Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is just for fun!
As the sun set behind the dismal clouds that cloaked the cityscape, darkness soon crept across the graveyard. The dull glow of the neon lights and yellowed street lamps did little to soften the black shadows that swallowed every unlit nook and cranny of the streets. A scrawny rat brushing its whiskers suddenly scampered as two figures emerged from the darkness of an alleyway.
Wide eyed beneath the Gencop helmet, Shilo crept behind Graverobber as he stalked along the decrepit stone walls that lined the graveyard. His steps were surprisingly soft and silent despite his clunky looking boots. He gracefully swung himself over the wall, and reached out his large palm to Shilo. She was surprised by the warmth of his hand in the chilly night as he helped pull her over the wall to stand behind him. He didn't let go of her hand immediately, instead pulling her close to his side in a protective gesture as he surveyed the surroundings. Only the sounds of nearby cars could be heard in the otherwise eerily quiet graveyard. This quiet was quickly disturbed as Graverobber dropped her hand and began yelling obscenities.
"What?" she hissed, glancing around nervously. He was yelling loud enough to raise the dead.
Graveyard gestured towards a large red sign covered in graffiti. The words "grave robbers" and "shot on sight" peeked out from under the thick black spray paint.
"This is exactly what I was talking about. I just want to make an honest living selling illegal drugs! Can't have people thinking this is an easy job or I'll lose my hazard pay. Graverobbers are supposed to be shot on sight! How will people know that if they cover up the sign! Shot on sight!" He spat those last three words with vehemence as he scuffed at the paint with the back of his sleeve.
"I doubt most people would really want to harvest their own Zydrate," Shilo said, shuddering as she recalled her experience smacking the needle into the skull of a rotting corpse. It turned her stomach just thinking about it. "It's disgusting. I don't know why you do it."
Graverobber turned then, his eyes steady and serious. "The drug market? Sometimes I wonder why I ever got in. But, nature failed," he said grimly, pushing aside his heavy leather coat to lift up the shirt underneath. A thin scar, barely visible on his otherwise perfect skin, ran under the right side of his ribs. "Many years ago we all fell in debt, and until our debts are clear…."
A whispered gasp escaped Shilo's lips. Nothing else needed to be said. She didn't want him to say the words "repo man," but she sensed they lingered on the tip of his tongue. That wound was too fresh for her, and she could feel her heart beating in her chest harder and harder as she tried to smother the thoughts of her father. Gulping, she glanced down at the brown, leather Zydrate belt around Graverobber's waist, the familiar blue vials glowing in the darkness. Just one hit, just one would make these thoughts go away.
The glow suddenly disappeared as Graverobber turned away from her and stalked towards some fresh graves . "Stand guard," he shot out. It barely took any digging to uncover the coffins in the shallow graves. A musty, rotten smell drifted in the air as Graverobber made quick work of drawing the Zydrate from the corpses.
The cold steel of the semi-automatic gun felt unnatural in Shilo's hands as she waved it around, her eyes scanning the darkness of the graveyard. She thought she saw shadows moving a few times, but wasn't sure if she was confusing this with the tell tale brain zaps that told her she was craving Zydrate. Shaking her head, she tried to focus and almost didn't notice the large, shadowed figure emerge from behind a stone mausoleum.
As the figure slowly became illuminated by the neon glow of the city lights, Shilo choked back surprise as the tattooed face of Nivek was revealed.
"St...st...state your business!" she yelled, adjusting her helmet to reassure herself that it fully hid her face. She hoped Graverobber heard her warning.
Nivek sneered greasily, holding his arms above his head. "Just visiting the grave of my beloved father. Nothing wrong with that, is there?" He took a slow step forward.
Shilo gripped the gun tightly with one hand. She recalled the night the Gencops had found her in the graveyard. Those bastards had threatened her and restrained her so roughly that she had bruises from their fingertips. She recalled what they'd said that night. "Graveyard visitation was over hours ago. You need to leave now before I have you arrested for trespassing."
