Chapter Five

                                    

                                          
Bruce asks me to fill in for him on his patrol the next morning.

"We're so close to figuring out this radio," He tells me excitedly, pointing to where Jasper has fallen asleep on the table. "I have some ideas that I'd like to bounce off of Jasper, and I truly think we're making good progress. While we've got you here as a floater, this is the perfect opportunity for me to put some work into it."
I shrug. "Yeah, sure." I realize who exactly is in Bruce's patrol and my face sours. "So I'm stuck with Robin?" I say begrudgingly. 

Bruce chuckles. "Thank you. I appreciate it. Hopefully, Griffin balances out Robin and his attitude."

"Pretty sure he just hates me, but thanks," I say.

"I'm sure that's not true. Thanks again."

And just like that I am banished to be in Robin's presence once again. Lucky me.

Although- I sort of made headway yesterday, right? I opened up a little bit and learned a little bit more about him, that's got to count for something, right?

Not, seeing as he's still watching me warily as I leave the library headquarters with him and Griffin. So much for that.

"So, where to?" I ask, glancing at Griffin.

Griffin grins. "Rich section!"

"What?"

"There's a street of wealthier houses," He says, pointing off somewhere in the distance. "They're kind of far, so we haven't gotten to them yet. But I thought they were worth pillaging today!"

I hum. "Special occasion?"

"The radio's going to be done soon!" Griffin says, voice filled with optimism. "And we got you, sweet cheeks!" He reaches out and pinches my cheek, I can't help but smile shyly. "You got us a gun. Robin, did you get it to Bruce?"

"Yeah," He replies. He's been walking behind the two of us, not bothering to participate in the conversation. 

Griffin pats my shoulder. "Bonus points with the commander early on. Smart."

"Commander?"

"Eh, that's just what we call him."

It's surprisingly fitting. "I'd hardly call this bonus points," I say, turning my head so that my eyes can flicker to Robin. "He stuck me with you two again."

"Darling, I'm a great person to be around!" Griffin squabbles.

"Yeah, but grumpy bandana boy over there isn't."

Robin scowls. "Yeah, because this is my favourite part of the day."

"I don't know," I say, "I really thought we were bonding yesterday."

"Hardly."

I turn around again, shrugging. "Sorry, Griffin. You don't make up for Robin."

"Shut the fuck up, blondie." Robin sighs, then adds, "We'll be in an unfamiliar place in ten minutes, so this banter's going to have to stop. We don't know what's out there."

"Aw," I murmur. "Not the banter."

"How will we survive?" Griffin says dramatically, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Robin scowls again. "Get moving."

The walk is, in fact, nearly twice as long as the walk yesterday to the streets that I patrolled with Robin, Cammie, and Donna. The second half of it is done entirely in silence. There are a couple of zombies out and about that Griffin, Robin and I turn away from.

The strategy, as dictated by Bruce, is avoidance if at all possible. Would it be better to kill the zombies? Probably. One less zombie is better for everyone. But the action of killing said zombie can sometimes be more costly than rewarding, as Griffin tells me. Making noise, risking injury. The risk is greater than the reward.

Honestly? Fair enough. I've got no arguments with the logic behind it. I'm still annoyed that Robin singled me out yesterday to kill that one zombie, but I'll let it slide to not stir up any more trouble than I already have.

"Holy shit," I breathe when Griffin stops in front of the first house.

It's huge, much bigger than any place I've ever stayed in my entire life. The driveway I had to walk up was long, but the pathway up to the house was even longer. The garden is massive, with large bushes that definitely look like they need a trim. There are pillars around the front porch and everything.

Griffin nods eagerly next to me. "Never been anywhere this nice," He whispers.

I nod along, pulling my Sharpie out of my pocket. On one of the pillars, I sign my name. Griffin raises a questioning eyebrow at me, so I hand the marker over to him. Griffin signs his name next to mine, grinning. 

"Robin?" He offers, holding the Sharpie to him.

His eyebrows rise. "The fuck are you two doing?" He hisses.

I shrug. "A thing I do. To mark where I've been."

"Then you don't need my signature." Robin nudges the door open. "Quiet," He orders, his bat tight in his hands.

Griffin hands me my Sharpie back, and I stuff it into my pocket. My grip tightens around my axe as I creep after Robin into the house. The front foyer is huge, with a large marble floor with a staircase that wraps around the room, all the way up to a second floor with a balcony overlooking the front door. I've seen these kinds of houses in movies, never in person.