Sunrise to Sunset

Chapter 6: Help!

Fairy tales always seem to follow the same pattern, and I find it frustrating. The time limits they impose on characters are often arbitrary and make no sense. It's always something random like "when the clock strikes at midnight" or "when the rooster crows" Why couldn't they use something practical like a clock? But alas, my luck seems to have landed me with a time limit of the setting sun.

Screw the rules
Screw fairytales
Screw Donovan
Most importantly screw sunsets

I refuse to let that dictate Nancy's fate. I won't let the sunset take her away from me, not when I've just gotten her back. So, I've come up with a daring plan to keep her alive. Rashness has always been a flaw of mine, a consequence of my genius mind, but this time, it might work in my favor.

I push the gas pedal to the floor, driving at an insane speed of 200 mph on the highway. Nancy's condition is deteriorating, and I'm growing increasingly concerned. After 15 intense minutes of driving, I arrive at my father's house. But my intention is not to seek his help. No, screw that guy. Instead, I drive through his front yard, evading the guards who start shooting spells at us.

Reaching the backyard, I head straight for his helipad, where his self-driving helicopter is kept. The security continues their assault, damaging my car, but it holds up long enough for us to reach the helicopter. I hastily load Nancy and myself on board, shouting at it to "Fly north at full speed!" Without hesitation, the chopper lifts off the ground and takes us away.

After 10 minutes of flying, Nancy's glowing subsides, and she appears to be at peace. She sleeps peacefully in her seat, while I assure myself that she's still alive. I return to my seat, allowing myself to relax for a moment. The relief of knowing Nancy is safe washes over me, releasing the tension I've been holding onto.

We continue flying for about 10 hours, ending up somewhere in Asia, where the day has just begun. With approximately 14 hours until the next sunset, we have bought ourselves some time. I wake Nancy from her nap, and she's startled, understandably confused about our location. Lying to my wife, something I rarely do, suddenly feels effortless.

I explain that to her that I'm a wanted man by an evil group called the Nocturnals because I owe them a lot of money, they decided to show up to our house and we had a little tussle she was unconscious but thanks to me and a little help from Donovan we managed to escape to my fathers house, where I borrowed a helicopter and flown us to Asia because it should be safe from the Nocturnals.
But now we need to find Joffrey one of the higher ups because he can make them stop coming after me.
It's also important that we always move during the day because the Nocturnals would never be caught attacking somebody in broad daylight.

To my surprise, Nancy believes my fabricated story, although she's far from pleased. She unleashes her anger, hurling insults at me, but even in her rage, she remains supportive and agrees that we need to find Joffrey and resolve this situation. While not everything I told her was a complete lie, we do have two objectives: we need to constantly move during the day to avoid the sunset's effect and find a solution for Nancy's condition through Joffrey.

After our discussion, we leave the stolen helicopter behind and make our way into town. As we exit the helicopter, it takes off, likely summoned back by my father. It's of little concern, as I'm confident we can find alternative transportation. We walk a few blocks and secure a hotel room to regroup and plan our next move. Nancy heads straight for the shower, understandable she has not taken one in two years, while I turn on the TV, half-expecting to see a "missing persons report" about my sudden disappearance.

To my surprise, the news announces the downfall of the Starlight Company, revealing crucial information that led to the arrest warrant for the CEO. I have officially failed the to kill my father who managed to release this information. I'm too late. The Nocturnals will undoubtedly come after me now. And to make matters worse, Nancy will also be a target.

My heart stops as fear takes hold. I've failed to fulfill my end of the bargain, and the Nocturnals will stop at nothing to hunt us down.