The Elevator That Never Stopped

The Elevator That Never Stopped
James worked late shifts at an old office building downtown. By the time he left, the place was usually empty. He had taken the elevator down a hundred times before, but tonight felt… different.

The air was heavier, the hallway too quiet. He pressed the L button for the lobby and leaned against the wall, rubbing his tired eyes. The elevator doors slid shut, and it began its descent.

But then, it didn’t stop.

James frowned as the floor numbers kept changing. B1… B2… B3…

The elevator had no basement levels.

A cold sweat broke out on his neck. He pressed the STOP button. Nothing happened. The elevator kept descending, deeper into the earth.

Then, the lights flickered.

For a split second, in the dim light, he saw something in the reflection of the metal doors—a shape standing behind him.

James spun around.

The elevator was empty.

The air felt thicker now, suffocating. The floor numbers continued downward. B10… B11…

Then, the elevator stopped. The doors slid open with a slow, agonizing creak.

Beyond them was darkness. A vast, endless black void. No walls, no floor, nothing. Just emptiness.

Then, from that darkness, something moved.

James slammed the CLOSE DOOR button frantically.

The doors barely started closing when something lunged forward. A pale, rotting hand slammed against the gap, fingers stretching inside.

The lights flickered again.

And before he could scream—

The elevator started moving up.

The doors shut. The hand was gone.

Moments later, the elevator reached the lobby like nothing had happened. The doors opened to the familiar, brightly lit reception area. The security guard looked up from his newspaper and gave James a nod.

“You okay, man?”

James stumbled out, his breath shaky. He turned back toward the elevator—

The floor numbers were still moving.

Descending.

And this time, there was no one inside.