<strong>-- Hester Valdenor - Marty's House -- </strong><br/><hr/><br/>Hester's face spread into a relieved smile as the old man jimmied the door open, but it quickly faded the moment she saw how completely worn out he looked.  "Christ, Marty, y'look like shit!" she said bluntly, waving impatiently for the others to barge on in one after the other.  The gaggle of brats seemed a bit hesitant to just enter the home of some stranger whose arms were thicker around than their heads, but the combination of darkness and whispering trees outside managed to persuade them.<br/><br/>Gerry was pretty quick to echo her concerned sentiment, having known the man damn near all his life.  "You look like a damn ghost, Mart!  I thought this was just a case of the sniffles or something, but you look like you've got one foot in the grave."<br/><br/>"And to answer your question, the power is fuckin'<strong>gone</strong>," Hester interrupted, running a hand through her spiky hair and just barely managing to keep her breathing under control.  "Whole damn city is fuckin' out.  Not only that, anything with a<strong>battery</strong>is out.  Phones, flashlights, you name it.  Got any candles around here?"