Out of the Darkness

196

I was pretty sure that I would be going into a dark, secret room, so I would need that. Both Sam and Anna continued to sleep peacefully, by the time I was ready to go. I took one last look at the best friend I had ever had, and the girl that I was in love with. I silently bid them goodbye, and eased open the room door. No matter how quietly I tried to close it behind me, there was still that loud click that seemed to echo around the entire floor. "Shit," I whispered, hoping that they stayed asleep. I made my way down to the lobby and stopped by the bathroom. I hadn't wanted to chance using it in the room, in case I woke one of them up. It was so dead quiet at this time, it was creepy. I went into a stall and started to do my business, when I heard the main door creak open. "Colby, you in here?" I heard Sam whisper. For some reason, I held my breath, thinking that would help. "I can see your shoes, Asshole," he said, after a minute. I released my breath, and looked to the ceiling. "Yea," I called out. "You're trying to sneak off to that apartment, aren't you?" I zipped my pants, and walked out to face him. "Maybe. Sam, you don't need to be involved in this. You were right. It's too dangerous. You have so many people who love you and need you. This isn't your fight, brother." He sighed and shook his head. "After all this time, you still don't understand! If it's your fight, it's my fight. Now shut up, wash your hands, and let's get this show on the road." I laughed a little, and didn't bother trying to convince him to stay. There was no point. I knew that I would do the same for him, if our situations were reversed. "Thanks, man," I replied. I followed him out of the bathroom, and he stopped in his tracks. "Wait," he said, holding up his hand. "I need to change. Give me your keys." "Huh?" I asked, confused. "I need to go back to the room and change clothes. Either come with me, or give me your keys. I don't trust you not to leave without me." "Oh, come on," I sighed, digging in my pocket for my keyring. "I'm not gonna leave." I hadn't thought about it, but he was probably right. That did sound like something that I would do. I passed him my keys, and he took them with a grin on his face. "I'll meet you outside. I won't be long," he said, then turned and walked back to the elevators. I walked outside, and took a deep breath of the night air. The sun wasn't up yet, but the city was still alive with lights and traffic. I leaned back against the hotel wall, and thought about what I was doing. I had no plan, other than going to this upscale apartment. Would we even be able to get in? What would we do, if we could? What exactly was I looking for? I didn't know, but I knew that it was inside that apartment. I felt that with every fiber of my being. There was a secret room inside of it, and I was supposed to go there. But what if Lilith or someone was there? What would we do then? I really hadn't thought this through, but it was too late now. We seemed to work better when it was impulse, anyway. I thought about Anna lying upstairs in that hotel bed. I should've left her a note or something. It wasn't right to just leave her alone up there. I wasn't worried about it, when I had thought that Sam was going to be with her. I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick text to leave a note for me, then sent one to Christine, so that she would know that Anna was here alone. I hoped that she would come early. Sam finally walked outside and threw me my keys. Once we were in the car, I set the map on my phone to the apartment address. "Do you know what we're gonna do when we get there?" he asked, buckling his seatbelt. I shook my head and cranked the car. "Nope," I answered. He just nodded, and sat back in the seat, an apprehensive look on his face. We were quiet on the drive there, both of us in our own thoughts, I guess. I was nervous. No, that wasn't right. I was scared. We had faced Lilith before, but this time was different. Whatever was in this place was something that she wanted kept hidden. She wanted it right next to her, so that no one could take it. This time, we knew how powerful she actually was. I was thankful that I had on my charms, but I thought about Sam not having anything. So, I slid my ring off of my finger and passed it to him. "Put this on," I said. He looked from the ring to me, then back to the ring. "Don't argue with me. Just take it," I feeling that he was about to say. He grinned, and slid the ring over his middle finger. "Thanks," he replied. I nodded, and kept driving. A little while later, I pulled up in front of the apartment building. "Wow," I whispered, staring up at the massive apartment building. Obviously, I had seen these types of apartment buildings before. There were quite a few in LA, but I had never really paid that much attention to them. They were just part of the background. Now, sitting in front of it, I realized how beautiful they were. I parked the car, then got out and stared up at it. The entire thing was almost completely made of reflective glass windows. The kind that made sure no one could see in, but you could see out. You could still see if someone's lights were on though. It seemed like there were quite a few people up at this time of morning. Probably getting ready to go to work. Sam whistled, and looked at me. "It's impressive." I nodded. "Yeah. Look, there's even a doorman." I pointed to the man that was standing by the front door, holding it open for a lady walking a chihuahua dressed in a sweater. "Nice. Lilith sure knows how to enjoy the lavish things in life." I nodded again and took a deep breath. "I guess it's now or never." He rolled his eyes and laughed at me. "How are we going to get in?" I shrugged. "No clue. Let's just try the doorman first. Maybe he won't ask questions." We walked to the front entrance, praying that the man would just open the door and let us through. That wasn't in the cards. He stepped in front of the doors, and smiled at us.