Everything seemed to be moving at painfully slow speeds. Or maybe it was just because she was scared. Tessa didn't want to admit she was scared, but she was. A part of her wished her sister was there so she could comfort her sister, if she could comfort Mandy then the rest of this wouldn't be as scary. Tessa remembered carrying the small child through a walk through scare maze, and how un-scary it had been just because she had been holding her sister.<br/><br/>Finally the train slowed to a stop at her station. She bolted out of the train door and was heading up the stairs when she realized what was easily the most horrifying thing that could happen in New York during rush hour.<br/><br/>No one was there, half way up the stairs she paused and looked around. The entire station was deserted. That never happened. Tessa had always seen at least one or two people at this station, it was a popular one. Even at the late hours of the night when she would get in trouble for being home late, there was always one or two people.<br/><br/>Tessa looked up the stairs listening, straining her ears to hear a car, or someone yelling, a horn honking in the distance even. There was nothing. Then the light coming from outside was blocked, as if someone was standing at the top of the stairs. It was such a relief that Tessa started up the stairs. The creature came into sight. She had to call it a creature because it was no human being. It was a humanoid, but that was were any similarity ended, very quickly.<br/><br/>A scream died in Tessa's throat as the creature lunged at her. She took a step back forgetting she was on stairs and tumbled down the length of them. Pain was spiking through her leg and head, but she pulled herself up in a mad scramble and was running away from the stairs. The only way out of the station now would be to cross the tracks and climb on the other platform and exit from there. She had been told a million times, and there were signs everywhere. Never cross the tracks. She did anyway.<br/><br/>After she had dropped down to the track she looked over and saw the creature. It grinned at her and for a second blurred and now there was a second creature next to it. Tessa turned to run again and half tripped over the rail, thankfully catching herself and avoiding the third rail. She started to pull herself up on the opposite platform, cursing her guitar case, which seemed to have one of the latches permanently broken now.<br/><br/>A snarl drew her attention and the creature was standing over her. She dropped away from the platform and almost fell again. Tessa didn't pay attention to which direction she turned, she just started running. The labyrinth of train tracks were all she saw.<br/><br/>“You will be mine.” A voice from behind her seemed to wrap around her and slow her down. It was toying with her, had been from the first moment she noticed there were no other people. Now it felt like she was trying to run through mud that was up to her waist. It was like those nightmares that you never seem to get anywhere. Maybe this was a nightmare. “That's my skill, well other than the cloning of myself.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean?” Tessa asked.<br/><br/>“People believe I'm just a dream. Once they do they stop trying, and try to wake up instead.” A mad cackle came from the creature. Tessa realized she had stopped trying to run, not far ahead of her though was a door, if she could just get through the door. The creature was close now. She could see it again. His arms were too long, and his legs seemed to have two sets of knees, one going the wrong way, like a wolf. Everything about him seemed elongated. “You're in the After Image now, there is no where safe.” The creature grinned, but it looked more like a snarl from a bear. “Your destiny is right now in this moment.” The creature continued. “Your whole life has been for this moment. Waiting for my claws to dig into your soft flesh.” Tessa felt her hands grip tight around the guitar case that was slung around her shoulder. The creature lunged, faster than Tessa could possibly get away from. On pure instinct she swung the case and felt it shake and the other latch popped open. Barely able to hold the case closed she ran for the door, the door that was only a few feet away but felt like it miles away.<br/><br/>The creature was snarling again. “My toy.” But Tessa was at the door somehow and it was opening and then she was through it. She slammed it behind her and started to keep running knowing the door would never hold under the creature trying to get past it. She stopped though because there was a boy standing in front of her, okay maybe boy wasn't the right term he had to be about her age though. Beyond him was what Tessa could only describe as some old fashioned foyer. There was a thick carpet and a hat stand and a stair case, and dark hallways leading off in all directions. This definitely didn't belong in the New York subway.<br/><br/>Still clutching the broken guitar case Tessa asked in a voice that sounded distant but much more brave than she felt. “Who are you? Where am I?”