Hey, I’m not entirely sure where I should share this, but my friends and I found something weird while exploring, and I’m pretty freaked out.
My two best friends and I, whom I will refer to as B and D, often go out and explore downtown Los Angeles when we’ve had a couple of drinks and need to cool off before heading home. Usually we go into high rise hotels and take pictures on the rooftops with the skyline before leaving. We never cause issues, we’re always respectful, and we’re always in and out within a few minutes. We’ve done this probably 6 or 7 times over the last couple years and have never run into problems.
It was about 11:30 last friday (the 19th), and we were out having fun exploring the city. We had a few beers and a blunt and stopped into the Omni to get some pictures from the roof. We were underwhelmed by the view, so we headed back down to the street to find a new hotel. We walked a few blocks before coming across a hotel that was a few stories taller than the Omni that had no discernibly advertised name or label. The valet greeted us, we walked through the door and into the lobby.
Now, we usually have no issue blending in at these places because we’re casually, but respectfully dressed college kids. We’re always very confident, and even though we’re not supposed to be there, we’re usually the only ones that know that. We immediately stood out here. There were maybe 15 people in the lobby, 2 distinct employees. A very small minority of the patrons were not wearing suits, and among them, we were the only ones not in dress shoes and slacks. Many people stopped their conversations to stare at us. We did the white person smile/nod combo, and a few people smiled back, but most of them just kept staring. We felt the vibe and hurried through the lobby to the elevator. We hailed the elevator and B tried to signal “NO” to D and I, but we just told him to be cool. The doors opened and a well dressed couple come out. We let them pass, and the man smiled and slurred “thanks gentlemen.” The woman did not acknowledge us at all, nor did she look like she wanted to be there.
We push the button for the 25th floor, and the elevator rumbles into ascent. B says “guys I really don’t think we should be here.” D and I assure him we’ll be fine, and we’ll just quickly get one picture from the roof. After we say that, the 10th floor light comes on, and the elevator lurches to a stop. We hear two voices from the other side, but when the door opens, there’s only a single employee, holding a radio. He asks if we’re “going up.” I say “18,” trying to play it off as if we’re residents, and D covertly hits the corresponding floor button. The man says “perfect,” and shuffles into the elevator with us before muting his radio. For the sake of keeping up appearances, I start bullshitting about a work day I didn’t have with D, and B, as if we were mid conversation, and they follow along. The elevator stops at 18, and we get out.
We rounded the corner to go down the hallway, and another employee was waiting at the end. We casually walked down the hallway, and the elevator guy was following about 10 feet behind, checking the doors as he passed them. About halfway through the hall, I stopped and said “Ah, fuck, D, I think I left our room key in your car.” My friends made fun of me for something I didn’t do before agreeing to go back down to the car with me to get it. We turned around, and as we passed the elevator guy I politely smiled and waved at him. He just stared blankly through me. Like he was looking into the void. We get to the elevator and it comes back down from the 25th floor we sent it to without us. As we’re getting into the elevator I could hear the two employees quietly saying something around the corner, but I couldn’t make out what. The doors close and the elevator lulls into it’s descent. We briefly agree how fucking freaky that was, and B says “I tried to tell you guys” before the 10th floor light comes on again. We all exchange a look of worry, and after a few dings the elevator violently stops at the 10th floor. The door opens, and we’re greeted by a smiling employee, who asks if we’re “going up?” We all say “no,” and he says “no problem, I’ll get the next one.” The doors close and he never once stops staring at us or smiling. Creepy motherfucker.
The elevator once again begins it’s descent, and we start making small talk about how weird the place is. B made a funny Twilight Zone joke, and we all laugh for a moment. After a few sentences though we all grow silent anticipating the doors to open again. But they don’t. When I notice how long it’s been, I start counting the dings in my head. I got to 8 before D says what I imagine we’re all thinking. “This has been way more than 10 floors.” We start to freak out a bit. B suggests we call the cops, but immediately realizes how much trouble we could get into once reality steps in. Only one of us is 21. He drove us here, will be driving us back, all 3 of us are intoxicated on both alcohol AND weed, and if we can’t lie well enough, we’re also trespassing.
