Level 13 : "The Boiling Frogs"

Level 13 superficially resembles a 20th century apartment complex, but the layout of its rooms and halls is a completely unorganised mess. The hallways are incredibly bland, painted in dull shades of white or beige. They stretch for miles in long strands of dimly lit plaster and laminated wood or linoleum. Staircases are plentiful, and usually elevators are in close proximity too. The operative quality of these elevators, along with just about everything else in Level 13, is inconsistent.

Level 13 has 290 floors in total, spanning a width and length that is either infinite or looping. Due to Level 13's monotony, the actual Euclidean structure is hard to pinpoint. As it is currently understood, the area of Level 13 has stable geometry, but the perimeter (should there be one) may not. Under normal structural physics, the level would be unable to support its own weight.

Each apartment room is nearly identical, the only perceivable differences being dimensions,1 the placement of furniture, and additional anterooms like hallways or closets. At minimum, each dwelling consists of a main room with a joint kitchen and living room, as well as two side rooms in the form of a bedroom and bathroom.

As the Backrooms has never functioned as Earth does when it comes to entropy and cause-and-effect, it is not surprising that Level 13 continually refreshes the stock within its rooms. Level 13's regeneration differs from kinds on other levels, however, because its renewal deliberately targets Earthborn humans.

The fridges are only restocked with basic supplies for basic food, frequently coming with pre-packaged microwavable meals. The utensils in the kitchen are of suboptimal quality, and everything else works to a level where habitation is just about comfortable enough. Anyone living in Level 13 can, theoretically, survive with a balanced enough diet, decent hygiene, and moderate comfort. The conditions are not fantastic or joyous, but, besides suicide, there is minimal risk of death.2

Televisions play a basic stream of vintage media, although picture quality differs and television episodes are seldom played in order.3 Similarly, clothing, books, and other items of leisure that generate are always old and written by a random grab-bag of authors.4

Many people have claimed rooms for themselves; a practice that has been done for decades. Life in Level 13 is extremely basic, and despite it varying from person to person, the day-to-day boils down to: wake up, eat, find mild life joys, eat again, and go to bed. It is an incredibly mundane cycle, especially for Backborn wanderers, but to those from Earth, it is a welcomed vanilla reminiscent of endless weekends.

Quite often, people living in Level 13 become extremely lethargic and antisocial, spending more and more time within their room. Those that live with others will remain good friends or at least amicable with each other. While it is not uncommon for love to blossom and for people to have children, most people do not. The longer one resides in their room, the more one becomes attached to it and unwilling to leave it.

Exceptions to this rule apply whenever anyone has lived in a room for more than a decade. Sometimes, long-term residents disappear without a trace, and their room becomes available to other potential residents. Obviously, many jump to the conclusion they have been murdered or possibly eaten by the level, but the objective truth is that there is no evidence to support any hypothesis. Even neighbours, particularly new ones who may attempt communication with nearby residents, report that they are merely there one day and gone the next.

On April 21st, 2020, a small team of M.E.G. members interviewed a willing resident to better explain the day-to-day life of an average person in Level 13.

<Began Recording at: 07:19 AM>

Date: 21/04/20
Location: Level 13, floor 277
Participants: Michael Corvette (interviewee), Melody Parker (interviewer), Adam Porter (sound recordist), Fletcher Jennings (transcriber)

Melody Parker: Can we just make ourselves at home? Err, so to speak?

Michael Corvette: Eugh… yes, you may. Take the sofa if you want. It's small, but I doubt your two cronies are going to sit.

Melody Parker: Ah… hah. No, they're not. Definitely not Adam; he needs to keep the sound as clear as possible.

Adam Porter: Speaking of…

[As Melody Parker got herself comfortable on the single, slightly crusty sofa, Adam Porter began to power on and adjust the levels of his audio recorder. Once extending the boom pole and holding the microphone on the end above the pair, he gave a thumbs up. Melody smiled, glancing at a much more disgruntled Michael on the end of his bed. The room was so small, he was only a meter or two away.]

Melody Parker: Should we start with something simple? What's your name?

[Michael Corvette sneered, slouching and putting his hands behind his back for support.]

Michael Corvette: Why? You all know who I am.

Melody Parker: It's just for clarity when someone listens to this or reads the transcript. They gotta know.

Michael Corvette: Have they never heard of a title?

Melody Parker: Given the performance of half our staff, I don't think so.

