The Unnerving Commute

Every morning before dawn, Ethan boarded the number 7 train with a sinking feeling in his stomach. It wasn't the early hour, nor the monotonous journey into the city that unsettled him—it was the shadowy figure that always appeared in the far corner of the carriage, mired in the dim light, its features obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. Ethan never saw the figure board or disembark, yet it was always there, a silent sentinel.

The first time Ethan noticed the figure, he shrugged it off as an odd commuter, but as weeks passed, its presence felt increasingly unnerving. No one else seemed to pay it any mind; passengers scrolled through their phones, oblivious to the strange aura enveloping the shadow. Ethan, meanwhile, could barely focus on…