The Haunted 1LDK
rating: +15+x


Info

Nothing lurks in the darkness.

Author: Sky3Sky3

LEVEL
683

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY
CLASS 1

Exit: 1/5
Easy to Exit

Environment: 3/5
High Environmental Risk

Entities: 0/5
No Hostile Entities

Description

spoopy

Photograph of Level 683's bedroom, allegedly depicting a humanoid creature (none have been found in this image) according to the photographer. The photographer is currently receiving treatment in Base Beta for debilitating visual hallucinations.

The Haunted 1LDK is the colloquial name given to Level 683, a compact, Japanese-style apartment identified primarily by its five rooms: bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. According to several wanderer accounts1, the area is unusually windowless, rendering the apartment pitch black due to the absence of natural or artificial light2. Cold, musty air dominates the apartment, reportedly inducing headaches3 in those who loiter too long.

Despite appearing empty and abandoned, the apartment shows clear signs of being inhabited recently—some reports detail distinct vacuum marks4 on the dry carpet and small specks of water covering the sides of the bathtub5. Efforts to locate any permanent inhabitants of the 1LDK, however, have yielded no results. Thus, some individuals have assumed that wanderers in Level 683 are entirely alone, though the veracity of their claims cannot be totally confirmed yet.

Unfortunately, definitive details regarding the appearance of Level 683 are scarce, as the darkness makes the area difficult to map out. Every wanderer who enters the level encounters a different instance, thus making it impossible for any two wanderers to see each other6. Wanderers who have escaped the 1LDK are usually inflicted with a bout of brain fog, rendering them unable to recall their experiences. Accounts between wanderers vary, but it has not been determined whether these inconsistencies are due to a propensity toward misremembering details or a changing level layout. Further complicating efforts to establish the level's layout is the alleged tendency of furniture to shift positions without prior notice7. However, it is unknown whether this occurrence is real or just a trick of the mind.

Hallucinations

Wanderer accounts sometimes report the appearance of humanoid beings in the apartment or disembodied voices speaking English, but video footage and audio recordings do not support these claims. The alleged entities tend to appear in a wanderer's periphery, only vanishing moments after being noticed. The voices, however, are persistent, though it is common for understandable conversations to slowly devolve into gibberish and ultimately drown out over time. Trying to initiate a conversation with these voices expectedly yields no response8.

Most "paranormal experiences" in Level 683 happen in the living room. Loud television static has reportedly been heard, despite the television being off9. In rare cases, the television reportedly turned on without warning, displaying nothing but white noise before promptly turning off several seconds later. No video logs, however, have corroborated these claims. For this reason, researchers have concluded that the victims of these occurrences were merely undergoing hallucinations.

Aftermath

It is suspected that the hallucinations are not solely isolated to Level 683, as wanderers have reported hearing the same voices and seeing the same mysterious figures months after escaping the apartment. Many of the affected wanderers remain easily scared and irritable for years after being initially exposed to Level 683, never really returning to normal10. According to studies, the victims are statistically more likely to die of heart attacks than the average individual, but the cause of their heart attacks can never be identified.

Entrances

Visiting Level 683 is simple, but it is highly discouraged due to a significant number of disappearances associated with staying in the area for too long. Should wanderers still want to enter in spite of this warning, going through any apartment door present on Floor 68, Section 3 of Level 13 is guaranteed to lead a wanderer here11. In addition, enclosing yourself in one of the closets of Level 178 will transport you here. Understand that there is no chance of you being rescued should you find yourself in a tight situation—you're on your own.

Exit

The only known way for one to exit is by going through the door they entered the apartment from. However, like the furniture in the level, this door is known to change positions when one isn't paying attention12, complicating attempts to escape. Should one be successful, they will appear in the same exact spot they first entered the level. It is recommended to escape as soon as possible, as the hallucinations tend to become more vivid and frequent the longer one is exposed to the level's stale air.

I am constantly on the run.

It's annoying enough being dismissed by nearly everyone I tell this story to. They all brand me as mad. "You were just exposed to toxic air," they all say. And sure, while I don't deny that the air in that damned apartment was absolutely horrid to breathe in, since when did exposure to toxic air lead to that ever-present feeling of being watched? What's wrong with me? I believed this irrational fear would go away eventually—that fear of the unknown. For a while, I thought there was something wrong with my head, something that kept allowing these hallucinations to torment me endlessly.

That is, until I realized that they weren't hallucinations. They were visions. A nightmare come to life.

I first saw that… thing in the living room. Standing next to the couch. Pale skin. Eyes of obsidian. Cheshire cat smile. Torso-less. A brief glance in my direction. Looked like my retinas were just deceiving me—naive me thought hoped it was probably nothing.

Then I saw her again.

…and again.

…and again.

…and again.

…and again.

…and again.

Always in the corner of my eye. Tried to catch her, but she would always vanish before I got a good look. She would always stand… somewhere. Menacingly… Always looking at me or some other unfortunate soul.

Wasn't just in the apartment either. Thought I got rid of her for a bit. Unfortunately, that peace only lasted 3 months. Then, she came back with a vengeance. I'm being watched like prey. And she'll pounce at any open opportunity.

"Look behind you!"

But he couldn't see her. I saw him drop dead, hand clutching his chest as his body slammed on the concrete. But he wasn't dead. Just confused, both by my words and my sudden screaming. Damnit… it all happened so fast. I was startled. Concerned, he asked if I was okay, but I didn't answer him—I just bolted. Get me out of here.

I don't know if she's some ghastly manifestation of my mind, but I'm not willing to take the chance, hallucination or not. Even if no one else feels her presence, I always will.

She's no longer standing. She's moving.

She still haunts me, and I am still running. I don't know if it's pointless. Delaying the inevitable, as they say. Maybe I'm just running from my fears, unwilling to face them. But no matter what I do, she'll continue to follow.

…and follow.

…and follow.

…and follow.

…and follow.

…and follow.

Until I drop dead, hand clutching my chest as my body slams on the concrete.

And only then will I ever know peace again.


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