Reginald’s helping me make motivation tea to finish the chapter.

I KNOW! I missed yesterday. I got busy, things happened, I missed it. And today, I’ve barely written from a combination of remembering that agents I want to work with exist and wondering if any of my work is viable for market and being at my parent’s house so I couldn’t really get any writing done. But I did do a tiny bit today! And I hope to finish the chapter before bed, so wish me luck!

Word Count: 67948

“You have to go,” Max told him firmly. He needed to understand. It was the only way that at least some of them might make it out alive. He would try to keep them from coming after them, but they couldn’t be found with him. The chances Max was making it out of there was almost nothing at this point, and his only chance was maybe getting Willow or Luke to push one another in. At the very least, the rest of them could get out of there and make a break for it. Maybe they wouldn’t be caught again. They might be able to escape this and go home.

He could see how torn Harrison was on his face, his mouth open in protest, but no words coming to him. He looked back, to Jaime who was losing a lot of blood, and Ally awake and trying desperately to keep pressure on his midsection around everyone else, unconscious and injured to differing degrees, and then back to max who continued to hold firm. They had to go. They had to.

Harrison’s mouth closed, jaw tightening and he took a steadying breath as he looked back at everyone else. They needed to go and he knew it. He understood. Max breathed a sigh of relief.

He tensed at first when Harrison’s lips pressed to his own, his body leaning in close. His hand was behind Max’s head, pulling him in close and it took him a moment to register what was happening. He relaxed, his lips moving in return and he leaned into it. His heart was beating faster and his he couldn’t think at all, feeling joy and desperation and like this was the last time they were going to see one another.

Max was breathing heavy when they pulled away, his eyes opening slowly. He wasn’t sure what he hoped for, but Harrison was gone, taking everyone else with him.

Reginald has found the torture characters like never before cake!

I am having so much fun. So much. I got him shot, among other things, and there is all of the crazy happening. People imagining enemies, people getting shot, a 50% overlay of fantasy and reality, ALL OF THE CRAZY FUN.

Word Count: 63213

When the finally put him down at the bottom of the stairs, Luke looked concerned, but Willow waved him forward. He could hear them on the other side of the door, screams from the imaginary people sounding like they were far away and the door occasionally rattling when he presumed one of their imaginary victims was trying to escape their slaughter.

He tried to catch his breath while sitting there, hoping that they wouldn’t get through the room too quickly. His chances of getting out of there were getting more and more slim, he realized, but there was still a chance. Maybe he could push Willow in and Luke would dive in after her. Then he could die slowly beside the incinerator at the end, waiting and hoping that someone would eventually come for him. At this point, that sounded like the best idea he’d ever had.

Hands shaking, he took off his shirt and tore a strip off the bottom with a great deal of difficulty before putting it back on. He was cold, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the building or the blood loss. Carefully, he wrapped up his leg, trying to make it as tight as he could, though he was doing so over a pair of jeans that were getting to be more blood than jeans. At this point, it would have to do.

Reginald is trying to get me healthy enough to write this climax.

I’m feeling a little better today on the writing front, but that might just be the glow of almost being at the climax. It’s kidnapping time, where my main character gets dragged along, unable to escape and forced to suffer his captor’s delusions until eventually they sacrifice him to what is essentially a trash compactor. FINALLY.

Word Count: 59167

“Heads up,” Max said loudly, feeling that the two of them were about to appear. Luke was behind Jaime a moment later, stealing a slice of apple and breaking it into smaller pieces before popping it in his mouth. Willow was by Ally, though only for a moment before popping back over to where Luke was to smack him upside the head. It was more playful than serious, though she looked and felt a little tense. He offered her the remaining half and he caught some of their exchange.

Eat, he insisted. You’ll need your strength.

I am going to throw up already, she said, though her face belied none of it. Let’s just let them know and get out of here. I’ll eat when we get through the gate.

I wonder if they have apples on the other side of the gate.

Willow didn’t reply, instead turning to Ally and starting to sign a message that Ally was quick to relay to everyone else. “They’re going to head out now. They just wanted to see how we’re doing to prepare. Try to get an early dinner today since they should only be a couple hours. Harrison is supposed to go check in a couple hours like we agreed last night to make everything is going okay and they don’t need us for backup. They’re going to head out now and – wait, really?”

“Wait really what?” Ted asked, though Max already knew and was trying to slowly back away.

“They’re taking Max with them,” she said, looking over to Max.

Max was trying very hard to continue to back away from the room but had been stopped at the door and was now unable to move. It was less his own muscles failing him and more that something was keeping him still. Luke and Willow were beside him a moment later and it was very clear what had done it. He looked up, panicked at Harrison, wanting to cry out for him to help him, but he couldn’t move his mouth and, a moment later, he was surrounded by trees.

Reginald is starting to catch my cold. Poor thing.

I am still feeling like crap. Not worse, but certainly no better. And I’m still having trouble focusing on just about everything, so that doesn’t help at all either. Apparently I stayed healthy precisely to 50K and my health has decided now is a good time to deteriorate.

Word Count: 56146

“Just don’t start….” Max could feel something coming, his eyes trailing to a spot over Ted’s right shoulder.

Ted looked back in time to duck a kick from Willow, who decided to follow it up. Ted was prepared enough to draw some water out of the bottle at his side, and bringing it up, freezing it to ice to block the next hit and flinging it at Willow’s head. She ducked it and started to move back into a fighting stance when the block of ice looped back around and struck her hard in the back of the head.