ITB Chapter 12 More Grimm (Patreon)

As the fluorescent lights continued their constant droning hum, filling the silence with a sound that slowly drilled into the skull the longer one listened to it. The walls never changed as the yellow wallpaper continued to repeat itself, along with the damp carpet. Just a repeat of endless corners and rooms. The only other sound that accompanied the group was the heavy rhythmic metallic noise of Guts’s heavy metallic boots against the damp carpet.

For Sakura, the red headed, blue-skinned zombie, it was becoming unbearable. Her brown loafers softly squeaked wetly against the moist carpet as she walked with her shoulders hunched, her eyes darting nervously toward the infinite yellow corners and the towering man in front of her, while gripping Nezuko’s small hand like a lifeline. 

Nezuko in her small form, didn’t seem to mind as the girl walked with a strange and quiet grace. Sensing the vibration of Sakura’s trembling hand, she looked back and her pink eyes softened as she gave Sakura a reassuring squeeze.

Everything looked the same. Every room felt wrong. The silence between the buzzing lights and their footsteps felt even worse somehow, like something was always waiting just outside her vision.

“...Uuu…” Sakura whimpered, the sound dying almost instantly in the dead air.

Nezuko tilted her head, her pink eyes curious. “Mm-mm?”

“N-Nothing! I’m totally fine! Peachy! Great!” Sakura squeaked, her voice jumping an octave. She forced a smile so wide it looked like her jaw might actually pop off.

She was not fine as the atmosphere was crushing her. Unlike Guts and Nezuko, who seemed disturbingly comfortable in the presence of monsters, Sakura felt her nerves unraveling with every passing minute. ‘If I don't say something, I’m going to scream. Or explode. Or die again!’ Letting go of Nezuko’s hand, she hurried her pace, stepping up beside the towering swordsman. "So..." Her voice cracked, sounding like a gunshot in the silence. She flinched, then scrambled to keep the momentum. "Guts-san?”

“Hmm.”

It wasn't a 'no,' so Sakura took it as a green light. “So, um... where exactly are you from? I mean, before the yellow walls and the... the things.” 

“Far away,” Guts rumbled, his single eye never leaving the hallway ahead.

Sakura blinked, her nervous energy bubbling over. “Far away? That’s it? That doesn’t help at all! Is it like, rural? I’m from Saga! It’s famous for—well, actually, a lot of people say there’s nothing there, but we have great squid! And pottery! Do you have squid where you’re from?”

Guts didn't turn his head, his heavy boots continuing their rhythmic clank-thud against the sodden floor. “Where I come from, we have constant wars. And monsters living around every corner.” 

Sakura’s face fell, her skin turning an even shade of blue. “Oh. Right. Heavy stuff. Sorry.” She quieted for exactly three seconds before her anxiety forced her mouth open again. “But you’re so good at the... fighting part! That sword is huge!” She scurried to keep up with his long strides, her loafers squeaking wetly. “ And I was just thinking. We had a lot of creepy stuff like this back home in Japan. Lots of legends about spirits and ghosts. Since nothing about this place makes sense, maybe we’re stuck in one of those stories? Do you have any legends about yellow hallways where you’re from? Or... anything similar? ?"

Guts didn't turn around. The massive slab of iron on his back shifted slightly, the leather straps creaking under the weight. “No,” he grunted. 

"Right. Figures. It’s a pretty weird decor choice anyway," Sakura rambled, her words tumbling out faster as her anxiety spiked. "I mean, who picks 'jaundiced yellow' for an infinite maze? If I were a ghost, I’d at least want some decent wallpaper. Don't you think, ughh?" Sakura trailed off, her face heating up as she realized she didn’t actually know the girl’s name. She looked down at the small, pink-eyed girl she was currently using as an emotional support human 

But Nezuko didn't seem bothered as she tilted her head, letting out a muffled, cheerful "Mmpf!" and nodding her head vigorously.

