#nano2013

NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 30

Words today: 14,273 Total count: 50,092 Today’s par: 50,000

I’M A WINNER. DEDICATION. YES. GO. HOORAY.

Take that, stressful work distractions!

Excerpt (really hard to pick ‘cause I wrote so much, but I found something without spoilers, I think?): 

Dianna didn’t know how long she’d laid there. The fire had gone out. Her skin again was not harmed by it, but her shirt had burned away in the back where the flames had persisted. Though, she didn’t care. She could hear screams around her. People were running and she didn’t want to admit to herself why. Still, indisputable proof was lying directly in front of her, face down in the dirt.

The man had noticed her. He’d been fleeing through the park, but he had paused when he saw the girl curled up in the black, charred bench remnants. He had asked if she were still alive, and she had opened her eyes. She regretted it, for when he saw that, he’d moved in to help her. He’d reached out and his hand had touched her shoulder, intending to haul her upwards. But as soon as he made contact, something had struck him. He hadn’t even had time to scream. His jaw parted, and his eyes stared into hers, holding a look of utter surprise.

Blood had splattered over her face as she watched him fall stiffly forward, colliding with the ground just beside her hip. He hadn’t moved since, and one glance told her why. His back had been split open. It was like a scene from a zombie movie. He was like a corpse that’d been left half devoured. That was all her mind was able to decipher before she’d closed her eyes, and she didn’t let them open again.

30 Day Challenge ?’s:

29. Are you going to have to pull an all-nighter to finish?     Nope! I went to bed. We spent Friday at my in-laws for Thanksgiving.

So… 2 more days. Really 1 more day since tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving. We’ll see how this goes.

Words today: 6,442 Total words: 34,720 Today’s par: 46,666

Excerpt: 

‘You should leave while he’s distracted. Do so immediately.’

“I’m not leaving. Where would I even go?”

‘You would go seek out the monster you foolishly let escape today.’

“It wasn’t foolish!” she cried. “Who in their right mind would’ve chosen to fight at that moment, with what had just happened?”

‘Someone who cared about the world, for one.’

“Can you leave me alone just for one day while I process what happened?!”

‘The longer you linger, the less you will act.’

“I don’t want to act. I really don’t. Please just let me mope. For the supposed savior of humanity you’re really not understanding at all.”

‘I simply understand that one human loss does not compare to the risk of losing several billion more. Would you like that number to weigh upon your shoulders when you fail?’

“No.”

‘Of course you wouldn’t. You can hardly handle one. So the only thing there is for you to do, is to go out there and prevent it from happening.’

“Not right now.”

‘Dianna, you are infuriating.’

We’re in the home stretch now. I’ve got some catching up to do.

Words today: 3,093 (in about 1.5 hours; not bad?) Today’s total: 28,287 Today’s par: 45,000

Excerpt:

He answered with screams. The fire had reached him. He’d drunkenly backed into a corner, trapping himself. He clawed at the wall, but it was useless. As if angry that they couldn’t harm their creator, the flames attacked him with extra vigor.

She turned away. She couldn’t watch. Her stomach churned, this time from sickness. His screams drowned her very ability to think. She couldn’t hear her thoughts or even Zelias, though she sensed that he was trying to speak. She didn’t know what to do. She could start fires, but she had no idea how to put them out again.

And so, she turned.

And she ran.

hahahahaha wut I’m so behind

Words Today: 4,584 Total words: 25,188 Today’s Par: 40,000

Being married is so distracting.

Excerpt:

He stepped toward her, the glinting knife rising above his head.

“Dad?”

Another step, and he was towering over her. She flattened into the wall.

“Dad, please!”

The knife swung.

‘Defend yourself!’

“Ah-” she began, her eyes growing wide.

The knife had connected, but not with her. A body had jumped in the way, protectively surrounding hers. He grunted as the blade withdrew, and slumped forward and against her, his nails digging into the wall as he tried to stay upright.

“Why?” Dianna breathed.

