I first read about the Elevator game here on r/nosleep. Essentially, it explained how you get into an elevator, press a sequence of floor buttons and when you get off, you’d be in the ‘Otherworld’.
Here’s a link to the actual game, if you’re interested.
Like a parallel dimension, where you’d be the only person, the sky would be crimson, and you’d see a red cross in the distance, like always. To get back to our dimension, you’d have to press the same sequence of buttons. If you mess up, you might end up getting stuck there forever. Sounds interesting, yeah?
Oh, and it also had a bit where a lady would enter the elevator on one of the floors while you try to complete the ritual. You are heavily advised not to look at her nor acknowledge her presence, or she would, and I quote, “take you as one of her own”.
The fuck’s that supposed to mean?
Anyway, after reading about the elevator game a few months ago, it suddenly came back to me one day at work. Why? I don’t fucking know.
One of the rules of the game was that you’d have to do this alone. If you had someone with you, or if someone interrupted you midway, it wouldn’t work. Another pre-requisite was that the building you’d pull this little stunt in, had to have 10 stories at least.
It was a Friday evening at work when I this struck me. I didn’t have any big plans for the weekend, so I decided I’d drive back to work on Saturday and test it out at my work place. It’d be better to try this out in familiar territory and since it’d be a Saturday, I wouldn’t have to be worried about people interrupting me.
So, Saturday morning I drove back into my office, left my car in the parking lot, and walked up to the building.
The lady at the security desk, Sophie, greeted me and was surprised to see me in on a weekend. After some small talk, I asked her if anybody was in today and she said I was the only one yet. Well, so far so good.
I got into the elevator, checked my cellphone for the list of the order of the floor buttons that I had to press.
Well, I probably should’ve mentioned that the last button you press in the whole sequence is the first floor, but if the ritual has worked, your elevator should start ascending to the tenth floor instead.
Being a numbskull, I messed up the sequence in my first try.
Well, fuck.
I pressed the button for the first floor in an attempt to start the ritual again. I got off and Sophie asked me if everything was alright. I lied that I thought I’d forgotten my keys in the car but just realized I actually had them in my pocket.
I got into the elevator again and quickly went through the entire sequence and finally pressed the button for the first floor. To my dismay, the elevator did not ascend to the tenth floor but started descending, as a normal elevator would.
No creepy woman had entered on fifth floor as the game had prophesied, either.
I got off on the first floor thinking about what I’d say to Sophie for literally getting off on first floor for the second time in a few minutes.
I looked up at the security desk and froze. There was a man sitting there. And, when I say sitting there, I mean just sitting there motionless, staring into nothingness blankly.
“Hello… Uhh, where’s Sophie?”, I stammered.
He slowly turned in my direction and shook his head.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
“Did she leave?”, I asked, bile rising up my throat.
He shook his head again, his mouth was open but no sound came out.
Jesus fucking Christ!
I thought I’d better leave as this was getting creepy. As soon as I stepped out of the building, I froze again.
The sky was pitch dark, no stars no nothing. As though it was midnight.
That’s not possible! It was literally 11 AM a few minutes ago. I checked my cellphone, it had no network service anymore but the clock showed 11:10 AM.
I hurried over to the parking lot and found that it was empty. My car wasn’t there.
I was starting to panic. The only possible explanation was that the game had worked.
But, what I was experiencing wasn’t what I had read. The sky wasn’t crimson, there was no red cross in the distance, and I sure as hell wasn’t alone. That dickbag sitting at the security desk reminded me of that fact.
I thought for a few minutes and decided that doing the ritual all over again was probably the only way to set things right.
I walked into the building again and froze for the third time. There was a different man sitting behind the security desk.
As I looked at him, he turned to me and smiled. And, let me tell you, it wasn’t no Monalisa smile. It was way too long for a normal human smile and he was missing a lot of teeth.
I must have a pretty strong bladder cuz my pants were still dry.
Without looking at him again, I stepped into the same elevator. That’s one of the rules of the game as well.
I followed the same steps I had before and right before I could press the button for the first floor, the elevator came to a stop on the fourth floor.
The door opened and a man entered.
Now, I’m not stupid enough to be told not to do something but end up doing it anyway. The game clearly said when the woman entered on the fifth floor, I was not to acknowledge her presence.
This wasn’t the fifth floor and this didn’t seem to be a woman. Or maybe it was. I wasn’t gonna go around scrotum-grabbing to verify that.
I looked straight at my own feet.
“Hello”, the man hissed. “How are you today?”
The elevator started to ascend.
Fuck, I thought to myself, we should be descending not going upwards.
The elevator stopped at the tenth floor and the man stepped out.
I quickly pressed the button for the first floor.
“Have a nice day!”, he hissed as he was walking away.
“You too”, I said instinctively.
Fuck!
Fuck me for being polite!
The man turned around and started to walk quickly back towards the elevator. I rammed the ‘Close the door’ button really hard and the door shut as soon as he was about to get in. I heard him pound on the door as I started to descend.
Praying to every God I could think of, I got off on the first floor.
“Hey, you’re back again!”, Sophie asked me, a little surprised as I stepped out.
I didn’t answer for a few seconds but just stared at her.
“What?”, she asked, turning a little pink.
“Oh, nothing. I really should get home”, I said breathing heavily.
And, I sprinted out the building leaving her confused.
The sky was bright again and I could see my car in the distance. I drove straight home and rushed to my room.
I checked everything I could find online about this damn game. People’s experiences and stories but I couldn’t find anything that was similar to what I’d just been through. I finally gave up.
That was the last time I am ever going to try out any of these stupid internet paranormal rituals and I would advise anyone who reads this against it.
Stay strong and stay safe. And, use the fucking stairs. They’re good for you.