"See? She gets it!" Sakura let out a weak, shaky laugh, her eyes darting back to the terrifying man in front of her. She glanced at Guts’s profile, the jagged scars, the missing eye, and the heavy, grim set of his jaw.  "You're... you're really good with that sword. I’ve never seen anything like it. Are you a soldier? Or like... a really intense historical reenactor?"

Guts stopped dead and Sakura nearly ran into the back of his cloak, letting out a small yelp as she skidded on the damp carpet. Guts turned his head just enough for his single, piercing eye to fix on her.

“You sure do talk a lot,” Guts rumbled as the thought seemed to have just occurred to him.

Sakura sweatdropped heavily, her face scrunching up in a mix of fear and annoyance.  “And you’re really bad at conversations, you know that?”

Guts gave a low grunt. “And yet you keep talking.”

Sakura froze, her face turning a shade of pale that seemed impossible considering her undead skin. "I-I’m sorry! I just–, the silence is really loud, if that makes sense? It’s like it’s trying to swallow me!” Her hands flew up, gesturing wildly at the infinite hallway. “And I figure if I’m talking, I can’t hear the walls whispering, and if I’m talking to you, you probably won't... you know... cleave me in half by mistake? Plus, this place is just so creepy! I feel like if I stop talking, something’s gonna crawl out of the wallpaper!” 

As if on cue, the fluorescent lights above them flickered violently, the hum rising to a sharp, electric screech.

Buzzzzzt—POP!

The hallway plunged into darkness for a split second before the sickly yellow light sputtered back to life.

“AHHHH! SEE!? SEE!?” Sakura shrieked at the top of her lungs, diving forward and clinging onto Nezuko’s arm like a frightened koala. “THIS PLACE IS CURSED! IT’S LISTENING TO ME!”

Guts looked at her for a long moment, his single eye heavy with a weight Sakura couldn't begin to fathom, saw the way her hands were trembling, the way she was clinging to Nezuko as if the girl were a physical anchor to reality, and the raw, jagged terror behind her eyes. He’d seen that look on enough fresh recruits and broken refugees to know she wasn't annoying him for the sake of it, she was talking to keep her mind from shattering into a thousand pieces.

He let out a low, weary huff that wasn’t quite a sigh. "I don’t trust you. But I have already said that I will not attack you," He muttered, turning back to the hallway. He resumed his pace, though his strides were perhaps half a step slower than before, just enough for her to keep up without running.

Sakura blinked, a tiny spark of relief hitting her chest. Suddenly, she felt a soft, rhythmic patting on top of her head. When she turned, she saw Nezuko looking up at her with those large, expressive pink eyes, her small hand moving gently to reassure her.

“Mm-mm,” Nezuko said softly, her brow furrowing with a look of pure, sisterly concern.

Sakura felt her eyes prick with tears. For a zombie, she was surprisingly close to crying. “Nezuko-chan... you’re seriously the nicest person here. The nicest person in this whole yellow nightmare!”

Guts snorted faintly, the sound echoing off the peeling wallpaper. “Kid’s too nice for her own good. I worry that she is too gullible.”

Nezuko hearing this suddenly stopped patting Sakura’s head and immediately puffed her cheeks out, her small hands going to her hips in a display of indignation as if to say that she wasn’t gullible.

Sakura quickly noticed and gasped dramatically, her hands flying to her face. “Wait! Is that a pout!? Nezuko, are you getting sassier!?”

Nezuko turned her head away with a tiny, huffy "Mmm," looking oddly proud of her newfound attitude.

For a fleeting second, the grim, jagged lines of Guts’s face softened. A small, genuine smile tugged at the corner of his lips before disappearing almost instantly back into his usual scowl.

But Sakura’s eyes were sharp as she caught it. “…You smiled! Guts-san, I saw it! A real, actual smile!”

“I didn’t,” He retorted, his voice returning to its gravelly edge as if to show that he wasn’t getting soft.

