Entity Number: 24
Habitat: Majority
Class: 2
A Wall Worm Infestation.
Description
Although numerous Wall Worm variants have been documented throughout the Backrooms, all have been described as oversized worms which move in an undulating, pulsing rhythm that many describe as unnatural or robotic. The majority of these worms are said to resemble the common earthworm, but much larger in size, with the average measuring around 4 ft in length and 3 inches in diameter.
Wall Worms do however vary wildly in size, with possibly only the environment limiting how big they can get. Worms in Level 0 and similar levels will be, on average, around 2 feet long and 4 inches at the widest point (the midsection), whereas levels with large uninterrupted sections of material such as the ground of levels resembling the outside of the Frontrooms can have Wall Worms as large as 6 meters in diameter, with unconfirmed reports of worms "as big as a bloody mountain range"
Worm Core
Wall Worms are most infamous for containing robotic cores in their interior which serve as their life source. These robotic engines differ from worm to worm and are usually in a rusty state of disrepair despite remaining functional. Some Wall Worms have been described as thin layer of skin stretched out over a cylindrical mass of electrical wires that extend from their core, while others will have a small core buried deep within an extensive and otherwise natural epidermis of flesh. The most common of these Worm Cores however resembles a series of cylindrical batteries connected by thick wires that run along the inside of Wall Worms serving as an artificial spine. To date no Wall Worm in captivity or otherwise has been observed to die of natural causes, but they can be killed easily by destroying this inner core.
Worm Acid
Aside from providing the electrical pulses that allow Wall Worms to move, these corroded engines will also produce a corrosive, viscous slime of unknown chemical composition that allows Wall Worms to "eat" through almost anything. This residue displays highly acidic properties and is highly flammable, threatening to make entire colonies and outpost infrastructures unstable if a Wall Worm infestation is not dealt with immediately. If the flesh of the Wall Worm is damaged or removed, it will be fully regenerated within a period of 2 days via chemical reaction that causes a Wall Worm's acidic slime to congeal and coalesce into new layers of skin.
Habitats
Common Wall Worms seem to generally inhabit levels made from soft materials such as rotting plasterboard or dirt, which they spend their time tunneling through at speeds of up to 0.5 m/s. A few of these have also been known to inhabit sections of levels made of harder materials, such as wood or concrete, though these are considered less common and tunnel through these materials at a much slower rate. Wall Worms have been known to adapt depending on the habitat they find themselves in, though how these variants of Wall Worm are produced or created remains unknown.
Variants
Fume Worms
Fume Worms can be identified by their green, slug-like appearance that differs from the more common earthworm appearance of the Wall Worms. Generally, these worms will measure around 6 ft in length and 6 inches in diameter, and move at a much slower speed than others of their kind. Fume Worms are also less likely to burrow into the ground or through walls, as the acidic slime produced by these worms will also be of a much weaker variety, leading them to inhabit garbage filled areas with an abundance trash and litter they can easily feed upon.
Fume Worms are named after the black pillars of smoke which are constantly emitted from either side of their bodies, and which seem to be generated as a toxic byproduct of their inner core. This smoke has been known to linger for days after a Fume Worm infestation has been cleared out, and if allowed to fester uninterrupted, these fumes can lead to a deadly explosion after coming into contact with fire. It should be noted that activating these explosions will not eliminate a Fume Worm infestation, as the flesh of these worms is highly resistant to fire.
Burn Worms
Burn Worms are among the smaller of the variants of wall warm, being described as slightly redder than others of their kind and measuring 4 ft in length and only 1 inch in diameter. Despite their relatively small size, Burn Worm infestations pose a significant fire hazard to outposts and colonies, as they are able to easily generate fires using their extremely high body heat. This heat is produced by an inner network of wires similar to those found in electric blankets, though those possessed by Burn Worms are capable of generating far higher temperatures in a shorter span of time.
Generally, Burn Worms oscillate between Heating and Cooling periods, during which the heat they produce will increase or decrease respectively. During the peak of their Heating period, Burn Worms will generate temperatures somewhere between 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit, while during Cooling periods Burn Worms will cool to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Like Fume Worms, Burn Worms are resistant to extreme heat, and thus will not be exterminated by the fires they create.
