Welcome to chapter two, starting out on a dry run on this one and it will evolve hopefully well. The last chapter was a hoot and turned out pretty well, it was fun to write and read back on I just hope that I can make this one a great fic...hoping my best written one. At any rate a little one sided romance or rather emotion sets in in this one as I try and set up things for later chapters, going to try and use musical ambiance while writing this one. Some character relationship building in this one, likely will seem slow and tedious but will try and liven it up I will try not to be too long winded. Well not much else to say, so...lets get on with it.

Chapter Two: Ghost Song

The city of desolation seemed to fall silent, the chaos of moments past died as abruptly as it came. The sound of thunder and then the rain came and turned heavy from a patter to a cacophony, the blood soaked pavement began to swirl in a mix of crimson and black tar as the ghoulish liquid mixed and washed along the broken curbs and through clogged gutters. For a time after silence rang in the desolate alley he had fallen to his knees completely numb to every thing hitting the kill switch on the bloody gore smeared machine, his murderous rage having subsided he felt weak and disoriented unaware of the passage of time and his surroundings.

'That was close...I'm going to die here if I don't get up, either from freezing to death in this rain or from any one that will come to investigate what all the noise was about.'

His first coherent thought came to him in a foreboding train of rationalism, unlike some may forget or not realize what they had done he remembered every intense second of what had transpired since he came to before he had a fit of rage. 'The girl...where is she?' He looked up and scanned his surroundings through the rain that now practically cascaded down into his eye's, the rain was now a down pour. He found her still dressed in white stained what looked like surgical scrubs, he managed to stand and move over to her hoping that she was still alive. He was actually genuinely worried about that, more so than he was worried weather or not his efforts were in vain. She was laying on her stomach so he could not see her face, rolling her over he realized how small she was frame wise how ever she felt very firmly built very in shape despite her stature and build.

He let out a sigh realizing she was still breathing, battered but not badly injured his eye's stopped looking for injuries as no more were apparent she was just out cold maybe a concussion from that last hit she took from that pistol whip. He grabbed her up cradling her in his arms and spotted the box truck that must be hers connecting her outfit with the truck, he had to get her out of this rain she already felt too cool to the touch as it was and she was soaked through to the skin. Laying her inside on the bench seat managing to find the keys in a pocket on the front of her scrubs he started it and cranked the heat as far as it would go and decided it might be a good idea to figure a place to get rid of the bodies, shutting the door he made his way out to the scene of the crime as he saw it and groaned.

"Really? I just had to get that fanatical didn't I?"

He barely recalled names, but he managed. The Craig guy in the clown suit that was trying to pass off as an Italian mafioso, this one would be fairly easy...he was intact at least. He looked around trying to find a place to dispose of the corpses, and nothing...not even a dumpster or even a trash can. He figured at least there would be one of those in a god forsaken place like this but no, out of ideas he remember the woman's truck would likely hold plenty of room for two dead bodies and was really taken aback when he unhinged the simple latch and threw up the rolling back door to the dry van back end.

"Holy...shit...what the HELL is she doing? Gah, this reeks like mad...15...20? Pheww...just as good a place as any...blech, time to get to work."

There were there had to be around 15-20 dead bodies all in different states piled into the back of the box truck, and it reeked of blood, death and shit at first almost making him gag it took him by surprise. 'Wow...just who in the hell is this girl, if this is her truck...what the hell?' He thought to himself as he broke away from the scene and went to collect the mangled bodies of Craig and Bj, Craig was a bitch...he was heavy and dead weight he was glad he worked out quite a bit but still loading the dead Italian fuck into the back made him think of starting that saw up and again. Would be a whole lot easier if he had cut him into more manageable chunks, but he dismissed the idea it would take too long and make far too much noise. Bj was quite a bit easier even if he used to be the bigger of the two, loading half at a time was a pleasure compared to the fat dime store hood wannabe mafioso.

