Out of all the transitional rooms you found yourself in, this one was certainly the messiest. Once again, it was configured exactly the same as the last room.

"This is getting too predictable." You mumbled.

A large bucket of water was poured out all over the floor, and a single moldy bagel sat in the middle of the puddle. The diner chairs were moved around to form a fort, which was quite cool. But the message on the wall besides it was worrying. It read "Out of food, we leave today." The tick marks besides it showed that whoever was here last stayed for thirteen days. All of the cabinets were open, but just as the message said, there was no food available. Even the fridge was empty.

At the next diner table, two pillows were placed together with a gas mask on top. "It's a goose!" was scratched onto the wall besides it. There were a few plushies below the "goose" along with an open lunch box. It contained a half eaten slice of pizza. It didn't look that old, so you picked it up and took a bite, too hungry to care about where it had been. You immediately regretted your decision. It tasted extremely stale, but the worst part was the texture. It was so soggy and gross, you were surprised it didn't fall apart in your hands. You spat out the pizza, dry heaving even after it was out of your mouth.

"I'm going to die here." You coughed.

Now fully disgusted by the room you were in, you decided to continue on into the next level. You quickly moved through the entrance. The next room looked somewhat like a jail cell. There were metal bars making up a wall in front of you, with a space in the middle as a doorway. More flashlights were littered across the floor. Predictable once again, but your gratefulness for these lights was growing with every dark room you passed through. You picked one up and carried on. Directly outside the first cell was another, which was locked. Behind this cell was the exit, and if you wanted to escape, you would need a key.

"Alright, bring it on!" You said, trying to sound confident.

There were two paths. One hallway to the left and one to the right. You began to walk down the right hall, but heard a loud crashing sound quite a distance away, as if someone had broken out of a cell.

"Or maybe not?" You croaked wearily.

You continued down the hall, cautiously this time. If it weren't for the life or death situation you were in, it would have been impossible to focus. You were hungry, thirsty, and above all absolutely exhausted. Your mood kept changing rapidly and your brain was working a hundred times per second. You imagined escaping and indulging in big feasts of all your favorite food. A growling sound snapped you back to attention.

Your first thought was that your stomach was just being vocal about it's emptiness. However, the sound was more far off, towards the direction of the crash. You quickened your pace and found a large, open room. There was a forklift near the wall. You wandered over and checked it out, but it was unpowered and useless.

"How did a forklift get here?" You wondered outloud. "Hm. Probably the same way my car did."

As you were inspected the vehicle, a red light swept through the room, along with a louder growl. You swiveled around to find the source. A large, floating eyeball entered the doorway on the other side of the room. It was split horizontally down the middle, allowing for a large mouth with a row of dagger sharp teeth on both the top and bottom. Its iris was neon red, also split by the mouth. It glowed brightly, causing the room to change color. It had a black slit pupil which was staring directly at you. It floated towards you hastily, roaring and snapping its jaw.

You sped out of the room the way you came. The eye followed closely behind you, matching your speed. You made it back to the beginning, then took the left hallway instead. You ran down different halls, not really having time to search them well. The growling entity was in hot pursuit, the red light following behind you serving as a constant reminder. There was another wide open room with yet another forklift. As you tried to run past, the light coming from the eyeball creature glinted off a small silver object.

"The key!" You cried in triumph.

You turned and headed for the the forklift, snatching the key as you ran by. The eye trailed behind you. You did a loop around the forklift in order to trick the entity and run back the way you came. Your plan worked. You rushed back towards the start, gaining a little bit of distance from the creature. However, exhaustion was beginning to overtake adrenaline. Your feet ached incredibly bad from all the walking and running. There were definitely blisters forming.

You reached the lock and tried to place the key inside, but it slipped through your sweaty hands and clattered on the ground. You quickly scooped it up and shoved it back in the lock. But before you were able to turn it, the eyeball slammed into your side, knocking you a few feet away and taking the air out of your lungs. You gasped and choked, trying to catch your breath.