“You totally did! Does this mean we’re friends? Are we a team now?” Sakura asked with a hopeful smile.

Guts didn't slow down this time. “Keep talking and I’ll leave you behind to negotiate with whatever monster comes out next.”

Sakura’s hands moved at lightning speed, miming a zipper across her mouth. She pulled an imaginary key from the air, swallowed it, and gave him an energetic thumbs-up. “…Sorry,” she whispered through her teeth, her voice barely a squeak.

Guts didn’t respond, but he didn’t tell her to go away, either. Together, the three of them continued their trek into another endless yellow identical hallway. Walking through more yellow walls, and more endless buzzing lights.

Sakura nervously looked around, the shadows at the edge of the flickering lights seeming to stretch and reach toward them. She swallowed hard, speaking softer this time as if afraid the walls themselves were eavesdropping. “So… do you guys really not get scared?” 

The question made Guts glance back at her again. His lone eye studied her carefully, unblinking and dark. “…Course we do.” 

Sakura blinked in surprise, her mouth hanging open slightly. “Really? Even you? But you look like… well, like you eat monsters for breakfast!” 

Guts looked forward again, his heavy boots squelching into the damp carpet. “Fear keeps you alive. Idiots who stop being afraid, die the fastest.” His voice was calm, delivered in a matter-of-fact tone, the voice of a man who had survived a thousand nights that should have claimed him. “A lot of things in this world are monsters,” he continued quietly, the Dragonslayer shifting with a metallic groan on his back. “And you have to learn to keep moving anyway.” 

Sakura stared at his broad back silently for a moment. For someone so intimidating, someone who carried the stench of iron and old blood… his words felt strangely reassuring. He wasn't telling her to be brave; he was telling her it was okay to be human. Or at least, whatever version of humans they were now. 

Suddenly, Sakura felt another gentle squeeze on her hand. She looked down and saw Nezuko looking up at her. The demon girl’s pink eyes were clear and steady.

“Safe,” Nezuko said softly. 

Sakura’s eyes widened, a lump forming in her throat. “You… you mean I’m safe with you guys?”

Nezuko nodded again, a small, firm movement. “Mm!”

Something warm bloomed in Sakura’s chest. The fear didn’t disappear completely, the place was still horrifying, the buzzing was still drilling into her head, and Guts was still terrifying in his own right. She still had absolutely no idea where they were, how she had died, or if they’d ever see the sky.

“…Thanks,” Sakura whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Somehow, walking beside these two didn’t feel quite as hopeless anymore.

“Let’s keep walking. We’re wasting time,” Guts says, staring straight ahead into the endless yellow void, pretending he hadn’t heard her.

But Nezuko happily squeezed her hand again as the three continued deeper into the endless maze together.

"Right! Behind you. Totally. Locked in!" Sakura chirped, her pace becoming a bit more confident. "So, did I ever tell you about the time my friend Takami tried to pick a fight with a chicken? It’s a great story! It really puts the whole 'life and death' thing into perspective. It was a very aggressive chicken, Guts-san. You would have respected its fighting spirit!"

But then as they approached an end of a hallway, the trio rounded a corner, the smell of rot was suddenly overtaken around them.

In the center of the room, a chaotic slaughter was already in progress. A Death Stalker, a massive, white-boned scorpion Grimm, was at the center of a sea of decaying flesh. Its giant pincers snapped through zombie torsos, one pincer caught a zombie by the waist, the pressure instantly bisecting the corpse in a spray of blackened, rotten fluids. The top half of the zombie didn't even stop clawing, its fingernails screeching uselessly against the scorpion’s impenetrable black carapace as it was tossed aside like refuse.

From the rear, the golden-stinger tail whipped in a blur of lethal motion as it pulverized anything in its way. Each strike delivered enough force to cave in ribcages and send rotting bodies flying across the room, slamming into the yellow wallpaper with wet, heavy thuds.

