Level archive / L9
Level 9 Darkened Suburbs
DARK SUBURBS
The Dark Suburbs include residential streets and basements. The streets remain in darkness and most houses have no power. The basements extend far beyond the buildings above them.
Suburban Streets
Suburban StreetsSuburban streets stretch beneath a moonless midnight. Wet asphalt has no lane markings; fallen leaves cling to the road and edges of stone sidewalks, and rain gathers in cold black puddles. Most streetlights are dead, while an occasional bulb opens only a pale ring in the fog. Houses of different shapes line both sides of the road, yet their doors, windows, driveways, and backyards retain the neatness of places just vacated. Their interiors are fully furnished, but nothing requiring electricity responds.
Open area file →Basement
BasementThe basement does not truly belong to any house above. Stairs descend into a low, damp concrete space, where exposed pipes cross load-bearing walls and shelving and wooden partitions divide passages into narrow rooms joined in the wrong order. Condensation runs from pipes into drains along the walls, mixing the smells of mold, rust, and wet earth. Faulty lights flicker, and after every interval of darkness the corners and shelf spaces behind you seem to have shifted slightly.
Open area file →