NaNoWriMo (Day 9 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (47,126 words left)

It's my day off and it's raining! I guess it's better than snow. So, I've been lazing around, writing a bit, just enjoying my pajamas, blankets, and pillows. Here's what I have so far for NaNoWriMo today...

Strangers in the Dark (Chapter One continued)

The air filled with the roar of men, women, and children. An organized mob formed around us, people dressed almost entirely in black with a single red band tied around their right arm, yelling war cries of a new order. The moment froze as realization hit me. These were the Recruiters. They were not a gang. They were an army.

Then, the moment was over, and reality sunk in as the deafening sounds of expelled bullets hitting concrete consumed my senses. Everyone in line scattered as the Recruiters invaded, firing at the barricade. People just like us tugged on their loved ones by their finger tips, more concerned about each other than the bags they dragged behind them. They were running in every direction, some still trying to force their way through the barricade, bumping into the Recruiters, only to be shot, attacking the police, only to be pushed down by tall bulletproof shields. Frantic, I clasped onto my mom and dragged her behind some wooden fencing. Peering through the cracks, I tried to find Dad and Jensen. I found them running for cover on the opposite side of the highway. Dad had lifted Jensen over his shoulder. I worried, thinking he was hurt. Even at eleven years old he was still so small and fragile. Dad sat him down next to him when they situated themselves in an alleyway, behind a dumpster. Both appeared to be unscathed, and even in the slew of chaos, I relaxed, feeling like we were safe.

A kind of calm took place on the highway. The guns stopped firing and were replaced by the tinkling of pins and rings falling from the hands of the Recruiters then hitting the ground below. (287 words)

I'm close to finishing chapter one! I hope to get it done today!

NaNoWriMo (Day 8 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (47,413 words left)

Today was a good day for my career. I volunteered for the chamber, went to the member's meeting for my internship and gave a presentation on my progress with their new web site, then headed off to the business expo to volunteer a bit more and network. I handed out a few resumes and got some great reception and good feedback. A very productive day in which I was able to come home and wrap it all up with a bit of writing! The work day may end, but NaNoWriMo isn't up for another 22 days!

Strangers in the Dark (Chapter One continued...Almost done!)

The line was moving painstakingly slow and I noticed more than one family being showed to the side, forced to turn around or provide further papers, especially when there were children involved, seemed the police were concerned with adults taking kids that were not their own, but I had no clue why. Jensen and I eventually grew tired and sat down on a curb nearby while Mom and Dad stayed in line, striking up different conversations with the people around them.

“This your first time in line?” A man asked Dad.

“Yeah, why?”

“This is our second.” The man pointed out his wife and young child just a few feet away from him. “The first time all we had was our licenses and our son’s birth certificate. The police wouldn’t let us take him with us, claiming we had no way to really prove he was our son. Like I’d be trying to steal kids when I can barely feed my one boy as it is. Anyway, now we’re back with pictures of him growing up, hoping that will be enough. Those your kids?” He pointed to Jensen and me.

“Yeah, Talis has her driver’s license and we have Jensen’s school ID and birth certificate.”

“You should be fine then. The police like picture IDs.”

Mom joined them. “You’re the second person I’ve talked to that has had to return with further proof for their children. What’s going on?”

“It’s the Recruiters, a gang that’s forming strong in the center of the city. There have been more than a few break-ins in this neighborhood alone. They’re collecting massive resources, food, water, lights, even cars and gasoline, but their greatest resource is children. They’re recruiting them to build their numbers. I’m surprised you haven’t heard yet, considering you have two children to watch over.”

Mom looked over at us with a sickly green face, like she was going to be sick.

“We heard about the gangs,” Dad explained, “and our house was broken into last night, our bags and car stolen. That’s why we’re leaving. I never imagined the children would be in this kind of danger.”

“Well, good luck to the both of you and your children. Hopefully, I’ll see you on the other side,” the man quipped.

As the line started moving a bit quicker, Jensen and I rejoined Mom and Dad. We were less than a block away from the barricade when the screaming began. (407 words)

I have the day off tomorrow so I'm looking forward to some relaxing and writing!

