Chapter 1
The Last Light on Floor Thirteen
The elevator never stopped on Floor Thirteen.
Not officially.
Yet every night at exactly 2:17 a.m., the security monitor flickered—and a single light turned on in a hallway that wasn’t supposed to exist.
Eli noticed it on his third week working night security. At first, he assumed it was a glitch. Old building, outdated systems. Easy answer.
But glitches don’t wait.
Every night, 2:17.
Every night, the same light.
One night, curiosity won.
Eli took the stairs. Floor Twelve. Then Fourteen. No Thirteen. Just a solid concrete wall between them, cold and seamless—except for something new.
A door.
Unmarked. Slightly ajar. Light leaking through the crack.
His radio crackled.
“Security, report your position.”
Eli didn’t answer.
The door opened easily.
Inside was a hallway identical to the building’s upper floors… except the clocks on the walls spun backward, and every security camera pointed directly at him.
At the end of the hall stood a mirror.
Eli stepped closer.
The reflection didn’t move.
It smiled.
Behind the glass, the other Eli wore his uniform—but older. Exhausted. Eyes hollow.
“You finally came,” the reflection said. “Good. I’ve been holding the door open for weeks.”
Eli’s radio screamed to life.
“Security,” the voice said, distorted.
“Report your position.”
The older Eli leaned forward, pressing a hand to the glass.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “You’ll understand soon. Just like I did. Someone has to keep the light on.”
The hallway lights shut off.
When they turned back on, the mirror was empty.
So was the hallway.
On the security monitor, back in the booth, a new camera feed appeared.
Floor Thirteen.
2:17 a.m.
A single light on.
And in the reflection of the darkened screen—
Eli was already there.