The zombies, however, were a tide that didn't know how to retreat. Driven by a primal urge to consume, they swarmed over the Grimm's legs, their teeth breaking against the armor-plated joints. They piled onto one another, a mountain of reaching gray hands and gnashing teeth, completely oblivious to the fact that the creature they were attacking had no flesh to eat.

Guts’s single eye narrowed as he analyzed the carnage. He saw the way the Death Stalker prioritised the largest clusters, its multiple red eyes glowing with an eerie, predatory light. "It’s not fighting them for food," he rumbled, his hand tightening on the hilt of the Dragonslayer. "It’s killing them because they're in its way. And now," he added as the scorpion’s head began to pivot toward their entrance, "so are we."

"WHAAA! A giant bug?! And more zombies?!" Sakura shrieked, her hands flying to her head as her eyes practically popped out of her skull. "Why is it always a horde?! Can't we just have one? One regular-sized problem?!"

Then as if sensing the three souls, the Death Stalker let out a piercing, hiss that vibrated through the floorboards. The zombies, sensing the shift in the room's energy, also began to turn their hollow gazes toward the trio.

Guts didn't waste breath on an answer. The moment they stepped into the room, the dynamic shifted. The rotting heads of the zombies snapped toward the fresh scent of living blood, and the Death Stalker’s multiple red eyes fixed on the new intruders as it sensed the emotions of the three souls.

"Behind me," Guts growled, his hand already on the hilt of the Dragonslayer.

"Mmm-ph!" Nezuko grunted, her pink eyes narrowing as she dropped into a low, predatory stance.

In an instant, the room exploded into motion.

Guts became a whirlwind of iron. With a roar that drowned out the buzzing lights, he swung the Dragonslayer in a horizontal arc. The giant slab of iron; it pulled the air with it, cleaving through five zombies at once in a spray of blackened blood and splintered bone. "Out of my way!" he barked, stepping over a pile of twitching limbs to meet the next wave.

On the other side of the room, the Death Stalker lunged at the smallest target. Its massive pincer snapped shut where Nezuko had been standing a millisecond prior. With a blur of speed, the demon girl vaulted over the claw, her small frame twisting in mid-air.

CLANG!

Nezuko landed a devastating kick directly onto the Grimm’s skull, the impact sounding like a hammer hitting stone, pushing the soulless beast back. Unfortunately it didn’t do much damage as it quickly returned to attacking the girl. 

"Uwaaaa! Guts-san! Nezuko-chan! Help!" The scream drew Guts’s eye for a split second. Sakura was sprinting across the room in a blind panic, her arms flailing. For some reason—perhaps because she was the loudest or the most frantic—a cluster of ten zombies had broken away from the main fight and were pursuing her with singular focus.

"Why me?!" Sakura wailed as she narrowly dodged a grasping hand. "I’m one of you! I’m a zombie! Look at my skin! I’m off-limits!"

She skidded around a pillar, her loafers sliding on the damp carpet. One zombie lunged, its fingers snagging her sleeve.

"NO! BAD ZOMBIE! BAD!" Sakura shrieked, swinging her arm wildly and accidentally clobbering the creature with her elbow. She didn't stop to see it fall, continuing her desperate lap around the chamber. "GUTS-SAN! THEY’RE NOT LISTENING TO REASON!"

Guts cleaved a path through the center of the room, his cape billowing like a shadow. "Keep running!” He shouted over the sound of breaking bone. "You're doing a great job as bait!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE BAIT! I WANT TO BE AN IDOL!"

The Death Stalker lunged, once again its massive gold-tipped stinger whistling through the air with the speed of a falling guillotine. But Nezuko didn't flinch as she leaned back at a sharp angle, the lethal tip missing her nose by a fraction of an inch and burying itself deep into the damp carpet with a muffled thud.

