Chapter 5: A Flashback

A/N Thanks for getting this far, clearly you must have liked it, or you wouldn't be this far into it lol. I'd also like to thank FantasticMisticalWonder, HopeCoppice and Maddiethegraverobber for adding Under My Skin to their story alerts. I hope to see more activity from my readers. Tell me you love it. Tell me you hate it. With that being said, enjoy.

Graverobber's Story:

17 Years Ago:

"Mom? Dad?" he had heard himself ask, as he searched the house for his mother and father.
It had come time for supper, and he couldn't find his parents anywhere.
Once he had searched the whole house, and found no sign of either of his parents, he knew where they were, and began cooking.
Were it just himself, he would have been fine, he had gone for days without eating, and he was still alive, but now he was responsible for another life, another being.
His twin brother, Terrance.
He and Terrance were more alike than any other twins he knew, they looked the same, ate the same, felt the same, they were almost the same person.
He made some spaghetti and meatballs, and called Terrance to eat.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Terrance asked his brother. "Are they not eating with us?"
Though Graverobber knew where his parents were, he refused to let his brother know about his parents' secret life.
"Oh," Graverobber started. "They're out, but they'll be back later."
"Oh, okay," Terrance said with a saddened slurp of his noodles.
Once finished with their dinner, they went their separate ways, and shortly after, their parents came home.
Father was sweating, and Mother hanging off of him.

Graverobber awoke as he thudded to the floor.
"Dammit," he mumbled as he put his coat back on, and climbed back in bed.
The minute his head hit the pillow, he was asleep, again, and he had another dream.

He saw himself lying on a stretcher in a hospital, his brother next to him.
He looked to the other side, and saw his parents.
"What?" he moaned, sitting up.
"What happened?" he asked with another moan.
"Well, son," Father began. "Long story short, your kidney failed, and you passed out. The minute your brother told us, we rushed you to the hospital."
Graverobber turned to his brother and half smiled.
"So, what's going to happen, now?" he asked.
"Your brother has volunteered one of his kidneys," a female voice said.
He turned to the direction the voice came from, and saw a very attractive brunette woman in a lab coat.
"And who would you be?" Graverobber asked her, with a devious smile.
"I'm Dr. Miranda, and I'll be performing the surgery," she answered with a smirk, as she pulled a small gun out of the holster on her hip.
"Now," she said, as she pressed it against his side.
"You'll feel a little pinch, then nothing at all."
She was right, he felt the pinch, and a strong throbbing, then he felt himself fall backward, and hit the pillow, as his eyelids closed.
Next thing he knew, he awoke in a darkened room, and looked around.
He saw his brother lying on a stretcher next to him.
He leaned over, and shook his brother.
"Terrance, wake up!"
Terrance turned slightly, and let out a quiet moan.
He sat up, slowly, "Hm?"
"Listen," Graverobber had said, shushing his brother.
They heard their mother ask if they were okay, their father asked how the operation went, then a short pause, followed by Dr. Miranda's voice.
"It pains me to have to say this, but your sons did not survive the operation."
They heard their mother immediately burst into tears, Father trying to comfort her.

Graverobber and Terrance, by this time, had gotten up off their stretchers, and made their way to the door.
Graverobber opened the door, just a crack, and peeked out.
He saw two genecops right outside the door.
"Well, that's definitely out," Graverobber said.
"Do you see any windows?" he asked his brother.
"I can barely see you, let alone a window," Terrance responded sarcastically.
"Okay, well, I guess we'll need a plan," Graverobber said, sitting back on the stretcher.
"Well," Terrance began, "One of us could go out, and distract the guards."
"Sounds like a plan," Graverobber stated. "Now go out, and distract them."
"Why do I hafta do it?" Terrance exclaimed.
"Because it was your idea, doofus," Graverobber said, smacking his brother.
"Fine," Terrance said, reluctantly as he made his way back to the door.
The door had cracked open, and then closed, and Graverobber heard his brother's voice.
"They're not there."
"What do you mean they're not there?"
"They're gone, there's no one standing there, guarding the door, anymore."
"Well, where could they have gone?" Graverobber thought aloud.
"Who cares? Let's go!" Terrance said, grabbing his brother by the shoulders, and pushing him towards the door.

They opened the door, just as a gentern strolled by with a cart of lungs, and livers, and bladders, and hearts, organs of all shapes and sizes.
They crouched behind the cart, and slunk down the hall, until the cart stopped.
They peeked up, around the jars, and Terrance let out a quick "SHIT!" as he noticed the two guards that were earlier guarding their door.
They saw a cloud of smoke, and felt their eyelids fall.

Next thing he knew, Graverobber awoke, strapped to a table in a room with no windows.
The only light coming from a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
He looked around, and saw no sign of his brother.

On the other side of the wall, Terrance awoke, also strapped to a table, and realized his brother was not with him.
Just then, a genterns, in sync with each other, though separated by a brick wall, walked into each of the rooms, unstrapped the brothers, left, locked the doors, and sauntered arm in arm down the hall.
It was at this moment, the brothers noticed that there was a mirror in their rooms.
They groggily made their way to the mirrors, and stared at the unknown faces.
Graverobber noticed first that his face was different, that there were scars, stitches all over his body.

He felt pain all over.
Sharp stabbing, burning all throughout his body.
He wrapped his arms over his abdomen, careful of the stitches, and doubled over, falling to the ground.
Before he knew it, he saw a gentern make her way over to him.
He felt the pinch of the gun, just as he had earlier that morning.

He awoke in a graveyard, and watched as a man, not much bigger than himself, took a gun, similar to the one that had been used on him twice, in just today alone.
He saw the bright blue liquid flow into the back of the gun.
"Kid," the man said. "Hey, pay attention."
Graverobber looked at the man.
"Watch carefully!" He demanded of Graverobber.
Graverobber had watched as the man dug up three more bodies, and retrieved the blue liquid from each of them.

By this time, he had passed out.
When he awoke, he was in Rotti Largo's office, staring at the man who had changed his life.
"I hope you paid attention to what your mentor showed you." Graverobber sat silently.
"From this day on, you will be working for me."
Graverobber held his head.
He felt as if his skull cracked open, and his brain was trying to push its way out all at once.
His scars throbbed, and itched, and he felt himself grow very weak.
"Oh, about that," Rotti stated.
"That will go away with time."
"How-how much time?" Graverobber said pained.
Rotti just stared at him.
"Now, you will be in charge of collecting the raw materials we use to make our patented form of Zydrate. You will meet with Lex again, and he will make sure you know what you are doing."

"Graverobber?" Shilo said, with concern.
It was two in the afternoon, and he was usually awake by ten, eleven at the latest.
"Morning, kid," he said with a yawn, as he sat up.
"It's two in the afternoon," she informed him.
"Oh. Well-" he paused.
"Let's go downstairs," Shilo suggested.
"I'll meet you down there, gotta take a piss," Graverobber stated, as he walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.