You woke up with blurred vision, the pale light in your room is just enough to let your eyes adjust against the darkness outside your window. You sit up slowly as not to overwhelm yourself, gently pulling out the IV in your arm that still contained trace amounts of glowing blue liquid. Sliding on your shoes before wandering down the stairs with a death grip on the railing as you made your way down to the kitchen for something to eat, but in your daze you must have accidentally gone through the front door, because a blast of cold air hit your face and started to wake up the rest of your senses. The night sky was cloudy, save for the bright, full moon that lit up the narrow streets. Seemingly endless walking and navigating your way through the alleys lead you into a graveyard, from behind a headstone you heard clattering noises,
"Who's there!?" you yelled out defensively but quietly.
There were signs scattered about that read 'GRAVEROBBERS WILL BE EXECUTED ON SIGHT, BY ORDER OF GENECO, BY-LAW NO.653-465', of course that didn't pertain to you but more to the voice that whispered from where you heard the noises,
"Besides you, my dear...me." Replied a husky voice.
Scanning back and forth searching for the voice, you finally spotted a figure huddled over another. A pale man with long, half-tied up hair was leaning over another person...except it wasn't a living person, it was a corpse. He pulled a glowing syringe out of its nose and removing the glass vial then placing it in a holster on his belt that was secured to his right back-thigh under his long, fur-lapel, leather coat. He was covered with different belts and buckles from what the graveyard spotlights and moonlight allowed you to see, his boots were platformed with seven straps going up to his knees.
"Y-you're a graverobber, aren't you?" You asked with caution, still weary from your induced sleep.
"Graverobber's the name and the game, sweetheart." He peered up at you from the corpse, which still had most of his attention.
"Is that Zydrate?" Your eyes widened at the glowing blue liquid in little vials he had on him, exactly the same stuff that was left in your IV tube.
"Yeah, it is...why? You want some?" He asked standing all the way up and stretching his back with a few cracks sounding from it due to lugging heavy bodies around.
"I wouldn't be able to pay you, but I'm almost out at home…" You shrugged sadly in admittance.
"You have a home supply of Zydrate?" He raised his eyebrow in intrigue.
"Well, my mom gets it from her job." You reply.
"What is she? A nurse, a surgeon, or a very valued customer of mine I might recognize?" He asked while bending back down to pack up his Zydrate extraction kit.
"She's a Gentern…" You replied shyly, starting to lean on a headstone to support your weakening body, your Zydrate high was coming down.
"Wait...did you say a Gentern? Like the ones that hang around and fondle Pavi Largo?" His eyes grew wide along with his smile as he stifled a laugh, "I cannot believe that, I'm sorry." the laugh broke out, but quiet enough to not be spotted.
"Yeah? Why is that so funny?" You asked with a hint of anger in your voice.
"Have you seen those girls? They are too full of themselves and Pavi to have kids…" Graverobber chuckled deeply.
"Well, mine just happened to have me 18 years ago...so how does that figure?" You crossed your arms smugly.
He placed his gloved finger on his chin thoughtfully and tapped it a few times, actually contemplating the question he was presented with. Shrugging in defeat after a few moments of silence from him and his thoughts, he pulled out one of the vials of Zydrate and handed it to you but pulled back with a pause,
"Since you can't pay me now, I'll give you this one but it's gotta last you till you can pay me, do we have a deal?" He held the glowing vial inches from you.
With a nod and a shaking hand you reached out for it and replied, "How will I find you again to pay you?"
"I'm usually anywhere outside and in graveyards, if you have a window just call out 'Graves!' and if I'm close enough by I'll hear you, ok?" He crooned as he bowed and turned to leave you.
After a slight pause and dream-filled daze of staring at the vial you quickly yelled in a whisper, "Wait!"
He turned with an inquisitive expression plastered on his pale face, "What?"
"I...um, don't know my way home from here and my mom won't be home for a while…and I'm kind of alone out here, would you mind helping me get back and maybe chat while we're at it?" You asked rubbing your arm like a nervous school girl, plus it was chilly and you had on a hospital style shirt with short sleeves.
He raised his eyebrow, then his expression softened as he bowed again but this time he held his arm out, "Be my guest, I have nowhere else to be right now anyway, I'm just resupplying my stock of Zydrate...Amber Sweet has kinda run me dry in the last few weeks and none of my other customers come around due to her, she's cleaning out my business."
You stepped forward and the two of you started walking together through the many graves and alleys the dark, moonlit city had to offer