"Mm-ph!" Nezuko grunted, her pink eyes flashing with a predatory light. She used the stinger as a stepping stone, her small feet launching her onto the creature's back. She then began tearing at the white bone plating with her bare claws, sparks flying as her nails scraped against the Grimm’s unnatural armor.

Across the room, Guts was a cyclone of carnage. The Dragonslayer whistled through the air, and every swing was punctuated by the wet thwack of rotting meat being divided.

"Get back!" Guts roared, cleaving a zombie from shoulder to hip before spinning to catch a second one in mid-air. He noticed the Death Stalker trying to shake Nezuko off, its pincers snapping dangerously close to her legs. "Kid! Move!"

Guts didn't wait for her to clear. He stepped into a massive vertical swing, the weight of the slab of iron slamming into the Death Stalker's primary pincer.

CRACK.

The white bone shattered, and the Grimm let out a high-pitched, screeching hiss that rattled the fluorescent lights.

"UWAAAA! IT’S LOUDER NOW! WHY IS IT LOUDER?!" Sakura’s voice echoed from the far corner of the room. She was currently leading a parade of persistent zombies around a large support pillar. "Guts-san! Nezuko-chan! I’m doing the thing! I’m being the bait! But I think they’re gaining on me!"

One zombie, missing half its jaw, lunged from the side, its fingers brushing Sakura's red hair.

"NO! PERSONAL SPACE!" Sakura shrieked, swinging her arms in a blind windmill motion. Her fist connected squarely with the zombie's nose with a sickening crunch. She stopped for a half-second, staring at her hand in shock. "Wait... did I just...?"

Groan...

The zombie stumbled back but immediately lunged again, joined by two more.

"NEVER MIND! I’M STILL DYING! SAVE ME!" She yelled as she took off again.

Nezuko, seeing Sakura’s plight, leaped off the scorpion's back. She landed in the middle of the horde chasing Sakura, her leg coming out in a sweeping kick that shattered the shins of three zombies at once.

"Mmm-ph!" Nezuko stood protectively in front of Sakura, her claws extended and a low growl vibrating in her chest and then started to slash at any that got close.

"Nezuko-chan! You're an angel! A scary, demon-clawed angel!" Sakura cried, collapsing behind her and gasping for air. "I swear, if we get out of here alive, I’m teaching you our choreography! You've got the footwork for it!"

Guts, meanwhile, had the Death Stalker’s full attention. The beast lunged with its remaining pincer, but Guts didn't dodge. He caught the pincer with his mechanical hand, the metal shrieking as the Grimm tried to crush it. With a guttural roar, Guts planted his feet and heaved, using his brute strength to twist the creature's head upward.

"Your turn to die," Guts growled.

With a singular, explosive movement, he brought the Dragonslayer down in a devastating overhead strike. The blade bit through the white bone mask, through the black ichor, and slammed into the floor, splitting the Death Stalker nearly in half.

The Grimm dissolved into black smoke, leaving behind only the rotting corpses of the zombies Guts had already finished.

Guts stood over the dissolving remains, his chest heaving, his single eye scanning the room for any remaining movement. The only sound left was the buzzing lights—and Sakura’s frantic breathing.

"Is it... is it over?" Sakura asked, peeking out from behind Nezuko.

Guts grunted, wiping a spray of black blood from his face with his cloak. "For now."

Sakura let out a long, shaky breath, her shoulders finally dropping. "Great. Fantastic. 10 out of 10. Let's never do that again. Now, can we please find a room that isn't full of giant scorpions? Maybe a room with a nice sofa? Or a snack bar?"

Nezuko patted Sakura’s head reassuringly, though she still looked toward the far door with a focused intensity.

"Move," Guts commanded, his voice already back to its grim, business-like tone. "The noise we made... it’s going to bring more."

"Right! More walking! My favorite!" Sakura chirped, falling into step behind him. "So, about that chicken story I was telling you..."

Guts let out a weary sigh, but he didn't stop her as they headed toward the unknown.

—------------------------------------

Meanwhile in another part of the Backrooms.

