The storm hit harder than anyone expected. Rain slammed against the windows of my new apartment like it wanted to break in. I had just finished unpacking the last box when the lights flickered once, twice, and then everything went black.
“Great,” I muttered, feeling around in the dark for my phone. The screen lit up my face. No power. No Wi-Fi. Just the sound of thunder rumbling outside.
I had moved into this fancy high-rise building only two weeks ago after landing my first real job in the city. It was supposed to be a fresh start. Quiet. Peaceful. Instead, I was standing in complete darkness on the 28th floor with no flashlight and a dead laptop battery.
I waited ten minutes, hoping the power would come back. It didn’t. The storm only got worse. Lightning flashed across the sky, light