[At this comment, Fletcher Jennings gave a scowling side-eye to Melody. She gave a reassuring expression back, winking at him as a smirk played on her lips.]

Michael Corvette: Are they idiots?

Melody Parker: They can be, sure.

Michael Corvette: … Heh, yeah, sounds like the people who live next door to me. Always knocking on my door to ask me the most stupid stuff. "Ooooh, my room didn't generate enough sugar. Ugh, your TV is too loud."

Melody Parker: Oh? Let's focus on that! You speak to your neighbours?

Michael Corvette: Get the details right, missy. They speak to me. I'd never see them again if I had the choice.

Melody Parker: Are these the neighbours to your left? Right? Room opposite?

Michael Corvette: All of them, dumbass. Ah- hm. Okay, no, fair enough, not all of them.

Melody Parker: So you have one you do like?

Michael Corvette: I stick by what I said, woman. I hate all of them. The guy to my left stopped knocking about a year back.

Melody Parker: Did he leave…?

Michael Corvette: No idea. Hope so, though. He was a real fucking grouch, always complaining.

[Melody's brow furrowed as her head recoiled back. She noticed both Adam and Fletcher were confused by Michael's comment, but to a lesser degree than Melody was.]

Melody Parker: How would you describe yourself, Michael?

Michael Corvette: Introverted, I guess? I like being left alone. Apart from that, I think I'm a nice person.

Melody Parker: Really?

Michael Corvette: I let you into my room, didn't I?

[At the slightest pushback, Michael's disdain pushed itself out of him further. He scorned Melody again, his deep eyes beginning to penetrate right through her soul. Melody, surprisingly, kept a cool head about the situation. She sat up straighter, crossed her legs, and smiled professionally.]

Melody Parker: Of course! I didn't mean to imply anything, Michael. You're a lovely guy.

Michael Corvette: I know… But anyways, the cunt who lived next door was a constant pain. He was there before I moved in, back… five or ten years ago or something.

Melody Parker: Was he the same back then? When you first moved in, I mean?

Michael Corvette: No… We got along, actually, but I can't see how we ever did that. I grew to see how despicable he was.

Melody Parker: I see. And your neighbours?

Michael Corvette: Ah, well, I knew the game now, didn't I? They acted like the first guy, so I knew they were deceiving me. They all moved in after. The lesbos next door were a few years ago, and the guy on the other side of the hall was just the other week.

Melody Parker: Was no one in his room before?

Michael Corvette: No idea. I heard the door going a few times when I first got here, but I don't know anything else. Not like it matters; there's a new guy.

Melody Parker: … Right! Hey, fair enough, totally get it. Gotta focus on the here and now, am I right?

Michael Corvette: Sure are.

Melody Parker: … Well, I do have a habit of being. Anyways. Do you at least like it here? I know your neighbours suck, but is the room nice?

Michael Corvette: Why do you ask?

Melody Parker: It seems a little… small? Just two rooms, no windows, and some basic meals and entertainment? Sounds… well…

Michael Corvette: What it sounds like, girl, is the best decision I ever made.

Melody Parker: You're happy with it?

Michael Corvette: That's literally what I just said.

Melody Parker: Even though it's so small and simple? Level 11 is only a few hops away. You could move in with the Capital or with us on Beta?

Michael Corvette: No.

Melody Parker: No?

Michael Corvette: No.

Melody Parker: Can I ask why?

Michael Corvette: I think I'd rather you all leave.

Melody Parker: What-? Why? Are we not getting along, Michael?

Michael Corvette: I know what you fuckers are doing. You're just like them!5

Melody Parker: Are you sure you want us to go?

[Melody tried to get herself upright, only to be forced back and around the sofa as Michael raised himself to match her. Melody grabbed the back of Fletcher Jennings' collar and pulled him away from the irate resident, who seemed poised to throw something at the trio.]

Melody Parker: We'll take that as a yes. We're sorry.

Michael Corvette: No, you're not! You came here just to piss me off! If you want to find out what it's like here, get a damn room and live here! It'll be the best decision you ever make. Trust me.

Fletcher Jennings: I don't think we—

Melody Parker: Fletcher, don't.

[Melody glanced sternly at Fletcher over his shoulder, shaking her head and continuing to pull him back. This time from his arm. He sighed, pocketing his transcribing equipment. He violently shook off Melody's grip, quickly assisting a fumbling Adam who was struggling to store the sound equipment. He grabbed the boom pole and retracted it, practically pulling Adam through the door just as Michael threw a glass at their heads. Despite the thick walls of all apartments, the trio could still hear him shouting and rambling through the door.]