Mash Kyrielight crouched low, her fingers knuckled white as she gripped the inner handles of the massive, cross-shaped shield. The screech of claws against reinforced steel was deafening, a jagged sound that vibrated through her arms and into her very teeth.

On the other side of her mobile wall, a Beowolf, a creature of pure darkness and bone-white plating, was a whirlwind of mindless ferocity. It slammed its weight against the shield again and again, its crimson eyes glowing with a hateful red light.

‘Where am I? Where is Senpai? Where is the Director?’ The questions swirled in her mind like a storm. She had walked for miles lost, wondering where she was  with her heavy armor squelching on the damp carpet, until this... thing had lunged from the shadows.

Scritch! SCREEE!

Luckily the beast’s claws didn’t even leave marks on the shield’s surface, showing the durability of the only piece of equipment that mysteriously appeared with her. Unfortunately the sound caused Mash to flinch, and her breath coming in ragged hitches. "Please... stop!" She called out, her voice trembling. "I don't want to fight you!"

The Beowolf responded with a guttural snarl, rearing back for a massive, double-handed overhead strike.

But then something inside Mash snapped. A deep, ancestral instinct for survival that she didn't even know she possessed. As the shadow-beast brought its claws down, Mash didn't shrink away as she planted her lead foot, feeling the damp carpet give way slightly, and roared with a strength that didn't feel like her own.

"Get back!"

With a violent heave, she thrust the massive shield upward. The heavy steel caught the Beowolf right under its bone-masked jaw. The impact was sickeningly solid as the creature’s head snapped back, its teeth shattering as it was hoisted into the air by the sheer momentum of her bash causing the Beowolf to stumble, disorienting it as its red eyes flickering as it struggled to regain its footing. 

Mash didn't give it a second chance as she pivoted on her heel, swinging the massive weight of the shield in a wide, horizontal arc. Using the shield’s heavy edge, she brought it down with a thunderous CRACK directly over the creature's skull. The force of the blow was so immense it didn't just knock the beast down—it flattened it into the moist carpet.

The Beowolf let out one final, choked hiss before its body began to dissolve, turning into wisps of acrid black smoke that vanished into the stale air.

Silence returned to the hallway, save for the eternal, low-frequency hum of the lights.

Mash stood there for a long moment, her chest heaving, the tip of her shield resting heavily on the floor. She looked at her trembling hands, then at the empty space where the monster had been.

"Where am I?” She whispered to the empty, yellow void. "Director? Senpai? Can anyone hear me?"

No one answered. The "Yellow Hell" remained as indifferent as ever.

Wiping a smudge of soot from her cheek, Mash took a shaky breath and adjusted the heavy straps of her shield. She couldn't stay here. If there were monsters like that in the halls, she had to find someone—anyone—who could tell her where she was. 

With a look of grim determination that mirrored the legendary hero whose power she now carried, Mash began to walk again, her shield a heavy but comforting weight at her side. "I will find you, Senpai," she vowed, her voice steadying as she disappeared into the infinite maze.

—-----------------------------------

The light in the forest, if it could be called that, remained a static, sickly blue. Not a single leaf moved despite the massive canopy overhead. The glowing moss that covered the roots and trees illuminated the area in soft shades of green and blue, giving the entire forest an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

For the first time since entering the Backrooms, the group had felt truly rested.

They stood now before a door that looked entirely out of place, a freestanding frame of dark wood nestled between two ancient, twisted oaks.

"So... this is it?" Issei asked, adjusting his jacket and looking up at the towering Ent. "The way out?"

Malus’s deep voice rumbled like a slow-moving tectonic plate. "It is the door out, leading beyond my grove. Whether it leads to your 'home' or merely to another layer of this labyrinth, I cannot say. Are you certain you wish to continue?” His glowing golden eyes looked almost saddened. “You are welcome to remain here longer if you desire. This forest and I will shelter you.”

