i almost got kidnapped in the subway as a kid and my sister actually did

okay so this happened when i was in kindergarten and i need to get it out. you know those kids who don't hold their mom's hand and just run around doing their own thing? that was me. my sister was the opposite, total mama's girl, glued to her side.

so we're heading to my grandma's place and we're going down into the subway station. there's a ton of stairs and i'm SPRINTING down them like an idiot, my mom and sister coming behind me. and out of NOWHERE this dude just. grabs my hand. so naturally. like it's the most normal thing in the world.

i have mad anxiety usually but i didn't even have TIME to panic. my brain just... went into autopilot? i looked at him instead of pulling away. i'm over 20 now and i don't remember his face AT ALL but i remember his OUTFIT. like those light blue workwear jackets construction guys wear? dress pants, black shoes. shorter dude, looked older. anyway i look at him and he's pulling me along going "i'll buy you candy, come on" but saying it all gentle and friendly.

then i look back and my MOM is going the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. like that's when it hit me. whatever spell i was under just BROKE. i tried to pull my hand away but he grabbed my wrist and started dragging me. i'm being pulled along like a cow going to slaughter, my neck feels tight, i can't scream, and my mom's getting farther and farther away. and i'm thinking "i'm not going to see my mom again" and that's when i SNAPPED.

i bit him. i bit his wrist or arm or whatever i could reach. HARD. with everything i had.

he goes "AHHH!" and lets go immediately and i just bolt straight to my mom. i'm crying, can't even talk, just "mommy" over and over. my mom's looking for me because i vanished, sees me like this, and she's pissed. scolding me like "where were you?!" but the guy sees her and kind of backs off, goes somewhere else.

BUT THEN. a few minutes later. my SISTER is getting dragged away by the SAME GUY.

my sister is not like me. she doesn't fight back. she's not loud. she just... goes limp. getting pulled along, looking at my mom with these terrified eyes, crying silently. and i see it happening and i'm like "MOM. MOM. THE MAN IS TAKING MY SISTER." so my mom SPRINTS over screaming "EXCUSE ME SIR. WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY DAUGHTER?!?!"

i'm hiding behind my mom scared out of my mind. and this guy has the AUDACITY to get mad at HER. like he's the victim. he's like "why are you mad at me, the girl looked lost, i was trying to find her mom" LIKE THAT MAKES SENSE WHEN SHE'S LITERALLY BEING DRAGGED AND CRYING.

so my mom starts fighting with him right there in the middle of the subway platform. "is that what someone being dragged looks like to you?? who even ARE you?? let's go to the police station right NOW." and he just goes "whatever" and takes off running.

my mom then yells at my sister for just... going along with it instead of fighting back or screaming or ANYTHING. "why did you just let him drag you?? you couldn't look for me?? you couldn't look for your sister??"

turns out my sister was looking for me when she got grabbed by this psycho.

people are the scariest thing on earth honestly. and the most insane part? if someone showed me a picture of that guy right now i probably wouldn't recognize him. but everyone else? they would've thought he was our DAD.