Enter the Shadows: Book One of the RTS Series (First Full Draft)

Chapter Seventeen

Robin

The walk to Leala's house was quiet. Robin didn't want to leave her alone, so he decided to walk her home. All the while, Leala said very little, and a constant feeling of gloom and despair hung in the air like a thick fog.

He walked her to the front door of the house once they arrived. Leala had picked up her keys and checked the door. It was unlocked, so she went inside. They didn't even say goodbye.

Robin sighed and started walking back to his own house. He figured it'd be a good idea to check on her in the morning and make sure she was okay.

As soon as Robin reached the front porch, he heard Mike's car coming up the road. He hurried inside and did his best to make it not look like he just got back from breaking into an abandoned church and getting into a fight. Mike walked into the house just as Robin threw on a clean shirt and made his way out of his room.

"You ready to go?" Mike called out, saying nothing about whether or not he saw him run inside from a few blocks down.

Robin came out of his room and headed downstairs. "Yeah, let's go."

Mike looked at him for a moment and Robin felt nervous.

"Did you change your shirt?"

"I just wanted to wear a different shirt," Robin said, which wasn't untrue. "I should probably do some laundry after we get back."

Mike nodded. "Not a bad idea." They stepped outside and got in the car. Robin found himself unable to talk the whole way to the restaurant, the scene from Adam's Church still replaying in his mind.

And it was something Mike picked up on. "Hey, you look pretty down. You doing okay?"

"Y-Yeah... just a rough day is all..."

Mike frowned.

"It's not that I'm not looking forward to having dinner with you, because I am." Robin tried to smile a little. "It's just been a long day."

"I understand that," Mike said, not pushing the topic too much further. They pulled up to the restaurant, a bit faster than Robin had expected to. They both got out of the car, and it was good to see it was quiet for the evening.

Dinner was a bit of a blur. Robin enjoyed the pizza they ordered and worked with Mike to solve a crossword puzzle in the newspaper, which was all actually fun, but he found himself stuck on the fight in the church. It helped that they were on the opposite side of town, though, so he was less tempted to look out the window for it.

And while he was certain that Demarcus wouldn't show up, he still worried that at any moment the half demon may come crashing through the window.

Mike had ordered one bottle of beer, but said he'd save it for after they got home, so it just sat untouched throughout their dinner. And throughout their time, Mike tried to hold a conversation with Robin, who the whole time barely had touched his food.

"Anyway, we're getting closer to the end of summer, so you know what's coming up in September."

Robin looked back to Mike. "You mean your annual trip to Egypt?"

"Yes, and this is going to be the first time you'll be left home completely alone." Mike made a worried face. "I could just not go this time."

"N-No, you can. I'll be fine." Robin insisted.

"Are you sure? I know you're used to being on your own, but I'm going to be gone for at least a week. I mean, before you had Mindy and you two took care of the house perfectly fine, but you're going to be alone for almost a week. I mean, you know how to cook for yourself and the police station isn't far from the house, but still... are you sure you're okay with me leaving you alone for that long? "