
Keep Them Away
by
T. M. McLean
Many days—almost two weeks—have passed since I made the biggest mistake of my life. Too late now to make amends. They're already closing in on me.
I crouch, my eyes peering over the kitchen counter, watching my garden through the window as the dusk settles. The only thing worse than seeing them is not seeing them.
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A few slices of sunlight remain. I hope to catch a glint—a reflection of a carelessly exposed stethoscope or—
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I swallow.
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—a scalpel.
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I draw the curtains. I lock the door.
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What else can I do?
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Right now, I bet dozens of vicious, rabid general practitioners are scaling my wall, eager to dissect me...
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It's been almost two weeks since my last apple. The biggest and last mistake of my life.
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They're coming!
© Copyright 2025 T. M. McLean
A version of Keep Them Away was originally published as a Facebook post in 2015.
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T. M. McLean writes horror and dark fiction. His short story collection Stingers (co-authored with Noel Osualdini) was a finalist for the Shadows Award for Collected Works 2024. Follow T. M. McLean on Facebook

