By: Ann Zhao

It is 2:34 in the early morning. A young, teenaged girl finds a seat on the empty New York City subway, setting her bag down next to her. She starts reading a book because her stop isn’t until after the next three.

At the next stop, a man walks into the train and sits down directly across from the girl. This man is the most ordinary-looking man in the world. He is middle-aged, with curly brown hair and a small goatee. The girl and the man make eye contact, and the man smiles. The girl doesn’t think much of it and continues reading her book.

However, she can feel his gaze scanning her up and down. She looks up from her book, and finds him staring her dead in the eye. She feels slightly uncomfortable, but doesn’t do anything. What a creep, she thinks to herself, contemplating moving seats. But she doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her. What if he attacks me if I move seats? The girl picks up her book bag and places it on her lap, covering her chest. Two more stops until I can finally get off.

At the next stop, she prays that someone else will get on the train to provide her with a sense of protection. Fortunately, another woman steps into the subway. Surprisingly, she sits down right next to the girl. The girl feels somewhat more protected, and goes back to reading her book.

At the last stop before hers, the girl looks up from her book to see if anyone else is getting on the train. Her blood runs cold.

Both the woman and the man are gazing directly at her with the most intense stares. The girl begins to sweat. What’s going on? she wonders frantically. Then a horde of people rush into the train right before the doors close. They all turn their heads to look at the girl, even the people whose backs are facing towards the girl, causing their necks to swivel into impossible positions.

As the train moves along, there is nothing but the sound of the subway’s metal wheels moving along the tracks, and the cries of the girl, who is drowning in her own schizophrenia.