Chapter 25, everybody! In which we learn Maxwell's fate….The conservation of momentum you see stems from Ecfor's Don't Starve comic Blood Eagles, which I highly recommend (unless you're squeamish—which if that's the case, give it a wide berth).
Grandprincessanasatsiaromanov5, thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story! :D
Don't Starve © 2013 Klei Entertainment
Flushed Away © 2006 DreamWorks/Aardman Studios
Wilson ran to the window, saw Maxwell and the Shadow Man plummet to the landing below—vanish upon impact—
And go flying from a nearby wall down the catwalk.
"Come on!" Wilson yelped, running down the steps after brandishing the sword at WX-78—who fell back in alarm, he was pleased to note.
"But the door!" Willow called after him.
"I've got an idea!"
"Oh dear," he heard her mutter.
Maxwell managed to kick the Shadow Man off of him, giving him some chance to inhale—
A horrible, shadowy, twisted version of himself—still with aspects of Wilson evident—latched itself back on him, clawed hands around his throat. A detached aspect of him noted that the Shadow Man must have been beyond furious to look like this.
Oxygen…fading….
He managed to glimpse his cigar—
He scrabbled for it—
And stabbed the still-lit end in the Shadow Man's eye.
Maxwell sucked in air as the Shadow Man reeled back, screeching and scrabbling at its eye. Wow—it wasn't even capable of stringing two words together now.
As he managed to roll to his knees, he reflected that he finally had a good reason to keep smoking, next time Charlie asked him to quit.
The sound of claws on metal told him that the Shadow Man was recovering faster than he was. Not good.
"Hey!"
They both turned to see—
That nerd scientist, not looking so nerdy with the dark sword held over his head and a determined look on his face.
"Remember me?" he asked tersely.
Maxwell made a mental note to tell the kid to get some better material if they survived.
The slow hiss that the Shadow Man elicited told Maxwell that it had regained enough of its senses to be dangerous again.
"I will destroy you," it said in a gravelly voice.