Once he slammed the door shut and fixed the latch he washed most of the blood off of his arms in a flooded pot hole, he did the area a once over making sure things looked good enough and along the way he found an odd looking microphone thing. It looked out of place and wondered for a moment before remembering what it was, she had used this to speak for some odd reason he recalled. Picking it up figuring it was important pocketing it then going over picking up the hefty chainsaw, as he loaded it into the passenger floorboard he wondered what sort of person this woman was. Shutting the door sitting in the drivers seat he shuddered from the cold but the trucks heat was hot and blasting into the small cabin it felt great against his skin, he looked at the out cold female and reached over moving some of her thick black hair from her eye's and felt some thing in him leap or some thing.

She was beautiful but pale as a ghost and he noticed some thing else, she had a big scar along her neck...it looked like what ever had happened nearly decapitated her he traced a finger along that scar with no apprehension personally he thought scars were kinda sexy it showed to him that one was living a life worth while he supposed.

"I dunno where your U.G. Facility is, and as a new comer to this city I highly doubt I'll find any thing but trouble looking. Only one other option I guess..."

He lit a cigarette and put the van in gear and pulled out of the alleyway onto a more main street, he had took liberty to snatch Bj's cigarettes he found in the mans BDU's. Who ever it was that clocked him had stolen every thing worth a damn on him including his gun and even his smokes, 'Fucking Roanapur...should have known better in this place.' he cussed himself in his head at how naive he was still at this stage of life...he was 34 years old since the other day and made the mistake of letting his hope and ego run his actions.

Half an hour later...

After grabbing a hot shower and patching up the cut on his forehead he dressed in some dry clothes and now sat with a beer looking at the woman that lay on his bed, he found he had better strip her of her soaked clothing though he left her undergarments on not wanting to some how violate her privacy even in a helpful gesture so he had wrapped her in the blanket of the bed like a little burrito. He had a laugh at that thought, it was just plain dumb though she would likely warm back up and stay warm until she regained consciousness.

Her head hurt like mad when she began coming to, it felt like she'd been kicked by a horse her vision was blurry at first and she lay there gathering her thoughts. When things became some what clear again she realized she was alive the throbbing of her head and body told her that much, she became startled though when she realized she wasn't in the alleyway and she was fairly warm but found it difficult at first to move almost panicking until what was wrapped around her body loosened as she struggled. She sat up with a shot and immediately regretted the move grabbing her head a small groan escaping her lips, her face felt very sore and a bit swollen and she heard a voice and sought out the source finding the same man from earlier sitting at a small table a few feet away from the bed she was laying on.

"I see your finally awake, don't be worried I'm not going to hurt you or any thing."

Sawyer's eye's focused more on him, taking stock of her situation then seeing her saw on the table next to the man.

"Oh...I cleaned and dried it, though all I got is gun oil...I know how these things like to rust if you don't clean them up after use hope that's alright. Sorry I had to undress you...I left your undergarments on and wrapped you up, I didn't want to invade your privacy getting those off too."

Sawyer listened to him talk about what had happened after she had her lights turned out, she took some small satisfaction in hearing that Craig had been eviscerated but good...and almost smiled as he told her he had loaded them both up in the back of her truck before leaving to get where they are now which she assumed to be his apartment.

Her initial tension left her a bit but she remained wary of this man, he seemed like a nice guy but what she had witnessed earlier she knew very well he like her had a dark side. 'Who is this guy...the way he took to my saw earlier tells me he isn't the normal run of the mill mercenary or a thug.' Sawyer thought to herself as she watched him warm up some take out in a small microwave and talked a little of where he had come from and why he was in Roanapur, most of it specially the later parts in Roanapur his story seemed fairly common but that's where the normal stopped because then it ran into the nights events. And another thing was, she had never had any one in her memory that she could recall treat her with this sort of kindness...hell he even respected her dignity...not that she presumed to have much in the way of that she thought.

Placing a paper plate on each side of the table, Chinese noodles and they smelled pretty good after the hell that the night had turned into. A moment later her face turned into one of shock and fear, she was scrambling about searching with her hands and looking all over the place for some thing then he remembered her lips moving silently likely cussing in panic.

"If your looking for your voice I put it on the night stand next to the bed, forgot about doing that I found it in the alley and I remembered vaguely that you used it to speak. Not going to ask why, that scar on your neck speaks volumes."

She grabbed it quickly and cradled it, she sighed in relief and also felt embarrassment for a moment but that turned into frustration and a little flash of anger for showing him that side for even a second.

