DISCLAIMER: Still not mine, except for Ferraro, Latch, and Nicky. Not that I want any of them. See Chapter 1 for more details.
AN: There are three more OCs here, but they're very minor. In all likelihood, you won't see any of them again. One of the problems with writing fanfiction is that it's very difficult to keep things entirely to the canon characters. Oh, well.
Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed! Your words brighten my day. I glow at the very thought.
***
Nathan's hands gently shake her awake. "Shilo. Shilo, wake up."
Shilo opens her eyes blearily. "Daddy," she murmurs as she peers up at him. "What is it?"
"It's your birthday, sweetheart. Come and say hello to your mother."
She sits up in bed and scrubs the sleep from her eyes. Shilo catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her face is rounded and childish. She is five years old again. It isn't her birthday as much as it is the anniversary of Marni's death.
"Shilo, I can't tell you how proud your mother would be of you," says Nathan. He stands beside her in Marni's crypt, and Shilo is holding a small pot with moon orchids. "I wish so much that she had survived . . ."
Instead of me, Shilo thinks as she places the orchids on Marni's tomb.
Now Blind Mag is before her, her strange eyes glowing with passion. She reaches out and strokes Shilo's cheek gently. "In you is a world of promise . . ."
"Get the little bitch!"
Shilo spins around, and sees Amber, Luigi, and Pavi racing through a graveyard towards her, followed by a horde of GeneCops. Shilo runs, but it's like moving through syrup—she trips, and falls into an open crypt—she lands in a huge underground necropolis—
"This way, kid!" Graverobber calls, appearing several yards in front of her. He begins to duck and dodge his way between the tombs, and Shilo tries to follow, but the tombs suddenly crow up out of the ground as high as walls, and the necropolis becomes a maze.
Shilo turns a corner and is met with a horrible sight. A Repo Man stands over a body, holding a human spinal column in his hand. Shilo tries to scream, but her voice is gone. The Repo Man turns and sees her. He raises his scalpel threateningly.
"Did you take your medicine?" he asks. Oh, God, it has Nathan's voice.
"Dad—I—" Shilo gasps in shock. A heavy hand lands on her shoulder, and she whirls around. Nathan is standing over her, covered in blood, mouth torn and stretched in a horrible death grin.
"I will always be here," he whispers in a hideously cracked voice. "Shilo, you're the world to me."
***
Shilo's eyes snapped open as she jolted awake. She was panting for breath, which only ever happened after her worst nightmares. Her heart was racing like she'd just run a marathon. She could call to Nathan and he would come to comfort her, remind her gently that it was only a dream—but Nathan was dead. There was no comfort to be had.
Her thoughts gathered slowly as she came out of the dreamspace and back to reality. She was still huddled in her doorway, cold and cramped and very uncomfortable. Her feet were freezing, but she'd at least thought to put her boots back on before going to sleep, so they were probably warmer than they'd be otherwise. The rain had finally stopped. She pushed errant locks of hair out of her face and looked towards the sky. It was still fairly dark, and a moon just beginning to wane still hung there, partially obscured by clouds. The eastern sky was streaked with pink and purple. Dawn was maybe an hour or two away. Shilo didn't know how long she'd slept, but it probably wasn't any more than a few hours.
Her stomach grumbled loudly, and she tightened her arms around the void. God, she was so hungry. When was the last time she had eaten? Food was clearly the next priority.
Shilo got to her feet, wincing as her cramped and knotted muscles protested. She rubbed her arms briskly, trying to restore some warmth to them. Her lonely alley was no longer empty. She spotted three people passed out down the road, drugged out of their minds, and another pair who were—Shilo wrinkled her nose in disgust—having sex against a filthy wall. As she stared, the man glanced over his shoulder and spotted her. He leered unpleasantly, and Shilo hurried out of the alleyway.
The tiny side street opened out into a slightly more populated thoroughfare. On one side of Shilo was a secondhand bookstore; on the other, there was a whorehouse, judging from the surgically-enhanced women flaunting their breasts and legs from the windows. Neither place seemed like an option for food. But there, just across the street, was a small deli. A sign in the window proclaimed it as Ferraro's. It looked halfway prosperous. Maybe the owner would take pity on her and give her something to eat for free.
"Not a fucking chance, toots," snorted Mr. Ferraro from behind the counter. He was a big man who looked like he had had his whole midsection replaced, but hadn't thought about the strangeness of a beefy neck and flabby arms on a toned and sculpted torso. "'Less you got something to sell, you ain't getting a bite."
