100 Words a Day 677

I was dozing when I heard a worrying creak. I looked over at the window in time to see my window unit slip out of place. The predictable crash was heavy and final. I stuck my head into the oppressive heat and looked down at my air conditioner. Broken pieces were scattered about and the housing was bent. Basically, it was unsalvageable. Next to the air conditioner was my neighbor. Oops.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He gave me a dirty look and the finger before continuing on his way. I swore, sure he was going to tell the super.

100 Words a Day 676

He peeked around the door frame. They were still following him. The men had stopped at the hallway intersection and were listening, trying to determine which way he had gone. He pulled his head back and looked around the room, assuming he had at least a few minutes before they started moving his way. As he searched for anything that might be useful, he could hear footsteps echoing down the corridor. It sounded like they were getting farther away.

There was a window that looked like it could be forced. He didn’t have a crowbar, so searched for a substitute.

100 Words a Day 675

She stepped over the groaning man without giving him another thought. He lay on the ground clutching his arm as she examined her reflection in the glass of a store window before resuming walking. She checked her watch and started walking faster, the sounds of pain growing muted behind her. She felt a bit bad about breaking his wrist and his elbow; they probably wouldn’t heal quite right. But that’s what you get for trying to rob someone dressed to the nines on their way to a hot date.

She was already sitting down to dinner when the ambulance arrived.

100 Words a Day 674

I hit the snooze button. When it went off again, I actually checked the time. No way I was making it to work on time, or at all really. I untangled myself from my blankets and found my phone. After firing a shaky email to my boss, I crawled back into bed and wrapped myself in the covers.

A moment later I realized I had no water. Silently kicking myself, I began to muster up the gumption to walk to the kitchen for something to drink. As I did so, I made a list of things to do while up.

100 Words a Day 673

He was heedless of the cuts on his palms as he scrambled through the darkness, trying to get away from whatever had tackled him.

Why the hell did I think taking a glass lamp was a good idea? He thought.

He felt something clamp down on his foot and pain shot through his leg. Apparently whatever attacked him had a mouth.

He cried out and tried to turn over while reaching for a dagger he kept in a thigh sheathe.

The beast was shaking his leg, making it difficult to grab the knife and the pain was making hazy.

100 Words a Day 672

The setting sun cast long shadows across the floor of the crumbling temple. And they seemed to flit about. Undeterred, M’dir knelt before the decrepit altar and waited. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, a chorus of whispers rang out through the one room structure.

“I can give you what you want,” a voice whispered in his ear.

“How do you know what I want?”

The voice hissed an answer: “You want power. Yes? I can give this to you. Just give me what I ask for.”

“What do you want?”

“Such a small price to pay.”

100 Words a Day 671

The gate leading underground was flanked by two squat towers manned by numerous duergar in heavy, steel armor. There was a symbol Rahad didn’t recognize painted on the chest plate. While traveling, his guide had mentioned that the symbols could be seen in the pitch black of the tunnels below by those possessing darkvision.

The duergar eyed Rahad and his guide as they approached and one came forward to meet them. He was darker in color than his fellows and carried an ax made of a metal containing whorls that seemed to swirl around the blade.

“State your business, uplander.”