**A Desperate Attempt to See Beyond the Haze**

I squint my eyes, trying to will myself beyond the veil of uncertainty that surrounds me. I'm not sure what's hiding just out of sight, but I know I need to find it if I want to move forward. The double-action hinges seem to be mocking me, their smooth operation a cruel reminder that sometimes things just work as they're meant to. But I won't give up. Not yet, at least.

**The Allure of the Unknown**

As I navigate this labyrinthine world, I find myself drawn to the unknown. It's like a siren's call, beckoning me closer with its secrets and mysteries. I've always been someone who thrives on uncertainty, who finds comfort in the not knowing. And yet, there's something about this particular void that feels different. Maybe it's the way the light filters through the haze, casting an otherworldly glow over everything. Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm starting to realize that I have a choice.

**A Test of Conviction**

The question is, what will I choose? Will I opt for the comfort of familiarity, or will I take a leap of faith into the unknown? The decision feels like a test of my conviction, a way of proving to myself and others that I'm not just some timid soul clinging to the safety net of convention. But as I stand here, weighing my options, I realize that this isn't about making a decision at all. This is about something deeper.

**The Privilege of Choice**

I think back to when this whole thing started, and how it felt like a gift had been bestowed upon me. Not the outcome, mind you – that was always out of my control. But the privilege of choice itself? That was something special. And yet, as I've navigated this winding path, I've come to realize that maybe that's just a myth. Maybe the truth is that we're all just pawns in some much larger game, with our choices predetermined long before we even knew we had them.

**The Weight of Self-Doubt**

But then there's the weight of self-doubt, which feels like a constant companion on this journey. It's like having a nagging voice in the back of my mind that refuses to be silenced, always whispering doubts and fears into my ear. "What if I'm not good enough?" "What if I fail?" These are the voices that keep me up at night, wondering if I've made a mistake or if I'll ever find my way.

**The Line for the Down Escalator**

And then there's the line for the down escalator. It's like a magnet, drawing me in with its promise of escape and relief. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what lies ahead, and start to make my way towards it. Will I find what I'm looking for at the bottom? Or will this be just another dead end? Only time will tell.

**A Conversation with a Fish**

As I wait in line, I strike up a conversation with a fish who seems just as lost as I am. We talk about our lives, our struggles and triumphs, and the choices we've made along the way. It's like we're both just trying to find our way through the chaos, one step at a time.

**The Us of Usp**

The fish tells me about his own journey, how he's learned to navigate the ups and downs of life with ease. And I realize that maybe, just maybe, there is an usp – some hidden secret or key that can unlock it all. It's like finding a special sauce that takes this meal from ordinary to extraordinary.

**A Musical Moment**

As we talk, the music starts to play – a musical moment of truth that catches me off guard. It's like the universe itself is speaking, offering me a glimpse into something deeper and more profound than I ever could have imagined. And in that moment, all my doubts and fears seem to melt away.

