All these events took place about a month ago. I don't know if they were real or not, but I've been scared out of my mind since then and maybe getting it off my chest will help.

In DC, where whatever happened took place, one of the best ways to get around is via the Metro, from my experience at least. That's what I've used every time there, and I've found it the best and least stressful experience. This time was different. I got on at the Smithsonian, heading down the orange line towards one of the last stops. The car I was in was the second to last one on the train, and it was the middle of the day so not many people were on, I'd say maybe 7 or 8 per car. The only thing abnormal was that the intercom cut out quite often, "East Falls Church" came out as "Ea-- ----- ----ch".

We left the last station that was actually in DC, and were about half way through the tunnel to the next station, when the conductor slammed on the brakes. Hard. Luckily most people in my car were sitting, but the one woman who wasn't wasn't holding on to anything flew to the front of the car and hit her head. She lay there, blood running from the wound. I got up to try to help her, when the intercom came on and the loudest scream I've heard in my life played, constantly cutting out and cutting in again. It went on for 2 minutes, but it felt a lot longer. Whatever was doing this was taking its time.

Everyone froze as the scream pierced our eardrums. When it finally ended people began to react. Someone screamed, a couple people ran to the doors, trying to open them to no avail, I curled up in my chair and closed my eyes, hoping this was all a dream. From what I could tell, the other cars were behaving similarly, I could hear the muffled screams of the passengers as they tried to escape without success. Suddenly, the train lurched into motion and began back the way we came. Whatever just killed the conductor had started up the train. All the screaming subsided as we began to lurch backward, starting and stopping every few seconds. That's when we heard the intercom, which was still on through all the pandemonium. Every few seconds, I could hear what I thought at first was a low rumbling, but I realized was something growling.

We waited in silence as the train lurched into a curve, one we did not take on the way there, and apparently backed down some kind of branch off from the normal track, where we finally stopped. One man came to his senses and rushed to help the woman who hurt her head. He was stooped over her, when he jumped up and pointed towards the forward cars and shouted, “The lights just went out in the first car!” A tremor went through our car as the entire train began to shake, and you could hear faint screams coming from the front of the train, then silence. Then the next car went dark. More shaking. More screaming.

I put my head in my hands and started crying. I was going to die here. That thing was coming for me, and it was going to rip my limbs off or whatever it’s doing to people. As I sat there the people in my car were going crazy, throwing themselves at the doors, pounding to the other cars for help, whatever they could. The tremors and screams kept getting louder and louder. I looked up from my hands to the front of the car, and saw that there was only one car left between us and the darkness. The people in it were pounding on the windows to our car, crying and begging for help. We couldn’t do anything. The door to the car in front of them opened, and the lights went out. Screams pierced my ears, and our car was yanked around as the car in front was shaking back and forth violently, almost tipping over. Then silence.

I ran to the back of the car, tears streaming down my face, yelling and pounding on the door to the last car as the people in it stared back, scared, unable to help. I heard the door slide open. I was plunged into black, but I didn’t turn around, I didn’t want to look at whatever it was. Behind me I heard flesh ripping, bones crunching, the car shook so violently I was flung forward, and bashed my head into the door. The last things I remember are cold claws digging into my arm, and hot breath on the back of my neck.

I woke up in the guest bed at my mom’s place, she told me she found me collapsed at her doorstep, obviously intoxicated. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I checked myself for any marks, the only thing I found was a rash where its breath met my neck, but what if that was a coincidence? I don’t know if it was a dream or not. My friend took the same metro line the following day, he said there was nothing even resembling an offshoot where I described one. I don’t know what to think anymore.

Since then I’ve barely slept, I’ll start to drift off then feel its ice cold claws on my arm again. That rash on my neck hasn’t disappeared either, in fact it’s started to spread down my back. Doctors are just calling it Eczema, but I doubt that’s what it is. I fear to think what might happen if it keeps spreading.

If you think you know what happened, what this rash is, anything, let me know, I really need some answers.