Author's note: Sorry I took so long . . . I was busy doing some stuff, and yeah I know this chapter is a bit all-over the place, sorry again. In my previous chapter I said 'No pain No game' but its actually 'No pain no GAIN' sorry I missed a pun. You will understand the part with the old lady and her nephew is you're a fill in the blank fan! Thanx again 4 da reviews!

Chapter 4:

"It's time to say 'bye bye' little birdie."

The Vampire/Crow held in his blood filled hands, a crow, which rightfully belongs to Eric Draven. A knife, which the Vampire held in his other hand, was pointing down in the crow's small and light body. The edge of it was about to crush the poor creature.

"Oh c'mon." A voice called out from a near-by fire escape, it was 'The Crow' "I thought you were better than I am . . . but it looks like you're nothin but a big fat stinkin' dead bully. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Let the bird go." Demanded He.

"Or what? Laughs . . . you can't kill me! I'm already dead!"

"Maybe, . . . but your dearest pet isn't." The Crow revealed that he too had a prisoner . . . the crow that brought back this vampire to life.

"I can twist this guy's head 360 degrees . . . if it dies then you return to hell." He informed with an evil smile.

"I heard about you Draven, you're not that kind of guy, I know how you were murdered, heard how you are seeking pathways to reunite with your beloved 'Shelly Webster' . . . let me tell you sumpthin' I can help you."

"How? By killing my crow?"

"Deadly smile of his own Yeah . . ."

"Give me a break! You go directly into the light by killing the messenger . . . not the Land of the Dead!"

"Exactly." The Evil Vampire aimed his chosen weapon high above his head. Threatening to kill the small hostage. But instead . . . without stabbing the bird, he threw the knife as if it were a dart towards Crow with the speed of lightning.

"God speed Draven." The Vampire warned just before throwing the knife into the air, kind of pretending to be that Goblin guy from the Spiderman movie. The knife flew across the air which was filled in tension at this moment, between the two souls and stuck in Crow (Eric Draven)'s chest with a 'clink' sound, cutting the tissues and muscles in that area as it deepened. Naturally making Eric bleed. The Vampire Crow leaped towards his prey after laughing at his victory and throwing the bird aside. The real Crow jerked the knife away from his own chest, while his powers cured the damages that were made, after all, he was supernatural. Crow side-stroked the Vampire in the cheek as he came closer, in eye level, making him bleed also.

"Blood for blood."

Indeed, green blood poured down from the Vampire's face and yet, he had an evil grin on his face as he got to his feet, licking his own blood with his tongue as if mocking while the last bit of the wound cured back to normal. But it took some time.

"You really want to know if you killed the owner?" The Vampire grabbed Crow's head without warning or waiting for an answer. Passing Eric a vision.

Vision: (back at the store the other night) The Vampire-crow revealed his blood-sucking teeth, and attacked at Crow without him being alert. Inserting his deadly venomous tooth into Eric's throat, tearing apart his vein. And sucking his blood as if were water, causing Eric to fall to ground.

"I'm getting outta here!" screamed the owner from behind the counter. He ran in fear towards a back door as fast as his fat body could take him, but it didn't do him any good. "Where do you think you're going?" The vampire twisted his body 180degrees and pulled out a gun while doing it. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! No doubt the owner had died, killed for no reason

"It wasn't you Eric . . . it was me!" The Vampire let go of his opponent's head and proceeded with a low-kick. Knocking his enemy to a wall.

The Crow rushed towards the Vampire to grab him, but at the exact last second. The creature leaped out of harms way. Crow looked up; the creature kicked him in the face. This time, knocking him to the ground, but Crow quickly flipped back up and kicked the evil soul in the face returning the move. Then he tried to chop the Vampire, but his hands were blocked. The Crow tried to hit the Vampire with the back of his hands this time, blocked again; he was slammed to ground with a reversal, knocking him into Eric Draven.

"Who are you? Really?" Was all Eric could spat out, no one gave him a hard time like that . . . recently.

"I'm . . . ah . . . No body. Just like you." The shadowy creature shoved a card from his pocket . . . and threw it with an evil smile as if it were the answer to Eric's question. He picked it up and read out-loud:

'CHRISTOPHER BRIAN' He looked back up to see the creature vanish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm telling you, This guy is Christopher Brian!" Eric Draven was now standing beside his window with his crow on his shoulder.

