There’s an unlabeled black button in my elevator.

A couple days ago, at around 6 am, I noticed a black, unlabeled elevator button sitting in between floor buttons 8 and 9. I was quite drowsy, my coffee hadn’t kicked in yet, and I was nearly at the lobby, so I barely paid attention to it. Then, later, while I was eating my lunch, I was staring outside when suddenly I thought about the button again. I remembered how weirdly it was positioned, and how it wasn’t there just the day before. For the rest of my time at work, all I could think about was that button.

I clocked out, and went back to my apartment. When I got into the elevator, I saw it again. Just as I remembered, it was completely black, unlabeled, and wasn’t near the other maintenance buttons. It was like whoever who put it there intentionally put it in the most annoying spot possible. I was about to press it, but something in my gut just screamed bad news. So I held off on the urge.

The next day, I saw it again. I thought about saying something to the workers, but I’ve always been introverted, so I kept my mouth shut. When I got back, I was groggy and tired so I didn’t even care about it. Just went straight to my floor and went to bed.

This lands me to just yesterday. This is when it got weird. That morning, someone got into the elevator with me. I kept catching glances at them to see if they noticed the black button too, but they just passed right over it, like it didn’t exist.

Finally, I asked them about it. I had to know I wasn’t crazy.

“You see that button before?” I said, pointing towards it. He just grumbled, and got off at the lobby.

I left with him, shrugging him off as just being grumpy.

Then, that night when I got back, there was a tall, frail man standing in the elevator. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

He was so tall, he had to kneel in the elevator.

I got in, pressed my floor button, but he didn’t press anything. In fact, he didn’t acknowledge me at all, and then I looked closely at his attire.

He had a black raincoat on, thick snow pants and large snow boots. It’s the middle of spring, not to mention this building gets really hot, so I was slightly weirded out by him.

I glanced at him too, and noticed he was staring at the button the whole time. Like it was the only thing he could see in the elevator, his eyes not even drifting away from it.

“You seen that button before?” I asked.

He turned his head toward me, not saying a word. He just stared at me. A light smirk covered his face. My anxiety grew, I was already weirded out by this guy before, but now I was getting a little scared.

The 2 minutes it takes for me to get to my floor felt endless, just listening to the elevator music, pretending to not notice that the man was still staring at me.

A weight pushed off my shoulders when it arrived on my floor. I never got off that elevator faster. I looked back, and he finally moved. His arm reached out, and his pale finger clicked a button. I couldn’t tell which one it was, but I know it was that black one.

That brings me to today. I had today off from work, so this morning I decided to finally press that button. I called the elevator, and it arrived. It smelled damp, like wet clothes, and there was fog on the roof, like the mirror when you take a hot shower.

My heart rate was fast, and I reached out, and pressed the black button slowly. My gut was screaming out, yelling to not do it, but my curiosity got the best of me.

I pressed it, and it didn’t light up at all. It didn’t even react. I wasn’t sure if it even worked, until the elevator started moving down. It read the floor numbers off.

5

4

3

2

1

B1

B2

B3

There was no B3 in my building. The light just stopped there, but the elevator didn’t. I could feel it continue descending.

The smell grew worse and worse, changing from damp clothing to smelling like an old, pool of river water, filled with bacteria. I covered my nose with my shirt, and my heart started racing. I regretted this so much.

“Why the hell would I do this?”

“I knew I shouldn’t have pressed that button”

I slammed down on the other floors, anything. I pressed the firefighter rescue button, but nothing happened.

I sat down on the elevator. All I could do was wait.

I opened my phone, and checked the time.

9:14 AM.

After what felt like 10 minutes, I checked again.

9:14 AM.

The panic really set in. I stood up to press my floor button again, when the elevator came to a halt.

The doors creaked open, and I was staring at what looked to be just a storage unit.

“Is that seriously it?” I thought to myself, walking into the room.

I walked through a partially open door, and I saw a small loading bay. 2 big garage doors and huge shelves.

“What the fuck” escaped from my mouth. I couldn’t fully grasp what I was looking at.

The garage doors had windows, and I peeked through one. All I saw was darkness.

I was extremely scared. I decided to just go through one more door I saw.

What I saw made my heart sink.

I saw the man from yesterday, muttering random things to himself in the middle of the hallway. Quiet enough to only here it if you’re in the hallway with him.

I covered my mouth to not scream, a whimper escaping my mouth instead.

He stopped muttering, and sat up. He turned around, with that same wide eyed stare.

And smiled.

I turned around and ran as fast as I possibly could. I heard the mans heavy footsteps follow behind me.

I didn’t dare to turn around, just focusing on getting to the elevator.

The elevator doors were still open, and I ran in, slamming against the wall.

I PUNCHED the elevator buttons, I didn’t care what floor I went to. Just anywhere to get me out of here.

The elevator doors began to close, and I saw the man open the door, but the elevator closed in his face before he could get to me.

I jumped back, my head hitting the elevator railing. I was hyperventilating, and my heart was beating out of my chest.

I clicked my floor button, and I curled up in a ball, just waiting for my floor.

Nobody got on with me, and I ran out of the elevator once it reached my floor. I packed all of my stuff, and drove over to a nearby hotel.

It’s 11:43 PM as I’m writing this. I can’t stop shaking. I barricaded the hotel door with a chair, as if that will do anything. I just want to feel safe for a little bit.

I called the front desk lady, asking her to please notify me if anyone tall comes in. She was confused, but after I convinced her, she agreed.

I just need some rest right now. First thing when I wake up, I’m calling the police. I don’t know what just happened.