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You feel a lingering sense of false safety...
Level 188.8, colloquially known as the Flooded Windows is the second sub-level of Level 188.
Description[]
Level 188.8 is a peculiar sub-level, mainly due to its appearance resembling a combination of Level 37 and Level 188. The appearance of the level alone has prompted many theories and hypotheses regarding the origin of the sub-level. Regardless, being primarily the sub-level of Level 188, Level 188.8 is an enclosed edifice of that of a hotel, consisting of various rooms, corridors, windows, balconies, etc. However, the bottom 2 stories of the sub-level are submerged under -2°C water. This consequently leads to an extremely humid setting, reportedly reaching as high as 95% humidity. As a result, visibility is lesser than most other pool-based levels. The sub-level inherits a reflective white ceramic tile texture that makes up the floors, ceilings, and walls of the building, as well as a waterfall in the central courtyard that is presumably the source of all the water currently inside the sub-level.
The waters of Level 188.8 lack any chlorine, and for the most part, are stagnant, which subsequently leads to contamination by the Hydrolitis Plague. The plague is able to be easily transported to a victim as an airborne particle due to the high amounts of humidity present. The floor of the central courtyard is patterned with 4 squares with a circle in the center; many have speculated if this symbol has any meaning, though currently, the symbol provides no meaning. Most of the windows in the central courtyard are always obscured by blinds and never reveal themselves. The only exceptions are 4 windows: two of which emit a solid white color; one infamous window glowing a warm yellow that is labeled with the words "run"; and a window with a silhouette of a black figure, with many claiming this window to be the only Predatory Window in the courtyard. From what is observed from the other windows, a white light can barely be seen behind the blinds.
Accessing the interior of the hotel from the central courtyard is less straightforward, but still possible via swimming up into the waterfall present. Inside the edifice is a network of corridors, plus stairwells that loop around the central courtyard, similar to its parent level, albeit the layout is structured like a maze. The floors of the interiors are always wet, moreover, cannot by any means be dried, making it really slippery. As opposed to the illogical lighting of Level 37, the level is lit up with small, circular lights that do not hum-buzz. Doors are found on either side of the hotel corridors. Doors that lead to the rooms behind the windows in the courtyard are completely inaccessible.
The rooms that are only accessible consist of one singular slopped 5 foot deep pool in the center with 2 railings on opposite ends of the pool. Otherwise, no useful amenities can be found in the rooms. The lower portions of the interior edifice, whilst retaining the same maze-like structure as the upper floors, are darker, cooler and harder to traverse than the upper portions as the result of being submerged with water. Furthermore, the lower portions are more claustrophobic, and the floors may have deep, indistinguishable randomly placed holes that can trap and drown victims who are inexperienced at swimming.
As one ventures deeper into the complex of Level 188.8, all of the floors, plus the hallways of the building will converge into the middle floor, and the familiar architecture of the edifice will slowly fade into a different labyrinth of balconies, stairs and large empty spaces partially flooded with water. Many wanderers have dubbed this portion "the Outer Portions" of Level 188.8. As the name suggests, the Outer Portions act like an outline that encompass the rest of Level 188.8 within its confines. The architecture here is inconsistent, having many reports of a slightly differing architecture from previous visits. Only one main major path is traversable through the Outer Portions, which may occasionally branch off into smaller paths that ultimately lead to dead ends. Lighting in the Outer Portions is much dimmer than in the central courtyard and surrounding it.
Balconies are most commonly found in large empty rooms consisting of poles supporting the building, with greenish water at the bottom. Unlike the waters from the central courtyard and surrounding it, this water, upon closer inspection, is contaminated. Not only with the Hydrolitis Plague, but additional traces of Helicobacter Pylori along with Escherichia Coli. Furthermore, the water is littered with plastic, as well as smashed paper items mixed with dirt. These pollutants become even more frequent in deeper waters of deep pool pits. Hence, it is recommended to not make contact with the waters without the appropriate equipment. One may periodically hear creaking whilst moving on balconies, plus squeaking when opening doors. Cracks with moss inside may be found in the level's infrastructure.
Multicolored signs can be found within the outer portions of Level 188.8, as well as the lower floors near the central courtyard. More often than not, these signs are arrows pointing in a particular direction. Signs that are not arrows are usually just gibberish with no meaning or hint. The signs come in various colors, which are blue, green, black, pink, cyan, and red. However, blue arrow signs are the only ones advised to follow, as they lead to exits out of the level or well-lit up, dry rooms with no slippery floors. Green, black, pink, cyan and red signs in most circumstances lure unsuspecting victims to dark, dingy, un-mapped areas with only an endlessly deep water pit. From there, one may easily get lost within the maze structure or get attacked by an entity.
