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"Shhhhhh I don’t see it When I say ‘go,’ we’re goin’ to the other side of the room as fast as physically possible You can clear it in three steps, dive at the end Move like the Devil himself were after you Ready?"

"John, listen to s and tried to think "You can’t miss any more days at work If you let me take you to the hospital, we’ll tell theo to the cops We can get a note froot a note I could talk Jeff into keeping you on"

"Go!"

John pushed hi himself over an overturned sofa next to the wall He sailed over it, ar into the wall behind it with a heavy thud

I calht and turned up the floor lamp I looked over to see John peer over the overturned sofa Next to it was an armchair, on the other side a capsized coffee table The man had built a furniture fort on that side of the room

"John"

He stood up, eyes wide He put his hands out to ers splayed

"Dave, do not move" He spoke flat, low and dead serious

"What?"

"I’ now "I know you don’t believe me But when you turn around, you will But do--not--scream If you do, you’re dead Now Very slowly, turn around"

Very slowly, as asked, I turned

For a split second I was sure I would see so I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, as if swept by a puff of warhed, pissed at ain,than a very large and very naked poster of what appeared to be a female professional wrestler

"No, it moved," he said "There" He pointed to the corner, near the ceiling

Very slowly, I turned and craned er to the spot on the wall he so desperately needed

"John, you can either co an a to do is--"

"The door! Go!"

John hurdled the sofa, then ran and threw hi as he tumbled onto the carpet and then smoothly unfolded into a dead run down the hall outside I faintly heard hi victoriously

I sighed and looked around his apartment I found and pocketed his keys, then poked around sorabbed for it, then yanked er, left a dot of blood on it I reached into the jacket’s front pocket

A syringe

It was one of those cheap disposable ones they sell to diabetics There was residue inside and it was fucking black Like used motor oil I broke off the needle in the trash and stuck the rest of the syringe in my pants pocket I had never done this before and I didn’t know if a doctor would need it or not, to exa to shove it up John’s ass

I rooted around in his pockets for vials or pipes or anything else that would indicate what he had in his system All I found was an empty pack of Chesterfields and a wadded-up FedEx receipt for so he sent to a Nevada address

I stopped myself before I drifted into the area of what could be called "snooping" and locked up the apart back and forth in the parking lot, rain pelting hiod Cthulhu hi out of the first-level doors I tossed hiet in my car He opened the door, and froze in fear

"What?" I barked "What is it now?"

John was staring at Molly like she was the fluffy devil incarnate

"John?"

"Uhnothing When did the dog find you?"

"You know this dog? It’s been following "

"I dunno It doesn’telse follows us" He glanced up at the apart

I ducked into the car but didn’t start it

John glanced up at the building once more, said, "Just tell me you could see it At least that"