The B.N.T.G. - "Free Home Project"

Due to the B.N.T.G.'s goals and culture particularly resonating with many Backrooms newcomers and their high birth rates, the group has constantly had an issue with overpopulation. Even with its frequent collaboration with the Backrooms Remodelling Company to house people en masse, they have always struggled with a surplus of heads.

Although Level 13 was unofficially being used by the group to give people basic accommodation and food without the need to pay for it, the Free Home Project was officially launched in July 2019 to combat their rapid overpopulation. Floor 283 was chosen due to its close proximity to useful entrances and exits, and despite allegedly speaking to the B.R.C. for a collaboration, the B.N.T.G. decided to fly solo due to the operation's urgency.

Despite the B.N.T.G. usually keeping accurate records on many of its residents, the census for the Free Home Project has never been explicitly stated, and details on their lives (or even reviews by its residents) have never been officially published. Unofficially, it is known that the Free Home Project is successful in housing people but unsuccessful in doing so effectively.

The apartment's supernatural lethargy is rife in Floor 283, even if the B.N.T.G. allegedly has schemes to avoid it. The main policies pushed are room rotations and discount deals for buying food from other locations the group owns, but they are scarcely used and not enforced or updated by officials. People inevitably become lethargic, and should the project survive long enough, it is also inevitable they will begin to vanish.

For those with the external connections or the sheer will to find a job elsewhere in the B.N.T.G. network, a clear exit and help with reintegration into society6 is provided by the organisation. While not strictly free, as services are paid for through B.N.T.G. loans which are paid back with interest, they are provided to everyone regardless of salary.

The B.N.T.G., like any bureaucratic organisation, is cagey about the definitive processes of its government, which makes understanding any specifics about the Free Home Project difficult. That being said, Floor 283 "survivors", a term coined by an unofficial self-help group, are plentiful—particularly in the remote B.N.T.G. communities.

<Began Recording at: 07:19AM>

Date: 03/04/22
Location: Level 808, B.N.T.G. "Trading Post Neon's 'Cathode Showbar'".
Participants: Maiden-Helen Trevithick (Interviewee), Patrick Brunel (Interviewer), Matthew Nix (server)

Patrick Brunel: God, I can't believe you fucks are actually real.

Maiden-Hellen Trevithick: I… don't know what that means.

Patrick Brunel: You! The G.P.D.!

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Of course we're real! I contacted you on our database, and your group hosts pages on it too.

Patrick Brunel: But you're… physical. Like you're run by humans and shit. I'm just still surprised at that; most think you're entities or just a Liminal Echo'd internet.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Surely not. We don't hide who we are?

Patrick Brunel: Weeeeell… You also don't advertise it either.

[Just as Maiden-Helen was about to speak, one of the establishment's servers came up to the booth where both she and Patrick were seated. He winked to Patrick, sliding him his drink first before passing Maiden-Helen her own.]

Matthew Nix: One Agrugua Acre Margarita and a Lucky Ration. Enjoy~

Patrick Brunel: Will do!

[Patrick waved off the waiter, who gave him a secondary wink before sauntering off to serve somebody else. Patrick immediately picked up the Agrugua Acre Margarita, taking a long suck of it through the neon bendy straw.]

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: This is certainly an interesting place to do an interview.

Patrick Brunel: Eh, I like it here. It's pretty comfortable, and it's definitely my scene. Is it much of yours?

[Maiden-Helen exhaled slowly, shrugging and surveying the area beyond the booth. An indeterminate amount of people were present, milling between seats or the bar at the far side of the room. In the middle, where empty space would usually be, were a mix of human and entity natives alike, typically in same-gender pairs.]

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Can't say I've ever given it much thought… At least it's a better scene than Level 13, though?

Patrick Brunel: Ack. We're asking questions already?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: That is why I'm here, as much as I've enjoyed the travel and a free drink.

Patrick Brunel: Yeah… well, I'm hardly here to take you on a date.

[Patrick chuckled dryly, leaning back in the lounge sofa of the booth. His laugh turned into a sigh, which gradually morphed into awkward gazes around as Maiden-Helen eyed him intently, drinking from her own straw casually. After clearing his throat, Patrick threw himself forwards and put his elbows on the table.]