You crawled into the starting room where you had come from, dragging yourself with aching muscles. You tried to stand but could only kneel. The entity slowly stalked into the room as you fiddled with the door, attempting to go back to the transitional space. It was locked. Tears pricked at your eyes as you slumped down onto the floor, turning and looking at the eyeball. It was hovering right above you now, drowning the room in red light and almost blinding you. You prepared yourself, knowing this light would be the last thing you ever saw.

Two large, black hands grabbed the eye from behind. It growled in surprise as it was dragged backwards. Your heart leaped with hope as you saw something you never expected. Paper Mask was there, and he was fighting the other entity. It chomped down on his arm, but he just kicked it off, wrestling it away from you. You just watched all of this happen, not being able to do much else.

As the entities fought, the key in the lock caught your eye again. You tried to crawl towards it but almost got trampled by Paper Mask. He noticed this and shoved the eyeball away with his full force. It looked almost offended. Paper Mask picked you up gently and held you in both arms, then turned back to the eye creature. He stood tall, asserting his dominance. You were nervous being in the clutches of a Backrooms entity, but you clung to him anyway.

The eyeball tried to advance again, but Paper Mask wasn't having it. He began to screech at it, causing you to cover your ears. He sounded like a chair being dragged across a hard wooden floor. The eye apparently hated the noise too, because it winched and retreated back to the depths of the level. You only just began to catch your breath. Paper Mask had stopped screeching and was now looking down at you in his arms. He carefully set you back down on the floor, then backed up to give you space.

You slowly relaxed and started breathing normally again. You almost started to cry from the rush, but held it in. Paper Mask watched you, standing a few feet away. He was hunching over quite a bit to meet your eye level. He basically stood on all fours. You tried to stand but your legs were still too shaky. The entity noticed your attempts to upright yourself.

"Take your time." He said slowly. This made you jump a little.

"You can talk?" You gasped. Paper Mask nodded.

"I don't speak very often. But yes, I have the ability." His voice was mysterious and a little raspy. His words were slower than most people talk, as if he was in no hurry to get his point across. Yet, it was comforting, being the only voice you've heard in so long.

"Thank you for saving me. I almost died." You told him. "Wait, how did you know where I was?"

"I've been following you." He said.

"What? Why would you do that?" You exclaimed. While he was the reason you were alive, you found his statement creepy.

"I knew you wouldn't make it. Terry is ferocious, and you were so tired when I found you. I'm surprised you even made it past the Stitched." Paper Mask told you.

"Terry? Stitched? Do you all have names?" You asked him.

"Of course." He replied.

He turned towards the locked door, then back to you. He offered you his hand, just like last time. You took it and slowly stood up. He helped you to the door. You laid your hand on the key and turned it in the lock. A clicking sound was heard right before the lock dropped to the ground. You opened the metal bar door.

"I guess this is goodbye again." You said, looking back at Paper Mask. He tilted his head.

"It doesn't have to be." He replied. "You see, every level is different and dangerous. You are in no shape to do anything dangerous. It is a miracle you are even still standing. But I can help you. I will guide and protect you." He stated.

"Thanks, but..." You started. Paper Mask tilted his head once more.

"But what?"

"I'm just confused. Why would you help me?" You asked. He looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Because when I was chasing you, I saw the fear in your face. I noticed how tired you were. How helpless you were. Before I caught you, I saw your body language. You were terrified. In that moment, I felt something. It was like I knew what it felt like being cornered. Trapped. Helpless." Paper Mask looked you in the eyes. "I don't even remember a time when I felt that way, but... Somehow I remember the feeling. You are trapped. I want to help you get free." He finished. You smiled at him.

"Thank you." You said, holding his gaze.

The two of you stayed that way for a moment. You then realized you were staring and looked at the exit door.

"So, you're coming with me then?" You inquired.

"Affirmative." He answered.

You walked towards the exit and heard Paper Mask following behind you. You grinned, glad for the company. You pushed open the door, holding it open for the entity. He ducked down, and the two of you ventured into a new level.