Entity 78: "Kavaroaches"

You feel weak. You promise yourself you'll rest once you reach the end of the tunnel. It has a smell of rotting fish, but it isn't any different from other passages in the sewers. At the end of the tunnel, an entrance to another tunnel appears, darker than the previous, having no light.
You sit down in the tunnel. Your frail body can barely hold onto yourself, and you collapse to the floor. No matter how hard you try, getting up becomes an impossible task. You start crawling, but fail again and again.
That's when you notice it. It could have been better to not see it, but something is breaking out of your abdomen. You should feel pain, but there's nothing. No sense of discomfort, devoid of instinctive fear. Only the faint wet sound of something pushing its way out.
Whatever comes out is a tiny little cockroach. You ponder how a cockroach got there in the first place, but once the little hole in your skin opens up, tens start coming out.
This isn't how you want to die: getting cockroaches crawling out of your body. But there is no other way out.

~ Name

ENTITY NO. 78

THREAT LEVEL
4

Habitat:
Humid or unsanitary levels

Aggression: 4/5
Hostile to humans only

Intellect: 2/5
Low-level intellect

Danger: 5/5
Attacks are mainly fatal

Picture of a deceased Kavaroach under examination.

 ⤳ Overview

Entity 78, colloquially known as "Kavaroaches", and scientifically as "blaberus cutivorus", is an entity closely resembling the real-world gromphadprhina portentosa (Madagascar hissing cockroach). They're native to levels that have humid or unsanitary conditions, around stagnant water sources and below debris. The size of one varies between 0.5-1 centimeters (0.15-0.39 inches). From what's known, their origins are unkown like to be a work of the Backrooms.

 ⤳ Biology

Their exoskeleton can withstand corrosive elements, crushing forces, and large impacts. The body is made up of screlites, connected by flexible joints. It is to mention that the screlites are more durable in the abdomen, for reasons discussed later. The coloring of the body is a dark reddish coloring, getting redder in parts with higher segmentation.

The claws are specialized for breaking down flesh easily, with the mandible being in proximity to it too. The purpose of this is to support their carnivorous diets. Although the way the flesh is broken down is a lot more grotesque than it appeared. It grinds up the flesh, making it tender for the softer, less stronger mandible. This is claimed to be an effective hunting method; if one finds a host, it's almost certain they won't starve.

Kavaroaches have small antennae, no longer than quarter of their size, rarely extending beyond one-fourth of body size. The abbreviated structure limits the long-range sensory of host bodies. The structure, despite it's size, is equipped with dense clusters of chemoreceptors. This allows them to detect potential prey through heat and carbon dioxide concentration.

Reproduction happens asexually via eggs. The eggs are already located in the ootheca, which can be deposited voluntarily. Hatching happens when the parent manually opens the eggs with the claws. Alternatively they can also hatch due to high levels of carbon monoxide. Those hatches rarely survive, and in the rare scenario would result in the parent perishing.

Kavaroaches are equipped with two types of toxins, ingested into the host upon contact: a paralytic and an analgesic. The paralytic lasts approximately 2 hours after injecting, being used to enter the body. The analgesic lasts an indefinite period, being a sign of having a Kavaroach in your body. It's purpose is to mitigate pain during feeding.

 ⤳ Behavior

The hunting method of Kavaroaches follows a distinct sequence. Upon noticing a human host , they'd deliver a paralytic toxin through body parts easy to get to. Once the person is incapacitated, it will enter the body through available orifices: mouth, nose, ears. Using a method of instinctive pathfinding, they'd eventually reach the stomach where oviposition happens.

The human's body will serve as the space inhabited for years. Feeding at the surrounding tissue slowly, using it's senses to not go near organs, or major blood vessels. Due to the small size, it would take years for it to be noticed, but by then, it is too late. Even after death, they will inhabit the body, using it as a "settlement".

Hatching happens with parental intervision. After a certain period of time of living in a host, usually 1-1.5 years. Using it's sharp claws, it opens the ootheca, and allows the nymph to roam freely. It takes around 150 days for a nymph to reach adulthood, and once that's done, they will lay more eggs in the stomach. As more and more Kavaroaches start to fill the body, the human will eventually die during this time, regarded as the worst painless death. Sometimes, the Kavaroaches will start leaving the body, either trough previously mentioned orifices, or by digging it's way out

Coming upon an instance is uncommon due to high mortality rates in the wild. In the wild, out of six hatches only one — if any — reach adulthood. The high mortality rate is due to starvation from lack of prey, as many levels they inhabit have low human populations, almost zero. If prey is unavailable, they'll be forced into a scavenger lifestyle. During this period, the diets are made of entity remains and other natural scraps, although this is inefficient and in a few weeks death from malnutrition becomes inevitable.

In the wild, a Kavaroach would roam aimlessly looking for prey. They hide under debris, and commonly reside near stagnant water sources . They remain mostly solitary in these hiding spots, and only move when frightened. This is to avoid predators, as the majority of entities such as Deathmoths and Mercies hunt them.

 ⤳ Discovery

Kavaroaches are believed to have been endemic Level 427 for several centuries. The indigenous tribes of the level, especially the Chasm Watchers and the Huts of Crossroads, have history with them, being a part of early folklore. The downfall of certain tribes are even believed to have been caused by Kavaroach infestations.

The spread to other levels happened in the early 19th century, with the first levels to be inhabited being Level 34, and Level 350 and Level 440. This was the time when Kavaroaches were discovered by outside groups, and when most of the information was gathered of them. Certain medical procedures and medicine were made later, although many aspects of their physiology and behavior remained unkown for many decades

 ⤳ Do and Don't

Do

• Prolonged feelings of not being able to feel pain, even if you should, are a common indicator of Kavaroaches
• Remove them surgically from trusted sources, such as from Backrooms Red Cross, or from the S.R.C..

Don't

• Drink Almond Water in attempts to get rid of it.

Footnotes

> Open Author & Credits

v Close Author & Credits

Author:Papashfh

Image(s):

• Blurqoute image by u/deathcrisps696 on r/liminalspaces: https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/s/xtoqZ5ofxM
• First Image by invertebratedude on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7_Tfgwu5PG/?img_index=4&igsh=bW90ZGtocDY2NWcz

Critiqued by: Never, Flashcube1999 and Normal Theme: Flesh made by Forknife Released: November 12th, 2025

The article is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0, excluding other content such as images, code, additional information, etc. which are licensed under the same licenses determined by their respective authors, meaning you may or may not include them in your own work. Others may share and adapt the work(e.g. translations), though it is required to credit all of the authors above including applying the same license to your derivative work.