THE FLOOR THAT DISAPPEARED
1599 Words
The corridor remained dark.
Elena could hear the faint hum of the emergency lights somewhere above them, but they weren't strong enough to illuminate more than a few feet ahead. The rest of the executive floor had disappeared into shadow.
Adrian stood beside her.
For once, he didn't look like a man who had everything under control.
His attention was fixed on the corridor.
Elena followed his gaze.
Nothing moved.
"Adrian."
He raised one finger.
She fell silent.
A faint clicking sound came from somewhere in the darkness.
Click.
Click.
Click.
It sounded like a pen being pressed repeatedly.
Then came a soft dragging noise.
Elena's skin prickled.
"What is that?"
"Don't speak."
She closed her mouth.
Adrian reached toward the wall beside him and pressed something hidden beneath the paneling.
A small compartment opened.
Inside was a black card.
He removed it.
Elena stared.
"What is that?"
He ignored her.
The emergency lights suddenly came on.
The corridor was empty.
No person.
No shadow.
Nothing.
Elena let out the breath she'd been holding.
Adrian looked at the clock on the wall.
12:58 p.m.
"Stay here."
He started toward the corridor.
Elena grabbed his sleeve.
He stopped.
"You said not to leave your sight."
His eyes dropped to her hand.
She released him immediately.
"I meant until I know what's happening."
"Then don't move."
He walked away.
Elena watched him disappear around the corner.
Three seconds passed.
Five.
Ten.
She heard a door open.
Then a sharp metallic sound.
Something hit the floor.
"Adrian?"
No answer.
Elena waited.
Another few seconds passed.
She couldn't stand it anymore.
She stepped into the corridor.
The temperature dropped instantly.
She wrapped her arms around herself and moved slowly.
"Adrian?"
Nothing.
The hallway seemed longer than it had been before.
She stopped.
The door to Adrian's office was behind her.
The elevator was ahead.
The corridor should have ended there.
But now there was another hallway branching to the left.
Elena stared at it.
She knew that hallway didn't exist.
She had walked this floor several times since arriving.
There was only a wall there.
Now there was a door.
A black door.
No handle.
No sign.
And beneath it, a thin line of light.
Elena took a step closer.
The light disappeared.
She stopped.
Her phone vibrated.
She nearly dropped it.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
A message appeared.
GAME ONE
Another message followed.
THE FLOOR WILL CHANGE AT 1:00 P.M.
Elena checked the clock.
12:59.
Her heart began pounding.
She looked behind her.
Adrian was nowhere in sight.
The minute hand moved.
1:00.
The lights went out.
Elena gasped.
A deep vibration moved through the floor beneath her feet.
The building groaned.
Not the normal sound of pipes or elevators.
This was different.
The walls seemed to shift.
Elena grabbed the nearest railing as the floor tilted slightly beneath her.
Then everything stopped.
The lights returned.
Elena looked around.
She was no longer standing on the executive floor.
The hallway had changed.
The carpet was gone.
The walls were covered in dark wood.
Old photographs filled every available space.
The ceiling lights were yellow and weak.
At the end of the corridor stood a large clock.
Its hands pointed to one o'clock.
Elena's phone vibrated again.
RULE ONE: DO NOT TURN AROUND.
She froze.
A second message appeared.
RULE TWO: WALK TO THE CLOCK.
Her mouth went dry.
She looked at the clock ahead.
It was perhaps thirty feet away.
She could walk there.
That was all.
Simple.
Except for the first rule.
She wasn't allowed to turn around.
Elena slowly stepped forward.
Her shoes made almost no sound against the floor.
One step.
Then another.
She kept her eyes fixed on the clock.
The photographs on the walls seemed to follow her.
She could feel them.
Not literally.
At least, she hoped not.
She reached the first photograph.
It showed Vespera employees standing outside the building.
The same photograph she'd seen downstairs.
Except there was one difference.
Elena was in it.
She stopped.
Her breathing became shallow.
She looked closer.
There she was.
Standing in the middle of the group.
Wearing the same cream blouse she'd worn that morning.
Her face was turned toward the camera.
She hadn't been there.
She knew she hadn't.
She forced herself to keep walking.
Another photograph.
Elena was there again.
This time she was standing beside Adrian.
Another.
She was sitting behind a desk.
Another.
She was looking directly at the camera.
Every photograph showed a different version of her.
None of them made sense.
A sound came from behind her.
A soft step.
Elena stopped.
The first rule flashed through her mind.
DO NOT TURN AROUND.
Another step.
Closer.
