 If you'd stumbled upon a popular horror forum back in 2010, you would have most likely found a post detailing the rules to a game on the first page. It would later get deleted within a single day, and the author of the account that posted it would be completely unreachable. Some people who visited that post decided to save a copy of it to refer to later, only realizing how valuable their original copies were now that the post was completely off the internet. Instead of reposting the rules on the online web for everyone to see, the individuals who kept those copies played the very game and realized it was far more dangerous than they'd anticipated. Except, some weren't able to make it back. One anonymous individual would later survive the game and decide to post it on a dark web forum before promptly deleting his account and disappearing. I'm talking about the Subway Game. The Subway Game is an extremely dangerous game with the chances of failure exponentially higher than the chances of success. Winning the game requires deep determination, grit, and willpower, as well as some obvious physical strengths too. Participating in this game if you are sick, a poor athlete or emotionally vulnerable almost certainly leads to failing the game. Winning the game will provide the player with a great reward, a choice to make one wish that will come true. The game specifically requires the player to write the wish in mind on a piece of paper and take it with them before attempting the game. We'll lead to the death of the player, but that won't be the end of it. The player will die the most painful and gruesome death a person will ever suffer. And then once they've died, their soul will continue to be tortured in the same location for all of eternity by the powers of the game. You can tell I've looked into this game and acknowledged its dangers, so you may wonder why am I writing this down? I got diagnosed with lung cancer six days ago. The doctor gave me six months to live and since then I've fallen into a deep depression. My family has tried to make me enjoy the rest of my life, but I can't accept such a short life. I still have things to experience and I want to live a longer, fuller life. This is what led me to the game in the first place and when I first found the instructions to the game while looking for similar dodgy cancer cures on the dark web. I found this game as skeptical as I was of its authenticity. I decided to go through with the ritual regardless because I was desperate. I needed something to work and I would go at all lengths to extend my life. To initiate the ritual, one must go to a remote subway station with no people around at around one a.m. at night. While the time isn't necessarily set, it's important that the time is between one and two a.m. and that not a single other person is around, otherwise the ritual won't work. I located a remote subway station that was out of service and scheduled to be closed soon. This was the first place to initiate the ritual and so I drove there in the dead of the night. As I stared at the dim passing streetlights on the road, I felt strong urges to return and give up on the ritual, but I pushed through. To perform the ritual correctly, the player must bring with themselves the sheet of paper with their wish written on it, as mentioned previously, and a wristwatch, preferably made of silver. The silver assist in keeping rogue entities away and the watch itself is imperative to tracking time in the ritual. One of the main mechanics of the game. I brought both of these items with me, with my wish obviously being the curing of my lung cancer. I walked down the stairs into the underground subway station and started to walk around the two platforms. This was the part of the game that initiated it. Pacing around in the subway station for exactly 33 minutes will automatically start the game. The instructions stated the importance of considering the dangers of playing the game in those 33 minutes, there's still a chance to escape the game within those 33 minutes by exiting the station and promptly returning home. After that time is up, the game has started in attempting to exit the subway station without going through with the game first will lead to instant failure. I stared around the dimly lit platform at the dusty wooden benches as I considered turning back and going home. I pushed through regardless, knowing that my will to live a longer life was stronger than my fear of the game dying now and dying in six months would make no difference. I had nothing to lose playing this game when I was already sentenced to death. The lights began to flicker and dim further until the basic silhouettes of the objects on the platform were visible. My body started to freeze up as my fight or flight response was activated and I suddenly grew very sensitive. So the doll thought of my shoes against the dirty concrete floor and the light whistling of the wind outside. I looked down at my watch and squinted to read the time. The dark made it difficult to discern the position of the watch hands. I didn't need to check the time though because a few seconds later I felt a strong sense of being watched. It came from deep in my gut and caused my stomach to tie into several knots. I turned around and saw the faint outline of a dark figure behind me. At the same