This post is going up late for several reasons. Stuff and things, people, stuff and things. And so many words.

In any event, it’s going up now, and this week’s update will go up later this evening, once I hit my word goal for the week.

November 1

Opening day of NaNoWriMo was crazy busy, so I did a bit of writing right after midnight. Not much, just a bit. I needed sleep not only to formulate the crazy dreams, but also because my brother and sister-in-law were doing C4 Saturday and Sunday, along with Rhia and a friend of my brother’s. C4 is Central Canada Comic Con for those that don’t follow the nerdy-herd.

(PS – I am a pseudo-member of said herd, because I fan-grrl gush every time they all come back and tell me who was there, and stuff. AND Rhia brought back a personalized/signed photo of Adrian Paul for me this year! Rawwr!)

Saturday, I didn’t get any writing in until Bumpty (my niece) had finally fallen asleep. Mostly I made sure that the opening aligned with what I’d planned out in the loose outline I’d set up. A nice foundation, so to speak, since Jack and Shay can be shaky sometimes. Enough words were done to meet that day’s quota, so that was good.

Sunday I got words in when I could. Here and there, dribs and drabs. Good stuff, I think. Anyway, by Sunday night I had: 3488.

And an excerpt, below. Bonus points for you if you ignore spelling/grammar/extremely cliche lines. For now. <|;^) Excerpt:

Jack always drove at night to avoid the heat. The ’72 Malibu wasn’t air conditioned and he preferred not to drive with the windows open. The broken yellow line flashed rhythmically as the lights hit them, bordered on each side by pale gray asphalt and the occasional chunk of road kill.

He hadn’t seen another vehicle in four hours, hadn’t seen a gas station in three and according to the map, he wouldn’t see one for another three. How anyone could get themselves into trouble this far out in the middle of nowhere, he did not understand; it was outside of his own reasoning. But, he’d go anywhere and do whatever it took, so long as the karmic debt he’d shoulder would take him one step closer to release from his own living hell.

Two hundred years ago, Jack wouldn’t have responded to the call. He’d have passed on it and let one of the other Dhrmin-Grigori take it on. Now he was practically the last of them, most of the others had finally earned their rest. He hadn’t seen any of them in fifty years or more. He’d only spoken to Healy a handful of times in the last decade.

The car sputtered and died. Jack eased it to the side of the road, cursing his lack of forbearance in the past for the umpteenth time. He pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the door to get out, silently thankful he’d filled the portable gas tank at the last stop. Being nearly mortal was beyond an annoyance, it was sheer drudgery. Mortality was looking better and better every day. Or night.

Before refuelling, he took a break to indulge in one of his last remaining human vices, and as he lit the cigarette, his eyes scanned the area for any signs of life. Nothing but scrub bush and long grass, and that seemed to go on forever, right to the horizon. There didn’t even seem to be any wildlife, at least alive. Just road, road kill, scrub brush and sky.

Jack tossed the butt to the road, grinding it onto the asphalt with the heel of his boot. He was not going to add brush fire to his karmic load. Not this late in the game, anyway. He unlocked the trunk, pulled out the porta-tank and began fiddling with the temperamental gas cap on the Malibu. After several twists and pulls, it finally came loose and he emptied the porta-tank into the car.

Ten minutes later, he was five miles away, the gloom he felt earlier beginning to lift. He knew he had little time left to balance his scales, but felt this one was going to make his heart weigh a lot less. Ammet would have to wait for her next meal.

‘I have given each of you a thousand lifetimes in which to repay what you have stolen from these poor mnemnai. You have fought in my name and in my name you had a moment of weakness. You are granted respite. Go now and wash the blood of the innocents from your bodies.’

Anubis’ words echoed through Jack’s memories; his patron standing before Ma’at’s scales at the trial. Jack – Amnu as he was known then – turned and marched out of the hall along with forty-nine others. They had battled a war and been overcome by a weakness; a weakness they couldn’t recall when asked to explain, but one they knew they could not excuse. Each and every one was put to death, only to be released by Anubis himself. Fifty men to take the karma of fifty-thousand souls. Those souls then to be granted space in the Duat with balanced scales, no matter their crimes.

With each karmic debt repaid, Jack felt cleaner, more whole. When another descendant required his services, he answered the call. Not always, but often. He’d learned early on that if he avoided the call, ignored it, one of the others would take it more than willingly. He coasted on their lives as long as he could, then found other ways to deal with his curse. He made friends, had lovers. Life was beautiful.

This time the call had come over and over again, repeating constantly until he responded; packing up, hitting the road, and leaving Shay behind to fend for herself. Now, driving down the darkened, abandoned road to his own personal hell, he felt a little freer than usual. A little more relaxed. A little more…

The cell phone chirped on the seat beside him. His momentary happiness was immediately overshadowed by a feeling he wouldn’t be able to shake for some time. He grabbed the phone, flipping it open and without even reading the name on the screen, he spoke. “What is it this time, Serena?”

“Ms. McClane, if you please, Mr. Dawes. How do you always know it’s me? Do you have call display?”

“No, Serena, I don’t. Your personality comes through on the very first ring and makes my skin crawl. What do you want?”

’til later…
<3 JL