John and Mike's Mythic Journey

**Evil has returned.**

I am standing here, alone, in the dark, holding a sword that I have never used before. My hands are shaking from fear and adrenaline. If I'm not careful, I could cut myself. And then what? I'll be dead. That's what.

Mike is still behind me, but he's not being quiet either; for the last ten minutes he's been mumbling to himself about how it's all over and we're going to die and we should just give up now because it doesn't matter anymore. He always was the dramatic one.

We're both breathing heavily, but for different reasons; Mike because he's panicking and I because my chest feels like someone is crushing it with a weight. My muscles are shaking too, which doesn't help at all.

I want to scream at him to shut up already and let me concentrate, but my voice isn't working either and probably won't until I get out of here alive. The thought makes me want to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time. I kind of manage to do both at once, which doesn't make breathing any easier.

It's so dark I can barely see my own fingers in front of my face. The only light comes from the hole above us where we crawled into this room through twenty minutes ago. It's almost big enough for Mike to fit through now, if he would just stop talking for a minute or two...

"What are we doing?" Mike whispers hoarsely from behind me. "We're gonna die!"

"We're not going to die," I whisper back automatically, although it doesn't sound convincing even to myself. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"You don't know anything!" Mike snarls angrily, his volume rising as well as his panic level, meaning I can't shout at him anymore without risking them hearing us outside. "You were only four when you left! You don't remember shit!"

"And you weren't even born yet!" I snap back angrily, no longer caring if they hear us now or not. "How could you possibly know more than me?!"

"Because I wasn't locked up in some basement all day! I had friends growing up! Good friends who taught me stuff! And they're dead now... They're all dead now..." Mike whispers hoarsely again, before breaking down into sobs once more and turning away from me.

I don't say anything after that; there's nothing left to say really, not now that we've started down this road once again. It was always going to happen sooner or later; hell, it was supposed to happen many times before now but somehow we've always managed to avoid the whole situation by whatever means necessary, because neither one of us wants to be alone in this world without the other one along anymore than we want them to die with us instead of surviving on their own afterwards...

As we crawled up here through the narrow passage earlier today, after successfully stealing a few apples from an old woman's garden yesterday afternoon, we knew almost immediately that something was wrong. As soon as we looked around in daylight while standing in the middle of town square where everyone else was gathered together with torches and pitchforks pointed towards the sky waiting with bated breath for something, we knew they were already watching us, even though they'd never seen us before, and that they had been waiting for us as soon as we walked right into their trap.

And if they were watching us like this now when there wasn't even any light yet in the sky, then how much worse would it get when night falls and their eyes grow sharp enough to see a mouse run across a cobblestone street?

Will anyone ever be able to sleep peacefully again, knowing that this darkness has touched their lives so deeply? Can anyone ever hope to find happiness again once enough blood has been shed, leading to despair? How long will it take before everyone kills everyone else until there is no one left standing, and only hatred and death remain?

We must act now, leaving tonight to escape their watchful eyes. It's our only chance to avoid a fate filled with evil and destruction. We must fight against the darkness and protect those we love before it's too late. The memory of those who have perished in this battle hangs heavy on our hearts, driving us forward in our quest for survival.

For their sake, and for ours, we must not give up. We must not let evil triumph over goodness. In order for Robin's memory, spirit, and soul to continue fighting against the darkness, we must stand strong and face whatever challenges come our way. We must not let evil destroy everything we hold dear. For Robin's sake, we must keep fighting.