time, the lights brightened slightly and I could finally see the details of the objects around me. The person in front of me was facing away from me and were wearing a typical security guard uniform with dark dress pants and a matching coat. My heart began to thud rapidly against my ribcage as I realized the game had started. The appearance of a security guard is a clear indication of the game starting. Once spotted, the player must try their very best to slowly walk back and away from the security guard. The rest of the game will involve hiding from the security guard while also not leaving the train station until sunrise. I began to very carefully back away from the security guard when I heard him start whispering. Every raspy whisper sent a chill down my spine as I strained my ears to listen to what the guard was saying. I found myself frozen on the spot struggling to make out what the guard was saying. The whispering continued as the guard began to turn around slowly. I lurched backwards as I realized the guard was about to see me and quickly jumped behind a pillar as the guard turned around completely. I moved too quickly to be able to make out the guard's face and all I saw was a blur of white, red, and black like a damaged watercolor painting. I nearly failed the game within the first five minutes. While staying away from the security guard, the player must also complete three tasks to end the game and have their wish granted. The failure of completing these tasks before leaving will lead to the security guard permanently following the player and killing them. The first task is simple. A train will stop at the station within 15 minutes of the start of the game. The player must board this train and avoid any interaction with the passengers. No matter what, if the train does not appear, the player has failed the game. I watched the minute hand on my watch move slowly as I stood behind the pillar and listened to the slow and deliberate steps of the security guard. He had stopped whispering to himself and begun walking around the platform. As the minutes passed and the train didn't appear, I began to worry. I heard the steady rumble of a train on the tracks just before 15 minutes had passed. I slowly peeked from behind the pillar and noticed that the security guard boarded the train with his back still turned to me. The train itself was a typical modern train with nothing out of the ordinary. I walked over to the train and boarded it just before the doors closed. The security guard could still chase me on the train and so I had to constantly move around making sure that he didn't find me as I searched through the entire train. The rules stated that the train ride would be no longer than 10 minutes with the train stopping at the same subway station at the end of the ride as the player continues to pass through carriages to avoid the security guard. They would notice that the carriages are endless. The goal is to keep moving through carriages and not stopping to rest even if the player is confident that the security guard is multiple carriages behind because they can be caught off guard at any moment. The train was packed to the brim. Just every seat was occupied with people of all ages and genders and it pretty much seemed like a normal busy morning train. I began to walk from carriage to carriage ignoring everyone and not making any eye contact. As I was passing through my fifth carriage, I accidentally tripped on a baby stroller wheel in the middle of the carriage and nearly fell on the baby itself. The mother of the child reacted quickly and locked eyes with me. I instinctively began to apologize and as soon as the first syllable came out of my mouth, the entire cabin of people fell silent and locked their eyes on me. The warm bustling environment of the carriage was reduced to a cold, silent stare. I quickly removed my watch and threw it far away behind me as everyone in the carriage simultaneously jumped towards it. Taking this as my cue, I quickly ran as fast as I could through the carriages, making sure that I didn't interact with anyone this time. The train began to slow and pulled to a stop at the same subway. I quickly departed the train and hid behind the same pillar just as the security guard got off the train as well, with his back still turned to me. My mistake on the train had cost me my silver watch and, without it, winning the game was going to be much more difficult. The instructions to the game state that when the player gets off the train, they will find themselves on the same station. While they will geographically be on the same station, they'll have actually moved to another dimension. The rest of the game will occur in this strange new world full of entities that humans were never meant to interact with. Leaving the train station here almost certainly means a death from the entities outside. The subway station itself acts as a midway medium between the normal world and this world, forming an ideal location to proceed with the rest of the ritual. The second task involves finding a door. This hypothetical door will lead to stairs that ascend into a new area, the place where the final task will be performed. All the while, the player must avoid the night guard and anything else on the subway. While the task seems incredibly easy, many people who have won the