Mrs. ██████: [pause] Uhh. I remember the figure smiling? I don't know how, but it was. It looked sad, but then it smiled. It looked at us and I remember hearing 'good luck'.

Mrs. ██████: Barely. It was really foggy. I met a man, who looked just as shitty as I did. And he told me that he knew how to escape. Before I knew it, we were carrying that thing and threw it over the turnstile. The figure got stuck, and then we were finally able to escape the station. We ran out on the street, almost crying in joy.

One time I wanted to hit that thing. I'm pretty sure I did. But instead, I got a bruise on my face right where I would've hit it. I couldn't do anything. I didn't know what was going on. Even now, I don't know what happened while I was panhandling.

Mrs. ██████: [slumps shoulders] At one point, I considered ending it all. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew is that I was begging for change in a place I couldn't escape from. And that thing was behind it all. I jumped in front the 7 train. And then it appears again. And before I know it, I'm at another station.

Mrs. ██████: I only remember appearing in another station. I was wearing different clothes. They were baggy, oversized, tattered, disgusting. Ugh, a fucking mess. I was also holding a tin can. That black figure appeared again, but only to offer me food or bring me to another station. And every time I'd try to touch someone, I'd appear somewhere else. I move towards the exit, and then I'm somewhere else. I try to talk to someone, I'm somewhere else. I go board a train, I appear somewhere else. I so much as go to a concession stand to buy a candy bar, I appear somewhere else.

Mrs. ██████: I'd say a few days later. At this time, I was getting off the train. It was maybe 11:00, or 12:00. Let's just say the station was empty. [pause] And then it came. It appeared right in front of me, just before I got to the exit. I didn't know what to do. I could've ran, or screamed, or done something. But it was just there. The figure reached out its hand to grab mine. And that was it. I was no longer in that station.

Mrs. ██████: Right. That went on for about a week. But then one day, I saw it began to follow me. I was walking out the station, but it was just walking towards me. Almost crawling. I said nothing of it and walked faster, and that black thing kept up with me. No one noticed, I guess, because it was walking right through people. I eventually exited the station, and it vanished.

Mrs. ██████: Sometimes, when I would wait by the train station, I'd see a black figure out of the corner of my eye. Never thought anything of it at first. It was always for a split second, and usually right before the train came to the station. I think I was just paranoid. There are these news reports of women being attacked on the train, and I thought I would be a target.

Mrs. ██████: Well, it actually found me. To make a long story short, I got my degree back in June, but I was struggling to make ends meet. It was only after I lost my night job that things started to appear.

Foreward: The following interview is of Janet ██████. Prior to the interview, Mrs. ██████ was briefed on why she was held in custody. Mrs. ██████ was amnesticized after the interview and is awaiting reintroduction into the population.

Foreward: The following excerpt is an interview of George █████████. Prior to the interview, Mr. █████████ was briefed on why he was held in custody. Mr. █████████ was amnesticized after the interview and is awaiting reintroduction into the population.

<Begin Log>

Researcher: Can you tell us what you did while under the black figure?

Mr. █████████: Well, it's like I said. At first I was begging for change on the subway. Everyday, I was stuck in those stations, and everyday, there was just no way out. I, like Janet, considered jumping on the tracks. But I knew that wasn't the way to go. I had to find a way out. And so I figured maybe if I gather more pennies, I would get a break.

At some point, I realized that this was a job. The shadow man, black guy, whatever you call it. He was my boss. If I worked hard enough, maybe, just maybe, I can get a promotion.

One day, he came up to me. Tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed towards the end of the station and started walking. At first I stood still, right where I was. Then the figure stared right at me. No eyes or nothing, but I felt him staring right into me. So I followed.

We walked down the end of the station and into the tunnels. I'm not sure how long we walked down there. It must've felt like hours. Eventually, in all that darkness, we came to a door. The figure stood at the door for a second, then he leaned in real close, like he was about to whisper his greatest secret. Then that door opened. We walked inside.

When we stepped inside, it was just as dimly lit and stinky as the rest of the tunnels. Except there were a bunch of people. These people were just like me and Janet. Their clothes were torn and dirty, and it looked like they haven't showered in weeks. I remember their eyes. Their eyes were always wide open, and big. Very big. And every so often, a person would disappear, or reappear in this place. And every time, they would return with those huge, open eyes. They never moved, or spoke, and they were always different positions. Some standing, some sitting. A few of them looked like they were diving into a pool.

The figure pointed at me, then pointed at the people. He made this sort of motion with his fingers, which I guess meant to watch over them. So that was my new job. To watch these people.

I guess I was watching over these people for a few weeks. Maybe months. One day, the figure had come to me and motioned me to follow him again. We didn't walk long, since it was still within that room. He pointed to some pictures up on a wall. A lot of them were of various streets in the city. A few buildings. Some of them were of people in the subway.

He pointed at a few pictures of homeless people in the subways. He kept pointing between those pictures and to the people behind us. This told me that I was watching other homeless people like myself. And then he made emphasis on this one picture.

The picture was a figure just like him, except dark purple. Or blue. He kept pointing between that picture and a picture of a turnstile. He also pointed at another picture with a whole bunch of dark figures. Maybe they were people he knew. He stared at me for a moment. Then he left.

I didn't understand what he was trying to say at first. But eventually, I thought I understood. So I thought of a plan. Suppose I should say how I met Janet now?

Researcher: Of course.

Mr. █████████: Alright. I'm guessing for a few days I was watching the people again. I realized the figure wasn't around. People kept blinking in and out, but I was left without food or water. I looked around and had to leave. I followed the tracks in the tunnels until I came into a station. It was late at night, judging from how empty the station was. I walked through the station to find a stand, or something in the trash. But there was nothing. The stands were closed and the garbage was just that - garbage.

Eventually I find a homeless woman sitting by a bench. And thank god I did, because she had half a sandwich and a can of cola to split with me.

After some time, she had told me her name. Janet. We started talking to each other about our situations. She was working under the black figure, just like me. I told her everything I knew about him, and figured it would be best to escape the station with her.

So the plan went like this. Janet was going to jump in front of a train so that she could return to the place. I was going to tell him I found a way for him to quit his job, or escape this place. At least, based on what he showed me. He was going to take us with him, and at the last minute, we ditch him and escape.

Sometime later, he did just that. He summoned me and Janet to a turnstile at a station and motioned for us to help him. We picked him up and threw him over the turnstile, hoping he would teleport some place, just like us when we tried to escape. And while he was gone, we could make a run for it.

It did work. Neither of us really knew why the figure got stuck in the turnstile. He seemed frustrated at first, flipping like a fish. He especially looked at me.

Maybe he was working to survive, just like us. At the last second, he seemed to smile. And I thought I heard something from him. I still don't know what he said, since me and Janet made a run for it shortly after. But whatever he said, I hope it was for the best.

<End Log>