Contrary to popular belief, the Outer Portions aren't infinite. Based on 2 reports, traversing through the Outer Portions far enough will bring one back to the central courtyard. Many have speculated that the level loops back any wanderers who pass through the Outer Portions back to the central courtyard. Regardless, due to the complex maze of the Outer Portions, any more attempts to pass through the Outer Portions have failed thus far.
The Flash Flood[]
With an estimated mere 5-10% chance of occurring, the Flash Flood is an event that can occur without any warning foreshadowing it, and is considered to be the primary hazard of Level 188.8. Should it commence, water will begin to leak out from the windows in the central courtyard. In addition, the waterfall that presumably supplies the water of the level will output additional influxes of water into the level, subsequently causing water levels throughout the entire level to gradually increase. Due to the gradual increase of water levels, most survivors of the event were reported to be oblivious to the event taking place during this time.
After the third floor of the hotel building has been submerged (which usually occurs 10 minutes after the initial commencement), the speed of water levels increasing will drastically accelerate. Afterwards, many clues will pop up signaling the wanderer of the event. These clues are:
- Sudden "disappearance" of entities, aside from the Hydrolitis Plague;
- Malfunctioning of multicolored signs located at the bottom floors of the building;
- Amplified water ambience;
- Flickering of lights.
The water will continue to rise faster and faster, until ultimately, the water will submerge the entire level 4 minutes later. Immediately afterwards, all lighting of the level will cease, leaving absolute darkness for 48 hours before water levels retreat back to their original water level. Surviving this event is challenging; for an average person, it is best to leave the level entirely before the flood catches up to them. Although, it is not to say that it is impossible to survive the event. Survivors have stated that there are a couple of rooms in the Outer Portions of the level with sealable doors that one can remain in the duration of the event without having the risk of drowning. Nevertheless, it usually takes luck to find one. Moreover, if one isn't already in the Outer Portions, wanderers will most likely be unable to find the rooms in time.
Entities[]
A plethora of entities can be found here, including the Hydrolitis Plague, Facelings, Hounds, Skin-Stealers and potentially, Predatory Windows.
Doors[]
↳ Main article: Doors
Doors, sometimes referred to as Predatory Doors to prevent confusion are entities that manifest as ordinary doors and are considered to be sub-entities of Windows. Level 188.8 is thought to be one of the primary habitats of the Doors. Only one variant of the Door entity can be found here, being a simple hinged door. Predatory Doors have 2 ways of luring wanderers: firstly, they possess an exit sign right above them, tricking wanderers into believing it is an exit. A way to determine the legitimacy of an exit sign door is if the exit sign depicts a human figure running into a doorway; Doors that lack a human figure in their exit signs are most likely a Predatory Door. Lastly, Doors may mimic the noise of a paranoid wanderer seemingly stuck behind them, shouting phrases such as "Help!" or "Is somebody there?".
If one stays 1-3 feet near a Predatory Door, the entity will use its tentacle-like arms to grasp its victim and forcefully pull them through the door into the entity, leading to the victim's demise. This also will occur if an offender produces any irritating or loud noise near a Door entity, as they are sensitive to harsh noises.
Do[]
- Be cautious of doors with exit signs, and noises behind the door;
- Ensure distance from a Door entity;
- Moderate one's noisiness.
Don't[]
- Enter doors blindly without making sure prior;
- Stand too close to a door;
- Make irritating, or loud noises.
Windows[]
↳ Main article: Windows
One aspect that separates this sub-level from its parent level is the apparent lack, or if any Predatory Windows within the level. As previously mentioned, the majority of the windows, aside from 4 are always obscured by blinds, as opposed to Level 188's windows, where they occasionally are revealed. Wanderers have claimed that the only 4 non-obstructed windows in the central courtyard are in fact Predatory Windows. Likewise, it may be said that the rest of the windows in the central courtyard are entities, as the doors that would lead to the rooms behind the windows are completely inaccessible, similar in fashion to Level 188.
Hydrolitis Plague[]
↳ Main article: Hydrolitis Plague
The Hydrolitis Plague or Hydrolitis for short is a bacterium that inhabits the waters of Level 188.8 due to the lack of chlorine within the water. Hydrolitis is transmitted via airborne particles containing the bacterium, or by consuming water containing the bacterium. The symptoms of Hydrolitis Plague are high fevers with chills, weakness, pain, vomiting, etc.
Theories[]
Many theories have risen about the origin of Level 188.8. The most prominent theories are listed below.
