Elevator

The frigid air blew through the streets of Seoul, hitting the college student in the face. The young female shook her head, wrapping her arms tighter around the stack of books she had clutched tightly against her chest. As the shape of her apartment building came into view, Jin let out a sigh of relief and picked up her walking pace, hoping to reach the building faster. She was desperate to escape the harsh night air for the warmth of her apartment. It wasn't like Jin to be out so late, walking around this late always gave her an unsettling feeling and tonight was no different. The student couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed, but she brushed it off, refusing to let what she thought was her paranoia get the better of her. Jin had no choice but to be out so late, she had so much schoolwork to catch up on and with no computer at home, staying late on campus was her only option.

With every second that passed, Jin seemed to be picking up the pace, growing more and more eager to reach the building. Rounding the final corner, a smile crossed her face as she bounded up to the door, punching in the access code before yanking the door open. She rushed into the building, a large sigh of relief leaving her mouth as warmth washed over her petite frame. She let one arm fall away from her books, reaching it behind her and taking off the small rubber band that had kept her long black hair tied back. Shaking her hair out, she made her way towards the elevator. Not but seconds after she had pushed the up button, the elevator dinged, signaling it had already been at her floor. Jin stepped in, hitting the fourteenth floor button almost instinctively.

“Wait! Please wait!” a loud shout came seemingly from nowhere. Jin’s hand instantly shot out and held the doors open. She peered out, noticing a woman running towards the elevator. The woman slipped into the elevator with ease and Jin removed her hand, allowing the doors to finally close. The woman stepped over to the buttons, hitting the one for the thirteenth floor.

“You live here?” the woman asked, turning around to face Jin with a smile on her face. Jin could see the woman’s appearance clearly now and her appearance was breathtaking. She was an older woman, probably in her early thirties. She had light brown hair that fell just above her shoulders and she had the most striking blue eyes.

“Huh? Oh yeah. I’ve lived in this building for a couple years now.” The reply was soft. Jin looking down, her eyelids slowly closing over her dark brown eyes that lived behind her round glasses. She exhaled softly, opening her eyes again and looking at the woman. She noticed the woman was smirking now, her eyes gliding up and down Jin’s body, seeming to be taking in every inch of the student.

“I’m new here, just moved onto the thirteenth floor this week. I haven’t encountered too many people from this building, so it’s so nice to see someone else.” The same sweet smile from earlier replaced the smirk.

“Well in that case, welcome to the neighborhood. This building is pretty quiet, mostly just elders and worn out college students,” Jin replied with a small laugh. She was trying her best to keep the small talk going; she didn’t want to be the reason the elevator ride was awkward but that wasn’t an easy task. Jin never was the most social person.

“Well I certainly hope you young ones won’t be too much of a problem.” The reply came with a wink, making Jin feel a bit uneasy. She let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head, looking away from the woman once more. Jin felt there was something off about the seemingly strange woman. Maybe it was just her paranoia acting up again, trying to get the better of the girl. Shaking her back to reality was the familiar ding of the elevator, signaling the elevator had reached the thirteenth floor.

“Well, this is where I leave. It was nice to meet you….” The woman trailed off, looking expectantly at Jin.

“Oh! The name is Jin, might I ask yours?” Jin asked, extending her hand to the woman. The woman smiled, shaking her head and stepping from the elevator.

“You needn’t know mine,” she said, giving a small wave to the girl. As the doors began to close, the woman spoke again, turning back to look at the student. “See you on the next floor, Jin.”

Jin’s eyes widened as she saw the woman pull a knife from under the purple coat she was wearing. Jin rushed towards the doors but it was too late, the doors shut, trapping Jin inside the elevator that was carrying her to tragedy. A scream erupted from the student as panic took over her entire body. Her fists pounded the metal doors as she screamed in vain for help. No one would hear her, she knew this deep down but her mind wouldn’t let her believe it.

“Let me out!” Jin had shouted that over and over, praying to God that she would get a miracle. Jin rushed over to the buttons, frantically smashing as many as she could, hoping the elevator would stall. She never thought she’d want to be trapped in an elevator so badly. Jin couldn't understand it. If the woman had planned to kill her, why hadn't she done it earlier?

Jin's hands froze in front of the buttons, realization hitting her. The woman wanted to torture her. Jin knew it; the worst part wasn't going to be when those doors opened again. No, the worst part was the wait between the floors. The wait knowing she was trapped, knowing the elevator was carrying her to her sure death. Jin cried out again, her furious tapping of the buttons resuming.

“Come on, come on, come on.” Jin’s breath was coming out in short, ragged gasps as the tears flowed freely. She became overwhelmed with fear and panic. She couldn’t stop the tears nor could she stop her body from shaking violently. Jin whimpered, backing away from the buttons and from the door. As her back smacked against the wall, she wrapped her arms around her torso, her pink fingernails digging into the red sweater she wore. She slid down to the floor, slipping into a fit of hysterical tears. She didn’t want to die but she couldn’t stop it. The elevator was surely going to carry her to her death and she couldn’t stop it. It was pure torture and that's what the woman wanted. As Jin heard another ding, she cried out, shutting her eyes tightly as another fit of violent shaking took over her body.

“Oh, my poor little baby.” Against her better judgment, Jin’s eyes flew open and she began gasping for air at the scene in front of her. The woman had a sick smirk on her face as she approached the student, a large butcher knife carried in her right hand. “What’s wrong? Scared?” The woman taunted the student, throwing her head back and laughing as the student cowered away from the woman, the tears seeming never ending.

The woman was pleased, she'd gotten everything she wanted and Jin had played along splendidly. She chose the right victim in the innocent student.

“You should be scared.” The woman’s voice was dark and sinister as she raised her hand above her head before bringing the knife down on Jin. Jin screamed as she felt the knife tear into her flesh, cutting the clothes from her body. Jin threw her arms up in a last ditch attempt to save her life but it was all in vain. She was easily over powered by the woman as her assailant continued slicing, each slice hitting spot on and adding another laceration to Jin’s now mangled body. As the knife tore into Jin's body, the silver metal walls of the elevator were splashed with red, adding a dash of color to the otherwise plain elevator. Finishing her work, the woman stepped back, gazing down at the lifeless body and admired her work.

“Be careful who you talk to.”