Chapter Two

"Place her in the bedroom." Mika commanded as she put down the wig, shrugged off her jacket, and she raced into the kitchen of their apartment.

"You want this to die on our bed? Kinda morbid, dontcha think?" Xavier replied, kicking the apartment door closed and walking through the living room, into the dark bedroom that was separated by just a doorway. He carefully laid the body down, and shook his head. He focused his attention to the set of candles placed on a broken dresser close by. Retrieving the lighter from his pocket, he lit them one at a time. He turned back to look at the body that seemed to be glowing in the candle light. "Is it worth it to go through all this trouble?"

Mika entered the room with a bowl full of water and a wash cloth. "Yes. It's what I do."

"Whatcha used to do." He coughed with a smirk.

"Shut the fuck up. Don't you have work to do?" She nudged past him and sat on the bed, placing the bowl of water on a little table nearby. She dipped the cloth into the water and gently started to wash away what she could of the blood on the body's skin.

"Yeah, I do. But if it dies, move it from the bed. But keep it here, I wouldn't want anyone else to get it before I do." He turned on his heel and walked away slowly, grabbing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it on his way out the apartment door.

"Bastard." She mumbled under her breath as he walked away. She turned her attention back to the lifeless body. "C'mon hunny. Wake up. Wake up. Stay alive. Don't die."


Xavier walked the streets in the shadows and as he passed by some of the graffiti alleyways a smile grew across his lips proudly, knowing that some of that work was his.

He turned left into one of those alleys; the alley where he had the unfortunate pleasure of working tonight. He looked around and realized that he was alone. "The fuck? Where the fuck-? I shoulda known this was gonna happen. Man's getting old and probably forgot." He chuckled and leaned against the brick wall, and began to whistle a familiar tune. So familiar, that it seemed the night was whistling right along with him. But when he stopped whistling, the darkness seemed to continue with the song. "Who the..."

A figure stepped out of the shadows across from him, and with five strides was face to face with the man. "Now, now..." said the shadow dweller, "is that any way to speak about an elder? Is that any way to speak about me?" The shadow dweller grinned evilly at Xavier, cobalt blue eyes meeting his emerald green.

"S-Sorry..." The younger man stuttered, then wore a matching grin across his face. "...T-"

THUD.

The shadow dweller crouched over Xavier; Leaning forward, grabbing the man's face between a pointer finger and thumb on one hand firmly, glaring into his eyes. "Never. Ever. try to use my name again. Got it?" Releasing the grip, the shadow dweller stood up and moved away from the man on the ground.

Xavier tasted blood in his mouth. With a spit to the side he replied with a slow nod. He coughed and spit more blood as he tried to get his head to stop spinning from the punch. He rose to his feet, hands attempting to grip as much brick as he could to help support himself. He looked at the shadow dweller, who looked as if he was trying not to laugh at his pain. "Yeah. GraveRobber. Won't happen again." He used the back of his hand to wipe some of the blood from his mouth.

GraveRobber gave a lopsided smile. "Good. Because next time, I may just knock your ass unconscious and leave you here."

Xavier gulped slightly.