The threat fell on deaf ears, as Nivek continued to slowly step closer to Shilo, stopping only to arch his neck as if looking at something behind her. Shilo dared turn her head just in time to see Graverobber strolling along, whistling the Blind Mag song, a shovel resting casually on his shoulder. "Did you say something, Shilo?" Graverobber asked. His thick brows raised as he noticed Nivek standing only a few feet away. "Oh...shit."
Growling, Nivek strode forward, reaching over Shilo's gun to yank the helmet from her head. He threw it to the ground with a loud clatter. "So it's true. The Gencops truly have abandoned this place. And you've got this whore working for you now, ay Graverobber? Why? Is his Zydrate better than mine?"
"No, but my gun is bigger," Graverobber smirked, waggling his eyebrows. The smirk quickly disappear as Nivek pulled a rusty looking pistol from his belt and aimed it at Shilo.
"This is my graveyard now," Nivek slurred, "And my girl. Come on now Shilo, let's go." Shilo shrank back, still clutching the gun. Nivek reached forward, grabbing her wrist tightly.
A loud rippling series of cracks echoed in the otherwise silent graveyard. Blood, lumps of tissue, and bone fragments splatted on the cracked stone path.
The unexpected recoil shook Shilo's arms, and her spine shuddered and spasmed. The gun clenched in her arms now dropped to the floor. She stared numbly at the crumpled form of Nivek's body, blood spreading behind his body like morbid angel wings.
"You said this wasn't loaded!" she screeched, her face flushing with anger. "I...I killed him!"
Graverobber shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't know you had it in you."
"It was an accident."
"A mighty fine accident. Although that mighty fine accident puts us in a mighty fine predicament." Graverobber glanced slyly around. "But what better place to hide a body than a graveyard!" Grabbing his shovel he began to dig at the fresh soil on a nearby grave.
With Graverobber humming away to himself as he dug, Shilo watched as the blood continued to spread under Nivek's body. This wasn't the first time she'd seen a bloody body. Hell, she'd literally been covered in her father's blood as she held him dying in her arms. Visions of that night flashed rapidly through her mind like a strobe light. She shuddered and her vision glazed red. The strong scent of blood and earth burned her nostrils. Her heart began to beat so loudly she would have sworn it could be heard a mile away. Breathing suddenly felt unnatural, and Shilo had to urge herself to take gulps of oxygen.
A faint glow distracted her from her spiral into panic. She scrambled to her knees, and began to search Nivek's body. She pulled two bottles of Zydrate and Nivek's prized Zydrate gun from his coat. She tried to inconspicuously hide them behind her back as Graverobber returned to drag the body into the waiting grave. Taking advantage of his distraction, Shilo clicked a vial of Zydrate into the Zydrate gun. She stared blankly at the soft glowing device in her hand, an internal debate beginning. Hushing that little voice that told her to stop, she pulled the shoulder of her Gencop uniform down and pressed the gun against her exposed skin.
"Woah there, Shilo," came Graverobber's bass-baritone purr in her ear as she felt herself being pulled backward by strong arms. One arm still around Shilo's waist, Graverobber reached with the other to give Shilo's wrist a slight squeeze and she involuntarily dropped the Zydrate gun. "Breath," came his voice in her ear. Shilo let out a defeated squeak, and tried to steady her breathing. She relaxed backward, feeling his whole warm body against hers. She let herself pretend for a second that he wasn't just holding her to stop her from shooting up. She pretended that she wasn't a drug addict, and that perhaps this man truly wanted to hold her close. Graverobber dipped his head, and whispered softly into her ear "You don't need a gun pressed against your anatomy to help the agony," and gently pressed his lips against her neck. Shilo stiffened, the hair on her neck standing on end as she felt a spark where his lips touched. And then it was gone.
"Let's get out of here." Graverobber loosed Shilo from his hold, grasped her hand, and without looking back, began to lead her away.
With one hand in Graverobber's strong hand, she followed him out of the shadowed graveyard, her other hand clasped tightly around a vial of Zydrate in her pocket.