing special vulnerability to the various obstacles found along the way; or worse still, to the not uncommon ditches and high falls.

However, the cancellation of sight or hearing is not the most dangerous danger to take into account, but rather the loss of touch. Strangely, its disappearance in any corporeal area tends to resemble "painless amputation", which implies a feeling of complete loss and lack of control that makes the simple act of moving a limb covered in Dark Fog difficult at extreme levels. So much so, that if you were completely covered in it, you could trip and even face a hard fall and remain ignorant of the fact that it happened in the first place.⁴

It should be noted that clothing of any type, helmets, protective glasses, among others, to date have not yet had any protective effect against exposure to Fog. Additional experimentation is necessary to check if it has any kind of weakness to exploit, which does not exist at the moment.

Up to this point, the danger presented by the Fog seems to be easily avoidable by simply being careful when traversing Level 1. But this is wrong, since the Fog can perform unexpected actions that can take the traveler by surprise or even corner them in the worst case.

Below is a list of a series of common phenomena to be carried out by the Dark Fog from least to greatest danger, although it is necessary to emphasize that this list is probably imprecise, since its behaviors are so anomalous that they cannot be correctly investigated in their entirety.

Name	Anormal effect
Lateral displacement	The simplest movement to expect is horizontal mobilization along the hallway or room in which one is. Its speed is varied and unpredictable, as is the distance traveled; Although it can start slowly, it is necessary not to get overconfident, since in mere moments the Fog has been sighted reaching the entire room and the several adjacent ones. Luckily, this action does not imply, in principle, a change in altitude, so a good countermeasure is to climb to the top of obstacles where the Fog cannot reach.
Spontaneous appearance	As the name indicates, the dark Fog of Level 1 can appear without prior notice anywhere or anytime in the level. However, this manifestation always takes place slowly and from one of the ends of the cabin in which it occurs, which means that it will always appear first through the walls, floor or ceiling, and will begin to expand from there, as if from a gas leak. For this reason, explorers are advised to stay away from walls and very closed spaces unless absolutely necessary.
Fleeting cannibalization	It is not unusual that in spaces with a large prior presence of Dark Fog, it unexpectedly chooses to occupy the voids present between instances of the various conglomerations present, effectively occupying the entire room or hallway and leaving nothing but darkness in its wake. Therefore, areas that have already begun to become infested should be avoided.
Collateral damage	This being one of the most unsafe phenomena to face, special caution must be taken in case of sighting; Essentially, it consists of the fact that the areas adjacent to the Fog begin to receive damage without ceasing, having previously reached the total collapse of the nearby structure. In particular, future explorers are asked to be careful with roof and floor subsidence. Of those listed, this phenomenon is the most rare, having occurred only on rare occasions.
Random combination	It would not be the first time that several of the named events took place together in the same period of time, even with stranger behaviors not yet documented. Above all, you must constantly be alert to any instance of the Fog in Level 1, and avoid being in its presence as much as possible.

It must be remembered that these are a multitude of phenomena that can become manifested by the Dark Fog, which means that it is also possible, and indeed frequent, that they do not directly occur. Despite everything, it is essential not to trust yourself under any circumstances when exploring the interiors of Level 1.

Below is a transcript of an interview in which a subject who previously suffered the nullifying effect of the Dark Fog explains her experience with the aim of better understanding what it means to carelessly come into contact with it.
Report ― 5/11/2016

― Access the interview ―

― Close interview ―

[Interviewer]: Whenever you want, Anastasia. Keep in mind that the accuracy of your report will help hundreds of future explorers, so respond as truthfully as possible.

[Anastasia]: Yes, I will give my best. But I have to say, well… It wasn't a very pleasant experience, so it's better if we go at a light pace, you know.

[Interviewer]: Of course, let's not waste time. Beginning, but first of all, can you describe a little about the situation you were in before the event?

[Anastasia]: Yes… We were a group of three, well equipped with various tools such as flashlights and other equipment to make the exploration as safe as possible, while making sure to maintain constant contact with the main base by radio. We generally maintained a high level of attention and alertness at all times, so we managed to stay on our feet for two days.

