diff --git a/Src/utils.c b/Src/utils.c
index 914e30c..1eb8c71 100644
--- a/Src/utils.c
+++ b/Src/utils.c
@@ -5058,23 +5058,23 @@ ztrlenend(char const *s, char const *eptr)
 #endif /* MULTIBYTE_SUPPORT */
 
 /* Subtract two pointers in a metafied string. */
 
 /**/
 mod_export int
 ztrsub(char const *t, char const *s)
 {
     int l = t - s;
 
     while (s != t) {
-	if (*s++ == Meta) {
+	if (*s++ == Meta || (s != t && *s++ == Meta)) {
 #ifdef DEBUG
 	    if (! *s || s == t)
 		fprintf(stderr, "BUG: substring ends in the middle of a metachar in ztrsub()\n");
 	    else
 #endif
 	    s++;
 	    l--;
 	}
     }
     return l;
 }