Where He Can't Find You

by Darcy Coates

The nightmares were always the first warning. They came before any of the other signs—before the birds that plunged out of the sky, before the streetlights all died, before the sickness.

HIDE SOMEWHERE HE CAN’T FIND YOU,

If you’re going to break a rule, have a good reason.

We want to feel that we have control over our destiny, that we wouldn’t ever make the same mistakes that cost someone else everything.

Clocks wind back Windows crack Signals fall Motors stall Long red thread Someone’s dead

Rule #2: Red thread means a stitcher victim is close by.

The Stitcher waits The Stitcher takes The Stitcher cuts The Stitcher shapes

Rule #3: Stay as far from Charles Vickers as you can.

Sometimes the worst things that happen to you come from the smallest decisions. You lean on the accelerator instead of the break. Or you shift your weight on the ladder. Or you leap into the pool headfirst without checking how deep the water is. Tiny, tiny mistakes that would have been inconsequential any other day. But for some reason, the universe’s gears get jammed at that exact second, and your tiny mistake permanently changes the remainder of your life.

Oooof

Hide, hide Stay inside Windows blocked Doors all locked Hide, hide Stay inside Footsteps near Stitcher’s here

Keep your house locked up tight, or the Stitcher will come for you.