"Come eat if you want too, I wont bite though I doubt you even worry about that since you got a truck load of dead bodies..."

She just sat there looking at him a long moment, then she sighed and brought the electrolarynx up to her throat the voice was mechanical but understandable.

"I would...like...my clothes, where are...they?"

He felt stupid for a second and grinned scratching the back of his head, he got up and got them handing them to her.

"I think there mostly dry I hung them over the heater in the kitchen, sorry about that tonight's been wild and I am finding I am forgetting things. Can take the blanket with you and..."

His voice trailed off as she simply stood up the blanket falling from her leaving her bare except for her bra and panties as she walked holding her clothes and boots in her arms, she didn't seem to care one bit about what he would see and he just shrugged.

An hour later they had both eaten and now sat across from each other in silence, he did some talking about random things she didn't too much care about until he spoke of how earlier transpired and what he did. The thing that struck her most was the way he described cleaning up the alley after putting her in the truck and how also he had mentioned entertaining the idea of hacking Craig up to make the work of loading him into the truck easier, she did not know him in the slightest but what she heard gave her a good impression and also gained him a little bit of trust in her eye's...not just saving her life but in the way he did things with out much thought about it.

"I take it you don't much care for my company, you don't know me and I don't blame you so...when ever your ready you can leave any time you like since you know your way home I take it. If so, good luck getting rid of all those bodies, that will be a chore."

'What a strange man, suppose I should thank him. But I am curious, I wonder...'

A long silence came between them the only sound that came in those moments was the metallic click of the zippo lighter he used to light a cigarette, soon she stood and languidly walked to the door.

"Leaving huh, well see you around..."

She stopped and turned around as if waiting on some thing, he was about to ask what was up when she put the electrolarynx back to her throat.

"You...coming or...what?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You are...right...all those bodies...will be hard...work."

"So your wanting me to come along and help then? Never done it so..."

"Shut...up. If you are...coming then...lets go...you will...learn."

He didn't question her just got his newly dried jacket and put it on, minutes later they were driving through the still dark city on the way back to her place of business he suspected since where else but a mean packing plant might you have a secret place to take a truck load of bodies?

"I told you mine, if you don't mind me asking...what do I call you?"

Her deep blue eye's fixed on him for a moment, she reached to her belt and spoke through the device and even though it likely would be really weird to most he oddly found it alluring...then again he was taken by her looks too but he stuffed that back into his mind he didn't know this woman well enough at all.

"Sawyer..."

He nodded with a slight smile as he looked back to the road, she was curious what he was smiling about but she didn't care at this point she just wanted to get back get on a fresh pair of scrubs. They were quiet the whole way after that, she wondered how he would react to the ideas she had for him this brought a faint smile to her own lips. This whole situation was very odd and sudden...normally she would have just walked out of this mans places got in her truck and went home, instead she found herself here with him in her passenger seat thinking if he fared well enough she just might have some thing that might be called an apprentice.

Some time later...

"Wow...big place, creepy too. Has a certain air about it, but...ah soo...I take it from the truck load of corpses, your not a normal butcher."

"Follow...me."

She parked the truck in the loading bay and closed the big rusty shutter, she lead him through the narrow hallways into a large open space that was the processing area then through a door that lead down a narrow concrete staircase that was pitch black until it gained a dull glow Sawyer must have hit a switch making old bulbs sputter to half life. Another door this one looked like hell it was steel and rusted looking like an archaic left over from a bygone era as it likely was, it gave a squeal as it opened.

Sawyer gave him a slight waving gesture to follow her and with a little apprehension he did as she gestured walking blindly into the pitch black behind her, after a moment he stopped and waited and nothing.

"Uhh...Sawyer?..."

Suddenly he heard a faint buzz and then was blinded by bright white light bringing his arms up to shield his eye's, a moment or two as he adjusted he saw her almost right next to him. He looked around where they were and it was a fair sized room, the walls covered in some odd color green yellow tile the floor was stained a rust like color and the place smelled off a mixture of cleaning agents and disinfectants. Then there was various things contraptions he thought mentally not know what they were placed in a few places in the room not many of them though, at the center he recognized a large table, it was the very same kind morticians used during embalming that had built in gutters and drainage it was a gleaming stainless steel.