Patrick Brunel: Yes. I—It's far better than Level 13, by a long mile.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: How long were you there for?

Patrick Brunel: Are all the questions going to be this rapid-fire?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: More or less, yeah.

Patrick Brunel: Got it… uhm, then only half a year. I was one of their new applicants they couldn't house. I joined… like a few days after last Easter? I got out before Halloween.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: And what gave you the strength to finally leave? Six months is… a long time. Was your room being rotated, or did you visit New Times Square, or something?

Patrick Brunel: For the first few weeks, yeah… I hit up the Ham Shack for cheap trade meals, and I did some odd jobs for the New Times Square border, but it didn't stick.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: What, you seriously preferred generated leftovers?

Patrick Brunel: You'd be surprised! Level 13 is… its depressing nature is infectious. It makes everything feel so much worse, so you end up loving the little it gives you. Did I enjoy eating microwaved pasta from leftovers I never made? No. But in my head, the convenience was better than the slog of going elsewhere.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: But… now you are in that slog. You're not in Level 13, you work for that stuff. You wouldn't be able to pay for our drinks without your job?

Patrick Brunel: As I said, it only felt like a slog at the time. Something… came over me. I couldn't tell you what. Some guy was knocking on the doors and offering a job in 196, and I took it. Now look at me! I have an actual job, people I care for, and… a better life I actually earned.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Was it just the job offer that got you out?

Patrick Brunel: It was the springboard, but not the only thing. Obviously, I got myself into a Level 13 survivor's group, but… I did other stuff.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Like…?

Patrick Brunel: Oh, it's… embarrassing.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Hey, maybe it is? But it got you to where you are today. Surely it's worth talking about?

Patrick Brunel: Uhm… So, besides doing all the therapy stuff, I just… I dunno, I just tried to live my life to the fullest?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: That's not embarrassing.

Patrick Brunel: It is in… certain areas.

[Tilting his head down towards the table to hide a growing fluster, Patrick vaguely gestured out to the nightclub scene. Maiden-Helen followed his flailing hand, looking out to the partying crowd. It took a few moments for the gears to click into place, but when they did, she gasped and slapped the table.]

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Oh!

Patrick Brunel: There you go!

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Can't say stuff like that happens back home.

Patrick Brunel: It didn't happen in Level 13 either. When I was out there, trying to live my life to the fullest, I… decided to do things with people I hadn't done in a while. I certainly felt like I was living life to the fullest then.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Did that stuff result in a relationship?

Patrick Brunel: That… wasn't the motivation I had for doing it.

[Though Maiden-Helen was surprised, she tried not to show it. She chuckled, sitting up straighter and momentarily checking some question cards in her bag.]

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: I… imagine you never returned to Level 13?

Patrick Brunel: According to the records, I'd moved out. I was put into a lot of therapy to get back to normalcy. Took a little while, but… I figured moving somewhere remote would be a good way to adjust.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Would you ever go back?

Patrick Brunel: No… I mean, I've thought about it. Mainly when I just got out. Hell, I almost went back.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Really?? What, after all the praising you just did of your new life, you almost went back?

Patrick Brunel: I know, I know… But the level's lifestyle is infectious.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Wanna talk about it?

Patrick Brunel: I don't think there's much to talk about. It's not just Level 13, that sort of laziness and contentment with a shit life can happen… anywhere. I think it already does in a lot of places. I'm just glad I moved. I just feel bad for the people who couldn't. Or… more accurately, I feel bad for the people who can't.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Because they're too stuck in their ways to leave?

Patrick Brunel: I was thinking more if they vanish, but yeah, that too.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Right… This isn't at all relevant, but do you know what happens to people after they live in Level 13 for long enough?

Patrick Brunel: Ah, dude… I wish I did. Really, I wish I did. But… Floor 283 was too new, so I never saw it happen. Shit takes years, right?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: We've… never been sure… That's the rough estimate, though, yes.

[Maiden-Helen trailed off, distracting herself with a long and (to her surprise) noisy sip of her straw. She looked down, noticing not only that she'd finished her cocktail during the interview but that Patrick had too.]

Patrick Brunel: You done? Uh, with questions, I mean. I can tell you've finished your drink.

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: I am, yeah. And we did only agree to the one drink?

Patrick Brunel: You don't want to do another?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: Mmm… Ehh… Alright, why not? It's not too alcoholic.

[Patrick grinned, shimmying awkwardly to the edge of the booth and swinging his legs rightwards to get them to the ground.]

