The One Who Counts

Some things don't chase you. Some things just count.When Cal moves to the quiet coastal town of Marlow Reach, he notices something strange about the rats.They don't run. They don't scatter. They stop... and watch.At first, it seems harmless. Just another odd thing adults ignore and kids whisper about. Then desks start going empty. Names vanish from memory. Pavements reveal numbers after rain. Scratching turns into tapping. Counting.Cal discovers that something beneath the town has been keeping track for a very long time - correcting old mistakes, balancing numbers left wrong after a terrible flood years ago.It doesn't hate children. It doesn't hunt them. It simply decides who fits... and who doesn't.With the help of a boy who shouldn't exist and a truth the town refuses to remember, Cal is pulled into a system that cannot be stopped - only paused.Because once the count is finished, it always starts again.DeadQuiet - The One Who Counts is a chilling horror for readers aged 10-16, where the scariest monsters don't roar or bite - they wait patiently for you to be noticed.And once you are...You're already counted.