"Well this isn't part of the normal slaughterhouse is it?"

"Abattoir...slaughterhouse...is a dumb word."

"Sorry...abattoir then."

There was plenty of room on one side of the table and he got the gist of what she might use this place for now looking around, 'So this is where she dose whatever to all those bodies in the truck, she's what I read about online...a real life Cleaner.' he watched as she moved about the room doing what he already figured was prepping it.

"Go...begin unloading...the...truck. Bring...Craig first..."

He wasn't surprised and even grinned a little bit, he found she too had a slight grin. He didn't hang around and did as she asked leaving her to prep, on his way he had mixed feelings about every thing that had happened and was going on and also what she had planned for him...he was sharp enough to connect the dots.

"God...damn you fat...fuck your heavy...shoulda chopped your ass up back in the alley."

He botched to the air around him as he lugged the Italian's corpse on his shoulder like a big foul sack of potatoes, the guy was really heavy dead weight but he counted and he hadn't been gone 5 minutes yet so he was making good time. 'No wonder Sawyer is in such good shape...Cleaning at least this part ain't no picnic...' He nearly tripped 3 steps down the stairs to the abattoir and he said fuck it and slung the fucker down the stairs hearing a sick cracking sound and it rag dolled down hitting the bottom, when he got to it and lugged the fat man back up on his shoulder Sawyer had him fixed in a stare.

"Um...where you want this piece of crap? He's heavy..."

She motioned to a rack on the ceiling that held large meat hooks, he gave it a look and hoped he could managed such an alien thing with out screwing it up. Lugging the body over to just under a hook he touched it down till the booted feet touched the floor adjusting his grip to under the arms and braced himself hoisting the corpse up in a high motion, feeling a slight tugging he eased the weight down and suddenly and almost magically it hung there suspended with a slight sucking sound he guess was the hook going into flesh. He looked to Sawyer who was wheeling out a small cart with tools and implements on it, she didn't even give him a precursory glance even to check his work.

She had gone through all the motions as the usual she kept an eye on him though, he was pretty fast at retrieving one of the fattest corpses from the truck...that slime Craig. She wanted his body first and it was obvious to them both as to why, she would get minimal satisfaction but still. She did have an inner chuckle when she witnessed Craig's corpse rag doll down the stairs and crack it's skull at the bottom, normally she would admonish the big man whose name is Dave for doing that...all it did was make more of a mess the pool of blood beginning to seep onto the floor testament to her point. But in this case she actually found it some what amusing, even more amusing was the sheepish look on his face like he knew he likely messed up but she didn't blame him much as he had shouldered the man the whole way.

'Normally I would have cut him up and brought him down in chunks, or better yet roll him into the chute that leads down here. Hummm...he has potential if he is willing to keep going, even though he had a hard time with the one knowing there is about half a truck load out there.'

Taking up a large pair of shears she went over and inspected his handiwork, noting that the hook placement was good a little off away from the spine but good work for not knowing the finer points. With out a nod the shears cut easily through the cheap suit likely polyester stripping the clothing this way until a nude Craig hung there, a puddle of congealing blood collected on the floor beneath him the sound of a slow but steady dripping as droplets pattered to the cement adding to the puddle.

She placed the shears back on the tray, she slipped off a glove and used her electrolarynx.

"Good...use...the chute from...now on...next to the...wall in the...dock...four more and...come back."

"A chute?"

He almost laughed, what a woman she wanted to see what he was willing to do he guessed.

"Sure...I'll be right back. That makes things a LOT easier."

Sawyer picked up her chainsaw and pulled the ripcord the saw easily coming to life, he took a look back and watched the little lady proceed to lop off an arm as he turned back heading back to the dock.

Noon...

8 Hours later the last body parts went into the crematorium the thing was hellishly hot by now since it had been set on high for the last 8 hours, even with the air conditioning unit running on high the basement level abattoir was still uncomfortably hot and for a several times for a few moments he swore he was going to pass out from the smell the heat was generating from the bodies and parts. Sawyer was unrelenting in her work and also on him helping her making sure to give him as much as he could handle and a little beyond, 'This little woman...is a...machine...' he thought to himself a number of times through out the 8 hours.

