This place could almost be nice, he thinks, if it weren't for the persistent feeling of dread hanging over him. That's probably the point, isn't it? Not being able to enjoy your apparent freedom, the sun and the trees, because you've been left without direction. Irving knows two things: one, he has no idea what he's supposed to be doing; and two, terrible things are going to happen if he doesn't do precisely what he's supposed to.
Do they know what he doesn't know? They must. What are they watching him for, then? Trying to see what he does when he's left without supervision? Perhaps he should be taking initiative, looking harder. Maybe they're just waiting to see how long it takes him to attempt to escape, though he's not sure where he could escape to. He's already outside. There are trains here, trains that he's free to take - they don't require a badge swipe. He hasn't even been given a badge, still.
Or maybe they just enjoy watching him stress over the unknowns. If that's the case, the very last thing he needs is— is—
Oh, god. The thing moving down the street towards him is like something out of his dreams, the waking nightmares he's been haunted with more and more frequently, oozing black slime ( paint, he's started to think; even here his Outie won't spare him from whatever message he's trying to send, whatever he's trying to tell him of the exports tunnel ) and a face that's simply wrong.
Irving stares for a while, too stunned to move, and looks over his shoulder, not sure what he's expecting to see there. There's nothing but the empty stretch of street behind him, of course, and he backs up a couple of steps, shaking his head. He does he wake up? Realizing he's dreaming has never achieved anything for him in the past. "No... no. No, no. Go away," he raises his voice towards the thing. "I got your message. I understand— I'm not there anymore. I can't do anything for you now. You can leave me alone!"