Nanowrimo 2020 Day 11 - Word Count and Favorite Bit (Patreon)

Today I added 2074 words to Match.God, making my current total word count 25,136.

Death’s domain situated itself on a large hill in a heavily forested area just outside of Duxbury, Massachusetts. It seemed like an odd place to live, until Hannah noticed that she had an excellent view of a very old looking cemetery from about halfway up the hill.

Odd, she thought. Hadn’t they passed that cemetery a few miles back on their drive in? She shouldn’t be able to see it from Death’s front door. Must be more of that strange divine magic or whatever.

The house was made of a white brick, the stark color standing out dramatically against the dark greens and browns of the surrounding woods. It appeared almost perfectly symmetrical, a common feature in colonial-style houses.

“Seems like a lot of house for one person,” Hannah murmured, thinking out loud as Death unlocked the front door.

“At times, it is,” Death admitted. “But if I did not have this much room, I could not hide from my siblings when they come to visit.”

“Do they visit often?” Hannah asked, stepping into the dark grand entrance.

“They did,” Death said, flipping on the light. “But not so much anymore.”

Were Hannah like her mother, she might have said some kind of platitude like ‘oh, that’s a shame.’ But Death did mention hiding from his siblings, so he probably didn’t mind that they didn’t visit much. Instead, she focused on her surroundings. The floors were a dark and well-polished hardwood, the walls neutral greys. The kitchen was large, filled with top-end appliances, but empty of anything to eat. The living room was furnished with a plush, comfortable couch and love seat, both tastefully accented with blankets that added a pop of color to the room.

“We should decide which room is yours,” Death suggested, though he seemed perfectly content to just let Hannah explore the house.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Hannah agreed, picking her suitcases back up. She could explore later.

Death led her up the stairs just to the right of the entrance, brining her up to the second floor. It was a simple, long hallway with multiple doors and another set of stairs on the far side.

“Which room is yours?” Hanna asked. “I mean. I assume you have a bedroom. For all I know you might not even sleep. Do you sleep?”

“I do sleep, though not as often as you mortals do,” Death said. “I do not need the same amount of rest, and it does not necessarily have to come in the form of sleep.”

“But, if you had a partner who slept, would you sleep with them?” Hannah pressed, curiosity getting the better of her.

Death pondered the question for a moment. “Possibly. Would you like me to sleep with you, now that we are home? My room is just down there, by the stairs, if you wish to put your things –”

“No!” Hannah exclaimed, heat rushing to her cheeks at the very idea. Death’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden rejection, before his expression shifted into something akin to disappointment.

“Not yet, at least,” Hannah said more quietly. Normally she wouldn’t bother to soften the blow of rejection, but she genuinely felt bad for reacting so extremely to the idea of sleeping with Death. And doing so twice, no less. “We only just met after all.”

“Ah, yes,” Death said, understanding creeping into his tone of voice. “You are not like Miss Vanessa.”

Hannah smiled, relieved that he remembered what she’d said earlier. “That’s right.”

“Shall we find you a different room, then?” Death asked, and Hannah was thankful for the change of subject.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Let’s!”