"In Time" Movie Review

Well, It's looking like I won't get the chance to post more of my story for NaNoWriMo, but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging about the movie I saw tonight. It was called In Time and starred quite the slew of actors, such as Justin Timberlake, Amada Seyfried, and Cillian Murphy. Even Johnny Galecki from Big Bang Theory had a pretty decent part as Timberlake's best friend, and if you are paying close enough attention, you might even notice Ethan Peck, Gregory Peck's grandson, from the cancelled 10 Things I Hate About You a few times playing Seyfried's body guard.

Anyway, a quick summary of the movie, without giving too much away... The movie takes place in the future where everyone who reaches the age of twenty-five stops aging and begins to live by a clock that ticks down on their arm. Time becomes the currency of this world. A cup of coffee costs four minutes of you life, a hotel room cost two months a night, and a fancy sports car costs fifty-nine years. The poor live day by day or hour by hour, but the rich can live forever. Some people are born into time, others work for it, and a few steal it.

It really is a fascinating concept!!! I thought of a vaguely similar idea for a book once, at least where time was currency. I think it's a very solid basis for plot. The movie used it quite well. I think towards the end, when the main characters (Timberlake and Seyfried) try to fight the system, a little explanation of exactly what the effects of their actions were, was a lost, but hey, I enjoyed it none the less, and this new world was built so well, you can overlook parts where the movie lacked.

All together, if you love futuristic movies with a reinvented social system, you're going to enjoy this movie.

Anyone else seen the movie? What did you think?
Anyone planning on see it?

NaNoWriMo (Day 7 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (??? words left)

Well, my day has been cut short. I had a lot more work to do for the Chamber and my internship than I thought, so this is all I was able to accomplish before taking off. I am going to a private pillates session that I won (Yippee!) and then I am going to see a movie with my cousin! Perhaps, I will get home a bit early and add more, plus tell you about the movie my cousin and I are going to see. We haven't quite made up our minds yet so I have nothing to say. But here is more of Strangers in the Dark...

Strangers in the Dark (Chapter One continued)

A single warning shot silenced everyone within a half mile radius. One man began to speak, his voice reaching us before he even came into view. “Please, everyone, stay calm. Form a single file line. Have your identifications with picture ID ready. All children also must be identified before leaving the city.”

“Dad?” He answered me before I could say anymore.

“I have everything we need in the spare pack. Do you have your driver’s license on you like I asked?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’ll be fine then.”

“Why was there a shot?” Jensen asked, but Mom silenced as we turned the corner onto the main highway.

Everything came into view: a single file line, stretching more than three blocks, a row of six or seven police cars, sawhorses lined with barbed wire, more than a dozen cops and even more army soldiers, and a single uniformed man standing on police car with a megaphone, directing the crowds to the line. Dad, Mom, Jensen, and I all stepped into form. (169 words)

If you haven't noticed...There is a poor poll at the bottom of my page.

If you haven't noticed there is a poor, pathetic poll at the bottom of my page that has just been sitting there dormant for about five months now. Initially, I didn't get a lot of replies and then, when the poll closed, I never got around to making the pie chart and posting about it. So, I've reopened it until December 1, 2011. Why keep gilding the lily? Well, part of the reason is NaNoWriMo. With that going on, it's basically taking up all my posting and a lot of my spare time (which is fine with me because I love it.) But, also because I have faith that this poll will fill a little more and that pie chart will look a little prettier in December. Plus, it will give me time to think of a better poll next time around. I'd definitely like to continue doing them. So, anyway, this is the poll...

If you could be a part of a fantasy race,

which one would you be?

If you haven't already, head to the very bottom of this blog and vote! Results will go up in December.

NaNoWriMo (Day 6 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (48,001 words left after I made some minor additions to previous days)

I hope everyone remembered to set their clocks back last night, giving you a whole extra hour to write today! I had some technical difficulties at first today. I took off my space bar to clean underneath it and then just tried shoving it back on. I thought I had it snapped all back into place, but my space bar was only working about half the time and allmy wordsstarted looking likethis!!! Turns out I bent the two tiniest little hooks underneath the key, preventing my space bar from fully being pushed down. So, I got a needle and lifted the first hook back into place. Then, when getting the second hook back to normal, I snapped the needle, lodging a piece underneath one of the snappy-doohickies that holds the space bar into place. So, then I had to get that out and still reshape the second hookie-thing again. FINALLY! I got everything into place after I removed three other keys and one of the snappy-dookickies (<--What a fabulous word!!!). Suffice to say, everything was fixed and this is what I wrote before, during, and after the technical surgery I performed today...

