Chapter 3 The Mess

I walked with the girl in my arms, making it across the street safely this time. The walk from home was now less than a block away, but all the lights were off in the city.

Whatever had happened would not be good for… what is that?

I was almost home now, but there was a bright flash in the sky, but it was over just as fast as it started. It had almost looked like a flash of lightning, but the burst of light had filled up the sky.

Ignored whatever it was and awkwardly fished my apartment key out of my ragged coat while trying not to jostle the girl. Whoever she was, I had more than enough time to see she was beautiful and definitely in the wrong part of town.

Not like this was a bad part, but the clothing that she was wearing was not something I expected a woman to be wearing in this part. This part of town was filled with people just like myself, trying to get by, myself included.

I slipped into my brick apartment and headed up to the second floor where my place was, but I had to be careful. There were no lights in the place because of the blackout, so I had to watch my feet as I climbed the stairs so I didn't drop the girl.

Soon, I was at my apartment, 240, and I had my key ready, so entry was only a slight struggle. The real challenge was going to be weaving my way around my apartment.

Once the door was closed behind me, I slowly walked inside my single-room apartment and made my way over to my bed. I gently set the girl down on my bed, but it was nearly impossible to see.

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Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the dark, and I was able to make out the outlines of all the things in my room. I closed my eyes and thought that it might be better to not see the horrible mess that place was in.

"H-Hello?!" The woman's voice called out weakly below me.

"I am here; sorry about the darkness, but the power still hasn't come back on," I said, and the woman slowly sat up, trying to look at me.

"Thank you, umm, but I still don't know your name," The woman said, and she sounded uneasy, but that wasn't a surprise.

"My name is Daniel Brighton. What about you? Do you have a name?" I asked with a smile, and the woman nodded.

"My name is Amy Rose; I am sure that you have heard of that name, right?" she asked, but I didn't.

"Sorry, I am not really familiar with it, but I don't really go online unless it's something to do with books," I replied, and the girl looked down and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"It's strange that you don't know who I am, but it is kind of nice," Amy said, and then I watched her hand move over the place where she had been injured before on her leg.

"Is your leg feeling alright?" I asked, looking around my room to see if I could find something for a light; then I saw it.

"It does, but I still don't understand what happened. There is some dried blood here, but I can't even feel a mark!" Amy exclaimed as I walked over to the dome light I had on a shelf and clicked it on.

Light-filled the room, even if only dimly, but it was a flash in my eyes that nearly blinded me. My eyes readjusted, and it was like the room was usually lit up, but now I could see the mess more clearly, and I sighed.

This is why my mother always told me to keep a clean place; you never know when a pretty lady might stop by. Still, the place was out of the cold, but my main concern was for how long.

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"How are you feeling for warmth? I don't seem to be able to judge temperature right now," I said as I took off my coat that looked to have seen better days.

"It's a bit chilly in here," Amy said, and I nodded.

"I have some blankets put away, so I'll pull them out for you, and you can have my bed. I can rest on the sofa," I explained as I placed my coat on a hook and then turned around to survey my room.

"No, I can't make you sleep on the sofa! This is your place, and I am just the guest! It is also going to get very cold here, so we should keep close to conserve heat, right?" Amy asked while taking her shoes and coat off.

As her coat came off, it revealed that she was wearing a lovely low-cut pink dress underneath it all. I sucked in a breath but let it back out again, trying to relax.

"Are you sure about that? I am a stranger, and I have lots of blankets," I said, trying to reason with her, but Amy shook her head.

"Do you not want to sleep with me? You just saved my life twice and did something that healed a deep cut on my leg. For me not to trust you at this point would be strange. I am also not from this city, and without phone service, I don't know what I am going to do," Amy said, hanging her head, and I nodded.

"Sure, I have no problems. It was supposed to get pretty cold tonight, and without power, my place will probably turn into an icebox. I will do my best to keep you warm," I said as I walked over to my bed.

"Um, could I use your bathroom and that little light? I have needed to go for a while," Amy asked shyly, and I nodded.

"Yeah, just the small room over there," I said and grabbed the light to hand to her.

"Thank you!" Amy said and got up to head into the bathroom as I sat down on my bed, thinking of what was to come next.