C1 Ghost Tog

I'm here to share some eerie tales that have been tucked away in folklore, often referred to as China's top ten unsolved mysteries. Many of these stories involve ghosts, so for the faint of heart, I advise against delving into them.

These stories often stem from my own experiences, so I tend to narrate them slowly. I ask for your patience as I recount them.

Back in 2000, as a student from a financially struggling family, I had to take on various part-time jobs to support myself. I've been a tutor, handed out flyers, and delivered food, among other things. It wasn't until a friend helped me land a well-paying security job that I finally had a stable income and could occasionally send some money back home.

The office building where I worked, however, turned out to be quite peculiar—a fact I only realized after more than a month on the job. Had I known what would ensue, not even a million yuan could have convinced me to stay.

It's worth noting that I was the sole guard on duty at night. My supervisor, Ms. Liu, was rather mysterious, appearing only once in the many weeks I'd been there, and she left a rather odd impression on me. During our first meeting, Ms. Liu outlined three important rules for my night shifts. The first was to shut down the elevator by midnight without fail, regardless of any noises coming from above. A delay of even five minutes could lead to trouble.

At the time, I didn't question her, though I was certainly curious. Ms. Liu later clarified that the elevator was prone to malfunctions, and if left running after midnight, it could cause issues for which someone would have to be accountable. This explanation put my mind at ease.

The second rule was that the main door must never be opened at night, no matter who wanted to enter or exit. Even if there was an emergency right outside, the door was to remain closed. To be honest, I didn't think much of these rules initially, as they seemed standard for security work. However, what truly unsettled me was the eerie way Ms. Liu looked at me as she spoke, especially when she emphasized, "Even if someone is dying at the door, you must not go out." She repeated this chilling instruction twice.

I had asked Ms. Liu about the third task, and she vaguely mentioned that as long as the first two tasks were completed, there was no need for any special arrangements. She emphasized that my main responsibility was to stay put in the monitoring room at night and not to wander around aimlessly—no need to patrol the building.

For the first two weeks on the job, everything was quiet. I soon noticed that the office building was deserted at night. After shutting down the elevator, I'd do a quick sweep and then head back to the monitoring room to catch some sleep. I'd wake up around three or four in the morning to check the monitors, and if all was well, I'd go back to sleep. It was a cushy job—no bosses breathing down my neck, plenty of downtime, and weekly paychecks.

One evening, after having a couple of drinks at a class reunion, I arrived at work a bit tipsy. I decided to rest my head on the monitoring desk for a bit. When I woke up, it was already a quarter past midnight, which startled me. I grabbed my flashlight and rushed to shut down the elevator. As I reached for the power control, I realized the elevator was moving on its own, displaying the numbers: 13... 12... 11... 3...

The elevator finally stopped at the third floor, taking its time before descending. I wondered if anyone could still be in the building this late. For the past two weeks, I had assumed the place was empty. But now, if I cut the power and someone was inside, I'd be in for a serious scolding. I decided to wait it out as the elevator was already on its way down and would only take a few seconds to reach the ground floor.

When the elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened slowly and then, with a beep, stayed open. I peered inside to make sure it was empty, waiting for the doors to close so I could shut off the power. But the elevator, as if cursed, refused to close. Normally, if the elevator was empty, it would sense this and shut down automatically. Remembering Ms. Liu's warning about the elevator's tendency to malfunction, I stepped inside to investigate the issue. As luck would have it, the moment I entered, the doors began to close. Reacting quickly, I blocked them with my hand, and to my relief, the automatic sensor worked, and the doors reopened. I broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that if the doors hadn't reopened, I could have lost my hand.

I stepped out of the elevator once more and shut off the power.

As I made my way back to the control room, something didn't sit right with me. During my shift, the elevator hadn't shown any signs of malfunctioning. Yet, it chose today, of all days when I was late turning off the power, to act up. Moreover, the elevator shouldn't have moved if no one was inside. When I reached out earlier, if there had been a real malfunction, I could have lost my hand. This meant the elevator's sensors were functioning correctly!

I didn't want to dwell on it too much. Everyone makes mistakes, I reasoned. If I kept quiet, Ms. Liu would never find out. I just needed to be more careful next time to avoid repeating the error.