Strangers in the Dark

(Chapter One Continued)

The basement seemed to tremble as every bump upstairs knocked dust and cobwebs from the ceiling down onto my blankets. Dad reached for one of Jensen’s little league baseball bats that had been stored on a rickety shelf. When he grabbed the bat though, a box full of mitts and balls came with it, hitting the ground, signaling the people who broke in above us. And just as Dad positioned himself at the bottom of the stairs, prepared to protect all of us from anyone who dared come down to the basement, the familiar squeaky hinges on the front door sounded and an engine roared to life.

“Stay here,” Dad commanded, already a few feet up the stairs. He returned but a moment later. “We need to repack. Find anything we can use. And pack light. We’re walking out of here now.

The burglars had taken the packed bags we left by the front door. They contained almost everything, our food, water, warm clothes, kerosene lamp. Luckily, Dad brought a backup down into the basement with us the previous night. It would be enough for all of us for a few days, but the burglars also got Dad’s car keys, making off in it while vandalizing Mom’s to the point that it was impossible to drive. It would be harder and longer to get out of town.

With the backup pack now split between Mom and Dad, and Jensen and I both carrying a flashlight and a small back pack of just a few water bottles, a bit of food, and a blanket we walked out our shattered front door, leaving everything else behind for looters and squatters alike. We were homeless now, or at least that was the feeling. We made it to the end of our front walkway, before Dad made a b-line towards our neighbor’s house just to the right of us. It belonged to an old man by the name of Mr. Scrivener. I shined my flashlight ahead of Dad. It was still too dark to see much of anything. Mr. Scrivener’s door was busted open like ours. Dad asked us to wait while he went in to check on things. A part of me was getting really tired of waiting behind. I knew Dad was just trying to be safe, but this world was crumbling. I knew he wouldn’t be able to protect us from everything.

Dad returned soon enough with another bag. All of us stared, waiting for some clue as to what he found. He looked to Mom and shook his head. “I think he tried to confront the people that broke in. They pushed him and he hit his head. He still managed to drag himself to this.” He handed to the bag to Mom, who then opened it. It was full of food and juice boxes.

Mom’s eyes began to fill with water. “What is happening? Is it really that bad that people are killing and dying for juice boxes?”

Jensen and I both moved closer to her, me grabbing her hand and Jensen clinging to her sweater. Dad kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, Honey. We have to keep moving.”

Somehow, I felt like that walk to the border of the city was symbolic of my entire life up to this point. It began at our house, the only home I have ever known and grew up in. Then, there was following my parents out of the house. I idolized them and everything they taught me: love intelligence, strength, courage, and independence. Just a few blocks down from our house I could make out my old elementary school playground through the dim. It was empty for the first time. Even in the snow, kids would still try to swing or climb the monkey bars. Jensen had graduated from the fifth grade there less than a year ago and was half way through his sixth year, but he still visited from time to time, forcing me to come with him. I was five months away from graduating from high school. I couldn’t wait either. Then, the world ended and no more school. Jensen was crushed. He loved school and had so many friends. I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get out. They idea of leaving those teachers and the people in my school behind, then heading off to college, not too far from home, but just enough, was everything. However, at that point, I was pretty much convinced that college wouldn’t be an option anymore. And, as the bullet sounds began to ring through the air, a perfect symbol of the violence of this new world, I was dragged all the way up to the present in an instant.

(791 words)

Well, regardless, it was a pretty productive day. I also made a few MINOR additions to the previous entries like mentioning that Talis and her family live in a townhouse and that Jensen has shaggy blonde hair just to let you know. Until next time! 