"But if he is this . . . Brian . . . guy, then how could he be alive?" Asked Sarah Dohr. Although the 13-year-old was told by her mother not to go anyplace without her knowing, Sarah was at Eric's apartment.

"Like I told you, he's a vampire crow, something like me."

"But . . . what's up with the 'vampire' part?"

"A Vampire Crow is when a crow brings back a soul which is already poured with evil. In other words, they posses the abilities of a Crow and a Vampire. They can also suck out the soul of all living men, but if it's a Crow's soul they're sucking at, lets just say, they suck at it."

"Oh . . . . . . Kay . . . so . . . what do want with me?"

"I need your help"

"(Yeahwellwhatelseisnew)."

"What?"

"Nothing! Silly grin"

"Deeply sighs in irritation I need you to find out about his family. Christopher Brian had a 17-year-old son, his name is John Brian, his half-brother is Terry Brian, see if you can get something out of them . . . you being the 'street-wise' an all."

"Cool, but where are you going?"

"To see his grave."

~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was still up, making it just another beautiful day; but in the cemetery, it was still sad, but not scary. The cemetery was filled with people, mostly crying along side their loved-ones graves; some placing flowers on the head stones while others just stood there, talking. Eric slowly walked next to Shelly's grave, he closed his eyes to stop the tear that was forming within him, this place, this grave, reminds him of so much of that night. The night he was murdered, thank god that son of a !#$% is dead, meaning Top Dollar. Eric reopened his watery eyes. About 10 meters ahead, he saw the grave of that soul, a soul so wicked, a soul so dark, a soul so powerful, like the edge of a mark. It was the grave of Christopher Brian's soul. Eric walked towards it, and slightly touched the grave stone, which enabled him to see all the tragic on the dark creature's life . . .

"So you kill a guy, escape from prison, and now you give sympathy to a dead soul?"

Most men were supposed to be startled by this, but not Eric Draven, he knew that sooner or later, Detective Albrecht would catch up with him.

"I'm not giving sympathy to NO BODY!"

"Yeah! Especially me! Just because you were my friend, the Lieutenant is breathing down my neck! 'GO FIND DRAVEN!' 'GO FIND DRAVEN!' it's driving me bananas!"

"Pity." Smiled Eric, he could see Daryl sighing in disgust over his shoulders.

"Now look . . . why don't you just bring yourself in and admit you did it?"

"I already told you, I didn't do it."

"So okay, you also said that 'ANOTHER GUY' did it . . . got any evidence who?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"You won't believe me."

"See that's your problem right there! You keep denying you murdered an old man and say that someone else did but don't say who!" Nearby standers were shocked by this and decided to see the fight. An old lady even put a hand on her mouth saying 'oh my' under her breath while her nephew tried to calm her down.

"Don't worry people . . . we're just . . . saying things . . . y'know being cops an all!" Said Albrecth with a stupid grin, he wanted to calm the people down, and the last thing he needed was a crowd in panic running around in circles.

"Sigh Christopher Brian." – Eric spoke out, after the crowd broke up.

"What?"

"Christopher Brian! The guy you told me about."

"But he's dead."

"Yeah well so am I."

"How . . . could you be so sure?"

"This." Eric showed him the card. "This card belongs to the killer."

"Got any evidence that it does?"

"There is an eye-witness."

The Detective raised one of his eyebrows in confusion.

"Me."

"Well that won't do any good man!"

"You want proof? I can give you proof."

"No! NO! Not that head thing again Draven!" said Darryl "What else do you got?"

"I was looking into that 'till you showed up!"

" . . . Okay, I'll give you another chance; if you can prove yourself innocent, then you're off the hook . . . but if you can't . . . then I'm taking you in."

" No worries. But it also proves it again doesn't it?"

"What?"

"That I am smarter than you smiles."

"You start that again and you're a DEADMAN!"

"Great. That way I could be 'Dead-man walking'."

Most of the people were in a hurry to get out of the cemetery after that, who would want to stay at a place where you thought a murderer was in? But, that old lady's nephew decided to stay and keep an eye out for these two.

(To be continued)