She gripped her phone.
"Adrian?"
No answer.
The footsteps stopped.
Then something whispered directly behind her.
"Elena."
Her entire body went rigid.
The voice sounded like Adrian.
Almost exactly like him.
But something was wrong with it.
It was too flat.
Too empty.
She remembered the rule.
If you hear your name, keep walking.
She took another step.
The thing behind her followed.
One step.
Then another.
Elena's breathing grew faster.
She didn't turn around.
The clock was closer now.
Twenty feet.
Fifteen.
Ten.
She could see something beneath it.
A small wooden table.
There was a key on top.
The footsteps behind her stopped again.
Elena reached the table.
She picked up the key.
The moment her fingers closed around it, every photograph on the wall fell at once.
The noise exploded through the corridor.
Elena screamed.
She turned instinctively.
The corridor behind her was empty.
The photographs lay scattered across the floor.
Then she saw one of them moving.
It slid across the floor.
Slowly.
Stopping at her feet.
Elena looked down.
It was the photograph of Adrian.
Except he wasn't alone in this one.
A little girl stood beside him.
She couldn't have been more than eight.
The girl was holding his hand.
Elena recognized her.
She recognized herself.
Her knees weakened.
She dropped the photograph.
A loud metallic bang came from the other end of the corridor.
Elena spun around.
The black door was open.
Inside was complete darkness.
Her phone vibrated.
RULE THREE: TAKE THE KEY INSIDE THE ROOM.
She stared at the message.
She looked at the key in her hand.
There were two keys now.
One was the small brass key she'd picked up from the table.
The other was hanging inside the doorway.
She didn't understand.
Then the phone vibrated again.
ONLY ONE IS REAL.
Elena stared between them.
The brass key in her hand felt cold.
The key hanging inside the doorway was silver.
She stepped toward it.
A faint whisper came from behind her.
"Wrong one."
She stopped.
Adrian's voice.
This time, she knew it was him.
She turned.
He stood several feet away.
His expression was hard.
"Don't touch the silver key."
Elena stared at him.
"Where did you come from?"
"Doesn't matter."
"It does to me."
"Elena."
His voice became sharper.
"Give me the key."
She hesitated.
He held out his hand.
She stepped toward him.
Then the corridor changed.
The walls shook.
The photographs flew from the floor.
The lights began flashing.
Adrian looked toward the black doorway.
"Run."
Elena didn't move.
"Run!"
Something slammed into the wall behind Adrian.
He staggered.
Elena screamed.
A dark shape moved across the ceiling.
Adrian grabbed her wrist.
"Move!"
They ran.
The corridor seemed to stretch as they moved.
The clock remained the same distance away.
Elena looked back despite herself.
The thing on the ceiling was following them.
She couldn't make out its face.
Only long limbs moving against the walls.
Adrian pulled her harder.
"Don't look at it!"
They reached the elevator.
Adrian pressed the button.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
The creature was getting closer.
Elena heard its footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Adrian turned to her.
"When the doors open, don't look inside."
"What?"
"Do exactly what I say."
The elevator bell rang.
The doors opened.
Elena looked down.
She could see the elevator floor.
Nothing else.
Adrian pushed her inside.
He followed.
The doors began closing.
The creature reached them.
A hand slipped between the doors.
Elena screamed.
Adrian stepped forward.
The elevator doors slammed shut.
Silence.
Elena pressed herself against the wall.
Adrian stood opposite her.
His breathing was steady again.
She looked at him.
"What was that?"
He didn't answer.
"What is this place?"
Still nothing.
Elena's voice shook.
"You knew this would happen."
His eyes met hers.
"I knew something would happen."
"You knew about the game."
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
His expression changed.
"I can't."
The elevator began descending.
Elena looked at the floor indicator.
10.
11.
12.
Then it stopped.
The lights went out again.
A message appeared on Elena's phone.
FIRST STAGE COMPLETE.
She stared at it.
Then another message appeared.
SECOND STAGE BEGINS WHEN THE DOORS OPEN.
The elevator doors slowly began to separate.
Beyond them was not the lobby.
Not an office.
Not any floor Elena recognized.
It was a room filled with dozens of people.
Employees.
All standing perfectly still.
Every face was turned toward the elevator.
Elena looked at Adrian.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
One of the employees stepped forward.
It was Ethan.
His face was pale.
His eyes were fixed on Elena.
Then he said the words that made the blood drain from her face.
"Why did he save you?"
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then every employee in the room took one step forward.
Adrian moved in front of Elena.
And the elevator doors closed again.
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