**Finding Your Way Back**

But then comes the question: did you find your way back? Did you navigate this twisting path with courage and conviction? Or are you still lost, wandering through the haze without a clear sense of direction? I think about it for a moment before answering. And when I do, it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders – not just from the outside in, but from within.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome to free are you lost are you scared are you feeling all right don't worry i'll find you i'm this is the back rooms that's all i have to say about that i've talked a lot about the back rooms and i think i've played at least one back rooms game but it wasn't like i don't want to say it was bad but i don't think it was like very developed this one looks a little more polished so let's find out what's lurking in the back rooms first day of a new job huge company i don't even know what they do exactly i was supposed to go to the archives to sort out some documents i was supposed to go oh i didn't even re i didn't even notice that it changed lixie and read it for me put this docs in cabinet liminal spaces disappears abductions and glitches la dag okay i see all right wait what does that say to get out of here lost in left when i i don't i can't read it uh what's that sound what am i hearing hearing something ow oh my god what what what oh no i guess i picked the wrong one okay i uh uh oh what okay i thought my neck was just being broken in half okay well i'm in the back rooms now okay so um given that i've actually never read up anything on the back rooms and i don't actually know the reason of the back rooms i'm gonna guess that there's probably a monster in here that's gonna chase me and kill me and eat my bones thought i saw said monster that was going to chase me and hate me i need my bones oh um is this like uh is this like a randomly generated procedurally generated who's he what's it where the rooms constantly shift and change all over the place or uh is it a set map i'm gonna get lost i'm gonna get so lost i am so gonna get lost which i think is the point that's the point of the back rooms is you get lost okay what happened what happened what do you mean are you quiet why are you quiet hello okay i see some writing over there but why that is flowers that's weird help help i'm lost yeah me too pal yeah me too i hear something oh what hello oh do i go down hello oh i thought it was like one of those things where you go you find the whole then you go the next level down i didn't think it was just going to be a you die okay fine i guess i have to oh what what is there a point to this whoa oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god what where where what i should run i'm gonna run now why am i collecting pages what does that sound how close are you hello your footsteps are real slumpy hello what is that oh it's the goddamn uh file go oh boy how you doing chair what yeah whoa hey ghosty goo what is this what am i looking at why is there that shadow there what is happening to any of this what is going on hi oh how do i get away from you um oh oh four four four four four there's numbers there's numbers there's numbers why are there numbers four four four on a drawer i found four where's that chair i was just here i saw it what is over there something over there what is going on here oh whoa i think that's not right wait a minute where's that dude what i don't think this is supposed to happen um okay well that ain't right uh chair high chair seven seven four four on a drawer seven in heaven on a chair okay i can do that i can do that you you four seven was that the five five five four seven five okay good what hello what exit okay okay oh the code code code okay there's one more thing it looked like a desk oh here hey nine uh four what does that say four seven five nine watch out for it watch out for its butthole i think that was all of them was that it four seven five nine is that it i guess i just go back oh god oh oh oh where are you where are you oh oh oh oh i don't see it where are you at oh god oh god i'm gonna get i'm gonna get swamped ah there he is there he is i think there was a long hallway down this way i'm gonna get swamped oh god no okay here we go here we go yes oh god that sounds close what where's where's what are you doing good thank god oh hey there he is what a big boy yeah oh you gone okay all right yeah yeah yeah yeah here okay four seven five nine okay uh the desk had a nine five seven four nine five seven four was that it i don't remember nine five seven four oh i got it oh oh oh i won okay i thought there was going to be more to it ah ah okay all right based on the creepypasta slash meme yeah that that checks out if you like it or not there's still a lot of a lot of backrooms to explore it's probably randomly generated i bet it's like something where things are mixed up all the time i don't know where anything else would be in there it seemed like there was it was a box it seemed like it was just a box but there probably were some other places to like slip through the walls that i didn't catch so if you want to find those secrets link is in the description this was not bad i liked it i actually thought it was pretty good moving on welcome to dark dreams you ever had a dream or you didn't know where you were and what you were doing and what what was the thing that you were going to what you were gonna do and you were trying to get the thing and you didn't know how to do the what you were gonna do this is that game i think are you sure all say progress will be lost i didn't have any but it's ominous this demo may contain texture glycerin gameplay books and we work on fixing these people with dark souls have nothing but dark dreams