The smell was gnarly indescribably putrid and horrible, she did him one favor half way through the work giving him a paper mask and an ancient looking bottle of Old Spice which she blotted the mask liberally with and the smell was tolerable but the cologne made him feel high. Now they cleaned the abattoir he had already cleaned the truck out and the chute which was dangerously fun and then he found she didn't normally bother with it except a water hose, he felt like he was going to drop and that was when she stood and looked about.

She ducked out into a side passage and took a left down a small hallway into the old staff locker room, she sighed taking off her goggles and surgeons mask tossing them into the bio hazard bin along with the gloves and rest of the scrubs save for the boots. Stepping into an old grimy tile and concrete shower cubical starting the water, she quickly scrubbed herself and proceeded to her locker dressing in one of her dressed down gothic outfits. It had been a very long night, 25 pickups in all...the dumpster in the back that was three quarters empty now was three quarters full of ash she was beginning to get worried the old high load cremation retort might have a meltdown, but it held with no problem at high temp the thing was old but it could sure consume a lot still.

She came back into the abattoir to find him sitting on the steel table at the center smoking he had discarded the scrub suit and the rest and had cleaned up though he still reeked, for the first time she saw his face in a good amount of light. 'Wow, he is pretty cute...handsome more like since he is older than me.'

"Have fun?"

"Haha...actually it was kinda fun, though most would likely disagree with me on that."

He hopped down from the table and approached her reflexively she tensed up as he came so near, his hand came up to her face and concerned look on his.

"Are you sure your alright? Now that I see in the light here it looks worse than I initially figured, split lip and some good bruising though no facial bones are broken I don't think."

Sawyer felt a hot blush come on, she quickly brushed his hand away from her. His touches even though it was only her face and lips did some thing to her it was an odd sensation she had never felt before, and to top it all off...was she blushing?

"Never mind it...I...am fine."

"Um...OK...sorry I didn't mean to get touchy feeling there...only concerned you took a few good hits Sawyer."

She waved off his statement gesturing him to follow her as she went up the stairs, he followed the lights cutting off as they went. She decided to give him a ride back to his apartment since he didn't know the area, along the way she asked the question she came up with through the 8 hours.

"How was it?"

"Huh?...Oh you mean all that work huh? It's fine doesn't bother me, much better since you told me about that chute."

She chuckled, he found her smile infectious and his own came across his face.

"I will call you...tonight...if you are willing."

"Sounds interesting, is it always that busy?"

"No...rumors of...Triads moving on...a group tonight...good pickings...pay by their Boss."

"Triads?..."

She nodded, then he nodded back she saw some thing change when she mentioned Changs's group but she figured it was nothing as a second later he was as normal again. Just as he opened the door and was about to get out he thanked her, compelled she asked for what.

"This..."

Sawyers eye's shot open wide as his lips met hers abruptly, it was only for a split second and then he was gone nearly half way across the street waving a bit as he went. She sat there frozen for a moment stunned by what just happened, the heat she felt filling her face and the rapid beating of her heart brought her back and she sighed in confusion. 'What the...did he just kiss me? Why? That ass...making me feel like this and running away, I'll get him for this...then I will question him. Stealing like that from me...'

'That's one hell of a woman, weird or not.' He thought to himself as he flopped down onto his bed after a hot shower, he brought her face to mind with that small smile of hers and smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

She drove off quickly she would be lucky to sleep if it had not been such a long and really messed up night, she was seriously confused and a little gruff about the kiss he stole...it was her first ever. Sure he was pretty attractive but that didn't give him any right to steal her first kiss so nonchalantly, just like that. She managed to work herself up into a half ass anger by the time she got back to her abattoir, but as soon as she got into her place and flopped down onto her bed that anger fell apart and she thought of him as she drifted to sleep. 'There will be time to sort this out on her rout tonight, she would make sure of that.

Well there is Chapter two, I really hope it wasn't too long and tedious some times I get this thing for details and become long winded...some thing I will try and eliminate a little bit as I go. Chapter three will be more eventful.