So sorry for the wait...lots of personal issues. I should be back on track now and updating more often. Thanks for sticking with me! This is self-edited and may possibly be updated in the future.

Disclaimer: I own nothing nor profit from this story. This is just for fun.

Please read and review! Thanks!

Flaking red paint and obscene graffiti covered the derelict warehouse that stood before the Zydrate peddler and the unconscious body hanging limp in his arms. "Home sweet home," Graverobber whispered. Kicking open a large, rusted door, he glanced over his shoulder one more time before sneaking into a dark hallway. Light flickered through the smashed windows as he made his way up a set of stairs to a dimly lit room.

The moderately sized room that was now his home had obviously been an office for the building at one point. Untidy and cluttered were the only words that could describe it now. Various articles of clothing were strewn about, as well as empty Zydrate vials and food wrappers. A desk covered with junk was pushed against the wall next to a built-in bookshelf that housed a variety of empty liquor bottles. Stepping over the mess, Graverobber gently laid Shilo on a tattered couch and swept her raven hair out of her face.

He sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the couch, watching the girl intently.

"Didn't mean to call you a bitch and a whore, Kid. Gotta keep my street cred and all…can't have the other dealers thinking I've gone soft," he whispered to her unconscious body. "Which I haven't," he added, more to reassure himself than her.

A large bruise decorated her left cheek, and her swollen skin was starting to form a black eye. Her skin was pale with dark shadows under the eyes and small scabs marring her almost perfect skin. How the hell did she turn into a junkie? As soon as he'd seen Shilo with Nivek, Graverobber had known exactly what the girl had been up to in the last year.

The bright eyed and fresh-faced girl was gone, and the "kid" had grown into a young woman….and an addict. Graverobber allowed his eyes to rake over the girl's body greedily, stopping at the modest cleavage and thighs not covered by her ruined dress. Hey, I am only a man after all. Turning away, he took a deep breath and placed his hands fondly on the vials of Zydrate at his side. If he really wanted, she could be all his with a single hit of his glow. It would be as easy as getting a new heart. The junkies who usually threw themselves at him were amusing every once in a while, but there was something intriguing, something special about this girl. That was, if there was anything left of the girl that the drugs hadn't stolen.

Graverobber watched as Shilo's breaths came rapidly, and a line of sweat crossed her forehead. Her face was flushed, and her hands trembled despite her unconsciousness. Zydrate withdrawal; he'd seen it a million times before. The first thing she would beg for when she awoke was for a hit. Groaning, Graverobber put his head in his hands as an internal battle of morals and self-preservation battled inside. If he gave her the Z and became her new supplier, the financial and physical benefits looked, well, delicious. Supplying was his job after all!

However, a tiny part of him refused to contribute to the girls demise. After all, he'd saved her a couple of times before from various harrowing situations…why waste that effort?

He could embrace and enhance her corruption, or play the hero and help her break out of the downward spiral. Since when do I even consider playing the good guy? Ugh, I need a strong, hard drink. And with that last thought and one more glance at the girl, he quietly left, locking the door behind him, and headed to the closest bar. After all, alcohol was always the answer to a tough problem.

Shilo's eyelids fluttered open as the pounding in her head worsened. Shivering slightly, she sat up and realized that she was covered in sweat. A worn-out blanket lay nearby, and she wrapped herself up tightly while assessing the unfamiliar surroundings.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember if she had stumbled up here in some sort of drug induced haze. Graverobber's face flashed in her mind, and she gasped as she remembered the run in with Nivek. Examining her torn and ruined dress, she groaned as she touched her bruised face and examined her black and blue ribs. I hope nothings broken. Graverobber must have saved me.

The first thing she noticed was the Z paraphernalia and male clothing scattered around the room. Glancing down at her exposed bra, she quickly undressed and searched the room for something to wear. After several pairs of pants falling from her hips, she finally settled on just throwing on a large, black t-shirt that hung down just past her butt cheeks.

Her body twitched and her heart fluttered as she stepped over an empty Zydrate gun. That means there's got to be glow in here somewhere. He is a dealer after all. Her last hit had been almost two days ago, and she desperately needed her fix. Frantically scanning the room, she began to search amongst the jumble for a full vial. Junk was thrown left and right in an impulsive manner; a basket of clothing was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor.

Clattering and banging sounded throughout the small room and into the attaching bathroom. Shilo's breaths were ragged now as she went about in a frenzied state searching for a telltale, blue glow. Clutching her head, she moaned as tiny shocks ran through her body. She'd felt these before, and the only remedy was that damned 21st century cure.

In attempt to calm her nerves, she took a deep breath and thought about where she could possibly get her hands on the drug. She had no money or belongings, and she had promised herself that her body was no longer a form of pay. Tears wet her cheeks as she checked under the cushions from the couch in a last failed attempt to find a full vial. Slumping to the ground she felt her body tighten in desperation, her blood pounding against her veins as they cried out for their cure.

Shilo startled as a noise came from behind and a shadowed figure stumbled through the door. A lamp from the corner shed a dim light across the stranger, and the stench of alcohol and cigarettes hit her as the figure tottered forward. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and sighed in relief as the light revealed Graverobber's face.

"Thank you…for saving me from Nivek," Shilo blurted, glancing guiltily at the chaos she had made in the room.

"No problem, my dear," he replied as he bent forward into a mock bow. Falling forward, he grabbed at the wall for support before straightening himself up and stumbling to the couch.

Shilo watched as he lay on the couch, his feet resting casually on the armrest. His jacket fell aside, revealing a familiar, blue glow. "Are you drunk?" she inquired curiously, debating how she could use this situation to her advantage.

"Not drunk. Most definitely not drunk," Graverobber slurred. "Merely in a state of temporary, liquor induced pleasure." He seemed too inebriated to notice that the room looked like it had been hit by a tornado.

Shilo's high anxiety was obvious as she bounced from foot to foot. "Hey, I appreciate your help and everything, but I was wondering if you could do me one more favor."

"Anything for you, beautiful." He closed his eyes as he tried to settle comfortably on the couch.

"I wondered if I could get some Zydrate from you. I'll pay you back of course." She bit her nails anxiously as she waited for an answer.

A snore from the drunk, now obviously sleeping man was her only response. "That's as good as a yes to me," she declared and sprung forward to unclip a vial from Graverobber's belt.

Injecting the blue into her bloodstream with a gun, she let her head loll backwards as the thrilling rush of pure bliss coarsed threw her body.