"It's not much, but it's yours if you're still interested." 

Giving the key a forceful twist, the graying, portly man pushed the door open. The swollen wood protested slightly before opening with some encouragement from the man's shoulder. Incessant creaking hung loudly in the air while the elder man motioned for the dark-haired younger man to follow. Stepping inside, the superintendent gestured around the decrepit studio apartment.

Not much was perhaps the understatement of the year the younger man noted, slowly taking in his surroundings.

Flashes of colour from the gaudy neon sign across the street added colour to the otherwise now peeling, faded and yellowed walls. Apparent signs of arcing charred the receptacles scattered across the room, each placed at a various heights above the unevenly spaced flooring.

The door to the bathroom was hanging by one hinge revealing the stained turquoise toilet and matching tub. The kitchenette, or rather the relic of a refrigerator from the fifties occupied at least a third of the space. 

A sane man would have walked away. 

"Thank you, sir, I'll happily take it." The beaming face of the towering dark haired man lit up as he gazed around the apartment. His eyes filled with youthful enthusiasm for the briefest of moments before retreating back behind the ocean blue eyes like the ebbing of the tide.

Between the screams and the sirens there was no silence in the city. Restlessly wrestling with tumultuous thoughts, the man from Kansas opted to stand. Pressing his forehead against the cool condensation of the single pane window, he stared into the brightly lit street below the crumbling brick building.

"Hey, if you're into crystals I know a great shop not too far from here." Lisa said peeking under the red blanket.