Bad weather

“I guess we can stay where we want.” You say looking down at Tara. “Let’s just walk until we find a nice place to sleep.”

“Somewhere big… and expensive!” Tara says excitedly, eyes brightening up suddenly.

“Big and expensive... I know just the place.” You reply. You mentally map out a route to the most affluent area of Jericho and start walking, hand in hand with Tara.

Walking past empty store fronts and abandoned cars you eventually make your way out of the city centre, leather holdall in one hand and a beautiful young girl on the other. While walking in silence you try to think of practical things like food, water and shelter but your thoughts are constantly distracted by Tara. Her milk white hand in yours she occasionally brushes her face against your shoulder, every few minutes enclosing your hand with both of hers as if making doubly sure you’re real and still with her.

A sudden flash of light followed almost immediately by a loud crack wakes you from your reverie. Tara squeals loudly and grabs onto your tightly.

“Its okay, its just lightning.” you reassure her “but we should find-” you’re interrupted by a sudden downpour of rain followed by another deafening crack of lightning.

“This way!” you shout to Tara over the pounding of the rain, and you pull her down a side street. Your plans of a luxurious night in a roomy mansion are scuppered as you find only terraced houses.

Running to the closest house you try the door and find it firmly locked. Getting more drenched by the second you throw caution out the window and kick at the door which doesn’t budge an inch.

You’re shocked by a sudden jolt of pain on your shoulder and hear Tara shout in pain at the same time. Spinning around at the sound you see the rain has turned into peanut sized hail bouncing off the cobbled streets.

Protecting her you scoop Tara’s tiny frame up in your arms and sprint down the street checking doors as you go. The fourth door – adorned with a shiny gold #58 – you find unlocked and rush inside, almost falling in your haste.

“Thanks,” Tara says as you lower her to her feet. “That turned bad fast.”

“I know right?” you say while shivering, soaked to the bone. “I’ve never seen weather like that. Are you hurt?”

“No, it just scared me is all.” she replies, shivering herself.

Taras thin white blouse is dripping wet and now completely see-through, tiny pink nipples nipples erect from the cold. Ignoring your twitching groin you check your surroundings and find a pleasant homely living room. Nothing is expensive, or even new, but the house is well maintained, just very cramped. But you expected nothing less from a terraced house built in the 1930’s for cotton mill workers.

“You should dry yourself, you don’t want to catch a cold. There’s a couple towels in my backpack” you say to Tara “I’m gonna check the rest of the house”.

Setting your backpack and the leather holdall on the comfy looking sofa you head upstairs.