―

[Anastasia]: From there, however, everything began to go downhill, and when we least expected it, a change in terrain left us completely disoriented. As soon as we turned around, the hallway we came from changed completely, and one of our companions, Marco, had disappeared. You have no idea how nervous I got, I still feel how horny it made me… Luckily, my partner helped me stay calm, and we had a Walkie with us, so we could still hear his voice.

[Interviewer]: Interesting, do you think these mediums of communication that you mention ― Walkies, radio, among others ― are essential for the exploration of Level 1? Due to the facts you mention, the lethal unpredictability of the terrain makes them vitally important to maintain a minimum orientation.

[Anastasia]: (…), No! Don't be confused, we thought that too, but this level is full of aces up its sleeve. As time went by, the radio began to stop working, and soon after, the Walkies. This level isolates you and seeks to disorient you the more you explore it, I assure you, it is horrible. I wouldn't go back there even if they paid me…

[Interviewer]: Wow, are your feelings about it that strong? In that case, what really makes you feel this way? I doubt that what you have said up to this point is the cause, since there are already several levels that have shown us to be able to do the same as Level 1 according to what you have told so far.

(Laughing to control her emotions, Anastasia places the palm of her hand on her forehead, over her bangs)

[Anastasia]: …Ha ha, it's easy to understand. It's nothing other than that disgusting, damn Fog. As you go through the level, that black substance not only seems to be more frequent, but more aggressive. It already happened to us before we separated, but when my other partner, Hernando, inserted his arm into a dark cluster, he only started screaming.

[Interviewer]: (…)

[Anastasia]: It's strange, it's as if moving within that Fog was more complex than usual, since it took him a while to react. Luckily, by shooting between the three of us we managed to get him out of there. From what he told us later, no matter how hard he tried to make his right arm react, he just didn't obey, since, well, it's not like he still noticed it as part of his body in the first place. They were cries of despair and helplessness… No one can get used to losing a part of their body as if nothing had happened.

[Interviewer]: Ya, I see… That's― pretty scary at the very least, can y-

[Anastasia]: But wait, you haven't heard anything yet. When we separated and the Walkies stopped working, we could notice how the Fog began to act strange. It was no longer as passive as before, in fact, it was much more harassing. From time to time it made strange movements that caused me to get more than one scare. Something wasn't right at the time, I'm sure; All it wanted to do was get out of that bottomless pit of level before all our bad omens collapsed on us.

―

[Anastasia]: And in fact, that's how it was, practically. We were tired, we had been walking aimlessly for days, holding each other as best we could. The vital thing was not to separate… but it was inevitable. It happened suddenly: we were crossing a fairly long hallway, when suddenly I see that my partner, Hernesto, sank to the ground through a hole that appeared at that moment. Literally. I heard a brief scream, and then I stopped hearing him. My calls seeking his answer were useless, and that's when I realized how screwed I was.

[Interviewer]: ――――

―

[Anastasia]: But, I didn't even have time for my nerves to get in again; Just after that happened, I felt a strong tremor, such that my ears began to ring. And then…

―

[Anastasia]: Absolute catastrophe. A large amount of fog entered the hallway, heading at high speed towards me. I tried to run or move away, but to no avail, it entered at an almost unreactable speed. The entire area above my hips was covered in that deep darkness. I stopped seeing, I stopped hearing; I stopped feeling. I tried to move, but I didn't know if I was really doing it, or if I was, where I was going. I could have crashed into the wall and not realized it. There was uncertainty, there was disorientation, but above all, there was fear― and I could still feel my legs…

(Anastasia grabs a handkerchief from her pocket and walks it across her face to wipe away the sweat, her lost sight, having completely forgotten the interviewer's presence. His expression, tense)

[Anastasia]: I felt like I was separating myself from this existential plane. I seemed to be floating in an empty universe, in which there was nothing left but me― and my lost consciousness. I have to admit that for a moment I wanted to give up and submit to that feeling of eternal floating, wandering like a lost soul through the confines of darkness. But I actually knew that if so, that would be the end of me. The sad, pathetic and lonely conclusion to everything. It is in these moments that I am grateful for that fear, that deep terror that continued to remind me of the reality that loomed over me; since without it I don't think I would have ever been able to escape from that deep and gloomy foggy pit.

