Habitat: Level 0, Level 3, Level 138, Level 140, Level 300, Others
Entity 49, also known as Wormlings or Brain Worms, are small worm-like maggots that can be found in several Levels of the Backrooms. The bite of a Wormling is infamous for its ability to erase memories from a person's mind. Some also believe these worms to have some relation to Memory Worms, though this remains unconfirmed.
Contents
Description
Wormlings are hive minded creatures that will crawl around the backrooms in groups numbering between 60 and 600 individuals searching for intelligent entities and Wanderers to prey upon. Typically found nesting in burrows within the walls of rooms or inside corpses, these entities prefer moist, rotten environments to make their homes in.
Despite their small size, these worms are amongst the most feared entities in the Backrooms, as they have the ability to steal the one thing from the Frontrooms Wanderers still possess: their memories. Depending on where on your body you are bitten by a Wormling, you will lose memories pertaining to a certain aspects of your mind. For every 0.5 ounces of flesh consumed from your:
- Feet and Legs - you will lose memories of friends and friendships, until they are completely forgotten.
- Stomach - you will lose memories related to family members, until they too are completely forgotten.
- Chest - you will lose memories related to love, until you forget every relationship or crush you have ever had.
- Left Arm - you will forget memories related to school, until all your teachers have been forgotten.
- Right Arm - you will forget memories related to work and employment, until you forget every job you have ever had.
- Head - you will forget your name, who you are, and what you believe in, you won't be you.
However, with proper protection (gloves or preferably a hazmat suit), these entities become no more dangerous than any other worm, allowing more in depth study. Scientists of the Backrooms have found that Wormlings share a similar biology to the 'tiger worm' of the Frontrooms, but in Wormlings, a small pocket filled with an unknown toxin is placed where the pharynx is typically located, making normal digestion impossible. Instead, Wormlings seem to feast on actual memories (how this sustains them remains unknown). Wormlings live up to 8 months, and will shrivel up and die if they don't eat a sufficient amount of memories. Sized vary from 2 to 5 inches long.
Insect Extermination Task Force
The threat these entities pose has led to the creation of the Insect Extermination Task Force of the M.E.G., which specializes in the neutralization of the various insect-type entities which inhabit the Backrooms, mainly Death Moths, Wall Worms, and Wormlings. As the catalyst for the creation of the task force, the I.E.T.F. can be found on every level where Wormlings are known to dwell, including Level 0, Level 3, Level 34, Level 62, Level 188, and several others (typically in much smaller quantities).
Memory Fluid
It has been discovered that grinding up Wormlings and boiling their juices results in a drug called Memory Fluid. These juices are clear but glow a dimly with a green hue in the dark, and have been described as tasting of either extremely stale or extremely sour lemonade, depending on the brew. Though this drug can temporarily act as a stress-alleviating drink, it can have devastating properties if taken in excess or prepared incorrectly.
Positive Effects Include:
- A mild state of forgetfulness that allows Wanderers to stabilize their sanity and find an inner calm.
- A mild numbness that provides Wanderers with pain relief from minor injuries and abrasions.
- Positive phantom memories associated with friendship, family, or love, depending on the particular brew.
Negative Effects Include:
- A state of extreme forgetfulness that incapacitates the user for a period of up to 3 hours.
- A state of extreme numbness to external stimuli which incapacities the user for a period of up to 3 hours
- Negative phantom memories associated with betrayal, hatred, and isolation, depending on the particular brew.
Memory Fluid is known to have a number of different 'brews' which affect what kind of phantom memories it provides its users. These brews are made using juices extracted from worm which have feed on specific body parts, as well as specific kinds of people. Due to illegal measures required to obtain these brews, this drug is considered highly illegal within the territories of the M.E.G. and the Backrooms in general.
Despite this, a number of underground groups have become dedicated to the harvesting and production of Memory Fluid, much to the detriment of the efforts made by the I.E.T.F. to eradicate the species. Due to this, a drug war currently exists within the Backrooms between the M.E.G. and the groups which make up the underground market for Memory Fluid, collectively referred to as the Undulators.
Discovery
The first documented occurrence of Wormlings was in 2001, on Level 398 of the Backrooms, when the M.E.G. was performing a raid on a party held by unidentified armed personnel trespassing on M.E.G. territory. During the raid, it was discovered that this group of wanderers had torn open several walls on Level 398 to collect worms for usage as a homemade narcotic. This substance would later become a popular and controversial drug in the Backrooms, known as Bee Juice, Wormsauce, or simply Memory Fluid.
Do's and Don'ts:
Do:
- Wear protective shoes when roaming the Backrooms (if not applicable, wrap your feet in other clothing)
- Stomp out any nests you see of Wormlings
Don't:
- Allow yourself to be bitten by a Wormling
- Consume improperly boiled Memory Juice