NaNoWriMo (Day 5 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (48,842 words left)

I'm going to post this now, just in case I don't get the chance to do it later. Today is my friend Sarah's birthday and my friend Morgan is having her first bridal fitting and I am her Maid of Honor so it is going to be another busy day. Honestly, I am getting tired of using the word "busy!" There has got to be another one I can use. Any ideas? Nevertheless, NaNoWriMo continues...

 

Strangers in the Dark (Continued)

Tomorrow came soon enough and we were almost packed. Everything was waiting by the door as we tried to get one more full night’s sleep before walking away from everything, this city, neighborhood, the only home I have ever known. It was hard choosing what to bring, and fitting our entire house into one SUV was out of the question as Dad so blatantly pointed out to Jensen. Even though he was nearly a teenager, he still came up with some pretty childish notions. Then again, he might have just been trying to be funny for the rest of our sakes.

That night, we all slept in the basement just to get away from the noises of the barricades outside so that we could all try and get one more night of decent rest. Not that we all weren’t on edge for the entire night. We were all prepared to leave at first light, but none of us were prepared for the shattering crash that echoed through our house in the dim.

I jolted up from a fuzzy sleep, my heart threatening to break out from my chest.

“What was that?” Jensen asked before he was nearly strangled by our dad’s hand covering his mouth. His other hand rose to his lips, silently telling us all to be quiet as footsteps rang throughout the length of our house.

(228 words)



See you either later tonight with more or tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo (Day 4 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (49,070 words left)

Another day, and that means more NaNoWriMo!!! Once again, I fear this is going to be another day of only a couple hundred words or so. And just when I was thinking it would be one of the biggest word count days. See, I volunteered at my local chamber today for a straight 5 hours, and usually I have quite a bit of free time while I wait for the phone to ring, plus, I didn't have any ongoing projects today. However, all the materials arived for our business expo and that meant putting together 150 exhibitor packets. So, no time to write. I did have fun though. When doing a task in which I have to do the same thing over and over again, I make a game of it, trying to find the fastest way to do something and then whipping it out. The other volunteers and I finished everything, but with little time to spare. :( Anyway, here's what I accomplished today before hitting the sack!

Strangers in the Dark (Continued...Again, still Chapter One.)



Late one afternoon, a thundering beat came stampeding down a street near our house. Jensen pulled back one of the heavy blankets we had nailed over the main floor windows to better insulate the house, and discourage neighbors from seeing any light sources we had acquired. Once the blanketed veil was lifted away from the window, that monotonous beat grew louder and louder as armored police, army cars, and mounted steeds flooded into view. They brought with them guns, barbed wire, shields, marked saw horses, anything that could be used to establish a wall or barricade.

I’m pretty sure I heard the word ‘cool’ escape Jensen’s mouth more than once.

“Come see!” He waved the rest of us to the window, interrupting Mom’s twiddling of her thumbs and the card game Dad and I had been playing for the last three days. I must admit that it was quite the sight. Within minutes, the police lined their cars perfectly diagonal to one another, creating a near impenetrable barrier all on their own as the mounted men weaved in and out, giving the grey and white camouflaged army men just enough time to place a small barricade in the intersection just down from our house. They then moved flawlessly to the next one, and the next, until they hit the main highway that left town. There, they had stationed a mix of uniformed men and women with guns and shields all facing the interior of the city.

A shiver ran up and down the entire length of my body. If only I were to walk a few blocks down the street, then their sights, their weapons, would be aimed at me, my friends, neighbors, family, and everyone else within the city.

“Why are they doing this?” I begged either one of my parents.

“I’m sure they’re just trying to be precautious,” my mom soothed.

“The last time the electricity went out like this,” Dad began, “the crime rate soared. They’re preparing for some kind of outbreak or riot. People are going to start getting desperate if the lights don’t come back on or some relief doesn’t get here soon.”

“What are we going to do?” Jensen asked, a slight wobble in his throat.

Dad wrapped his big arms around all three of us. “I don’t know about everyone else, but we’re getting out of here. Soon. Maybe even tomorrow.”

(398 words)

Yeah, I like the way this is turning out. Even though I'm not writing a ton, it's flowing for me. lol. Until tomorrow!