―

[Anastasia]: Somehow, moving the little that was still conscious in my body, I reached a gap where I ended up tripping, escaping that eternal nightmare. Today I think that I don't think my luck that day will ever be repeated again. In the end, after a kilometer-long aimless journey, I managed to find a faint beam of light in the middle of that dark infernal complex. The next thing I knew I was already out of level. Later I found out that Hernando had managed to escape in some way, since he was found traveling through Level 5. Marco, however, has never been heard from again…

[Interviewer]: …―Wow, I'm sorry to hear that…

[Anastasia]: Don't worry, the truth is that before all that I didn't know him very well… But still, every time I think about it, it's sad and my skin crawls, I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I had never found that beam of light. I hope Marco is well, who knows if he could have escaped to another unexplored level after all.

―

[Anastasia]: Although I have to say, if it was practically hell to go through the Fog for so long with half my body covered, I don't even want to imagine what it must be like to be completely surrounded by it. I hope I never have to find out, but despite everything, I will admit that I am a little curious ― with a lot of chills ― it causes me…

― Nature of the Level ―

A narrow area with a distinguished presence of The Fog.

Level 1 exhibits strange behavior that deserves extensive documentation. First, the complex suffers from an excessively non-Euclidean nature. This, among other issues, implies a frequent anomalous alteration in its geometry and territorial distribution. That is, one can continue walking in a straight line, and despite everything, return to a room that one has already passed through before. That is why maintaining adequate orientation within Level 1 it is close to impossible.

Additionally, the nature of the level tends to be isolationist and aggressive to a large extent. Although it is possible to access the level in groups of people contrary to Level 0^(EN), Level 1 tends to separate people in an unpredictable but progressive way. In fact, this is not limited to the corporeal presence of the explorers, but, by unknown means, tends to eventually completely disable the use of communication devices, such as radio transmitters or wave emitters.

The true size of Level 1 is unknown for now; Although the fact that the level is infinite is questioned, what is certain is that its expansion is exaggeratedly spacious. This is verified due to the different holes and falls present, since some of them do not lead to endless falls, although they connect the upper floors with lower ground levels. Similarly, there are also openings in the ceiling that lead to upper spaces. This indicates that Level 1 does not only expands horizontally, but also vertically.

The large size of this level also implies the existence of a magnitude of depth, which is reinforced by the progressive increase in the isolating effect mentioned above. Also, the deeper the explorer goes into the depthsof the level, the Dark Fog altering phenomena and other paranormal events become more frequent.⁵

It is also estimated that it will be easier to find an exit from the level faster than later. In short, the difficulty of survival Level 1 is progressive; It is advisable not to explore the level in the first place, and if it is unavoidable, try to stay inside it for as little time as possible.

― Entities ―

At the moment, the presence of entities within Level 1 is unknown. However, the possibility of their existences are not ruled out completely, since various phenomena occur within the level, such as indiscernible noises in the distance, which still continue without any plausible explanation.

― Bases, Outposts and Communities ―

Due to the nature of the level, human settlement within Level 1 isn't viable. It is a complete impossibility of forming any type of bases or outposts, which is why it is not possible to find communities within them either.

― Entrances and Exits ―

Entrances

An alleged entrance to Level 1.

The most effective way currently documented to access Level 1 it is through the exhaustive exploration of Level 0. Although the method is not always uniform, it is not uncommon for a series of factors to conclude with the progressive transition from the latter's scenario to that of the former, especially if they take place in areas of notoriously reduced visibility.

Certain openings in Level 16, in particular the most shady areas, can lead to somewhere of this level.

In any place in the entire Backrooms, it is possible to find more dark spaces than usual. Going through them has a small possibility of ending in Level 1. This possibility is increased if the surroundings of the space are accompanied by levels with subtle fumesor fog of gloomy hue.

Exits

Usually abandoning Level 1 isn't an easy task. The most common method is to find a faint beam of light in the depths of the usual darkness of the complex; Immersing yourself in it will lead to Level 2.