Demonic Investigator - One Last Good Day (NaNoWriMo Update #2)

[Posted by Ted H]

My NaNoWriMo this year has been an absolute rollercoaster. One day I'm doing fine, then the next work/life drops the hammer on me and I'm falling behind the pace, then the next day I'm busting ass to catch up only to start the insanity anew the next day. At least I've managed to catch up as of this update, and am now building myself a nice little buffer for down the road.

Currently, and my egos desire to be a snooty writer is very much sated by this fact, I am kicking back at my regions NoNoWriMo planned write-in event. I don't know if it's the environment, or the fact that it would be taboo to alt-tab my way into porn out here in public, but I've been busting out words by the thousands today. Go me!

...and what better way to complete this writers illusion than to update this site while chilling in a NaNoWriMo event!

Current status of my 2013 NaNoWriMo: 16,080 / 50,000 (33,920 words to go!)
Current pace has me writing my 50,000th word on: November 28th

Keep pace with or join me!

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[Demonic Investigator - One Last Good Day]

            The drive out to Chicago was surprisingly pleasant. James and John took turns filling in details to their lives after college. The mood was good, the sun shining and the traffic light. One would be hard pressed to guess that the two haven't seen or spoken to each other in years, or that John had been obsessed with the death in his family.
            "So how come you never made anything of yourself?" John asked.
            "Tough to land a good job when you get kicked out of Cazenovia and labeled a psycho by the institution on the way. I make my own way."
            "How many part time retail jobs did you run through again?"
            "Means to an end," James said as he rolled down his window and lit a cigarette.
            "I heard you make most of your money betting on sporting events."
            "Who told you that?"
            "People. It wasn't easy tracking down where you ended up last night. I asked around."
            "I'm sure most of the people I think you talked to would love the fact that a cop was asking about me."
            "None of them were surprised."
            "Ha..." James blew smoke out the window "Well, yeah, I made a bit by analyzing certain teams and accurately figuring how they'd play their next game. Kind of easy at first now that I look back."
            "Most people just watch Sportscenter."
            "HA! They'd have you believe any team from Boston is invincible, and any Eastern Conference representative not named Los Angeles will always win out."
            "What if it's LA versus Boston?"
            "They're based in New England, ESPN, who do you think they'll say should win?"
            "So if it was so easy? Why do you seem so poor?"
            "For the most part, it is easy. It also requires the sports being played to be played clean. Refs make bad calls, players get away with cheating. And let's not forget choking and general boneheaded ineptitude. That "Fail Mary" game cost me a fortune."
            "You hard up on cash often?"
            "...Not ALL the time. But when I am I usually find creative and effective ways to stay out of the wrong peoples sight until I can make some scratch back."
            "You usually end up behind bars when you try things like that?"
            "What you saw? Well...not very creative, but it kept me far from Sully and his boys. Next time I see him, I should defiantly have his money."
            John smirked and shook his head, but said nothing. James glanced out the window as he continued to smoke, the sun was now being shielded behind a cloud as it began to set. They passed a road sign that said Chicago on it followed by a number low enough to indicate they were approaching it soon, but high enough to keep them from getting their hopes up right away. John pursed his lips and remained fixated on the road.
            James finished off his cigarette and rolled up his window. "Wake me when we're there," he said as he reclined his seat back and positioned himself on his side to look out the window. It had been forever since his last coffee and odds were John wasn't going to pull over so James could pick up a 40. Instead the only thing to do was to sleep. James wanted to get started the second they get to Chicago, so now was a good a time as any to catch some sleep, maybe even come up with a plan as to catch this killer.
            James snuck another look back at John, whose expression had only seemed to have gotten more grim, as if the closer they got to Chicago, the more that the feelings of loss and dread returned to him. The loss of a sister, the ineptitude of those around him while the one responsible ran free and continued to kill, it all was slowly washing back over John like the darkness creeping over the sky.
            James looked back out at the world passing by in the window. This situation was weighting down on John, and he was desperately counting on James to help him out on this. James only hoped that this little amateur detective task he was about to embark on wouldn't end up doing more harm than good.