It sounds like you want a short, realistic, and spooky storyβthe kind that makes you pause and look over your shoulder.
Here is a piece of flash fiction that aims to feel suddenly, chillingly real:
π± The Night Shift
My late shift ended at 3:30 AM. The office was on the sixth floor of a building with slow, automated elevators. Every night, Iβd step in and press "1," watching the floor display count down: 6... 5...
Last Tuesday, I pressed the button, and the doors closed. I felt the initial drop, but then the elevator stopped. The display still read "6."
I pressed the button again. Nothing. I tried the emergency call. Silence.
A knot tightened in my chest. Then, I noticed the thin crack in the metal of the opposite door. Something was pressed right against it, close enough to deform the thin metal slightly.
I heard a soft, wet sniff from the other side.
The digital display blinked once, and a new number appeared, overriding the "6."
It was "7."
I was on the sixth floor, and there were only six floors in the building.
I didn't press anything. I just stood, frozen, listening to the thin, wet sound of slow breathing until the screen flickered, the doors opened to the empty, brightly lit lobby, and I ran without looking back.
Did that hit the right note for a short, realistic scare, or would you prefer a slightly longer ghost story?
stake : Jammy404