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English
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Part 14 of POI Drabblefics , Part 3 of Creepyfest 2021
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Published:
2021-10-31
Words:
200
Chapters:
1/1
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8
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33
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2
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385

Not Exactly Lying

Summary:

Harold's trapped, and trying to persuade John to leave.

Notes:

Well, at least I managed some little thing before the end of the month. This month has been a bear (and not even the good kind of Bear). This piece goes out to two good friends, both of whom enjoy a darker, angstier vibe. Enjoy!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Reese,” Harold chided across the earpiece. “Getting to me safely will take far too long; Miss Shaw needs your immediate assistance.”

The muffled bangs and crunches continued, as John fought to move the rubble that had separated them. “I’m not leaving you in there, Finch—”

“Nor would I expect you to,” Harold returned with clear exasperation. “With Miss Shaw’s help, it should be easier to clear the area and get me out.”

“And let you suffocate in the meantime?”

“I’ve more than enough air. Believe me, John, it’s better if you go help her first.”

John might have argued more, but a pair of distant gunshots decided the matter. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised.

“Don’t worry,” Harold said dryly, “I’m not going anywhere.”

As John’s footsteps finally receded, a fond smile crossed Harold’s face. Shaw would be there for John when they realized the truth, when John got frantic in his attempt to deny it; she could make sure he didn’t follow Harold too soon.

It was almost peaceful, going this way. Progressively colder and numb, yes, but the piece of rebar that had pierced and pinned him didn’t even hurt.

Notes:

This fills a couple of Whumptober prompts: Major Character Death, Trapped, Stabbed/Bleeding, Helpless/Numb.

I had tried to make it be part of a sinking ship, but that didn't work out. If it had, I would've snagged "You will go down with this ship" along with "trapped under water" and "drowning" like I'd planned; ah well. If anyone cares to make that version, I'd love to read it!

Okay, it's obvious that I didn't get any of the updates done that I'd intended to post this Creepyfest. What's annoying me most is that, unlike a lot of the time, I actually had really good notes about where I wanted each of the pieces to go -- I wasn't running blind, I knew the path to tread, I just was fundamentally incapable of managing it this month.

At some point I thought I might just need to switch focus, so I tried to put together some little pieces for Whumptober and Angstober prompts, but even that wouldn't work; this is the most I was able to piece together over that idea.

My brain clearly needs a full break, so I'll be taking at least the next two weeks off. But I'm considering whether to take off the full of November as planned, or to try to repurpose the second half as Belated Creepyfest. I seriously want to get Unseen Things updated before the end of the year (I have about a third of a chapter written, and a clear view of where I want to go with the piece). Guess we'll see if anything comes of that.

Hope y'all had a good October, and by the way, if any of you feel like putting together something for the July Prompt, I'll accept fills up to a week late. (Fringuello's the only one I'm aware of who made a fill this year.)

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