We withhold our instinct to call for help, and just sit there in a silent panic for a few more minutes. I don’t know how many floors we allegedly pass. I lose count after 30 dings. There are about 8-10 seconds between each ding. D starts to say how he’s starting to seriously freak out, but shuts up when all 3 of us clearly feel the elevator violently lurch to a halt. We look at eachother. I’ve never seen two people so scared in my life. I can only imagine what I look like.
We look back to the opening doors of the elevator. On the other side is a colossal empty concrete room. It looks like a parking structure, but there are large wooden crates all over the place, like the ones in Half Life. The ground is covered with candy wrappers, chip and jerky bags, cigarette butts, soda bottles, and scattered empty nips of liquor. It smells horrible. Like a meat freezer that’s been without power for a few weeks. I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight, but the room is too large to see farther than a few feet. Before the doors can shut again, a large clash echoes through the room and scares the fuck out of us. If you’ve ever worked in construction, it sounded like when someone drops a trench plate or a large sheet of heavy metal on the ground. We huddle against the corner of the elevator and keep dead quiet. We hear shuffling and footsteps right outside the elevator, sounds like it’s just a few feet away. After what feels like minutes the doors finally close and the three of us simultaneously exclaim sighs of relief.After the elevator lulls back into action, I thankfully have the wherewithal to start a timer on my phone, but we were in such a hurry to leave the hotel that I forgot to stop it. Last I checked it hit 2 minutes before the elevator finally stops and opens upon the lobby.
We wasted no time and booked it for the front door. The lobby was completely empty. We left the hotel and made our way for D’s car a few blocks away. He ended up getting a parking ticket, but we were so shaken up that he didn’t even care. We drove in silence for a few minutes before B asked from the back seat. “What the fuck was that?.” None of us knew. D speculated it was a hotel for elites to meet prostitutes, but that was about as far as our rationalization got. I genuinely haven’t the slightest clue what it is we experienced. We got to B’s apartment, and he stepped out. We said goodnight and before leaving he told us not to mention this over the phone or online. We figured it was mostly just him being paranoid, but agreed for the sake of keeping him comfortable. Not to say we weren’t pretty freaked out ourselves. We stuck around to make sure he got up safely, before heading off to my place, and pulling into the parking lot. I got out and told D to text me when he got home. I went upstairs to my suite and waved down to D as I entered, who drove off. I got inside and smoked myself retarded to try and shake the immense discomfort. About half an hour later D texted me that he’s home and safe.
That was the last B or I have heard from him. As of writing this it’s officially been 50 hours since that text and I’m genuinely starting to get worried. Not only for my friend, but I think I’m starting to get paranoid about my own safety. Saturday my parking lot was full of people sitting in vehicles I have never seen before. People who do not live at my apartment. I swear to God yesterday I watched someone follow me home from the gym before getting into one of those cars and just staying there for hours. I kept peeking out through my blinds and saw him sitting in there. I’ve gotten 9 phone calls from private numbers since then. I have no idea if any of these events are connected, or if I’m just being paranoid. I’m afraid to leave my apartment, I’m afraid to use my phone. This is the first time to my knowledge any of the 3 of us has broken our agreement not to speak of this online or over the phone. I just can’t shake the feeling something bad is about to happen. Even the past couple of texts from B have been weird. Telling me we’ll “meet up and talk soon,” and to “stay quiet” before asking me what time I get off from the job he knows I got laid off from a week ago. It’s 4:00 AM now and about two hours ago there were two quiet knocks at my front door, about a minute apart. I was too afraid to answer.
Am I just being paranoid? Should I talk to somebody about this? I really don’t know what to do, or if my fear is rational. I’m usually not the paranoid type, I just don’t know what to do. Please help me.