Miyu is a high school student who’s coming home after a late night of tutoring and hanging with her friend, Sam. She’s never questioned a stranger’s intentions despite the news being filled with kidnapping and murder cases. What does she do when she’s in the middle of one?
The ringing in her head was getting unbearable. Miyu opens her eyes and finds herself sitting at one of the Thirty-sixth Street train station benches. It is currently nine p.m. and Miyu just parted ways with Sam.
“Ugh, why did I agree to take the R train? The D train isn’t coming for another six minutes.” Miyu sneers at herself before taking her phone out of her pocket to text-spam Sam of her cursed fate.
Her spam ends abruptly when a pair of shoes enters her vision. “Hi! Is this downtown or uptown? I’m not from around here.” The man is wearing a dark blue North Face coat. His right hand clutches onto his black bookbag while his left hand rubs his neck shamefully.
“It’s downtown,” Miyu replies and gives the stranger a small smile.
“Oh, thanks!” the man chirps back with a grin that stretches to his eyes. He lingers in front of Miyu, who goes back to her spam.
After a moment of silence and a bunch of mock-hostile sent texts, Miyu’s lips move again. “Are you heading to Manhattan?”
“No, I’m trying to go to Coney Island,” the man quickly answers.
Miyu hums in acknowledgment and gives another friendly smile to the stranger before she puts on her earphones and zones the rest of the station out.
The man walks away to the end of the platform.
Miyu is texting Sam, who has arrived home, when she gets a text from her sister, Mio. “I’m on the bridge right now,” the text reads.
“I’m at Thirty-sixth Street right now, do you want me to wait for you so we can go home together?”
“Sure.”
By the time the short conversation is over, the man returns and proceeds to sit down on the empty seat next to Miyu.
“I’m not from around here,” the man repeats from before, while leaning his face too close for comfort.
Miyu smells alcohol coming from the guy next to her. Her heart starts to race, panicking. She gives a nervous smile as an answer and scooches in her seat in an attempt to put more space between them.
“Have you been waiting for the train for a long time?” the stranger asks after a moment of silence.
“Yeah, I’m waiting for someone,” Miyu replies quickly, rapidly texting Sam and Mio.
The guy seems to notice her discomfort and walks away.
Noticing the N train that goes to Coney Island passed, Miyu looks up, only to be startled by the man’s glance in her direction while he passes by her. Miyu’s hands start to tremble as she texts her sister again. “Where are you? Why are you taking so long??”
Miyu’s eyes follow the figure in the dark blue coat closely as another N train arrives at the platform. She stands up from her seat and waits for the train to come to a halt. The figure quickly walks up next to her, waiting for the train to come to a halt as well. Miyu lets out a shaky breath and goes back to the seats. The man parts from Miyu and walks to the end of the platform again.
Miyu’s train is about to arrive, and in her last attempt to figure out if she was being dramatic or paranoid, Miyu walks to the end of the platform.
The man follows.
The D train is entering the platform. The man is now ten steps away from Miyu.
The train doors open. She enters the crowded train. The stranger enters as well. Miyu takes a deep breath with her eyes closed. It is now or never. Miyu looks at her phone as she exits and runs to the next car as quickly as her shaky legs allow. She hides among the crowd in the car.
“Miyu!” a voice calls out. Miyu turns around in alarm and lets out a sigh of relief to see her sister sitting there.
“He was following me,” Miyu says, her voice trembling. “He was following me.”
Miyu peers at the open doors of the train, hoping they will close soon. Miyu holds her breath when she sees a familiar dark blue coat cross her vision. The doors close. Miyu scans his actions, the man looks like he is searching for something . . . or someone. The train leaves the platform and the man disappears from her vision.
Miyu slides onto the floor, leaning her head against the doors, and breathes.
Tears are streaming down Miyu’s face when she jolts awake. Curling into herself, she clenches her thin white tee. Her heart pounds as she takes uneven breaths.
“It’s just a dream,” she whispers to herself. She takes a long deep breath, cold sweat is trickling down her neck. “It’s just a dream,” she continues to mutter, almost as if she is trying to brainwash herself.
“Oh, is it?” a voice from the corner of her bedroom calls out. “I found you.”
She shivers, goose bumps decorating her skin. “It’s not real.”