Elevator

The night was pitch black, rain drumming incessantly against the surface of her umbrella, the sound sharp and urgent like a hasty snare. In the instant Yun Xian spun her umbrella, blinding headlights bore down upon her. She felt her body hurled violently, her chest shattered as if struck by a massive hammer. The cold concrete rushed up to meet her; her umbrella slipped from her grasp, snatched away by wind and rain, tumbling far into the distance. Agony surged through her body in a single, overwhelming wave.

She struggled to breathe, blood mingling with rain streaming down her forehead, blurring her vision. Gradually, the pain receded; the sound of rain and the chaos faded as if drained away. A hollow sensation took hold, as though she were falling into a boundless abyss.

Just as her consciousness began to fracture, everything suddenly froze. Raindrops hung suspended in the air; headlights held fast in place; the world was shrouded in an eerie, unnatural silence.

Yun Xian forced her eyes open and saw, inexplicably, an elevator before her. It stood alone in the rain-soaked night, its metal doors silently open. Inside, gentle light glowed, yet it carried an indefinable sense of strangeness.

With effort, Yun Xian pushed herself upright and, compelled by some unseen force, stepped into the elevator. As soon as she entered, the doors closed behind her without a sound. In the dim space, only she and the faint whir of machinery remained.

The elevator walls were smooth as mirrors, reflecting her bedraggled figure. There were no buttons by the door, only a small black screen. The screen flickered, then a line of glaring red text appeared:

"Current occupancy: 1/6"

Before she could make sense of it, the elevator chimed and halted. Yun Xian’s heart leapt as the doors slowly opened.

A woman in a crimson dress stepped gracefully inside, her heels echoing sharply against the metal floor. Yun Xian looked up to see a face both alluring and cold, utterly devoid of warmth. The woman swept her gaze over Yun Xian, scrutinizing and guarded.

The screen flickered again: "Current occupancy: 2/6"

Yun Xian opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but her throat was parched and no words came.

The elevator resumed its ascent. Soon, the doors opened again.

An elderly man in a simple Taoist robe shuffled in. His face was gaunt, deeply lined, but his eyes shone fiercely. He scanned the elevator, finally settling his gaze on Yun Xian.

"Girl, looking like that, how did you end up here?" he asked.

Yun Xian was startled, replying hoarsely, "I was hit by a car, then… I ended up here. Where is this?"

The old man was silent for a moment before speaking quietly:

"This is the Boundary Elevator. Only those on the brink of death come here. Complete a task to return alive, but from then on, every three months, you’ll come back again."

His words had barely ended when the elevator shuddered and stopped. The doors opened once more, and a burly man stormed in, his heavy breathing filling the cramped space, casting a shadow over everyone.

He glanced at the woman in red with undisguised lechery, then turned to the old man and grinned wickedly. "Well, isn’t this something—an old relic, too."

The old man merely gave him a disdainful look, full of contempt, not bothering with a single word.

The burly man’s eyes bulged with rage, his jaw muscles twitching, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

Yet the machinery hummed again, breaking the tense silence.

The doors opened a fourth time, and a slight, bespectacled man in a checkered shirt entered, head bowed. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, eyes indifferent, ignoring everyone as he took his place in the corner.

The elevator grew more crowded, silence thickening the air with suffocating tension.

Yun Xian watched, her confusion and unease deepening.

Finally, a high school girl squeezed in, and the screen settled: "Current occupancy: 6/6"

As the number stabilized, the screen dimmed, then flashed a new message:

"Task: Survive. Time limit: 168 hours"

"Arriving at L2"

The number above the elevator doors began to rise from zero, the low mechanical rumble echoing in the cramped space, intensifying the oppression.

Yun Xian looked up at the others.

The burly man licked his lips, excitement gleaming in his eyes. The old man squinted, deep in thought. The woman remained cold, while the bespectacled man idly rubbed his fingers, gaze drifting.

Only the high school girl was different—she huddled in a corner, face pale, clearly terrified.

The numbers climbed to two. With a crisp chime, the elevator abruptly halted.

The doors opened slowly, revealing utter darkness outside. A cold wind swept in, carrying a foreboding sense of danger.

The burly man strode out first, fearless, laughing loudly, his voice harsh and grating: "Ha! Let’s see how long you lot last this time!"

The old man and the bespectacled man followed silently.

The woman in red lingered at the threshold, torn, then gritted her teeth and stepped out.

Only Yun Xian and the high school girl remained.

The girl pressed herself into the corner, clutching her bag, face ashen, trembling.

"The elevator will close in 15 seconds," the screen announced, as the elevator began to shake violently, metal grinding with a shrill screech.

Yun Xian’s heart tightened. She glanced at the cowering girl, took a deep breath, and dashed out of the elevator.

The moment she stepped out, a nauseating stench assaulted her, burrowing into her nose, piercing deep into her senses.

Her throat convulsed, nearly retching, and she instinctively held her breath. Yet the odor coiled like a venomous snake, constricting her throat, pressing heavily on her chest.

Fighting the urge to gag, Yun Xian raised her eyes and saw she was in a small room.

She froze, instinctively looking behind her—only a cold concrete wall greeted her. The elevator was gone, vanished without a trace as if it had never existed.

More unsettling still, the others from the elevator had disappeared as well, leaving her alone in the cramped room.

The floor was stained and mottled, the walls marred by dark patches and cracks.

The room was bare and shabby, save for a battered mat at her feet and a plastic bucket nearby—filled with filth, the source of the relentless stench.