game claim it was the hardest part. I watched the night guard continue to pace around the station with his back always turned to me. My blood ran cold when a disturbing thought that sent chills down my spine formed in my mind. The only feasible way for the night guard to consistently keep his back turned to me would involve him knowing where I was and where I was facing to begin with. I felt my stomach sink to the floor as I continued to watch the night guard who not once turned to face me. He was just playing with me. I needed to find that door fast. As the security guard began to walk past the pillar, I slowly walked around and began to scan the dimly lit platform with my eyes. I couldn't see any door yet, and so I slowly crawled forward on the platform, ducking behind a bench occasionally as I heard the security guard get closer. I got around the whole platform using this strategy of ducking behind benches and objects every time I felt the security guard coming closer. But as I scanned the whole platform, I realized that I couldn't find a single door. A familiar voice sliced through the air. It was my mother's voice, and she was yelling at me to call back. She seemed worried from the sound of her voice. Come back, Ethan. I was about to yell back when I realized it would be impossible for my mother to be here. She had died two years ago. Just as I was processing this, I began to hear the sound of police sirens and a man yelling at me to come out. More voices melded into the chorus, and soon the subway was an echoing cacophony of familiar and unfamiliar voices, all singing the same chorus. Whatever was outside was trying to break me and make me come outside the subway station. I continued to look around the platform for my exit ticket, the door. I was crouched behind a bench when I realized that I'd lost track of where the security guard was as I was listening to these voices. That's when I felt a cold hard grip on my ankle. I whipped my head around and saw the security guard still with his back turned to me, grabbing me with his arm bent in an impossible way. My shrill scream echoed across the entire subway station as I jumped back. The grip on my leg loosened, and I was able to kick away and quickly get on my feet before the security guard began to walk backwards towards me at an impossible speed. I continued to run, knowing that I'd failed the game. I couldn't run forever. And soon enough, the night guard or something else lurking in the shadows will grab me. Just then, a thick black tendril curled out from under the platform and grabbed my ankle. It pulled me onto the tracks like I was a ragdoll. As I inevitably slipped and fell first on the hard concrete platform, my vision began to narrow, and I saw pinpricks of light in my vision. My head felt like it was underwater, and my thoughts began to mush together until they all felt like they were lost in fog. The excruciating pain of my entire body being battered against the rough rocks on the tracks somehow brought me back to my senses. My eyes were blurry with tears, and my entire body stung from newly formed bruises, cuts, and grazes. The tendril continued to pull me in towards a black mass from beneath the platform. It was somehow darker than the darkness under the platform itself, and its grip on me was firm. I grabbed a rock from the tracks and smashed it on the tendril. It unwrapped from my leg just as I brought the rock down on it, and I accidentally hit my own ankle instead. Every single nerve in my ankle burned with excruciating pain the moment the rock slammed against it, and the dull crack that permeated the air made it obvious that I had possibly fractured a bone. Just then, the nightguard also jumped down on the tracks as the tendril prepared to grab my now hurt ankle again. I began to crawl away helplessly. The rough rocks cut my palms as I pushed against them to move my body forward and away from the entities that longed for my soul. Just then, I felt cold metal against my palms. I looked down and noticed that hidden beneath the rocks was what looked to be a metal trapdoor. I desperately searched for the handle, and once I found it, I opened the heavy rusted door with my remaining strength. As I pushed my whole body into the opening, I realized that there was a drop. I tumbled down for a short moment before I landed on my hurt ankle and twisted it. The pain nearly blinded me as I curled into a fetal position in agony. I looked around and noticed I was in a well-lit room with a single small table in the middle. The final task, crawling over to the table, caused burst of pain to go through every single nerve in my body. My muscles burned and egged, and I was on the verge of passing out. I quickly placed the sheet of paper with my wish on the table, just as my vision went black. They found me bruised and battered on the tracks just outside the entrance of the subway station. In the morning, it took my ankle another month to be usable again, and I still walk with a limp today. However, the game wasn't a lie, and my wish was indeed granted. It's just that the other day I saw the security guard outside my window at night, still with his back turned to me. If you do choose to play the subway game, take my story as a warning. As I type this out and hit post, I've realized one thing. You don't truly ever win the game.