people with really dark souls do nothing but dream wise words i guess oh i do oh well radio anyway but anyway yeah that's on the back page of uh qsc this month so can i fiddle with this yeah i like this one better okay i'm gonna use that one um find lantern it i guess uh take light up oil lamp ah amnesia style is that on the radio or is that a real big loud mouse all right fine am i dreaming you uh-huh cool oh hi what does that say fallen pollen allen oh hi oh hi are you whispering to me are you trying to whisper sweet nothings in my ear great appreciate it ah reed dear mrs johnson i have evaluated your recent request for help regarding your husband's mental state my condolences go out to you and your family however my hands are tied without your husband's willingness to cooperate and seek help there isn't anything i can offer my off-record advice to you is to get out get out right now mrs johnson the darkness won't stop get out best of luck dr barron um that's moderately concerning but only moderate i okay i yes i yes ah yes yes oh okay that's concerning what's that all about oh hi hey what's up pal how are you doing neighbor i'll just be on my way goodbye um okay this room is not available in the demo oh hi another friend um yeah why not okay hey that's a little bit of an extreme reaction oh wait i was the monster i jump scared you ah return okay return what this does feel very amnesia-like and not just because of the lantern although that does help zoom i love ce sure hi door is jammed someone's trying to hold it shut what we just won't do that just won't do we won't just do any nothing about that hello it's a cop this is our new house do you come to visit us sure oh and axe can i use that that'd be helpful a spine maybe i could get one and i'd be brave enough there must be something here that can help me with it that is apparently not this axe right here oh there's something ticking behind this bookshelf what is there oh wait ah oh i like that oh my god i don't like that hey oh i'm sorry what oh oh oh ah thanks that's it you're gonna end it there nothing happened but nothing happened i can break this i can break you i can break you and i'm stuck i consider this me breaking this lexian hit it with it so not bad very short not substantial uh it looked good and it had a good feel to it there just wasn't a lot there and i wasn't even really much of a demo to get an idea of what the story was going to be really really short but interesting you know i'd be interested in playing a further game of that definitely but for now i have to move on this is the red hood i don't know if it's related in any way to red riding hood but it is red hood oh run never stop choose the right way to avoid a strange serial killer from the forest if you die you will start the game from the beginning ps good luck you need it oh good whoa so we're not gonna have a relaxing time this is all stress all the time good run and never stop does that mean i should not look behind me oh oh i you now oh oh oh oh well what's the worst that could happen i'm i'm dead okay i get it okay okay all right don't stop the redness is chasing you okay i gotta get it i gotta get this basket to grandma oh but i gotta choose a right past is there gonna be like a clue there's glowy to the right is that saying i need to go right oh not now not now okay that thing uh that red mist is uh quick okay all right um uh oh uh die that way die this way both ways or die uh okay i'm taking in as much environment as i can my eyes have never been more open which way die that way die this way i stick to the right oh oh ow ow ow your hood ow your hood isn't red which makes me assume i'm red riding hood oh god okay so i don't know if there was a clue or if that was random chance but there must have been a clue because if it's just random chance then i'm never gonna make it out of here maybe the light maybe the light i did go right the light was right so i don't see anything else besides these big like lamppost things but there was a glowing right on the right unless it's not randomly generated and it's all the same which it could be could be let's only try left next time sure is misty around here left oh god okay so far so good so far so good um left left maybe it's the number of land posts on each side that's a right lamppost okay uh oh no oh three three kill me okay middle middle was good we like the middle what does that mean what is that about what's this left right i went right i said left no not that way okay it's fine it's fine it's fine okay that was good that was good oh god why this yes yes you're never gonna get me i'm too quick oh no no no oh yes yes yes i i i will never remember the ways that i've gone i do not remember and i will never remember i don't remember and i can't remember i'm going the right way apparently i don't know how oh god no oh it's fi i'm doing it guys i'm doing it uh nope nope not that way not that way not that way not that yes i'm never ever ever going to remember that how would i ever remember that i can kind of get a little extra speed going the strapy but if you if you walk into the mist and it's misty then it kind of i can't move after that so i'm kind of locked in oh god what was even the first way i think it was right i think right yeah right not it probably doesn't matter oh god it is awfully foggy on some of these paths that are correct not that way and it was not that way yeah and now i'm officially lost i have no idea which way i'm going i have no idea i have no idea i have no idea i don't know that looks bad that looks bad that looks bad it's okay that's the fake out one okay so from here i believe i went to the right i don't remember i don't remember i don't remember i don't remember i don't remember i remembered apparently i remembered