In the air of the old apartment building, there lingered an indelible musty smell.
The wall paint had peeled off in patches, exposing the dull gray cement beneath.
Various advertisements like "infertility treatment" and "locksmith and plumbing repair" were randomly stuck on walls, resembling a rash plaguing the building.
A lonely incandescent bulb hung near the staircase, casting a dim light.
It flickered occasionally, projecting shadows onto the walls, stretching and distorting them.
Ding—
The elevator stopped on the seventh floor, its old iron gate creaked, struggling to slide open.
The scraping sound echoed in the quiet hallway, piercingly loud.
A woman staggered out of the elevator.
A tight camisole and a pencil skirt accentuated her alluring curves.
The scent of alcohol and cheap perfume mixed into the hallway air.
Clearly, she had just escaped a night of revelry, returning home.
