1 Chapter 1: The Peculiar Elevator.

There was a feeling of emptiness in Erin Wang's heart. It was a gaping hole that seemed to never fill no matter what he did. He wasn't lonely, nor was he in a depressing situation. In fact, he was quite well off compared to many people he knew.

He'd studied somewhat hard in high school, and gotten into a decent college. Found a stable job as an accountant. It was boring menial work, but he had the weekends off, which was nice.

It would seem stuck-up to some if he were to fully express his frustrations. And that he knew, so all he could do, was sit on his soft mattress listlessly listening to music. He had much time to think over the weekends, as not many people bothered him. He was completely average, and almost non-existent to everyone else due to his mannerism.

Above, the light fixture cast a bright yellow light over the room. It was a plain one, with white plaster walls slightly peeling, and clean wooden flooring. In the middle of the room, a large rectangular mattress sat. To the side, a simple desk sat with a small laptop flickering in blue light.

His plain-brown eyes blinked slowly under the light as he sunk into the mattress, a pillow supporting his head. Long inky bangs covered most of his face, and his penetrating jaw was clenched. He raised his nimble fingers, watching as it cast a shadow against one of the dull white walls. He wore comfortable clothes, a soft-loose shirt a navy blue, along with loose black yoga pants.

Laying their like a starfish, he blankly stared into the wall. In the background, smooth jazz music played, the tune of a saxophone pleasing to the ears. Erin sighed deeply. Once again, he was completely wasting his time All that talk about going off on a hike or something of the sort…. All for naught.

Procrastination was one of his defining traits. For some strange reason, he was somewhat proud of this. But then again, he had always been a pretty weird person. Parting his hair to the side, mouth hanging open, Erin tossed and turned about, fidgeting.

Looking out his small bedroom window, he watched as the sun slowly set under the horizon, a dark-orange glow illuminating the city. Above, the sky was becoming dark, and a flock of pigeons darted about.

Getting too his feet awkwardly, he stretched his tall frame, large feet faintly clapping against the floor as he paced about. There wasn't really anything he was waiting for, it was simply a habit of his. Watching as the sun set, Erin's attention began to drift off into the unknown. At times, when he thought of something depressing that had happened recently, he would let loose a sigh.

Slapping the plastered wall, he yawned. The jazz music, while very atmospheric, did not help contribute to his mood. He still felt empty and lost. So, there wasn't much else to do, except be a dead fish. At least that was how the procrastinating side of him felt. A soulless and emotionless creature.

The more he thought of his boredom, the more it pissed him off. But adding on too that, he was also too lazy to do anything about that anger, which then transformed into annoyance, which further boosted his boredom. A painful cycle that would probably soon lead to the end of his sanity.

When one was in such a limbo, all they could do, was drift off. It had only been one year since he graduated college, and one year since he'd started his job, yet he was already contemplating life. Things were really going his way indeed.

Suddenly, behind him, Erin heard a peculiar sound. It was like the chime of a bell in the fresh morning breeze, clear and sonorous. He looked about his plain plaster-walled room in confusion. The chimes continued on, and he figured it was something one of his neighbors were playing around with. But it wouldn't hurt to check after all, he was currently in a state of boredom.

Lanky figure straightening up completely, he slowly lumbered into his modest living room. It was a small equally-plastered place, with a ratty-old couch and a small old television set. As he progressed farther down his home, the chiming became louder and louder, before he arrived in front of his closet door.

The door was made from sloppily-painted wood, with its beige paint slightly smeared. The handle was round and brass. Hesitating for a moment, Erin could tell that the noise was coming from within. So it wasn't from his neighbor…. How curious. Around him, the sun's orange rays had penetrated through a nearby window, casting dark shadows about.

Long fingers stretching out, he slowly pulled on the door knob, causing it to open with a creak. Holding in his breath, Erin stared into the closet in the most anticipation he'd probably felt this week. But…. There was nothing.

It was simply a row of neatly packed clothes, all hanging from their respective hangers. Some were blue, others were red, it was a colorful display, though he hadn't worn any of this in quite some time. Now that he thought of it, this closet hadn't been opened for a while…..

