Toxic City

Chapter 5

Nicolai is thrown out into the street. His arms and legs scrape against the stone surface. Groaning, he peers up at the officers above him. They spit at him, slamming the doors.

His mind is filled with hated. He pounds his fists on the ground, thinking of his brother that is now back in the labs. He glances around at his surroundings, trying to figure out a plan to get back into the building.

They took his brother back to the lab. Nicolai was lucky enough to have escaped being thrown in prison, because Pete told them about the thief. And hiding a fugitive isn't a rare thing in No.8. He was let off easy.

Suddenly, a steam engine car drives up in front of the building, officers stepping out. The air around them feels tense. They beckon to someone in the back seat, and a young girl slips out after them.

She's probably one of the most plainest girls Nicolai has seen. She has long amber hair pulled back into a braid, hazel eyes, and pale skin, no defining features that make her stand out. Cuffs cling around her wrists. Bags hang under her eyes, and she looks exhausted.

They walk into the building, Nicolai peering after them. There's a story there. Nicolai thinks to himself.

He grabs his tail, slipping it into his pants, and pulls his black hood over his head. Then licking the palm of his hand, he caresses bit over his messy bangs. He debates if he should zip his hoodie, but he sticks to it being open. It's too stuffy closed, can't stand it.

He calmly walks up the steps of the building, going incognito. Walking with confidence like he's suppose to be there. Once inside, he approaches the front desk.

He notices the plain girl from before get dragged down a hallway off to the right. And the woman at the desk sets down some papers before peering up at him.

Immediately her eyes light up. A smile spreading across her face when she meets Nicolai. He's use to the mood change.

"Hello, there," she straightens her specks, "what can I do for you?"

Nicolai, putting on his most charming smile, leans against the desk towards her. "Hey, there. How are you?" He starts making small chat.

The lady, being in her mid-twenties, looks surprised. She probably isn't use to people asking her personal questions in a work environment like this. "I'm great. Thank you," she says, flustered. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful, since I have gotten to speak to a beautiful lady, such as yourself," Nicolai winks. Sending the woman grinning wider.

"I'm here to visit someone. I'm a friend of...." he glances down at the papers she was holding before, using the first name that stands out, "...Abigail Price. I'm here to visit her. I heard that there has been a...predicament involving her?"

"Oh!" Remembering that she's working, she picks up the papers. "Yes, she's here for a DNA examination. Is there a specific reason you are visiting? She just got here."

"Oh, you see...." Nicolai leans closer, whispering, "She owes me some money, and I wanted to have a short chat about it. You know how that is. There were rumors going around that she was a furrow,"

After thinking about it, Nicolai comes to the quick conclusion for that being the reason she's here getting a DNA test. The same thing has happened with furrows that were kicked into the slums. She's part of the unlucky bunch.

"Those damn furrows, can't trust them." Nicolai plays.

"Ah, understandable. So true." The lady agrees, "And what's your name?"