Chapter 3:

Jimmy Blaire walked quietly down the street, his hands in the pockets of his slacks. He had made a speech earlier that day and was now on a walk, reveling in the fact that he was most likely up in the polls. There was a good chance that he would be governor soon enough. Jimmy turned the corner and saw the sign for the Savanna hotel. Jimmy headed there. All the while he had no idea that someone was following him closely.

When Jimmy reached his hotel room on the second floor, he quickly removed the key from his pocket and opened the door. He stepped inside and swung the door closed behind him before unbuttoning his suit coat and loosening his tie. It took him a few more seconds to realize that the door hadn't closed behind him. Jimmy turned around and looked at the door. He stopped when he saw the man standing in the doorway. Jimmy didn't miss the glint of a pistol in his hand.

The man stepped into Jimmy's hotel room and shut the door behind him. Jimmy swallowed. Jimmy tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat when the man trained his gun on him. "H-hey buddy...you don't want to-" Jimmy was cut off as the man stepped forward and slammed the butt of the pistol into his forehead. He crumpled to the floor and gripped his forehead. The skin had been broken and Jimmy felt the blood ooze between his fingers.

The man kept the gun trained on Jimmy as he slowly moved over to the TV, flicked it on and turned the volume up as loud as it would go. He walked back over to Jimmy, crouched and placed the barrel of the pistol against his wounded forehead. Jimmy shook and trembled with fear.

The man tightened his grip on the pistol and curled his finger over the trigger. He took a deep breath. The last thing Jimmy Blaire saw was the man staring down at him with cold, dead eyes. The gunshot rang loudly, barely mufled by the sound of the TV.

Joel swallowed and stared at Jimmy Blaire's cold and lifeless body. He let his eyes drift to his own clothes. They were stained crimson. He sighed and walked over to the TV. He switched it off before walking back to the door and stepping out into the hallway. He picked up the trash bag he had left sitting out there. He shut the door again and changed into the clean clothes he had brought with him. He shoved the bloody ones into the trash bag and left the hotel.

Joel walked down to the docks and pitched the trash bag filled with stained clothes into the water. Once he was sure it wouldn't come floating back up, he looked down at his boots. Joel pulled them off and tossed them into the water as well before jogging from the pier. He would go back to his apartment and give Dr.X a call.

Joel held his cellphone to his ear and waited. It only took a few rings before Dr.X answered, sounding pleased. "Joel, I didn't expect you to call so soon."

"Just figured I oughta tell you I took care of...things." There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. "Good, good. And don't you worry; someone will be there in a few days with your 'medicine'." Joel thanked him. And then he remembered the way Jimmy Blaire's blood had splashed all over him, the way his head had slammed back against the wall and the way he had trembled before Joel had shot him. He suddenly didn't want to do this anymore.

"Hey, Doc...look I don't think I'm up for this. I mean...I-"

"Don't you worry Joel. You are. Your medicine will be there in a few days." And he had hung up.

Dr.X hung the phone up and looked at Tim, sitting on the other side of his desk. "He gettin' second thoughts?" Dr.X nodded his head. "He just doesn't believe what he is doing is right." He scratched at his beard for a moment. It took several minutes, but his face eventually lit up with an idea.

"Do we still have the priest's number?" Tim thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah I think so." He reached the same conclusion Dr.X had. A grin split his face.

"We find someone religious who can bring him the drugs, they can 'wash away his sins' too." Dr.X nodded. "Get me his number. I think I'm going to pay him a visit."

"Bless me father for I have sinned." Father William stared at Ellie where she sat on the pew. He looked around the church, it was empty. William rarely saw people come in anymore. Ellie was one of the very few who did. And he was grateful; he had never seen a better piece of ass.

"When are you going to quit this, Ellie? If you did you wouldn't have to embarrass and degrade yourself in front of God." Ellie nodded her head, her eyes staring at her shoes. "I know, but I need the money."

"There are alternatives to being a stripper." William let his eyes look her up and down. She looked so exquisite, even right now, dressed in a white tanktop and blue jeans. He couldn't wait too much longer for the "services" he was to get. William gently lifted her chin up and stared into her eyes. She didn't resist as he leaned in close, she never did. Their lips were inches apart when the phone in the back began to ring loudly. William huffed, he stared at Ellie for just a moment before holding up one finger and walking towards the back. He would give whoever had called a piece of his mind.

He picked up the phone, and in a harsh voice he said; "Hello?" The voice that spoke on the other end chilled father William to the bone and he suddenly regretted sounded so harsh. "Hello father." William swallowed thickly. He didn't like how pleasant his voice was. "H...hey X. What's the word?" There was a chuckle.