i remembered i remembered and then which way did i go and die i think i went left and died so i need to go right and not die this looks like okay and this is right and don't die okay it's excessive man okay one more time into the breach i got this i got this hey everybody shut up i got it fake out fog i believe it's left oh god oh come on that's oh it was right oh man it's yeah that was so far down oh man i'm never gonna make it i'm never ever gonna make it i'm never ever she's never gonna make it the next one is a right this is fake out fog okay fake out fog that's good then go right it's a right i'm 100 sure it's a right you go right yes yes good and then is is this word starts going left two lefts is this the two lefts two left one left two lefts yes oh i don't remember i don't remember anything and then i need to go right left no no not left right need to go right need to go right it looks bad but it's right oh what they're both they're both wrong oh it must be because i'm not i don't know oh so no matter what you do you die that's the moral of the story not bad i like the idea of like a fast-paced game i played one of them like that it was a little like more subdued than this this one did kind of have the stress to it i mean it's not a lot of like game going on this is like guessing paths um but there is something very fascinating about running it's why endless runners are so so fascinating so you could make like i believe you could make a good horror running game but it would have to have some more components to it but this was still very good for a demo great loved it good moving on warning this game contains potentially disturbing subject matters and tryptophobia-inducing imagery great i love tryptophobia we all know this welcome to how fish is made i'm a little confused as to what's happening here uh sure ow oh it's me hi hello where are we what is uh is this the fish factory i assume we'd see how fish are made unless we're gonna see the miracle of life oh hello you just dropped tell me are you going up or down well i just came from the up to the down which i'm assuming is this you'll have to make up your mind by the end even the oiliest of us have to so don't flatter yourself with your choice where am i going don't worry about that so which is it up or down um all right i'll go i'll go down up down up down up down up down dog i'm going down uh we're all going down someday are you sure well not anymore better be sure wow what do you mean what do you mean what do you mean what do you mean also where are we and how are we surviving out of water and will this cup need to be by the way the machine can't talk to you so you shouldn't talk to it okay thank you is this going to cut me to ribbons all right i seem to be fine is anyone else getting heavy cry of fear vibes which is a game that i have not played in ages hi this is really comfortable to flop on all right how are you doing hey what's up a pop-up you look like a smart guy you also know the ways one way and that way is up and ain't no two ways about it i've always known it was up i never asked i never changed never lied let me hear you sing it i'd like to hear it where are you going where you going well you're a little too enthusiastic about up uh and i'm one to stick to my guns my gut told me down so down i go where's it say come again not so floppy anymore down wonder what will happen to you will it hurt will it stop oh well okay oh all right hey what are you oh it's like soda thing ah what fortune that we should meet do not be foiled by that one he is lost like so many are we can only poetry them i see you are in awe of my throne of inspiration they clung to me suddenly one day much like all my ideas do complete and undone undeniable undentable complete and undentable no no take it in as much as you like it is a confirmation of my most oily brain do tell what blind groping has brought you to your choice before warned i did a lot of thinking to know which end is indeed the correct way all answers come to me very quickly such is my burden would you like to know it might change your entire worldview it is down yes this i know for sure but how i hear you ask let me explain no this is simply too complex for you to phantom my methods are beyond simple minds i have never ever thought of a single reason to question myself can you believe it no you cannot i am elated to have saved you from making a father embarrassment of yourself just think of me as your guide mentor and sage you're welcome i'm really questioning my gut feeling to go down my throne no no no it's not uncomfortable at all can i join you in said throne is there room for two all right goodbye well this is not very reassuring as to what i'm supposed to do also i have no idea why i'm here but such question seems to be beyond me at the moment is that a butthole great oh hi hello how are you oh hello um the way he's over there yeah uh-huh i don't know what to do my family went up but my best bud said the down is the correct choice the family is big but distant in their togetherness but the big group together is safest it's a toughest is truth why would he do this to me down is wrong i could feel it between my shiniest flakes we've swam together since both of us were less crampy things but how can i know if you'll agree to always be my friend no one cares about how i feel not even him but i want to choose if i can't know exactly how it'll turn out you you which way should i go up with the family or down with my buddy you know the saying blood is thicker than water but that's just a fragment of the saying the the true saying is like the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb which means the blood of the people that you choose to be with is uh thicker than familial traits somehow that