Chapter Nine: Down the Darker Road:

October 5th, 2010.

He turned the game into a darker hell. He and his girlfriend were broke and needed money desperately. Her solution was to pick a house in a wealthy neighborhood, and break in to see what they could find.

“I fucking hate rich people. All this money and they don’t even know what to do with it.”

“You are so smart,” he told her as he kissed her forehead. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck. The duo started out by casing a nearby neighborhood; an enclave known for high end living and all the privileges that went with that lifestyle.

Once they settled on a suitable target, they disabled the security system and broke in. Of the two, he proved to be the most skilled, able to open windows without drawing any attention to them, or causing damage. After all, the less evidence, the better. Even though they started small as they learned their new profession, the burglaries weren't sloppy. They stole what they could fit in their pockets: rings, watches, loose cash, and credit cards.

“You’re good at this,” she whispered one night.

“Shhh,” he whispered back. She always went in first. Their scam ran simply enough: break in, grab a few valuable items, leave, and unload the goods. Sadly, the novelty wore off rather quickly.

“Dude, this shit is getting boring as fuck. I wanna try something bigger!” she complained.

“Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of this too,” he sighed and shook his head. “But, I think I have an idea. It could be just what we need to liven things up a little.”

A puzzled look flashed across her face.

“What?” she asked.

His lips curved into a little smile. “What’s tomorrow?” he teased.

“What?”

“What is tomorrow? Come on, think hard, baby… What. Is. Tomorrow?”

Her jaw dropped as she remembered. Then, her face lit up. “Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot!”

He patted her on the head and stroked her hair. “That's my girl - I knew you'd remember. I’ll make sure to get you an awesome present.”

She squealed, hugging him tightly. “I love you, baby!”

“I love you too.”

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3:00 a.m.

He returned to their favorite neighborhood, the one he and his girlfriend had looted nightly for two weeks. There was only one house left that hadn't seen their particular sort of attention, and that was going to be dealt with right now. He deliberately saved this one for last. Night after night, they dreamt of the wealth inside. He cased this house for days on end. Tonight was important to him. This was the big kahuna.

He circled around twice before deciding that he'd break in through the back door. The only resident that he was aware of was an doddering old lady. Luckily, she didn’t have a big ass dog, and her security system was kinda lame. He took his time. Browsing through the various rooms as if he was shopping at an exclusive boutique. His girl wanted something stunning so, he skipped the usual suspects in search of something flashy. But, what would his girl want? A flat screen? Stereo? Cash?

He heard a low hum as he rifled through drawers and hiding places in the room. He stopped mid stride, and his eyes cut to the right. A box that glowed purple and black caught his eye in the darkness of the room. He thought that he could hear it whispering to him.

His lips curved into a smirk. Yes! This will be perfect! He approached the object, and ran his fingers across the lid. Shivers ran through his body as faint whispers filled his ears. I… I… I have to have this box!

“Who’s there?” a voice asked. He whipped around and spotted the elderly owner standing in the doorway, flipping on the lights.

“Shit!” he hissed.

The old lady straightened up her glasses. “Who are you?” she asked. “What are you doing with my box?” He couldn’t understand what happened next. He just remembered a shot, the owner falling to the floor, a pool of blood, and him running out the door.

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“Happy birthday, baby!” he greeted his girlfriend in the morning.