All Chapters of I Moved into the Thirteenth Floor That Didn’t Exist: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

That night, the elevator eventually stopped at the fourteenth floor.Ginny picked up her bag of vegetables.Alex released my wrist.Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead.They walked out one by one as if nothing had happened.I stood outside Apartment 1204, unable to put the key into the lock for a long time.A sheet of white paper had been shoved through the gap beneath the door.“Resident Rules—Hawthorne Lane Apartments, Building 4”1. This building has no thirteenth floor.2. Keep quiet when the elevator’s red light comes on.3. If you hear a neighbor speaking while the red light is on, report them to property management within ten minutes.4. Every household must submit one valid report each month.5. After a resident receives three reports, property management will come to mediate.6. If someone calls for help in the corridor after eleven at night, do not open your door.7. Property staff wearing red uniforms do not belong to this building’s management.8. If you discover the thir

The next morning, Ginny acted as if nothing had happened as she hung her blankets out to dry downstairs.When she saw me, she smiled and waved.“Lena, did you get scared last night?”I didn’t answer.She stepped closer and lowered her voice.“Don’t blame me, dear. That’s just how things work in this building. Everyone has to watch out for one another so we can all stay safe.”Daniel’s name slipped from my lips, and the wrinkles on her face briefly froze.“The boy who used to live in 1204.”Ginny sighed.“You young people come and go from one rental to another. How could I possibly remember you all?”She turned and went upstairs.Her left hand stayed hidden inside her sleeve.There was blood on her cuff.I didn’t follow her.I went to the property management office.A small room on the right side of the first floor bore a sign that read “Hawthorne Property Management.” Old delivery boxes were stacked outside the door.Two people in blue uniforms sat inside.One was William.The other wa

At ten forty that night, the power went out.Only the emergency lights remained on throughout the building.The corridors were bathed in a dark red glow, as if red-light hours had begun early.At ten fifty-five, someone knocked on my door.It wasn’t three knocks.It was a series of soft, gentle taps.“Lena, it’s me.”Alex stood outside, looking even worse than he had during the day.He held a ring of keys.“They’re calling the meeting early. Come with me now. We can get out through the underground parking garage.”I looked at him.“Why are you helping me?”Alex gritted his teeth.“I don’t want anyone else to die.”The words sounded almost human.But according to Daniel’s recordings, Alex was the one who provided the times of the elevator’s unusual activity.I opened the door a little wider.“Who did you report last month?”Alex’s eyes flickered.“A drunk who walked into the wrong building. I had no choice. I’d already been marked twice.”“What about Daniel?”“It wasn’t me.”He answered

On the day Hawthorne Lane Apartments, Building 4, was demolished, I went to the site.A large crowd stood outside the construction fence.Some were relatives of the missing.Some were residents who had come to watch.Others had once lived in the building and were lucky enough to move away.They all fell silent when the excavator smashed into the building.When half the building had collapsed, the elevator shaft was exposed.The workers found a door plaque at the bottom of the shaft.The plaque was badly rusted, but the number was still clear.The officer placed it in an evidence bag.I stood nearby and stared at the plaque, remembering what Daniel looked like the first night.He knelt there with 1204 hanging around his neck.At the time, I thought he was begging me to save him.Only later did I understand that he had been trying to stop me.He was afraid I would speak, and the building would claim me too.That was always how Daniel was.He complained that I was too controlling, but whe