Screw Worms
Screw Worms are among the rarest of the Wall Worms, living only in Levels composed entirely of metal and machinery. These worms will generally measure around 8 ft in length and 8 inches in diameter, and normally move at the sluggish pace of 1 mph, though a rare few have been recorded moving as fast as 10 mph when in pursuit of Wanderers. The flesh of these worms has also been described as being particularly difficult to pierce, though doing so is still possible.
While Screw Worm slime is as acidic as the common Wall Worm, it is also able to burrow through harder materials than others of its kind, as it is able to produce a Corkscrew-like blade from an orifice located at the front of its body that is capable of drilling through even the toughest of metals. These corkscrew blades seem to be connected to the Screw Worm's inner core, and can extend up to 4ft in length when protruding from the mouth of these worms. While in a hostile state, these Worms have been known to use these blades to maim and kill wanderers who wander too close to their feeding grounds.
Pulse Worms
Pulse Worms largely resemble ordinary Wall Worms, but will have a slightly more purple hue to their skin, and grow to lengths of up to 14 ft long and 4 inches in diameter. Pulse Worms are often found snaking through multiple rooms and burrowing through the levels they inhabit, tunneling at speeds of up to 4 mph as they wander aimlessly in random directions without cease. These worms appear to move in small bursts, following a constant rhythmic pulse generated by their inner core.
These cores will resemble a series of cylindrical batteries connected by a thick wiring that spans across the entire inside of their bodies, sending electrical charges through the Pulse Worm that enables it to move. Due to this electric pulse, touching one of these can be extremely dangerous, as it can result in you receiving a lethal shock that results in temporary paralysis. Pulse Worms are known to inhabit levels with some form of electrical wiring, and form infestations where electric cords and wiring is abundant. These infestations can quickly lead to power outages across entire levels, making them significantly more difficult to traverse.
Gordian Worms
Gordian Worms are considered to be the most overtly hostile of the Wall Worm variants, but also among the rarest, with roughly only 1 Gordian Worm being reported for every 1000 reports of the Common Wall Worm. These worms are also the most slender of their kind, measuring around 9 ft in length but only .8 inches in diameter, allowing them to burrow into the flesh of wanderers and slither into the body without killing its host.
Once burrowed inside of a human host, the Core of the Gordian Worm initiates a chemical reaction that causes the acidic slime of the Gordian Worm to congeal and fuse the worm to the person's flesh. Once fused, the Gordian Worm is able to twist its body in a number of ways to manipulate and control the host, forcing you to wander aimlessly through the Backrooms until you are able to extract the parasite from your body; attempting to remove this parasite is extremely dangerous, with mortality rates once infected estimated at 98%.
The insides of these worms have been described as tangled masses of electric wires connected to glass beakers holding a number of hazardous chemicals. The Wire Cores of these worms differ greatly from the mechanical cores of other Wall Worms; Nevertheless, cutting through the wires of a Gordian Worm will lead to its death. Severing the wires of a Gordian Worm must be done with caution, as doing so can also shock you with the sudden electric burst that is created as a result of this. This can also cause the glass beakers to burst, releasing the hazardous chemicals upon you and into the air. Examples of these types of substances include:
- Liquid Pain
- Brown Water
- Worm Acid
- Liquid Methane
- Liquid Kerosene
- Liquid Hydrogen
Colossal Worms
Colossal Worms are considered to be the rarest variant of their kind, with only 3 recorded sightings currently documented. Colossal Worms can only be found in Levels with large, outdoor areas and areas access to dirt or mud. These gargantuan Worms have been reported to measure around 6 meters in diameter and 30 meters in length, though these measurements remain unconfirmed.
Although the slime of these worms is considerably less acidic, these worms are still able to effectively dig through dirt by producing a deep, rumbling hum that vibrates the earth around it, liquifying it as the creature borrows at a constant pace of 10 mph. This rumbling sound has been described as loud and disturbing, and can cause those in proximity of the Colossal Worm to become disoriented. In the one instance when the core of a Colossal Worm was said to be exposed, it was described as resembling the engines of large vehicles.
Origins
Much speculation has occurred in regard to the origin of the Wall Worms within the Backrooms. The currently accepted theory is that Wall Worms are artificially created entities which emanate from somewhere deep in the Backrooms, created by some unknown intelligent entity for an unknown purpose.