phrase got turned upside down go down upside down go down really i've i've been so stupid i can't make decisions for myself my buddy always sold me as much he'll be angry when i join him but he always tells me how to earn his forgiveness i won't make this mistake again oh how wonderful oh good there's freedom of certainty maybe i've made the right choice oh by the way you're going the same way right actually yes oh god good not that it mattered anymore i'll be seeing you what well i mean i am going down but uh i guess you really went through with it uh should i have talked to the other ones more ah some nice what i'm hoping is water well that was refreshing that's all i need down into the butthole i go you know i said butthole is a joke but i'm thinking this actually i think it might actually be a butthole or a sphincter of some kind hallelu is this how fish is made up yeah oh yes that's a butthole is that a condom is that a condom hi behold what did we do to deserve bearing witness to such glory it must mean something but what what is it trying to say i've groped through my noggin i've eyed every detail i don't understand the message there must be a way out of this creature's stomach the answer is here it looks down upon us what is it revealing well you know i'm kind of locked into this whole down thing yes yes i can see it but can you it has to be behold it swallowed us down so we must keep going down first i must get inside i must be cleansed by this untainted substance join me wash with me in his purity i are you talking about the condom are you talking about the white substance in the condom oh to be chosen for sublime anointment i truly envy him i must become worthy yeah okay um uh okay so all this analogy about going down have we been eating is this all in analyst what is that is this all an analogy for being eaten because i'm beginning to think that it's something like that but i don't know why someone would swallow a a used condom hi you okay you talkable i don't want to touch it a little i'm how about no you know what actually i'm gonna go with no all of this i'm just gonna say no and i'm gonna leave i ain't coming back hey i'm going down no matter what is that a squish-o-matic uh sure looks like a squish-o-matic um hey um oh boy a big red button a smashy doo and a what looks like a fish stuck in the gears hey what's up oh oh please tell me it's embarrassing but i thought i had found the gills of this creature that swallowed us so i figured i'd wriggle my way out through them but who would have thought they were not gills if it's not too much of a bother could you unstuck me thank you ever so much for your kindness oh wait hold on this is important whatever you do just make sure not to touch that round red glowing thing over there okay thanks what a relief i thought i might be stuck in here forever uh but i don't really see another way to get you unstuck i can barely feel my fins are they still there uh yeah um is there like something i could get to jam in the machine i got a bad feeling about this one i think i'm gonna have to push for a bigger red button hey can you help out with this uh button situation fish down if you know what i mean okay all right um oh no well you're dead clearly oh no okay this is what i'm thinking and follow my logic here so this is a condom right that's straight up right okay the weird white substance what if it's not semen what if it's lube what if it's not what i think it is and what if it's lube and that could help get that fish out of the gears you said something about anointing ourself in the thing so i'm just gonna belly flop right in i was wrong i was wrong i don't feel any different i feel slightly dirtier one more try yep all right you know i thought i really thought i thought i was on to something turns out it was the worst option turns out i dove head first into a used condom sometimes life throws you curveballs now you don't know how to recover you just have to live with the knowledge that you did that in front of all of you and i will never be let forgotten okay well either i chuck myself in there which uh what are you what are you doing i warned you did i touch it somebody help me i didn't touch it did i touch it oh i got close to it he was scared don't worry i ain't gonna touch it i'm gonna touch it i pressed it oh no oh my god hi hey how you doing look oh god it could have been worse it could have ended up in a used condom uh wow well this looks oddly appetizing okay goodbye all right let's uh let's just pretend that uh there was no way around that and there was nothing i could do because down is the way that i need to go and anything that gets in the way of me and down is oh it's bad oh yes bye we go what am i looking at what cheese oh i hope cheese it's not cheese i don't know what that is but it's not cheese i don't know i don't want to ponder it i don't want to ponder it i don't want to ponder it oh good oh good this is good we what a fun time hey i don't think this is water i don't think it's water what's under there oh secret secrets can't be kept from me oh god no oh shield your eyes oh my god what is that oh my god oh it should have been kept a secret secret it should have been kept a secret secret it should have been kept a sacred secret what well this has been a delightful adventure i am horrified it's just a different type of scary more of a repulsion than scare although i am perturbed and unsettled hello hello i don't want it i didn't do it okay everything's fine totally fine i shouldn't go back i'm curious though but i won't go back high what's up with you i gotta go back and see what that noise is it might have been nothing but i can't alright choice has been made i can't go back hi oh god oh my god aha well fortunately you dropped into this most