"If I didn't know any better father, I would say you sound nervous." He dabbed at the sweat that was popping up on his forehead. "Sorry, guess I'm just having an off day." They talked for a few moments before Dr.X decided to get right down to business. "I would hate to intrude but, I need to ask you a question or two." William swallowed again. "Yeah, sure. Anything." There was a moment of silence. "Do you know of anyone who would be willing to help me with a little...business." He felt his eyes shoot towards the door that led out to the alter. He would've liked to have had some alone time with Ellie but...he didn't want to be on Dr.X's bad side. That was never good for one's health.

"Yeah...yeah I do as a matter of fact." He said, his voice suddenly calm. When Dr.X spoke again, he could practically hear the smile in the man's voice. "Good, good. An associate of mine and I will be there shortly." Then he hung up. William sighed and gently set the phone back on the hook. He walked back out to the pews and stepped over to Ellie. "It looks like we aren't going to be doing business today. But I need you to wait here with me." Ellie's brows furrowed. "Wait for what?"

"A friend of mine that would like to meet you." Was all he said before heading over to the back room again. Ellie did not leave.

Ellie looked back towards the church's front doors when they opened, permitting two men inside. At the sound, father William came out of the back room and greeted the first man (Ellie guessed that he was somewhere in his early fifties). They shared a brief hug before the older guy introduced William to the other, a man who looked like he would love to murder you in your sleep. The three men spoke to each other for a few minutes. Then the older looking one moved away from them and stepped over to Ellie. He held out one hand, which Ellie gingerly shook.

"It is good to meet you." the man said. He leaned against the pew in front of Ellie and folded his arms over his chest. Ellie took a moment to look him up and down. He was dressed in a fairly expensive suit, she wondered what he was doing out on this side of town. "My name is Xavier, by the way. The title Dr.X would be much more preferable however." Ellie nodded her head and opened her mouth to introduce herself. But Dr.X held up a hand before refolding his arms. "The father told me you were Ellie."

She felt her brows furrow and a shiver ran through her. She did not like him at all. "How well does your current...employment pay you?" Dr.X's question took Ellie by surprise. "Excuse me?"

"It doesn't pay very well. I would assume being a stripper isn't the most gratifying thing." Despite herself, Ellie felt heat rise up in her cheeks. Dr.X chuckled. "How would you like to have a better paycheck?" He asked. Ellie quirked an eyebrow. "...What would I be doing?" A chuckle from Dr.X. "You would be a courier of sorts. Bringing medicine to an employee of mine."

"What kind of medecine?"

"Morphine." Ellie's brows shot up. She wasn't sure how to take how up front he was being. But the thought of carrying that kind of drug around for some old creep she'd just met was definitely out of the question. She didn't feel like getting hauled in by the fuzz. Ellie shook her head. "Sorry, I'm gonna' have to say no to your offer." Dr.X looked over to Tim. "Could you and father William give me a moment with Ellie here?" Tim nodded and led William to the back room. Ellie felt a small amount of fear settle in her stomach. Dr.X smiled kindly at her.

"Let me tell you a little something Ellie."

Tim and father William looked up when Dr.X entered the back room. "It done?" Tim asked, sounding impatient. Dr.X smiled and nodded his head. He looked at the watch on his right wrist. "It took a little over an hour, but I believe she has been successfully brainwashed. She has a strong mind. But not strong enough, it seems." Tim nodded his head. "So, we bringing her over to Joel now?" Dr.X shook his head.

"No, I told him it would be a few days. We might as well give it some time. Today is..." Dr.X pulled his cellphone from his suit pants pocket. "Wednesday. On friday I will take her to Joel myself." Tim nodded his head. "I'll go get the car started." He said as he moved past Dr.X and began for the front door. Dr.X turned to William.

"Do you have room for anyone here?" William nodded. "I stay in the loft upstairs. I can spare some room." Dr.X clapped him on the back. "Good. She will be a nun-one of the sisters here."

"The only sister." Dr.X nodded his head. "Whenever I need her, she will come. It will depend on how many people my man, Joel, kills." William nodded. "I guess I'll be seeing you later." Dr.X smiles before leaving. William watched him go before turning to Ellie. He was surprised by the cold, numb look in her eyes.

AN: Well, now it seems that Ellie is underneath Dr.X's control. It also seems that she will be the one to bring Joel his fix. We'll see how well this little plan of the doc's turns out next time. See y'all later.

~Exangellion