It wasn’t the first time that Taemin had walked the hallways of his dorm after midnight and he didn’t figure that it would be the last.

The corridor he was currently walking, that of the 5th floor, seemed to be quieter than usual. Although since it was nearing 3 am it wasn’t really a surprise that the normally bustling hall seemed out of sorts.

The lights in front of the elevator alcove flickered as he walked closer, the sound of the electricity pulsating through the dim bulbs sounding eerie in the late hour. A shiver went down his spine as he pressed the call button.

Heavy silver doors shook as the elevator came to a shudder stop and opened up waiting for Taemin to step inside.

Heart racing for some unknown reason, Taemin stepped inside and pushed the button for his floor. The elevator doors slid slowly closed as Taemin leaned back against the back wall of the small moving box.

Closing his eyes to rub the sleep out of them, he didn’t see the lights flickering in the 5th floor hallway go dark.

Dropping his bag to the floor, Taemin grumbled to himself about the late hour and the stupidity of his study group classmates. Why had it taken them so long to grasp some simple calculous equations that he’d mastered at the start of term?

Suddenly, feeling much too soon, the elevator shuddered to a stop. Opening his eyes, Taemin stared at the glowing numbers realizing, although half asleep, that he was only at the 9th floor.

The doors opened and after what seemed like an eternity, closed again with a low thunk. Gears grinding, the elevator started to move again.

Weirded out, but not really thinking much of it, Taemin closed his eyes again. They burned from being awake for so many hours.

The silence was slightly eerie as only the sounds of the mechanical gears filled the night, but Taemin thought nothing of it having done this trip so many times in the past.

Until the elevator shook again as it stopped on yet another floor not his own.

“What the ?” He swore, glaring at the glowing number 14. “Stupid ancient elevators and their ty-ness.”

Once again shuddering, the doors began to close only to re-open within seconds of closing.

Frustrated, Taemin slammed his middle finger onto the door close button scowling as it lit up and the doors slid shut.

With the largest shudder and jerk yet, the elevator started to move upwards very slowly. Now Taemin watched as the light on the number pad shifted from 14 to 15, noticing a red warning light that flashed just before a loud beep filled the tiny, nearly empty box.

The beep became a shrill ringing as the maximum weight alarm went off causing Taemin to jump in surprise. His heart racing he hurried to pick up his backpack and cradle it tightly in his arms.

As soon as the red light flashed to his floor and the doors started to open, Taemin bolted from the steel box. The piercing alarm stopped the second his feet stepped onto the coffee stained carpet of floor 19.

Shadows from the hallway lights danced against the reflective walls as the young man glanced back at the empty elevator and as the doors slid closed behind him, he could have swore that he heard something cackle evily before something much closer and softer whispered “good night.”

Eyes wide as the lights went out, he was plunged into complete blackness, Taemin ran for his room praying that this night his roommate had left the door unlocked.

He had.

Slamming the door shut and sliding the deadbolt into place, Taemin rammed his back into the door and slid down to wrap his arms around his knees on the floor.

That was how his roommate found him the next morning, eyes wide and bloodshot from not sleeping, red half-moons carved into the flesh of his arms, the memory of the elevator to hell forever burned into his memories.

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Kat