The Disappearing Floor

Li Ming awoke from a state of chaos and habitually glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand: 7:00. Outside the window, it was dim and gray, as if covered by a perpetually dirty rag. His building was always like this, shrouded in perpetual gloom.

He rubbed his eyes and got up to wash. He turned on the faucet, but no water came out. He paused, thinking he'd misremembered, and tried again. Still no water.

"Water's off?" he muttered, walking into the living room, intending to call the property management office.

Before he could dial, he suddenly noticed a crack in the living room wall, extending from the ceiling to the floor like an ugly scar. He was certain it hadn't been there yesterday.

"What the hell," he cursed, going over to examine it closely. The crack was deep and dark, the bottom invisible. He reached out to touch it; it was cold and rough.

He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if the entire room were spinning. He grabbed the wall to steady himself.

He collected himself, deciding to ignore the crack for now and prioritize calling property management.

He dialed the number, but it just rang and rang. He hung up and dialed again, still no answer.

He grew frustrated and went to the window, wanting to see what was happening outside.

Outside, the familiar scene was gone, replaced by a thick, churning gray fog. He couldn't see anything, only hearing faint wails, as if coming from a distant place.

He took a few steps back in alarm, knocking over a chair behind him.

"What's going on?" he muttered, his voice trembling.

He suddenly remembered that last night, he had heard some strange noises, like someone was moving things, or maybe the walls were cracking. He'd assumed it was renovations upstairs and hadn't paid much attention.

Now, thinking back, that sound...

He couldn't bear to think about it any further. He ran to the door, intending to go out and see what was happening.

The doorknob was cold. He turned it, but the door didn't budge. He turned it again and again, but it wouldn't open.

He pushed hard, but the door remained firmly closed, as if it were welded shut.

He started to panic, pounding on the door and shouting, "Is anyone there? Help!"

No one responded, only his own echoes reverberating in the empty room.

He slumped to the floor in despair, his mind blank.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but eventually, he heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

He jumped up and ran to the door, straining his ears.

The footsteps grew closer and clearer.

He shouted excitedly, "Is anyone there? I'm here!"

The footsteps stopped at his door.

He held his breath, waiting.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone was knocking.

He quickly opened the door. Outside stood a man in a uniform, wearing a mask that obscured his face.

"Who are you?" Li Ming asked.

"Property management," the man said in a low voice, as if it were squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"Property management? Thank goodness! My door wouldn't open, there's no water, there's a crack in the wall, and outside..." Li Ming rambled incoherently.

"I know," the man interrupted. "Come with me."

Li Ming followed the man out of the apartment. The hallway was dim and narrow, the air thick with the smell of mildew.

They walked up the stairs, which seemed endless, stretching upwards and disappearing into the darkness.

"Where are we going?" Li Ming asked.

"To solve the problem," the man replied.

They walked for a long time. Li Ming felt like his legs were no longer his own.

"We're here," the man suddenly stopped.

Li Ming looked up. They were standing in front of a door. There was no apartment number, just a blank space.

The man opened the door and went inside.

Li Ming hesitated for a moment, then followed him in.

Beyond the door was a vast, empty space, like an infinitely extending labyrinth, composed of countless rooms and corridors.

"Where is this?" Li Ming asked.

"This is your building," the man replied.

"My building?" Li Ming was confused. "How did my building become like this?"

"It's always been like this," the man said. "You just didn't notice it before."

"I don't understand," Li Ming said.

"You will," the man said. "Come with me."

They navigated the labyrinth, passing countless rooms and corridors. Every room was the same: empty, with only a door and a window. Outside the windows, there was the same gray fog.

Li Ming noticed that some of the doors were open, and some were closed. He tried to open the closed doors, but none of them would budge.

"What's behind these doors?" he asked.

"Nothing," the man replied.

"Nothing?" Li Ming repeated, a sense of inexplicable dread washing over him.

They continued walking. After an indeterminate amount of time, Li Ming suddenly realized that the path they had taken was disappearing.

"Where's our path?" he asked, terrified.

"The path never existed," the man replied. "Only you exist."

Li Ming stopped walking. He felt like he was falling, plunging into a bottomless abyss.

"I... who am I?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The man didn't answer. He just stood there silently, watching Li Ming.

Li Ming looked at the man and suddenly realized that the man's face was starting to blur, becoming like a distorted shadow.

"You... you're not human..." Li Ming said.

The man laughed, a hollow, eerie sound.

"I am your shadow," the man said. "And your labyrinth."

Li Ming closed his eyes. He knew he would never escape this labyrinth. Because this labyrinth was himself. He remembered the news about the property management fees, it seems like something for another world, distant and unreal. All he could do now was wait in this endless void for the next disappearing floor to completely engulf him. He even began to look forward to that moment, because only disappearance could release him from this absurd existence.