Shilo's stomach rumbled again, and she even felt a little faint. The smell of hot panini was intoxicating; she was practically drooling. "Please," she begged, hating herself for it. "Please, I don't have anything, I'm just so hungry—"
Ferraro's critical gaze traveled up and down her body, like he was inspecting a purchase. "Don't tell me you don't got nothing. You got—"
"No!" snapped Shilo. Her face reddened and she crossed her arms over her chest. Not for the first time, she wished she had more than her skimpy dress.
Ferraro shrugged. "Hey, I'm on your side, here, girlie. Just trying to help. What about that necklace?"
Shilo's fingers brushed the cameo she still wore around her neck. "This? I—I couldn't. It's of my mother."
"And she ain't around anymore?" Shilo shook her head. "Trust me, babe, she'd want your stomach full more than you wearing that thing. I got kids. I know."
Shilo said nothing. The cameo had been a gift from Nathan. "Your mother will always watch over you," he'd said as he'd fastened it around her neck. "Wear this to remember her." Of course, living in that house, it had been impossible to forget Marni. She haunted her daughter as much as her husband. Shilo was constantly reminded of her genetic inheritance, her mother's sacrifice . . . and her father's obsession.
He'd been so obsessed that he'd deliberately poisoned her, done everything he could to keep her close, wreaked God-only-knew what kind of havoc on her body. Even though she missed Nathan terribly and loved him with all her heart, she honestly wasn't sure whether she could forgive him that.
Maybe it was time to let go. Just a little bit.
"Looks like gold," pressed Ferraro.
"It is," said Shilo reluctantly. "And onyx and shell. It's one-of-a-kind."
"Give you ten credits and a panino for it. Best panino this end of Crucifixus, guaranteed."
Shilo's eyes moistened as she unclasped the necklace, but she refused to let her tears fall.
***
One amazing sandwich later, Shilo's spirits were back up. Ferraro hadn't been lying about his wares. Hot mozzarella, prosciutto, basil, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, olives, and just a hint of oregano. There was little on earth that could equal a really good panino, and that one had been . . . exceptional. Shilo licked her lips at the mere memory.
She'd even come up with something of a plan as to her next move. She'd try to find a pawnshop or something of that nature and sell her dress in exchange for some more substantial clothing. Her ten credits from Ferraro were tucked securely into her boots. Although walking on them was a little uncomfortable, it would do for now. A purse could wait; more urgent needs were a shower and finding some means of income.
Shilo still didn't know what to do about that. Other than her rather encyclopedic knowledge of insects, she didn't have any particular skills that might help in finding a job. But even that couldn't dampen her spirits. She had money and she had a full stomach, and she'd survived her first night. Things were looking up.
"Lungs and livers and bladders and hearts," Shilo sang to herself under her breath. She was walking down yet another alley, eyes peeled for any kind of clothing store or pawnshop. "You always save a bundle when you buy our GeneCo parts. Spleens—"
Shilo started at a metallic clang from behind her. She glanced around. About fifteen yards back was a young man with spiked green hair. He grinned maliciously at her. He'd caused the bang; he'd hit a metal fire escape with something in his hand.
Shilo's heart skipped a beat. Dear God, it was a knife. And he was coming closer.
Shilo picked up the pace, not outright running but definitely fleeing. The alley opened up just a few yards ahead—if she could make it out maybe she could lose him—
Another man stepped into the alley, cutting off her escape route. He grinned, and raised a hand. He also had a knife.
Shilo froze as the two advanced on her from either end of the alley. She was still for half a second, then she sprinted towards the second man, towards freedom at the end of the alley. She tried to dodge him, but he caught her easily. She screamed—maybe someone would hear and help her—and he struck her across the face. He practically threw her against the wall.
"Looky what we got here, Latch," said the green-haired one as he converged on Shilo and his partner.
"Looks like we caught us a fish, Nicky," said the second one. He grinned again, baring yellowed and rotten teeth.
Shilo's breathing was rough and ragged. The two thugs had her cornered against the wall and a heavy Dumpster; there was nowhere to run, and those knives looked lethally sharp. "Please—" she gasped, "please—just let me go. I swear, I don't have anything."
The second one—Latch—burst out laughing. "Listen to that, Nicky," he snorted. Little slut thinks if she says 'please' that's that."
"Teach her different, Latch," said Nicky eagerly.
Shilo kicked Nicky, who was a little closer, as hard as she could in the groin. He screamed in agony and fell to his knees, clutching his balls. She tried to make a break for it, but Latch shoved her angrily back against the wall, blade against her throat. He punched her in the mouth and Shilo choked and gagged, spitting out blood and a tooth.
"Fucking bitch," growled Latch. "Teach you to fight back. No more funny business." He bit her ear, and Shilo screamed. But there was no one there to hear her.
***
I promise the cliffhanger will be resolved very soon! Please review if you have any constructive criticism to add. Flames go to the ninja hit squad.
Also, can you tell I love panini?