Specter in the Elevator: The Tragic Cycle

---

Deciding to get married was the most foolish thing I've ever done in my life.

Buying a house, renovations, purchasing furniture, renting formal wear, booking a hotel... everything fell on me to handle. Being a man, being the one to marry a delicate daughter from someone else's family, it was inevitable to bear the burden. After exhausting myself to get everything ready, with only the wedding left to host and enter our bridal chamber, my girlfriend at that critical moment brought up a condition: the Three Golds. Not gold, but platinum; the chain couldn't be too thin, the bracelet had to be at least ten centimeters, and the ring had to be diamond.

With these three items, you could buy a new house. Of course, it wasn't that I couldn't bear to part with them, but the key was that I was already strapped for cash and couldn't produce another penny.

"No, without these three things, don't expect me to get into your car tomorrow," my girlfriend said, her lips pursed firmly, showing no sign of compromise.

I begged her, almost kneeling before her. She softened, looked down at me, sighed, and said, "Aren't your parents wealthy? Just have them get some, it's just once in my lifetime to have a wedding. Can you bear to let me down?"

I was taken aback by this revelation. She had planned it all along. Yes, my parents were wealthy, but that money was their life savings. How could I bring myself to chip away at their savings?

"My parents are getting old, and it's not easy for them to earn money. I'll owe you these three things for now and definitely get them for you later," I said, as I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed it, hoping to move her with tenderness.

"Hmph! Dream on. If I don't see those three things tomorrow morning, you won't even dream of me getting into your car," she retorted, picking up her bag to leave. I hurriedly caught up with her, trying to pull her back, plead with her, but she didn't even look at me. Then, as she stepped into the elevator, by some twist of fate, the elevator malfunctioned. The doors opened but the elevator had yet to arrive, causing her to step into empty space and fall. Fortunately, I grabbed her hand, holding onto it tightly.

"Pull me up?" she shouted in fear.

"Fine! How about we skip the Three Golds?" I took the opportunity to propose.

"No way! They must be bought," she insisted stubbornly, showing no signs of relenting at that moment, leaving me in awe of her determination.

"So should I let go then?" I said, intending to scare her a bit, how could I actually let go?

"Do you dare let go? I'm telling you that the Three Golds must be bought. Hurry up and pull me up!" she shouted angrily, disregarding my emotions.

"I have no money left," I sighed, slowly loosening my grip, and then I heard a scream, a miserable and heart-wrenching scream.

When my girlfriend's mangled body was pulled out, my in-laws wept bitterly, but I stood there, not shedding a single tear, just staring blankly. Everyone sympathetically patted my shoulder, urging me to hold on, but in reality, I was afraid, afraid of her vengeful spirit seeking retribution against me.

In the blink of an eye, six months passed. I rode that elevator back and forth every day, but she never reappeared. I thought the talk of ghosts seeking revenge was all a lie. If there were truly ghosts, could there be anyone left in this world?

Days passed one by one, and I fell in love again. This time, I married a simple and gentle village girl who wanted nothing from me except for my love. Because my house made her feel like she was in heaven, she was content. She served me like an emperor every day. Marriage was indeed beautiful when you chose the right person.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, we had been married for six months. The scorching summer had been replaced by the icy cold of winter. This year's winter was unusually harsh, with breath exhaled turning into tiny ice crystals that stuck to eyebrows, making everything white.

That day, I worked late into the night. Stepping out of the office building, I saw a sky devoid of stars and moon, enveloped in thick darkness all around, the air carrying a strange scent. Feeling uneasy, I broke my routine and took a taxi home. Waiting for the elevator alone, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I couldn't help but think of the bloodied face of my deceased girlfriend. The more anxious I got, the slower the elevator seemed to arrive, stopping at each floor. Could it be that at this late hour, someone was calling the elevator on every floor?

Finally, the elevator arrived. As the doors opened, I felt a hint of tension. Stepping back, I waited for someone inside to step out. However, when the elevator doors slowly opened, it was empty, not a soul in sight.

Cautiously, I peered in, tapped the floor with my foot to ensure it was truly empty, before stepping in and pressing the button for the sixteenth floor. The elevator jolted slightly as it started, emitting a harsh, metallic friction sound. I couldn't help but furrow my brow, silently cursing the poor property management. The elevator was in disrepair, and no one had attended to it.

As the elevator reached the fourth floor, it suddenly stopped. Thinking someone was getting on, I intentionally made room, but as the doors opened slowly, there was no one outside. Was it a child's prank at this hour? But at this time, which child would be out playing? Lost in thought, the doors closed again and the elevator started moving.

At the fourteenth floor, the elevator stopped once more, and the doors opened slowly again. I couldn't resist poking my head out, but once more, there was no one outside. Truly baffled, unable to contain my irritation, I stepped out of the elevator and shouted, "Come out, who's playing this silly game!" The corridor was empty. As I turned back, the elevator doors closed, and with only two more floors to go until home, my heart calmed slightly. Two floors were only a blink of an eye away, but today it felt like more than ten minutes had passed with the elevator still ascending. The metallic friction sound grew more urgent.

With a final loud clatter, I timidly turned back, only to see a human-shaped protrusion on the wall that was moving, as if a person trapped in a shroud was struggling desperately. Another clatter, and an arm emerged from the metal, followed by a head, a pair of blood-red eyes without pupils. They stared at me intensely, like two bloody pits.

I couldn't help but let out a hysterical scream... wildly pressing the elevator's open door button, but the door wouldn't budge. The elevator continued to move upward, the metallic friction growing louder, the head now fully out, reaching for her leg.

"Don't come near me," I yelled, shaking violently, cowering in the corner of the elevator.

Watching as she pulled her leg away, slowly approaching me, each step causing pieces of flesh to fall off her body, she reached above my head. A large chunk of flesh fell onto my head, and as I reached out to touch it, my hand came away sticky with blood. I almost lost my senses, screaming loudly, when the elevator suddenly came to a halt. Gathering my courage, I stood up and rushed out of the elevator, only to find an abyss outside. I stepped into the void and fell...

When he was found, he was already dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft. The elevator had not malfunctioned, and the surveillance footage did not capture how he had fallen. All that was known was that it happened to be the anniversary of his former girlfriend's death that day.