Ring

Chapter 1 (Pilot Rewrite)

Really? Sam groaned as he stared at the grimy ceiling of the train platform. This train is always late!

He must've been mumbling to himself, because the person next to him glanced over. It was an adult man, probably in his early 30s. He had jet black hair that covered a fraction of his face, which looked tired and covered in scratches from god knows what. He didn't look dangerous, but he was a stranger nonetheless, and Sam scooted a few inches away on the bench, making a screeching noise as his belt scraped the wall.

The man turned up his music, obviously annoyed by Sam's earlier mumbling. Sam had just noticed the faint sound coming from the man's headphones as the volume slightly increased. It was some sort of rap. Sam could tell because the words were all blended together like whoever was "singing" was intoxicated.

But before Sam could even judge the man for his taste in music, a distorted voice filled the platform.

"The train to 4th Street is arriving in two minutes. Please stay behind the yellow line."

Finally. Sam reached for his backpack and was about to stand up when he suddenly felt like something was missing. He suddenly realized the music of the man next to him stopped, and a quick glance at his phone showed why.

His phone said 'incoming call' and in bold letters had the words Unknown Caller. Sam found himself lost in those words. Curiosity filled him and before he could even realize his mind was filled with possibilities. Could it be a blocked number? A telemarketer? A bot call? A prank call?

The man stood up, staring forward. Suddenly Sam remembered what he was doing and stood up too. Any thoughts he had were interrupted by a bell ringing throughout the platform to warn of the approaching train.

Sam swayed back and forth, not sure what to do as he waited. He nervously glanced around the room before realizing something was wrong with the man who had been sitting next to him. He stared forward, with a distressed look on his face and tears dripping down his cheeks.

Why is he crying? Sam then remembered he had gotten a phone call, and looked at the man's phone to see he had picked up and been on for 15 seconds.

Then the man began to walk forward. This didn't strike Sam as odd as he assumed the man just wanted to be closer to where the train would arrive. But as the train came into view and came closer, the man started walking faster.

Then he was running. He approached the track at a full sprint and Sam suddenly realized what the man was doing.

Sam, without thinking, tried to catch up to the man. He wanted to stop him. But it was no use. The train was about to reach them, and the man was already at the edge of the platform.

Then the shouts got to Sam. He had just realized he wasn't the only one concerned.

But before he had the time to scream himself, the man was gone.

The room fell silent. The shouts were gone. Sam fell to the ground on his knees, hearing nothing but a horrid screeching. The noise refused to fade, even as Thomas fell to his stomach in the middle of a splatter of blood.