Yuuka visibly wavered and looked around reluctantly. “That’s really tempting…” Smuttered quietly. “I kind of liked not almost dying for once.” 

“This is probably the first place in this nightmare where we could actually sleep without one eye open.” Weiss sighed tiredly while adjusting Myrtenaster at her waist. She looked back at the bioluminescent moss and the peaceful, silent trees. For a moment, her cold, disciplined mask slipped, revealing a flicker of genuine reluctance. "It feels... wrong to leave."

Honestly, Issei agreed. After everything they had been through, from Grimm, endless halls, madness, fire, and monsters. The thought of staying somewhere safe sounded amazing.

"It was… acceptable.” Azula remarked, though even she looked more composed, her golden eyes sharp and alert. 

Weiss smirked slightly. “That’s high praise coming from you.”

Azula narrowed her eyes. “Don’t push your luck. Safety is a trap if it makes you soft. We’ve overstayed our welcome in this place. If the exit is through that door, then standing here staring at it won't open it."

Issei took a deep breath and his smile slowly softened. “Thanks, Malus. Really.” He looked down briefly before meeting the Ent’s gaze again. “But we can’t stay.” His voice became more serious. “We all still have people waiting for us back home.”

Weiss’s expression softened slightly at that. ‘Sister.’

Azula looked away quietly, thoughts drifting toward a certain scarred prince she wasn’t even sure she’d ever see again.

Yuuka thought about her mother.

And Issei, he thought about his parents. His friends. Even school suddenly sounded wonderful compared to this place.

Malus remained silent for several long moments before finally nodding. “I understand. Young Travelers may your roots guide you home.”

A small smile appeared on Issei’s face. “That sounded really cool.”

“It did,” Yuuka whispered in agreement.

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Can we focus?” Though even she looked amused.

Azula walked toward the door first, her armor lightly clinking. “Enough delaying. If this truly is a path forward, then let’s move.”

Issei nodded before gripping the handle, the brass felt warm beneath his fingers. “Alright…” He took a deep breath. “Everyone ready?”

Yuuka nervously adjusted her grip on her pipe. “As I’ll ever be.”

Weiss gave a firm nod. “Stay alert.”

Azula simply smirked. “Open it already.”

With a twist of the handle, Issei pulled the door open. A familiar, nauseating scent wafted through, the smell of stagnant water and old paper. He stepped through, followed by Weiss, Azula, and Yuuka. One by one, they crossed the threshold.

Click.

The door shut behind them. The group stood frozen as their eyes adjusted. The vibrant blues and deep browns of the forest were gone. In their place were the jagged, fluorescent lights, the peeling, jaundiced wallpaper, and the endless, maddening drone.

Bzzzzzzzzzt.

“…No way,” Yuuka whispered in disbelief. 

"No..." Issei groaned, his shoulders sagging as he slumped against the wall. "You've got to be kidding me. We're back?! After all that, we're just... back in the yellow rooms?"

Weiss let out a long, shaky sigh, her hand covering her face. "It’s like we never left. All that walking, and the maze just looped us back to the start."

Azula didn't sigh. She simply stared down the infinite hallway, her hands sparking with a tiny, frustrated flicker of blue flame. "Guess we just have to keep walking."

Yuuka looked back at the wall where the door had been. There was nothing there now—just a solid, unbroken plane of ugly yellow patterns. “Not much choice, we can’t even go back.” She says, looking genuinely devastated. She then straightened her coat and looked down the hallway. "Complaining won't change our situation. Issei, lead the way. We've done this once; we can do it again."

Issei looked at his friends, weary, frustrated, but still standing. He balled his hands into fists. "Right," Issei said, his voice hardening with a new level of grit. "We just keep moving. I don't care if this place is infinite. I'm going to punch a hole in the sky if I have to."

With no other choice, the group turned away from the wall and began their journey once more, their footsteps echoing into the vast, hungry silence of the yellow halls. 

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes.