Chapter One!
Natalie LeMorte wondered trough the graveyard. It was almost eleven at night. In a few hours, she was to get in her Repo Woman uniform and go repossess organs. Right now, though, she would enjoy the beauty of the graveyard. Granted it wasn't exactly beautiful, but in comparison to the rest of the city, it was. She was wearing her long silky black dress. It cinched in the middle and a hood hung low in the back. Her long black hair was flowing lightly in the wind.
Meanwhile, Grave Robber was at it again. Another night, another chance to collect Zydrate; a street-grade unprocessed drug taken from dead bodies. The Grave Robber was the best in the town at collecting Zydrate. He tossed a body aside and continued to roam the graveyard. The moon was bright, casting shadows all over the place. He ducked behind a gravestone and began to work on yet another corpse. He had already collected enough Zydrate to last him the whole week. But that wouldn't stop him. The more, the better. Sales would be high that week. He chuckled as her thought of the profits he would make. Grave Robber's ears perked up. He swore he heard someone's footsteps. He curse under his breath and moved from his position to find safety behind a large tomb. It would have to do. He glanced around the corner and looked to see who else was in the graveyard. It was her . . . Natalie . . .
She spotted the Grave Robber before he could hide. She smiled. She had always loved him but she would never say anything. She walked to where he had hidden and smiled, blinking her genetically altered eyes. "Hello, Grave Robber." She said. She was elated to see him.
Grave Robber jumped in surprise. He wasn't one to be surprised, but the familiar voice spooked him. He turned to see Natalie standing before him. She was smiling brightly, as she always when she was around him. He always wondered if the woman liked him. He had a feeling he was right. He found it entertaining that a girl like that would like him. "Hello Natalie. It's good to see you again," He replied with a mysterious tone in his voice. He was lost in Natalie's eyes. Even though they belonged to GeneCo, he always loved them. They were beautiful . . .
"Out getting more Zydrate?" She asked, though she already knew the answer was yes. She wished he liked her but she doubted he did.
Grave Robber looked down at the bottle of Zydrate in his right hand. It glowed a bright blue. Though it was mostly used before surgery, many people in the city grew addicted to the liquid in the little glass vial. He usually sold the substance to young adults with a daily craving for it. His mind was somewhere else-thinking about Amber Sweet to be exact. He hadn't seen her in ages. He figured it was a good thing though, as he now had Natalie. If only she could be his . . ."Of course!"
"So... Ummm..." She said awkwardly. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but she was scared he would laugh or something like that. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet at the thought. She looked at the ground, hoping he wouldn't notice.
Grave Robber looked at Natalie. She seemed awkward. Something was bothering her. He wondered what she was thinking about. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. He seemed to be able to look deep within her soul through her eyes. She wanted to tell him something, but he didn't know what that something was. He smiled when he noticed Natalie's normally pale cheeks turning scarlet as she looked at the ground. He put his free hand under Natalie's chin and lifted her head back up. "Yes...Natalie?"
"Nothing," She said quickly. She knew that Grave Robber knew that she wanted to tell him something. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, of her feelings for him. She wanted ask if he liked her. But she also didn't want to. She was also scared of what he might say. He might say that they should just be friends. "So . . . Do you have any other plans for tonight?" She asked without thinking. After she said it, she wished she hadn't.
Grave Robber didn't believe Natalie's answer. It obviously wasn't 'nothing'. He raised an eyebrow and stared deep in her eyes. He could tell she was thinking, though he couldn't tell what of. He wondered what she was thinking about as he removed his hand from under her chin. He wished Natalie would just tell him. He let out a small chuckle when she asked about his plans. He raised his right hand where a small vial of Zydrate lay in his palm. He looked from the small vial of bright blue liquid to Natalie and back to the vial. It was obvious what his plans were. They were the same every night.
"Oh . . . Right . . . Would you mind if I hung around? Until I have to go to work anyway . . ." She asked, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She was hoping that Grave Robber would take a break for a little bit. But this is what he always did. So it didn't surprise her. Natalie looked around the graveyard, trying to avoid the Grave Robber's gaze. She saw guards strolling around with flashlights and wondered if her and the Grave Robber were going to get caught . . .
When Natalie asked to hang around while he collected Zydrate, Grave Robber was surprised. No one ever stayed with him while he worked. At least not usually. Natalie brought up her 'work' and he cringed. Her job was to repossess organs from those who didn't pay GeneCo on time. Everything seemed to go in a circle. Grave Robber provided the extra Zydrate for surgery, people would undergo the surgery and if they failed to pay GeneCo, the parts were taken back! Usually the person died, which brought Grave Robber into the picture yet again. More bodies meant more Zydrate. A full circle. He noticed Natalie's cheeks turn pink and he half-smiled. He loved it when she blushed like that. He turned his attention to where Natalie was looking and he cursed under his breath. The one thing that held him back from collecting tons of Zydrate-filled vials was the fact that guards...well guarded the place. "Don't worry, you'll never get caught with me around," he chuckled and ducked into another grave.
"So I can stay with you then?" She asked, smiling brightly, elated. Maybe she could skip going to work tonight. She hated her job. But it's not really like she had a choice. If she didn't do her job, GeneCo would kill her and take back her eyes. Not to mention, it didn't pay very well, or the fact that she was usually killing innocent people. But she was usually happy when she wasn't working. Mostly because she was wondering around the graveyard, or talking to Grave Robber. "I hope not. I'd rather not get shot. Or see you get shot for that matter." She replied with a small laugh as she followed him to another grave. She didn't really like looking at corpses . . . Especially the old ones. Most of them, she recognized. It made her feel like a monster.
Grave Robber sighed and nodded as he put a small vial of fresh Zydrate into his coat pocket. This was new. It was a rare occurrence to have someone with him. He glanced up from his crouched position and saw Natalie smiling. She seemed extremely happy. He raised an eyebrow. Natalie was odd, but he liked it. He glanced over the headstone before moving swiftly to another grave. It was fresh. He smiled as he collected a few vials of Zydrate. Tonight was a great night. "Sure, you can stay . . . And neither of us will get shot." He replied, glancing up at Natalie.
"Well that's good." She said with a smile. She figured she was probably weirding Grave Robber out a bit wither her seemingly random happiness. Then her mind wandered back to her job . . . She wandered what time it was . . . She wandered also if there might be terrible consequences if she skipped her shift tonight . . . She might as well ask Grave Robber his opinion on the matter. "Do you think that GeneCo would be terribly pissed off if I skipped my job tonight? I don't really feel like killing people today . . . Or any day for that matter . . ." She said, frowning slightly.
Grave Robber gave Natalie a look that read 'do you really need to ask?' He stood up and glanced at her. She was crazy to even think about skipping her job. In an instant, GeneCo would have Natalie killed. That was something that Grave Robber did not want. Not at all. "I'd rather see those GeneCo eyes than to see you dead." His heart thumped rapidly and he ducked behind another large, yet broken, headstone. He'd rather spend the whole night collecting Zydrate than waste his time. He thought about the profits he would make the next day. A slight smile spread across his face before he glanced back up at Natalie. He couldn't think about what his life would be like without her.
Natalie frowned, knowing what his answer was to be already . . . She hated her job. "I know I just . . . I dunno. I figure I could probably stay away from them for quite a while. As I am a Repo Woman, I know their tactics . . ." She said, half to herself. 'I'm probably aggravating him,' She thought. 'He is doing his job . . . I should probably shut up . . .' so she did. She watched what he was doing, as there really wasn't anything else to do. She had watched him extract Zydrate from corpses for a long time, so she knew almost exactly how to do it. It wasn't really her thing though . . .
He glanced back up and noticed Natalie frowning. He knew she found out what he would say. He didn't want Natalie to get in trouble. She had to do her job or else she would have her eyes removed and she would most likely die. That was something that Grave Robber did not want. He sighed and went back to work. He dropped another vial of Zydrate into his pocket and stood up. He had collected enough for the night. He glanced around and noticed that most of the guards had left the area. They would be safe for the most part. E turned to face Natalie. "Look, I just don't want to see you hurt."
Natalie half-smiled. "I know . . . I just hate my job . . ." She said, her half-smile turning into a frown, her eyes sparkling, only slightly, with tears. She looked away, acting as if she was just looking around the graveyard, to wipe her eyes. Then she turned back to Grave Robber. "So are you done for the night?" She asked, giving a forced smile.
Grave Robber nodded. He knew how much she hated her job. He would have hated that job as well. He'd rather work with corpses. He glanced at her eyes and noticed them water a little. He looked from the graves around them and then looked at Natalie. "For the time being," he replied. He wondered what she was thinking. Would she still hang around him if he weren't planning on doing much besides selling Zydrate?
She saw that he noticed that her eyes watered up. It embarrassed her a little and her normally pale cheeks turning a little pink. "Well do you have anything else planned?" She asked. She figured that next he would travel to the alley where all the Zydrate junkies hung out and make his money. She hoped that maybe he could put it off so that they could talk. Not about anything in particular, just so that she could hang out with him.
Grave Robber chuckled silently when Natalie's cheeks turned pink. His own pale, hard skin stayed it's unusual white. Color barely touched his cheeks. When Natalie spoke, he looked her in the eyes. "Nothing," he replied. He didn't plan things. He usually just went with the flow of things. He could put off selling the tiny vials to spend time with the woman standing in front of him. He didn't admit it, but he had a slight crush on Natalie. Love wasn't something that came naturally to Grave Robber. It was odd for him, but he liked it.
"Oh well then . . . Do you want to get something to eat?" She asked, her cheeks now turning red. She was bad at hiding her embarrassment most of the time. Maybe he would just think that she needed to eat before she went to work -which she did- but that wasn't really the point.
Grave Robber raised an eyebrow. Natalie asked him to go out to eat. It wasn't something he was used to. Not that he minded. He loved spending time with Natalie. Any chance to be with her was a chance in a lifetime. "Sounds good," he replied with his usual mysterious tone. He turned and held out his arm in a very gentlemanly way. He smiled as he waited for the woman to take his arm so he could lead the way to the café.
Natalie put the hood of her dress lightly over her head and took his arm. She smiled, elated. "So where do you want to go eat?" She asked, walking with him, arm in arm through the beautiful moonlit graveyard, overly happy. Nothing could ruin her night right now.
Grave Robber smiled as he led her through the graveyard, her arm in his. It was beautiful in the graveyard at night. It was one of the many perks of working in such a beautiful and gothic area. After collecting Zydrate, he often roamed the vast cemetery. "I know the perfect place. Small, but perfect for us," he replied as he exited the graveyard. It would be quite a while before they reached the small, privately owned café, but he didn't mind. It meant more time with her.
"Sounds perfect." She said, smiling. It was the perfect day. She was with Grave Robber, it was a gorgeous night, and it was also a few hours before she would be forced to go kill people. But she wouldn't think about that right now. Nothing would ruin her night. She wouldn't let it. "Where is it?" She asked, not really caring, but trying to make conversation.
"On the other side of town," he replied. He didn't want to tell her much about where they were going. He liked to keep things a secret. The place had a reputation as well. Not a bad of course, but one of romance. It was a place many couples went to and Grave Robber didn't want to let Natalie know quite yet. He wanted to surprise her, to see how she reacted. He had his suspicions about her liking him and tonight he could prove it to be true.
"Oh okay," she replied. Natalie only knew a few restaurants on the other side of town. She wondered if maybe it was the restaurant that all those couples went to. 'That would be so romantic,' she thought to herself. As they walked arm in arm down the street, she gently put her head on his shoulder with a slight smile.
Grave Robber turned his head when he felt something lean on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw Natalie's head upon his shoulder. He smiled as he noticed her smile. He always loved her smile. It brightened up his day, well night. He hoped he didn't say anything that could hint towards where they were going. He wanted the night to be a surprise for her, a sort of "I'll show you how I feel about you" type of night.
Natalie walked with Grave Robber in silence, her head on his shoulder, and her arm in his, happier than she had been in quite a while. She saw a Repo Man walking down the street, his entire person splattered with blood. She cringed, not wanting to think about that. In this city, though, it's not like you could avoid it.
Grave Robber felt Natalie cringe as they passed the Repo Man. Grave Robber hated crossing paths with them, although Natalie was a totally different story. She was like nothing he had ever seen before. She wasn't like Amber at all, which was a good thing, as Grave Robber didn't want another girl like her. He smiled as he glanced down at Natalie and pulled her closer to him, a way of protecting her from the Repo Man. He started to walk faster, just to get away from the GeneCo worker.
Natalie smiled happily as Grave Robber pulled her closer to him and walked more quickly across the street, to get her away from the Repo Man. "Thank you." She said quietly. She was glad that Grave Robber knew her so well. "I hate them . . ." She mumbled, though that was obvious and, she was sure that he already knew that. "Though it doesn't really make sense . . ." She said with a slightly bitter laugh.
He nodded in reply even though he knew she couldn't see it from her angle. "As do I," he replied softly. He felt that GeneCo was a company run by a very greedy man. Unnecessary deaths were his opinion in the matter. He didn't blame the workers though. It wasn't their fault they had to work to keep body parts from being taken. That was what he was afraid for. He didn't want Natalie to skip her job. It would risk her life. Not to mention her beautiful GeneCo owned eyes.
"Are we there yet?" She asked in an almost comical tone. She didn't really care, she was happy walking with Grave Robber.
"Almost," he replied, looking down at her face. The moonlight bounced on her face as they walked. He didn't know if there could be anything more beautiful. Taking a right turn, it only took another few minutes before they stood in front of a small building. From the outside, no one could really tell it was a café, but that's why Grave Robber liked it so much. It was private: cozy. Holding open the door, he waited for Natalie to enter the small café.
Natalie stepped through the door and removed the hood from her head. She smiled brightly. It was the place she had hoped they might be going to. She was elated to find out that he felt the same way about her as she did about him. This was probably the best day she had had in a few years.
The air around them changed. Grave Robber could tell that Natalie figured it out. He could tell she knew his feelings for her. He stepped through the door and motioned towards a corner booth. The place seemed dead, but he didn't mind. He wanted to be alone with Natalie, even for a bit.
She walked over to the booth and sat down. She smoothed out her dress a little and smiled up at Grave Robber.
Sitting down in the corner booth, he called a waitress over to order their drinks. He was actually quite thirsty and really needed a glass of water. He already knew what he wanted to order, food-wise. A grilled turkey and cheese sandwich was his favorite. "In times like these, it's really nice to get out and forget about it all, you know."
"Yeah, it is nice . . ." She said with a smile. She would get a glass of water and a tuna sandwich. She didn't want to eat that much before she went to work, though.
Grave Robber ordered his sandwich and drink and turned back toward Natalie. It was nice sitting there with her. Her smile drew him in, attracted him. He liked her more than he thought he did. In fact, he felt something he had never felt before. Love.
Natalie ordered her sandwich and drink as well and looked back at Grave Robber. It was great being with him. She didn't know what it was, but she liked him more than she had anyone else she'd met. She loved him. She didn't know why. She didn't know him that well. But she loved him. He was sweet, and nice. He was unique: indescribable.
Grave Robber smiled as he looked at Natalie. He could tell she was thinking about something. He wished he could hear her thoughts. He leaned across the table and studied her. "What is going on in that mind of yours? He sat back and looked from Natalie to the ceiling.
"Nothing, really," she said with a little giggle. "What about you? What are you thinking about?" She asked, watching him as he looked up at the ceiling. She was wondering what he was thinking about, actually. He always seemed to be thinking about something, but she never did know what it was.
Grave Robber stared at Natalie. She was lying. He could always figure out when someone was lying and Natalie was obviously covering something up. "Nothing, eh? That's not what a little birdie told me," he replied playfully. He let out a little bird-like noise and glanced on his shoulder. It was his way of letting Natalie know that he knew something was up.
She laughed a little. "I was just thinking about you," she said, her cheeks turning pink. "I'm glad I get to hang out with you before I have to go to work. Now can you tell me what you're thinking about?" She asked with a smile.
Grave Robber smiled and quit the chirping noises. He was just about to tell her what he was thinking about when the food arrived. He smiled at the waitress before turning to his food. He was hungry. He hadn't had much to eat all day. For a few moments he was silent. Then he spoke. "I was thinking about you," he admitted looking Natalie in the fake eyes.
Natalie smiled and blushed. The fact that Grave Robber was thinking of her made her quite happy. She took a bite of her sandwich before taking a sip of her ice-cold water. The food was great. "Thanks for taking me here," Natalie said.
Grave Robber saw Natalie blush and smiled. He knew what was going through her mind. A whole rainbow of happiness. That was what he wanted. He didn't like to see such a beautiful woman in any mood other than happy. He winked at her. "No problem Nat," he said in between bites of his own sandwich. He sat back and admired the girl sitting in front of him. He wasn't shy or afraid to be caught staring. He longed to see Natalie smile and blush.
Natalie took another few bites of her sandwich and a sip of her water then watched Grave Robber silently as he watched her. Her eyes then wondered to the clock on the wall. She had little under an hour before she had to go to work. She wouldn't think about that right now though; or at least she would try not to.
Grave Robber followed Natalie's gaze and looked at the clock. He tried to remember what time she usually worked. Knowing that she wouldn't want to talk about it, he decided to go on and pretend that the night was theirs. He finished his sandwich and sat back. He was finally not hungry. He glanced at Natalie and wished she didn't have to work.
Natalie ate a few more bites. She stopped eating after half of her sandwich. She wasn't very hungry. Plus, eating before she went to work would be a bad idea. She took a sip of her water and then looked back at Grave Robber and smiled, pretending she wasn't thinking about her job.
Grave Robber could tell Natalie was thinking about her job. She barely ate anything. He knew she didn't like her job. Not at all. He wondered what life for her would be like if she didn't have to work for GeneCo. Would she still be the woman he knew? He already knew that answer. She would still be the amazing woman he knew, but without the horrible job. He had to admit though; he would rather see her as a Repo Woman than in the dumps like Amber Sweet. He shivered a little. "Want to go on a walk?"
"Sure," she said with a half-forced smile. She took another sip of her water then stood up and smoothed out her dress again. "Where to?" She asked.
Grave Robber put money down on the table. It was enough for a large tip. He could afford tipping such amounts as Zydrate sales had been skyrocketing. He smiled as he stood up. Grabbing a hold of Natalie's hand, he motioned toward the door. "Just around. It's a beautiful night," he replied.
"Sounds perfect," she said, smiling. "Thanks again for taking me here." She said, looking up at him and smiling gratefully.
Grave Robber nodded and walked out of the small cafe, Natalie on his arm. Once outside, he looked up at the sky. It wasn't the best sight in the world, but it still had that gothic beauty look. He turned to Natalie and stopped. Though they had only walked a few minutes, he needed to do something. He held her face and leaned in to kiss her. Oh how he longed to kiss her and he was inches away from her soft lips.
Natalie looked at him, surprised. Her cheeks turned color again as she leaned in also. Her heart raced. She closed her eyes as their lips met. And she was happier than she had ever been.
Grave Robber could tell that Natalie was happy. He heard her heart racing. It was actually quite funny, but he held back his laughter. She seemed surprised, which wasn't the reaction he wanted, but he kissed her anyway. It was more than what he imagined. Everything around him disappeared. It was like they were the only two beings on the planet. He pulled back and smiled before turning on his heel to begin walking again. Even if they walked for five seconds or five hours, they were together and that was all Grave Robber wanted.
Natalie held his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. She walked with him down the street, blissfully unaware of the fact that she was to go to work in less than half an hour. She sighed contentedly as they continued on their way under the pale moonlight.
Grave Robber didn't want to bring up the work situation with Natalie, but he had to know how long they could be together that night. "When do you have to work?" he asked looking down at her. He held onto her hand and adjusted his shoulder so her head could lie down neatly and nicely. He wished upon the many distant stars that she didn't have to work for a while, or ever.
"At about two," she said, not realizing what time it was. "I still have a while I think . . ." she said, wondering if she really did or not. "Do you know what time it is? I just want to be sure." She sounded slightly worried.
Grave Robber nodded and glanced at his watch. They had twenty minutes before she had to go to work. He sighed and very depressed sigh. "You'd better get off then. What time do you get off?" He figured he could sell the Zydrate down in the alley while she repossessed organs. They could meet up afterwards. He smiled.
"Depends on when I finish repossessing organs from those I'm assigned to . . . And I haven't gotten my assignments yet . . ." Natalie said, frowning. "I can meet up with you as soon as I'm finished though." She said with a smile. "I'll finish as quickly as I can."
Grave Robber frowned, but then smiled. As he nodded, he started to think. He could spend the whole night in the alley and she could meet him there. It wasn't the best way to spend one's night, but it had to do. "Meet me in the alley when you're done," he replied.
"Okay," she said happily. At least now she had something to look forward to after work, which she often didn't. Normally she washed the blood off her uniform, delivered the organs to GeneCo then go home to sleep and do the whole thing over again. But tonight was different, and that made her smile. "Well . . . I'd better get going, I guess."
Grave Robber made his way to the alley. It was usually crowded with girls and guys alike wanting more Zydrate than their body could handle. He sold the blue liquid to them anyway. It was all for the profits. Pulling out his pocket watch he watched as the hours went by. He hoped that Natalie was doing okay. He couldn't imagine killing someone and repossessing their organs. He twitched and continued to sell the small vials of Zydrate.
Natalie arrived at her house and changed into her Repo Woman uniform just as she was phoned five different targets from GeneCo. She made her way out of her house and into the streets, where, at the sign of her presence, many scattered.