Theory 1[]
The first and most popular theory, known as the Merging Theory interprets the creation of Level 188.8 due to the collision of a section of Level 188 and Level 37 occurring some time ago. It's suggested that at one point, Level 188 and Level 37 (following the theory the Void is the space between all levels of the Backrooms) may have gotten near each other, and theoretically exceeded past both levels' Roche limit. Subsequently, large chunks of both levels facing each other broke off and collided, leading to the merging and creation of the sub-level. This process would most likely take hundreds or thousands of years, based on how seamlessly the sub-level currently looks, aside from the Outer Portions, which are speculated to be the remaining part of the Level 37 fragment that merged with the Level 188 chunk. This is backed up by the fact present Level 188.8 only consists of one central courtyard, and the central courtyard appears to be an alteration from Level 188's main courtyard. This signifies this courtyard alteration would've been located in the extreme outer reaches of Level 188 near the edge. Therefore, was vulnerable to outside collision.
Theory 2[]
Theory 2, known as the Connection Theory suggests rather than the collision of Level 188 and Level 37 to form the sub-level, Level 188.8 is the transitioning point between both levels. Speculators of this theory have argued that a collision between both levels would most likely lead to a more damaged, unstable Level 188.8 with an appearance unalike to its current look. Additionally, this theory claims the source of all water originates from Level 37, as well as a continuous circulation of water occurring between the 2 levels, explaining the Flash Flood event. However, this theory has a lot of holes, mainly the fact that wandering off into the maze of the level doesn't always transition one to Level 188 (and never to Level 37), but instead leads one right back to the central courtyard.
Theory 3[]
Theory 3 is a simple one, being that Level 188.8 was created in some way due to a glitch/error in the simulation. There are 2 possibilities: either the portions of Level 188 and Level 37 no-clipped into one another, or the characteristics of the 2 levels (e.g: Level 188's windows, layout, structure, and Level 37's tiles, water, Hydrolitis Plague) merged. Either way, this resulted in a hybrid sub-level.
This theory is heavily reliant on the theory of the Backrooms being a simulation; thus, if the theory is debunked, this theory will be debunked as well.
It may be said that Level 188.8 doesn't have anything to do/never was a byproduct of an interaction of its parent level and Level 37, and is purely coincidental it shares similar characteristics, yet this statement is less favorable in the public.
Discovery[]
The earliest mention and likely the discovery of Level 188.8 was on February 24th, 1998, according to a page from an unidentified explorer's journal found in one of the level's rooms. Furthermore, this was the first sub-level discovered of Level 188. Shortly after discovery, the sub-level was initially designated under "Level 188.37" as a result of its similarity to Level 37, though it was later shortened after the introduction of sub-level designation rules. The contents of the journal page are as follows:
““I regained consciousness from a seemingly long fall. I can only recall opening a door labeled "waterpark" back in Level 188, and then suddenly being sucked away from the level. I peeked out of a balcony, and saw quite possibly one of the most bizarre sub-levels during my journey. How... does a place of solitude, and a place of windows... just collide?”
— 2/14/1998
Colonies and Outposts[]
Due to the isolating together with hazardous overall nature of Level 188.8, establishing colonies or outposts is considered infeasible. Every attempt to establish a colony or outpost eventually fails due to the Flash Flood.
Entrances and Exits[]
Entrances[]
- Finding a waterpark door in Level 188.
- Another way to gain entry to Level 188.8 from Level 188 is by a very slim chance of a sudden influx of water flooding the central courtyard, thus transitioning the level into this level. However, there has only been 1 ever reported case of this occurring, with any attempts to recreate this being fruitless.
- Going through an enclosed dark tunnel with missing window gaps on both sides in Level 37.
Exits[]
- On some occasions, one may transition back to Level 188 before they manage to reach the Outer Portions of Level 188.8.
- Randomly no-clipping will teleport one to Level 37 or Level 37.5.
- Wandering into certain dark, dingy areas in submerged parts of the level may take one to Level 37.1 without the wanderer noticing.
- Going through a door in the Outer Portions may take one to Level 0.8.
- Entering doors labeled "shower" will take you to Level 37.2.
- Skinny, partially flooded hallways may seamlessly transition into the Aquaphobic Waterways of Level 399.1.
Author + Rewritten by: U12 ( archived version)
Spanish Translator: Saik123, Rewritten by SetaCraft.
Chinese Translator: Hormen.
Image(s):
- First image by @SpaceLiminalBot on Twitter.
- Third image by u/barks_like_a_duck on r/poolrooms.
- Fourth image (sketch of the Door entity) drawn by U12.
- Fifth image by Jared Pike.
The rest of the images' sources are unknown.
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