productive places him by me and my friend oh here go way back i ate his tongue and we've been co-workers ever since i'll bet you we have a lot of learnings we can share i always say you have to get passionate about something me i'm passionate about friendship i want to be there for people as much as possible it's like my buddy here always says teamwork is the soul of success i think that's beautiful now well by golly i've been struck by the most brilliant of ideas would you mind if i incentivize you with a little musical stylings of my own grace my friendo does so enjoy a little show tune here and there all right then hold onto gills what so wow so so oh um well hopefully lixian uh spared you from the worst of that i have a bad feeling if i press this again it's just gonna play this whole song again well buddy how are we feeling synced with success aligned with ambition oh you know it baby no doubt about my buddy my pal i dare say i snuck a little bit of my core competence in yeah you'll feel it real soon uh oh what did you sneak in me okay keep it moving bal uh what do you mean core competent what did you sneak in me oh no oh where's my tongue still there okay all right cool bye goodbye now goodbye oh what did i get myself into i'm going up not down i want to go down what is this okay everybody having a good time what is this what is this what is okay i see something dripping oh yeah i see a lot of dripping oh wow oh boy oh boy oh good hello i can't even go oh no oh no come on oh no oh no if i just squint my ass i can't see him i'll just keep my head real squinty i can't see him i can't see him i can't see him i can't see him i can barely see anything i see nothing i see nothing oh my god why oh no why do you deserve it what will you be able to live with it try and try and try and try and try again ah those double action hinges have always been there just for you right you'll come back everyone does weak or you go looking one way or another right weak okay anyway goodbye i guess they're not that bad as long as i don't let them be that bad okay goodbye i don't care how weak i am i'm getting out of here i'm going down maybe i should have gone up maybe up would have been better oh it's okay i was about to say oh it's almost beautiful hi this looks so special can't wait to see where this is going oh hi what is that behind you i cry it is time well you know i've come this far up sticking to my guns on this one i see do you understand yet well kind of not i'm gonna say no actually this privilege of choice that has been given to a worthless critter like you that is the gift not the outcome did the uncertainty scare you or does it scare you more to know there is no choice for you at all then all of this would have been for nothing but wouldn't you feel better don't flatter yourself i'll tell you a secret you've already made your choice this is not about making a decision this is a test of conviction have you strayed from your path not really i guess have you been honest and true to your truth even to others uh ye technically yeah did you believe me just now i'm just a fish in an imposing room good enough right i suppose i wouldn't eat any of those they taste awful okay well anyway i stuck to my guns i don't know about you pal i stayed true through and through what am i looking at now you know what the longer i ponder it the more i'll dive into insanity so i shan't ponder where do i go down on this sucker where's this bad boy go down point me to the down escalator what is this um fishtail this is the line for the down hello hi how you doing you're a big fish ain't you this is really it huh i'll level with you ain't real sure i can do this did you run into that smart talking fella earlier they sure didn't seem to know what he was talking about here i've been always thinking i'm the biggest thing in the water look at me now a big old boy shivering like a scrap out in the blue anyway i thought keeping track of how many fish went in either direction could help and i'm sure it did it all let me tell you reckon you want to hear how many have gone each way not really ride on partners swim your own way all right youtube pal i'm headed down see you around fella i'm guessing blue means down because here i go i am always certain i am through and true and through to true to you downey rooney clearly the right option clearly clearly down we go can you imagine ever anyone being on up team you imagine it you know i always hated hearing don't worry a lot of people are going through the same thing you're not alone there's this selfish barbed wire inside my chest that coils up at that no my pain is more tragic grander deeper if only you knew that's not true of course i hate talking about it because i hate people who talk about it and that's not very nice that's not okay that's not how you can be about all this it's not romantic but at least it's true don't worry a lot of people are going through the same thing and that's what makes it the best usp yet thanks for playing what's the usp can anything beat home cooking straight off the conveyor belt these fish are so fresh they might just give you a little wink and jump right off the plate into your mouth a no meal that can't be kicked into high gear with the addition of nature's own flavor torpedoes so indulging the oiliest saltiest sardines served every day by our ingeniously creative kitchen artists take pride in knowing you helped bring these little troopers to our plates friends that's not flattery that's a fact cool all right anyway i loved it i hated it but also i kind of loved it i'm a sucker for a musical anyway great good stuff play it for yourself what direction will you choose link in description did you enjoy it did you find your way back i know you did but don't worry i found you\n"