As soon as school let out, Derrick drove out to the cabin, driving a little too fast even once he got on the barely plowed roads. Once he unlocked the door, he made a beeline for Bob’s room. The old man let out a surprised huh as Derrick made straight for the stack of paper. He turned it over to read the first page.

In front of me squats the typewriter. The empty page stares at me, unblinking. I need a shower.

Derrick looked up. “What is this crap?”

Bob pushed the OFF button and the treadmill slowed to a stop. Now the room was silent except for the sound of his breathing. He looked sweaty. And he smelled.

And this was the guy Derrick used to venerate?

“You can’t expect me to just start pounding out a story,” Bob said. “I’m trying to write my way to it.”

Anger bloomed hot in Derrick’s chest. “I’ve given you everything you said you needed to write. And I warned you about the consequences. But instead of writing, you’re typing your stupid, ordinary, boring thoughts no one cares about.”

“I gave you guys the money. Just let me go.”

“Not until Eyes of the Forest is done.”

Bob made a scoffing noise. “All this so you can read some book?”

Derrick gritted his teeth. Why had the muse chosen such an imperfect vessel? Bob didn’t even respect his own creation. “First of all, it’s not just some book,” he said with every ounce of patience he could muster. “And second of all, don’t you get it? It’s not just about me being able to read it. You had your plan. We had ours. In some ways, they’re the exact same plan.”

The old man tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You want to finish your book. We want the same thing. And then we’ll sell it.”

“My publisher already paid for half of it.” Bob brightened. “But if you let me go, I’ll give you the other half.”

“No.” Derrick tapped his chest. “We’re going to sell it. Ourselves.”

“But that’s what my publisher does. I don’t think they’ll look too kindly on anyone trying to make an end run around them.”

“Not in bookstores. On the dark web.”

Bob went silent. It was a good feeling, making him shut up. He closed his eyes, exhaled through his nose, opened them again. “You’re not serious.”

“There are a lot of people who would give anything to read Eyes of the Forest. Pay almost anything.”

“Once I finish, the series is over. I’m not sure my readers really want that.”

Derrick heard the hidden truth. “You mean you don’t want that. But your readers? They want answers. One of the most popular threads on Reddit is just people speculating about the ending.”