ENTITY NO. 379
THREAT LEVEL
2
Habitat:
Individual; stretches of road, more common in arid climates
Aggression: 1/5
Attacks if threatened
Intellect: 4/5
Human-level intellect
Danger: 0/5
No harm to humans
Description[]
The Sand-Stricken Hauler, or simply The Hauler, is a nomadic entity that can be solely found traveling large stretches of road, more specifically, ones found in arid climates. Its appearance comprises a mainly lava-red 1993 Peterbilt 379 with a permanent thin layer of sand covering the fenders, side steps, and wheels. This entity is habitually docile, especially to humans. It drives for hours on end throughout levels, stopping every fortnight. Its stops are usually center stations or motel parking lots. The Hauler will typically stay at a stop for a minimum of 3 days or 6 days at most. The trailer that Entity 379 tows is consistently a dry van trailer that's approximately 16 meters in length. The trailer of The Hauler is commonly unlocked, allowing entry inside. The interior is usually filled with an estimated weight of 2,000 lbs of non-perishable supplies; the cargo can be exhausted but will resupply at a stop. It doesn't seem to mind if its payload is taken, as it generally does not react in any way. The only scenario where it will get irritated is if it's disturbed while resting. Frequent things that can irritate Entity 379 include the unloading/loading of cargo, sudden loud sounds, and attempts of superficial damage; when this occurs, it will typically honk its horn or rev its engine in a manner similar to someone saying "Be quiet!" or "Stop that!."
The Hauler will usually cruise at a speed of 110 miles per hour and has been observed reaching 213 miles per hour on rare occasions. It is capable of coming to a complete stop in under 5 seconds, often causing significant smoke to emanate from its tires. Entity 379 can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 10 seconds.
The Hauler is usually calm around humans, but it will drive away if provoked too much. It generally complies with most requests, which is how the M.E.G gathered most information about Entity 379. To obtain information from The Hauler, one can ask yes/no questions, to which The Hauler responds by flashing its headlights once for yes and twice for no. The Hauler usually answers questions for about an hour before leaving. However, as of 2015, The Hauler has declined to participate in any further tests for an unknown reason.
Behavior[]
As stated previously, The Hauler will regularly be found driving across arid-stricken roads and can rarely be seen cruising through suburban or urban roads throughout the Backrooms, but it was once spotted driving through the docks of Level 65, but this has not been confirmed. The Haluer will pick up hitchhikers on occasion, allowing them to rest in the cab until it stops at another level. If one is rude towards The Hauler, it will refuse entry by locking its doors or kick the wanderer out of its cab in an unknown way. Wanderers who have hitchhiked will typically state that the cab feels very cordial. The Hauler will serve wanderers either coffee, tea, water, or a soft drink based on preference; food will also be served throughout the trip. Such foods include instant ramen, turkey sandwiches, scrambled eggs, bacon, a bagel, and string cheese. These meals are served every 6 hours.
As indicated previously, The Hauler is a pacifist towards humans. It seems to stick to this belief no matter what one does to it. Provoking or harassing too much will cause it to dispel, kicking up a dust cloud toward its harassers. However, it seems to have little patience for most entities. Entities that are harassing Entity 379 have been seen getting struck by it, usually resulting in the death of said entity. Surprisingly, entities that are greater than or equal in size to The Hauler have been seen instantly expiring upon getting struck. The Hauler does give a warning; its warning consists of 3 long honks of its horn. It will do this 2 times with a period of 50 seconds between them. If an entity doesn't cease its aggressive behavior before the end of the second warning, it will be run over.
Biology[]
As mentioned before, Entity 379 resembles a 1993 Peterbilt 379, more specifically, one with a 48" sleeper cab. It has a lava-red exterior with a chrome trim. Its windows are tinted making it difficult to see inside. Its interior is nearly no different from a normal 1993 Peterbilt 379. It has a scarlet leather interior with red leather seats with an ice-white accent. Its windows are clear on the inside despite them being tinted. A 6.5-inch fan is bolted to the ceiling, keeping the cab at a steady 80 degrees. The steering wheel, pedals, and transmission lever are inoperable despite this, The Hauler is perfectly capable of driving.
Under The Hauler's hood lies a double C16 Caterpillar engine, as if 2 C16s were combined. It has a slightly elongated radiator that's covered in light amounts of sand. The rest of the engine bay is relatively normal besides the abnormal amount of sand covering the engine bay.
Regarding durability, Entity 379 is by all means indestructible. According to tests done before 2015, The Hauler was capable of withstanding high-powered weapons. It could withstand calibers as low as 7.62mm to 50. BMG anti-material rifles. It was also recorded to easily endure military-grade explosives such as C4, AT mines, and even a 1000-lb explosive with no superficial or interior damage.
The Mustang's Challenge[]
According to 2 wanderers, on May 13th, 2017, The Hauler was stopping to rest at a parking lot on Level 69. After a few hours, The Hauler woke up and continued on its trip. However, Entity 700, more commonly known as The Mustang, saw The Hauler drive off and was reportedly irritated at its presence. It's said that he mumbled to himself something along the lines of "Yeah...no, I don't like that old rig, but he's fast though. You know what? I'm challenging him." Shortly after saying this, he drove off, leaving a cloud of smoke behind. Approximately a mile down the road The Mustang had caught up to The Hauler. He was bragging about how fast he was and saying that he'd go easy on them. This went on for 2 minutes before The Hauler caved in and accepted the challenge. A few seconds later The Mustang said, "We go on the count of 3." 3 seconds later they both raced from a stop. The Mustang was in the lead for approximately 30 seconds, with The Hauler a few meters behind. While The Mustang was in the lead he was bragging about how fast he was and how slow The Hauler was. After 30 seconds The Hauler started to increase in speed; it overtook The Mustang a few seconds later. Once The Mustang lost the lead he started hurling slurs at The Hauler and things such as "You have to be cheating!", "I'm not going to lose to an 18-wheeler!", and "No, I can't lose!" He said phrases in a similar manner until The Hauler outdistanced him by a mile, where he eventually gave up and turned around. He was reportedly salty about the loss for about a month. Throughout the month he would constantly complain about the loss out loud. He would make excuses such as "I had a flat!", "I was just going easy on them!", "I swear, that rig was cheating!", and "That race was fake, I don't lose!" The Mustang was increasingly more belligerent towards wanderers and infrastructure during this term.
Discovery[]
The earliest known sighting of Entity 379 was back in 1995. It was found slowly driving through arid-stricken roads of Level 91, occasionally honking its horn at passersby.