Patrick Brunel: Alright, cool! Same drink again, Helen?

Maiden-Helen Trevithick: It's Maiden-Helen. That's my full first name. But yes.

Patrick Brunel: Yeah, that's still weird as hell.

Entrances

Although not all entrances to Level 13 are known, a common trend with them is that they are all incredibly innocuous. Most entrances resemble doors or gradual architectural transformations into the hallways of Level 13, although there are exceptions to this rule.

• Level 62, Level 151, Level 210, Level 683, and Level 979 all have bland, basic doors that open to Level 13.

• Random, featureless doors in Level 12 go to Level 13, as well as a small handful of other levels. White staircases in Level 12 also lead to the topmost floor of Level 13.
• While walking down one of the hallways of Level 21, it is possible for it to gradually morph into one of Level 13's hallways. The transition is an optical effect only visible to the person undergoing it, as from an onlooker's perspective they vanish out of Level 21.
• Some room doors in Level 215's "Harbour Oyster Hotel" lead to rooms of Level 13. From limited primary sources, it is believed that a good chunk of Level 13's unaligned residences came from Level 215, both because of it depositing them immediately inside a room and because of its safety in comparison to 215 itself.
• Should it be operational, Level 2-FR's elevator can lead to Level 13.

Exits

Like entrances, exits from Level 13 are inconspicuous, sometimes leaving people passing by multiple exits in their plight to escape due to how flush they are with the level.

• Level 13 can be exited to Level 0, Level 114, Level 327, Level 395, or Level 410 by bland and unassuming doors. These doors will differ in design from ones leading into other hallways or rooms but are equally as drab in design.

• Going down staircases or elevators on the bottom floor of Level 13 leads to buildings within Level 70 or Level 208.
• Should a room generate a chessboard and two chairs, touching the chessboard leads to Level 157. It is worth noting that artificially creating this arrangement does not trigger access to the level, and this combination of furniture does not appear in already inhabited rooms.
• Should one arbitrarily find a door labelled "235", attempting to open it will teleport you to the level of the same number. Similarly, red doors lead to Level 275.
• Walls that are painted or wallpapered in a deeper yellow hue than the rest of the level can lead to Level 289 if noclipped through. If noclip fails multiple times, it can be assumed that the wall one is attempting is not one that has access to 289.
• Theoretically, entering any apartment building can lead to Level 387, but this has been scarcely documented.
• Rarely, staircases can change and begin ascending with no end, leading to Level 280.

Due to the high-casualty tragedy that has recently befallen Level 13, it is now known that there are bounds and limits to which one will be willing to stay in the level. Not everyone has been willing to move, however. Even with an estimated 12% of Level 13 destroyed, a further 41% of it damaged, and a casualty rate in the hundreds due to the destruction of the Free Home Project, some still refuse to leave their rooms. Though thousands have flocked out of it as of July.

Obviously, allowing the anomaly to destroy Level 13 is not on the cards, but the level's catastrophe, coupled with previous escapees, shows that getting people out of Level 13 is possible. It is even possible with the likes of a previous M.E.G. interviewee, Michael Corvette, someone who had been living in Level 13 for years and yet is currently being rehabilitated in Base Beta.

Whether it be due to complacency, ignorance, or the level's utility, doing something about Level 13's inhabitants has never been on the forefront of any group's mind. Hundreds, if not thousands, of souls are in these apartments at any given time, wasting away because both they and the people around them believe it's their fate.

When the current catastrophe is sorted out, which no doubt it will be, the people in Level 13 will be rescued and rehabilitated so that they may have a bright future ahead of them. Whether they house with the M.E.G., the B.N.T.G., the C.B.S., or indeed any of the many groups helping in this time of need, it ultimately does not matter. Those who have already evacuated Level 13 will help refine the rehabilitation for those who are directly rescued later.

The Re-Alliance — Working better together

Addendum released 28/06/22

This pertains to the Frontrooms apologue. For other uses of "the boiling frog", consult: the boiling frog disambiguation page.

"Although a common phrase both in the Backrooms and Earth, the actual science behind it is (much like stories of other aquatic or amphibious animals like lobsters) untrue. Any species is logically able to recognise a change in temperature, but frogs, in particular, have a natural thermoregulation for their survival. Furthermore, a frog placed in boiling water will be unable to save itself."

-from the G.P.D.'s "Earth it, Learn it" series of online eBooks.