BURNED - A Chicago Fire Fanfiction

Chapter Six

We pulled up to the property sometime after seven. I let out an exhausted sigh as I put the truck in park and turned the engine off. We made a few stops along the way, mostly for bathroom breaks, but we loaded up on food and drinks at our first stop. My stomach churned as it attempted to digest the gas station lunchmeat sandwiches, chips, and Monster energy drinks.

I jumped as a hand smacked my window. I glared at the figure, who turned out to be K'eon, and rolled down my window. "Well, that was a hell of a drive, huh?" K'eon smiled.

"Next time, we're shipping our shit," I grumbled.

"I wholeheartedly agree, I'm exhausted. Come on, let's check the place out."

"Don't you need a key?"

"It's all set up. She left it in the lockbox." Slowly, I climbed out of the truck and followed the very eager K'eon up the steps. The property wasn't huge, but it was definitely bigger than our apartment. The walkway was fairly decent and the outside of the property appeared well kept. The front porch was a descent size, big enough to have some chairs and a table on it and still be comfortable.

"Welcome to nuestra casa!"

"I thought it was supposed to be an apartment?" I asked.

"It was, but our new landlord had this place up for rent at a fair price, with the possibility of buying it down the road, so I took it." I looked up at the brick house with skepticism.

"How much?"

"It's a three bed, two bath, and it has a back yard—"

"How much, K'eon?"

"Only $750 per month, plus utilities, but that's only $375 each, not including utilities."

"Okay, what's the catch?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, some people pay over nine hundred dollars a month just for a studio, what's the catch?"

"There is no catch, Zahra," K'eon scoffed as he put the pin into the lockbox to retrieve the key. "Honestly, you need to trust me more." Finally, with key in hand, K'eon unlocked the front door and turned on the living room lights.

The living room was an absolute mess. Trash was everywhere from squatters, the walls spray painted with graffiti, and the hardwood floors were dull and scuffed. The furniture was a mixture between dumpster pickup and found in the attic, and the smell told me there was either a dead animal under the house or somewhere in the walls. I turned and glared at K'eon, who remained silent.

"You're right, no catch at all," I scoffed. "It's beautiful, K'eon. Really, I'm glad we did this."

"Okay okay, so it isn't in the best shape."

"Isn't in the best shape? K'eon, look at it, this is almost as bad as living in the streets of New York."

"The landlord said she'd rent it cheap if we fixed it up, so I jumped on the opportunity."

"K'eon—"

"It's not a big project, I swear. Just some paint, maybe some updating—"

"Patching the holes, replacing the floors, getting that dead animal smell out of here, possibly having to snake the drains, and keeping the damn squatters at bay." I ran my fingers through my hair. "Damn it, K'eon."

"I'm sorry, okay?" K'eon let out a sigh. "Look, it's on a month-to-month lease, I at least got her to agree to that. If we don't like it after a month, we can move again. Can we just—can't we try and make this work?" I looked around the living room and sighed with defeat.