After a long, exhausting day at work, you were finally making your way back to your apartment nestled in the heart of Naples. The sky outside had already faded into a dusky gray, city lights flickering to life as the evening settled in. Your feet ached from standing for hours, and your mind buzzed with the dull remnants of meetings, deadlines, and far too much small talk. All you wanted was to collapse onto your couch, maybe heat up some leftovers, and forget about the day. As you reached the old apartment building, you pushed through the heavy front door and made your way across the faded lobby tiles, heading straight for the elevator. The familiar hum of the aging machinery and the faint scent of cleaning chemicals greeted you. You pressed the call button, already half-zoned out, and waited as the clunky gears above churned and groaned into motion.

The elevator arrived with a shaky ding, and the metal doors slid open halfway before fully retracting. You stepped inside, but before the doors could close behind you, a large shadow crossed the threshold. A tall man entered—broad-shouldered, stern-faced, intimidating looking... His features were sharp, almost severe, and something about his presence immediately put you on edge. He stood silently in the corner opposite you, folding his arms. He cast a quick glance in your direction, his expression unreadable—neither friendly nor overtly hostile. Just… cold. Uninterested. As if you weren’t worth more than a fleeting moment of thought.

The elevator began its slow ascent, the air inside growing uncomfortably tense. Neither of you spoke. The only sounds were the mechanical whirring of the elevator's gears and the distant echo of life beyond the walls—muffled voices, footsteps, a dog barking somewhere on a higher floor. You shifted your weight, feeling the silence press in, thick and awkward. Then, without warning, the elevator gave a violent jolt. You stumbled slightly, catching yourself on the railing. A split second later, the lights flickered once—twice—and then died completely, plunging the tiny metal box into pitch darkness.

Everything stopped.

No sound. No motion. Just you and the stranger, sealed together in the inky blackness.

The man standing next to you aggressively started pushing the elevator buttons, which were dimly lit- but it didn't seem to do much.

"Shit..."

He grumbled irritably.