Decay

The entire building smelled of mold and mildew. The air Jager inhaled was wet and heavy. The floor boards beneath him did not creak, they sagged and stretched with each step. Walls that had been white were now gray and smudged with wide black streaks that descended in puddles from the ceiling.
Jager tested his steps carefully as he crossed to the stairs. A single shaft of light drifted across the upstairs landing. A thin rug with barely distinguishable oriental patterns cascaded down the steps, ripping as Jager stepped against it. The first stair held. Jager climbed to the next. It, too, held. Cautiously Jager continued until he was standing on the landing, interrupting that one shaft of light.