Tyler

Tyler relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Under normal circumstances, he would be alone and running for his life from monsters. But now, maybe he could finally relax and enjoy the closeness he felt with his friend Penelope on their first date that night.

He had met her when he arrived in the small town of Sheru. Personally, he thought the name seemed a little too Egyptian for his liking, but it was the only town to where he had been wandering. Penelope had helped him settle in, helped find him a job as a baker, and helped him find an apartment. He owed her a lot, but Tyler still had that lingering feeling that he would be moving again, leaving behind a dear friend once again.

"So after all these months, you only ask me out after you trip me down the stairs?" Penelope asked him as he blushed at the incident. He had been so focused on bringing his laundry to the washing room in their relatively small apartment that he hadn't noticed her on the stairs. "If it makes you feel better, I'll pay for this one." They shared a small laugh and Tyler looked at his menu before speaking again.

"I've wanted to ask you out for a while to be honest, but I've just never been brave enough to. Taking you out on a date seemed like a nice way to repay you for nearly shattering your spine". "So you do like me?" Penelope asked. Tyler grinned "Course I do. What's not to like about you?" For the first time since he had known her she blushed. Their waiter came over with their Italian food and they ate in a comfortable silence.

While they ate, Tyler was reminded of the small dinners he used to eat with the other occupants of the Brooklyn House-with Khufu, that crazy baboon who would always eat Jell-O with everyone, Carter and Sadie Kane, the two bickering siblings that never stopped arguing. He grew a sad frown as he reflected on his final days there, the days that led up to his banishment.

He suddenly heard a sound coming from outside the restaurant they were in. "Did you hear that?" He quickly asked Penelope who looked up from her pasta, mouth still full. "Hear what?" She managed to respond with her meal in her mouth as Tyler looked outside the window they sat next to. He kept looking outside but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. But not everything I can see, he thought to himself. Slowly, he turned back to Penelope who was watching him with concern.

"It's nothing", he said to her. "Are you sure? You sure looked spooked for a minute there", Penelope said. "Don't worry about it" he tried to smile at her but it felt more like a grimace. It seemed to be enough for Penelope since she started on her bowl of pasta again but still keeping an eye on Tyler.

While she kept eating, an idea was forming in Tyler's mind to figure out what entity was outside. He most certainly knew something was watching them since he had been on the run for several years. Tyler wanted to use his old Egyptian magic to see through the Duat and find out what was stalking them.

"Excuse me real quick", he said to Penelope as he rushed towards the restaurant's bathroom. He could faintly heard her protests but he ignored them as he quickly went in and locked the door. Tyler then concentrated on his magical core, not having used it in months made it more difficult.

After a few minutes, his eyes suddenly glowed yellow and he glanced around his surroundings. He carefully stepped out of the bathroom, making sure the few people in the restaurant would not see him, especially Penelope. He looked outside to see a blood red glow surrounding a large figure. A demon of some sort he thought. But why is it not attacking? Why is it just standing there? Tyler knew demons usually attacked first and asked questions later but had no idea for the life of him why it was not attacking. He felt uneasy, as he knew it knew he was there; Tyler's presence was like a giant wildfire and impossible to miss.

Without a feasible answer, he quickly dispelled his magic before it made him nauseous and returned to his seat. "Everything alright?" Penelope asked as he sat down. Frustrated with not knowing what the demon was, Tyler snapped. "Fine! I just went to the bathroom".

Instantly, he regretted it and saw her face crumple. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you", he apologized to her. Penelope stared at him a bit before asking "You know, if there's something you're keeping from me, you could at least tell me. You don't need to be all secretive." "I'd love to tell you my secrets, but you'd never believe me" he told her with a serious face.

She stared at him even longer. He hated that, how she could just see right through him into his soul. All those years on his own Tyler learned to conceal his emotions from everyone. He hasn't been used to someone looking out for him.

"Did you kill someone or something?" Penelope asked in a joking manner but Tyler's grave expression gave her an answer. "Holy shit you actually killed someone?" She whispered to him. He had to stop himself from smiling at her caution. "It's complicated" was all he said in response. Penelope glared at him. "Ok so what does that mean?"

He tried to smile but it came as a grimace. "As in if I told you the whole story, you wouldn't believe me. Even I don't get parts of it." "You can still tell me. I can help you." Tyler sighed before shaking his head. "No one can help me, Penelope." But she still persisted. "Is that why you came here? To hide from the authorities?"

"Enough!" He sharply whispered to her. "Stop asking all these questions! I'm not a murderer but everyone else thinks I am, ok?"

He was very angry now. No one just asked him about his past, about how he had failed his friends. Penelope again glared at him. "If you really killed someone how am I supposed to take your word for it? What's stopping you from killing me?"

Now he just gaped openly at her. "All these months together and you think I would just murder you?" Tyler was in disbelief that she would actually think that about him. "Maybe. I don't know" Penelope shrugged.

They both fell into an awkward silence until their waiter came. Tyler paid their check and they quickly left the restaurant together. As they were outside, Tyler suddenly remembered the strange demon he had seen through the Duat earlier. He was worrying very much now, as he couldn't try to see it with his magic since Penelope was right next to him. "What's wrong now?" Penelope sharply asked him as he started to pointlessly look around their street to find it.

"I think we might have a stalker following us", he said to her and she paled. "Someone's stalking us? Is that what you were so worried about back at the restaurant?" She asked him as he nodded quickly. He kept one hand on his weapon that he always brought with him. Even on a date. He suddenly felt Penelope cling to his arm in fear.

Tyler wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine, that he could protect her easily but that was hard when he couldn't even see the monster without using his magic. Penelope was suddenly ripped from his grasp as a large explosion knocked him off of his feet. His vision was blurry but he heard Penelope scream and he quickly got to his feet. What he laid eyes on however made him blink once to make sure he was seeing it correctly.

A strange horned beast stood before him, holding Penelope hostage with a giant axe aimed at her throat. It had a huge frame and its body was covered in strange tattoos along with chains linked through both of its arms.

"Demigod, descendant of the pharaoh Menes" it said in a raspy voice as Penelope looked up at Tyler with fear in her eyes. "How do you know me?" He asked the thing as he brought out his screwdriver which instantly sprang into a Celestial Bronze sword.

It laughed in a raspy voice as it brought its axe closer to Penelope who whimpered in fear. "My master has watched you ever since you were born child. He saw everything you did when you were in the 21st Nome."

Tyler brought down his sword and glared at the thing. "Look, whatever your quarrel is with me, leave her out of this" he gestured towards Penelope who had her eyes shut. "No child, the mortals must see what our master has planned for them, for all the worlds."

And, in the blink of an eye, it brought down its axe on Penelope. "NO!" Tyler screamed as he rushed at the monster that had killed his friend. It smiled and brought its bloody axe down on Tyler as he sidestepped it and sliced off its head. Instead of crumbling into dust like most monsters did, its body stayed on the ground.

Tyler was breathing heavily and full of rage that he almost didn't notice police sirens heading his way. He looked at the body of his friend, the body of the monster that would not disappear, and quickly ran into the darkness of the night.