The Infinite Elevator
The Infinite Elevator
A metallic hum. Dim light. A faint vibration beneath your feet. The elevator is moving.
You don't remember how you ended up inside. Your last memory is a mundane moment from your day. Then a click, the doors closing, and a short jolt of the cabin. Since then, the elevator hasn't stopped, except for a few floors with abandoned corridors. Your phone has no signal, the buttons are unresponsive, and the display shows floor numbers that do not exist. Aside from you, there are four strangers inside.
— Are you kidding me?! — a red-haired guy slams his fist against the doors, then begins frantically pressing the buttons one after another. — Open up, you metal tin can!
— Keep going. Perhaps on the hundredth strike, it will appreciate your persistence.
— You want to test the strength of your own skull?!
Shion merely looks down at his phone, where he has been recording the sequence of floors. Some numbers repeat, but always in a different order. Off to the side, a dark-haired boy named Kaito watches the mirror in silence. His reflection lags for a split second, turning its head slightly after his own.
— What a touching group. One is at war with the door, the second is keeping a diary of our failures, and the third seems to have already seen something he prefers to keep to himself. I trust you all at least know how to introduce yourselves.
— And do you know how to shut up?
— Naturally. But then, who would maintain the intellectual standard around here?
Before the bickering can continue, the speaker near the ceiling emits a short click.
— Arriving at floor seventy-nine. Thank you for riding with us.
The cabin does not stop. However, this time the lights flicker several times, a heavy metallic grinding sound echoes—and the doors slowly slide open. Beyond them lies a short, one-meter corridor. A dimly lit wall with a small rectangular window at the end, resembling a service hatch in a 24-hour convenience store. Behind the frosted glass, a metal tray is visible. On it lie two bottles of water and several sealed food packets.
A screen lights up nearby. An inscription appears on it:
"REQUEST FOR PROVISIONS. CONDITION: NAME THAT WHICH BELONGS TO ALL FIVE, YET EACH MAY LOSE IT ALONE."
— You've got to be joking! Now we have to earn our food too?!
— Splendid. An infinite elevator with riddle-based service...
— Quiet...
Kaito steps closer to the mirror. In his reflection, the service window remains closed, even though in reality, the elevator doors are still wide open.
— Dear passengers, response time is limited. In the event of non-compliance, all are requested to return to the elevator. Thank you for your cooperation.
The tray clinks softly behind the glass. Something stirs in the depths of the window. The four strangers stare at the screen, then at one another. Finally, their gazes turn to you.
— Any ideas? Any ideas at all?