Sighing dully, Erin decided to delve deeper into this mystery as he crouched down, staring into the thick jungle of old clothes. Waving a bit of dust away, he attempted to part the clothes, to no avail. Reaching up, he barely managed to tear an old sweater off the rack.

However, as he did so, something happened. A crack of golden light began to shine through, illuminating Erin's face. Between the hanger racks, was seemingly… Another side. From what he remembered when he'd first moved in roughly a decade ago, there had never been such light or any space behind the hanger racks.

Curiosity blooming in his heart, Erin began to pick up pace, his previous depressions and sorrows forgotten. Jazz music still playing from his bedroom faintly, he trembled, quickly removing a few more articles of clothing from the rack, before he could finally… See.

The chiming of bells was the loudest it had been so far, and his heart began to beat faster as he took in this view. Behind this inconspicuous closet filled with dusty old clothes that he hadn't worn for years, was a brightly lit hallway.

It wasn't a creepy one or anything, instead, it was very much beautiful. Simple and diagonal, the hall consisted of a smooth wool rug dyed maroon, and simple flower-patterned beige wallpaper, white Lillie designs sprawling across the ceiling. At the end of this enigma, was what seemed to be the source of this sound. It was what seemed to be… An open elevator.

It was a simple one that anyone would find if they walked through an urban city. Erin lived in Taipei, a sprawling metropolis where much progress has been made in the installation of elevators.

The elevator in question had a simple metal frame, made from steel presumably, along with a single glowing button sitting to the side. Above, a pulsing screen lit in silver light simply displayed a checkmark.

Hastily throwing off a few more clothes to the floor around him, Erin squeezed through the gap, entering. Immediately, his pores began to tingle as he stepped into this hallway. Spine shivering a bit, he was met with a warm hospitable air.

While he should have been scared to enter this "anomalous" place that had obviously never been there before, something in his heart began to tense and squeeze with excitement. This was the excitement he had always wished for.

It was the same feeling he had felt when he first tried Mango Shaved Ice as a child, the humid air blowing about as countless people laughed around him. His puny little hands grasped that plain porcelain bowl as he took the first bite.

It had been cool and refreshing, the sweetness and tangy flavor of mango enveloping his tongue, alongside the coolness of ice. He remembered licking his tongue and feeling the ice numb his teeth. This felt similar.

That novel feeling that something good was coming. It was a pulse of dopamine that he really needed in his veins. Slowly stepping forwards, his bare feet stepped across the rug, feeling its smooth fluffy texture. His hands trailed against the patterned beige walls, but his eyes were on the elevator.

It mesmerized him in ways he'd never seen before. Walking closer and closer, Erin finally arrived in front of the car. The chime of bells had become deafening in his ears, but he didn't really mind. This whole situation was enough to make his whole day interesting, whatever this was. He didn't call authorities, or tell anyone.

Standing before this door, he felt like he had fallen into some fantasy novel. His most pressing question was, what would happen when he stepped into it? Where would it bring him too?

It was an elevator after all, they were meant to transport someone, somewhere. If this whole mysterious thing brought him to the roof of his house, Erin would be somewhat disappointed. Suddenly, he remembered something.

Turning back, he climbed back through the closet. Taking a quick glance of the hallway as if he was afraid it would disappear, his feet skittered against the ground as he reached into a wooden drawer.

Grabbing something, he rushed back, breathing in a sigh of relief as the golden light was still shining. Ducking, he squirmed back through the mound of clothes, finding hismelf once again in the hallway.

Looking down, his plain-brown eyes blinked. In his large hands, was an old camera. For whatever awaited him when he stepped down. It's lens were large and circular, with a smal glowing screen as he powered it on.

The camera light flashing, he took a picture of the hallway in all its glory. As Erin stared through the screen, it was almost like he was looking into some sort of photo-shopped image. Quite the shot indeed.

But now, was the real question…. Where did the elevator lead? Why would such a thing happen in his closet? So many things that begged for answers. And he would surely solve some of these questions if he were to just step inside. In that moment, Erin knew what he was going to do. Sure, it was impulsive and stupid, but he wanted to see for himself. Maybe that depressive hole in his heart would be filled were he to experience whatever lay before him.

He'd never been the most patient of folk. Gripping his camera tightly, he adjusted his fingers, before stepping inside.