It was the middle of the night. The clock on his bedside read 1:32 am. The bed he lay in felt empty and cold, especially as he rolled over and was met with the coolness of the sheets and not the warmth of a body. Eugene groggily rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. Looking around the dark bedroom the furniture’s shadows warped, creating dark distorted figures in the confines of the bedroom.

Reaching over to his bedside table Eugene fumbled for the lamp chain, pulling it as soon as he felt the metal within his grasp. The lamp cast a dim warm glow on the room, putting the shadow demons to rest and himself at ease. For a moment the copper-haired man just sat there in bed, looking over at the empty spot beside him, where the blankets had been pushed back.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed Eugene slipped his cold feet into his slippers and quietly padded out of the room. The living room and kitchen were empty, and he was about to resign himself back to bed when he saw a figure out on the porch, leaning on the banister. Shuffling over to the front door he turned the doorknob. The door quietly groaned in protest as he opened it and stepped outside.

Quietly shutting the door behind him he wrapped his robe tighter around his body once met with the cool night air. Standing there a moment he took in the figure and sighed softly, making the decision to join them at their side.

“It’s late.” Eugene spoke softly, putting his forearms out on the railing.