[center] [@Mae] [/center]
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Go5Lsk0DMM/TLVv5PRjAPI/AAAAAAAAAA0/1luPQUaVPZM/s1600/Alley1.jpg[/img]

 
[center]The Scarlet Earl, a bar that had never seen better days, and never would. [/center]
It could have been a set out of a sleazy, low budget film. Dingy yellow light fixtures, no doubt part of a long gone era, barely managing to illuminate the cramped interior; patched stools and chairs; wobbling tables; booths that had stuffing coming out of ripped cushions and were scarred with hundreds of cigarette burns; a floor crusted with so much grime that no one bothered to attempt cleaning it. A place that was not only steeped in the stench of smoke, beer, and sweat, but despair, anger, and bitterness. 

As soon as she'd stepped through the door six months ago, two thoughts had run through Skylar's mind;

First, that there was no way this was an actual, functioning business in a position to hire anyone.

Second, it had happened, she'd finally hit the bottom of the barrel. 

   Perhaps even lower than that. It hadn't taken more than a couple weeks to figure out that mysterious meetings held in the back room were most likely the main reason Earl managed to stay open. It was unsettling to realize she worked somewhere that was probably a front for some drug ring, or something equally dangerous and illegal, but for the moment she had no other choice.
   There were only three kinds of people that came to this place; Regulars that had been coming here forever and were too dispirited to spend a few minutes of effort to find somewhere better to go; Those who were already too drunk and had been thrown out of every other bar to care where they ended up, and those with shadowy purposes and dealings. 

"Another." 

A slurred demand followed the sharp sound of a glass hitting the rough, scarred surface of the counter, startling Skylar out of her thoughts and back to the present. He didn't even look up as his glass was refilled, head swaying from side to side as he muttered to himself, lost in a haze of foggy memories and fresh pains that the drink was failing to make disappear.  
She'd tried to convince him to go home hours ago but it had done no good, so she left him where he was, handing off the task list to Maggie and going to gather her things.  On one hand she was looking forward to going home after a long shift. On the other she wasn't exactly keen on going out into the cold evening.

Night fell early in the midst of winter, earlier still when the sky became clogged with dark, low hanging clouds that cut off the pale winter sun. This evening the skies had opened, raining down upon the city sheets of freezing sleet that pelted against the windows with a sullen persistence. 
Drafts of sharp air seeped in around the entryway, a taste of what it would be once she stepped outside.

"You be careful out there now."

"I will, thanks Pete. Have a good night." A soft smile curved her lips as Skylar bid the bent old gentleman goodbye. Everyone said he was nothing more than a hobo that took advantage of her good nature. Sure, they both pretended he came in for a warm place to sit and a steaming cup of free coffee, but that wasn't the real reason he came night after night and they both knew it. Whether it was because she reminded him of someone from his past, or it was simply because she always had a friendly greeting and a smile for him, Old Pete had taken a shine to the young redhead. He'd taken it upon himself to check on her as often as he could, making sure she was doing alright and wasn't caught up in something she oughtn't be. 
"See you tomorrow Pete," Tucking the ends of her scarf into her coat Skylar gave his arm a gentle pat before bracing herself and stepping out the door, shuddering involuntarily as a gust of freezing wind slammed into her body.

The sleet of earlier had turned into fluffy clouds of snow, innocent blankets of white fuzz concealing a dangerous sheet of black ice that was to cause many an accidents before the night was through.
While she didn't relish the thought of walking, Skylar knew the bus lines had most likely been shut down due to the weather and she wasn't going to hang around the bus drop to find out for sure. 
A ten minute walk turned into a thirty minute shuffle as she painstakingly made her way back to the apartment building, hands tucked into pockets, head bent against the wind in an effort to escape as much of a chill as possible.

"Oh!" 

She had almost made it home unscathed when a particularly nasty patch of ice and a gust of wind joined forces to sweep her feet out from underneath her.
"Are you okay? Here, let me help you."
Out of nowhere there was a pair of strong, steady hands helping her off the ground, and Skylar was just about to express thanks when she glanced up, the words dying before they could be spoken, a knot forming in her throat as she took a step back, breaking the steadying hold the man had had on her elbow. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather rippled down her spine as he watched her retreat to the steps. 
"Thank you, I'm quite alright, just a bit of clumsiness."

She waited until he'd given a nod and walked away before entering the building, chilled fingers unable to punch the code in fast enough for her liking. Blood pounded in her ears as she slammed the door, giving it a rather frantic jiggle to make certain it had actually closed and locked properly.
It was ridiculous. Surely she was just being paranoid and he was being a decent sort of person to lend a hand. But she couldn't manage to completely convince herself of it, hands still trembling as they unlocked the door of her tiny apartment.  
Maybe he'd realize she had recognized him and disappear.  Maybe he'd be more careful.  Maybe it wasn't even him.  

All she wanted was an apartment full of light to drive the shadows away, a cup of hot cocoa to drive the chills away, and a mindless movie to chase irrational thoughts back to the little box they'd escaped from.  But when a flip of a switch failed to create even a spark, a clear sign that the storm had effectively fried the buildings electricity, Skylar knew none of it was going to happen, and she now faced a night filled with nothing but darkness and her own restless thoughts. 

[center] "Just great." [/center]