A young man who has improbably escaped death twice reveals his secret in a spine-tingling short story by New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ushers-Short-Story-Joe-Hill-ebook/dp/B0D6RMSDSY

“It’s better to just be a mammal. You know, take long naked naps in the sun. Never miss a chance to splash in the tide”

Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

I ran across this book in my hunt for Joe Hill’s latest novel (King Sorrow) and I must say I enjoyed it quite a lot. It did remind me of “Odd Thomas” in the sense that dark figures approach whenever a massacre or a massive train wreck is about to happen. Our kid (Martin), started seeing them when he was younger and was absolutely terrified of them. He saw a bunch gather just before a school shooting at the school he was attending, and again before a train derailed. He doesn’t know the details of what’s about to happen but knows the two rules:

• if he saves someone, someone else must die and it might just be an innocent kid riding their bike across the street
• they appear before the people that die to guide them to the valhalla or whatever version of heaven they will ascend to.
• They look like humans but have eyes like pigeons – like copper pennies, all nice and shiny

The police officer interviewing him doesn’t believe it’s just a coincidence he managed to escape 2 disasters and thinks the man is mentally ill or schizophrenic – seeing things that are not there.

He starts to believe on his way back with his partner when he puts two and two together – 2 people survived the most recent train crash, two people must die, his partner and him being chosen.

As the car they were in speeds off into incoming traffic, he sees two figures in the backseat leaning over to whisper in his ear

Hold on Tony, Hold on.

Something wonderful is coming.

*** GOOSEBUMPS ***