Kendall lifted his head and smiled wryly down at her. “You okay?” Red trickled past his lips, but it wasn’t hot like hers. It was blood.

I don’t write during the work week. I just get home and want to sleep. That said…

Words today: 1,325 Today’s par: 33,333

I wrote for about an hour between the hockey game and bed time. orz

Excerpt:

“Hm…”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, you just call me Ken Doll so much… You wouldn’t happen to find me attractive, would you?”

She tensed, and felt the flush in her cheeks flare up again. “Wh-what are you talking about?” she stammered. “Of course not!”

“Good.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t like it when things get unnecessarily complicated,” he replied flatly.

“What do you mean, complicated?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Y… you’re weird.”

Yooooooooo

I said I’d do better. I lied.

Words today: 1,388 Total count: 19,279 Official daily goal: 28,333

Excerpt:

She’d almost forgotten about Kendall, but he reminded her of his presence when his hand reached out and gently grasped her wrist. He drew it away from her mouth as his other softly rubbed her back, and he began to guide her slowly forward. “Come with me.”

“Why? To where?” she asked tensely, her feet dragging a little in protest.

He just continued moving, but took it slow as he noticed her shaking legs. “We’re getting you something to eat.”

“I don’t feel like eating. I nearly just threw up!”

“I have a feeling you’ll feel better if you eat,” he insisted. “Trust me on this.”

It’s hard to pick out pieces that don’t contain spoilers.

Words today: 2,686

I keep stopping to watch Adventure Time.

Tomorrow will be different.

Tomorrow I will try.

Excerpt (in which the protagonist questions the stupidity of some things):

“I know you’re probably impatient to get out of there, but you have waited how many years? A little more won’t kill you.”

‘It will.’

“What?”

‘I’ve been sealed away for too long. My body is at its limit.’

Dianna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the man who nearly ran into her from behind. He shot her a glare, but she was busy staring toward her feet. “What do you mean?”

‘There is only so long I can survive in here. This wasn’t meant to be a prison. It was meant to be a tomb.’

“What? How long do you have?”

‘Until the next full moon.’

“…are you kidding?” she mumbled after a pause. “That sounds so cliché.”

‘Do not mock me, girl. This is serious. You know what will happen if I am not freed in time.’

“Yeah, but… how am I even supposed to find another monster? Didn’t you say you can only sense them when they’re nearby?” She hesitated, brow furrowing as a thought occurred to her. “And there’s no way they’re all in this city. I don’t exactly have the funds to travel-”

‘They are.’

“Excuse me?”

‘They are all in this city.’

“But that doesn’t make sense. If they’re trying not to be killed, why would they all cluster up in one place?”

Count: 15,205 Today’s Par: 18,333

Excerpt

Jumping in surprise, Dianna lifted her head and came face to fabric with a blue piece of clothing. The wind caught the scarf and blew it smack against her face. Kendall was quick to snatch it back again and tuck it firmly down around his neck. “Oh, sorry about that.”

“What are you doing here?!” Dianna snapped as she turned away without waiting for a reply.

His arms folded around a large paper bag, Kendall hurried after her. “I was just out getting groceries. What’s got you so down?”

“I’m not down.”

“You are.”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“Hm…” Kendall, still following, shifted the bag to one arm so he could scratch lightly at his thin stubble. “I guess in a way, I think of you like a patient of mine.”

“Huh?”

“How’s your arm?”

Dianna hesitated, her eyes subconsciously falling to her cast. “…it’s fine.”

“No pain?”

It was throbbing. “No.” She thought it might’ve melted during her fight. “It’s fine.” It felt too tight.

“Let me see it.” Without waiting, he reached out and gently grasped at the solid casing. His face dropped quickly into a frown. “What did you do to it, soak it for hours?”

“What? Let go of me!”

Kendall kept hold, not letting her grip her arm free. “It’s all warped. Why didn’t you come back in to get it fixed?” He frowned, studying her, and then slowly tilted his head to the side. “Have you told your father yet?”