Leaning over the surveillance desk, I watched the video feed intently. Whether it was a trick of the mind or not, I caught a glimpse of a blurry figure darting across the screen. Snapping to attention, I double-clicked to enlarge the view of the lobby's camera feed and watched closely for a while, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. Shaking my head, I promised myself to steer clear of alcohol before work in the future; it was making me feel off-balance.

Just as I was about to rub my eyes, a knock at the door of the control room made me jump. I stood up, alert, and grabbed the security baton. Approaching the door, I hesitated, realizing that if it were a resident from upstairs, I might frighten them with the baton in hand. After a moment's thought, I placed the baton down.

"Who's there?" I called out.

There was no response. Peering through the peephole, I saw a woman in a white dress standing outside. It was too dark to make out her features. Feeling somewhat reassured—it was just a woman, after all—I opened the door without further concern.

She instinctively shielded her face with her hand, likely due to the bright indoor lighting. "Who are you, and what do you need?" I inquired.

Lowering her hand, she revealed a pale complexion and long hair cascading over her shoulders, resembling a movie star at first glance. Clutching her shoulders, she spoke in a tone of vulnerability, "I had a fight with my husband, and he threw me out. Could you help me open the door? I want to go back to my mother's house."

I was momentarily taken aback, my initial thought being how truly beautiful she was. It appeared that this office building wasn't as deserted as I had believed; I had always found it empty on my way to work and had assumed it was abandoned. Given that it was a domestic issue, I didn't feel it was my place to comment. I simply informed her that our facility had a policy of locking the doors after midnight.

The woman seemed to deflate with disappointment, her head hanging low as she murmured, "I understand. I'll just go back then."

With a reassuring smile, I offered, "You know, couples have their quarrels, but they make up in the end. After all, you're married. Why not have a heart-to-heart with your husband?" Internally, though, I couldn't help but think her husband was quite heartless for not cherishing such a beautiful wife.

Her response came with a bitter laugh and a twist of her lips, "The elevator's shut down, and I'm scared of the dark. Could you escort me upstairs?"

I found myself hesitating. They were in the middle of a dispute, and as an outsider, would I be inviting trouble by escorting her back? If her husband saw her with another man, it might just provoke another outburst. I inquired about her floor, and upon learning she was on the 14th, I suggested, "How about this? I'll lend you my flashlight, and you can return it when you have the chance. I'm still on duty and can't leave my post right now."

Truthfully, I preferred not to get involved. Despite her beauty, she exuded a chilling aura. I noticed she was barefoot, leaving damp footprints behind, which struck me as odd for someone involved in a domestic spat. Even more peculiar was the fact that her husband hadn't come out to find her. I suspected there might be more to the story, but it wasn't my place to pry.

After she accepted the flashlight and departed, I shut the door to the security room, feeling an inexplicable unease. Settling back into my chair, I stretched and refocused on the surveillance screens. Suddenly, the camera near the elevator flickered. I was alarmed, suspecting a malfunction, and quickly enlarged the elevator's feed, adjusting the brightness. That's when the unexpected occurred: the elevator I had shut down began moving on its own, and the lights for the floor buttons illuminated as though someone had pressed them. My gaze sharpened as I saw the light for the 14th floor come on.

My scalp tingled suddenly, prompting me to sit up straight and focus intently on the screen above.

The elevator's dim lighting, coupled with the camera's blind spots, made it impossible to discern if anyone was inside. Yet, the floor button was illuminated, indicating that someone had pressed it. The elevator was in motion, confirming that I hadn't shut it down after all!

I was completely taken aback. I was certain I had turned off the elevator's power. How had it restarted? Glued to the screen, I anticipated that the opening doors would reveal whether anyone was inside.

As the elevator doors slid open, a white figure darted by. Startled, I could not make out the details due to the blurry image, but I suspected it was the woman in white. Muttering a curse under my breath, I bolted out the door. Upon reaching the elevator, I was stunned to find the power switched off, with no signs of anything amiss. Yet, I had just witnessed it on the monitor... A jolt of fear ran through me. As I bent down in contemplation, my gaze fell upon several damp footprints on the floor, leading directly to the elevator. The mystery deepened. Approaching, I pressed the elevator's 'Up' and 'Down' buttons to no avail. A chill ran down my spine. If the elevator was out of service, how on earth did that woman go up?