Fighting For Survival

Chapter 1

"Now, remember Morgan. What are we?" my mother asked me, smiling down at me. I grinned at her question, knowing that she wanted only one answer, and I wanted to get it right.
"We are human mommy." She smiled even brighter and squeezed my shoulders softly.
"That's right. So what does that mean sweetie?" I laughed.
"That I can't show how strong or fast I am." I chuckled, thinking how silly my mother was asking me to pretend to be human.
"That's right. Good girl. Now you go off to school and be good, and I will be back later to pick you up." I grinned as I wrapped my arms around her thighs.
"Okay, mommy. I love you." She bent down to hug me, letting her long, auburn hair fall into my face and making me laugh.
"I love you too, my little dhampir." I watched as she turned around and walked towards the school gates, holding herself gracefully. I knew that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.

I woke with a start. I sat up, breathing heavily as the sweat rolled off me. That had been the last time I had seen my mother. Taking a deep breath, I wiped a few tears away, still waiting for my heart rate to slow. I remember the police officer came into my classroom and asked to talk to me about my mom. I smiled and skipped next to her as we left the room, not knowing she was about to tell me my mom had been in a car accident and would never pick me up from school again. I later learned that she had been murdered along with my father by hunters. I was seven years old.

Hunters were mainly humans aware of the supernatural world and wanted to eradicate it. However, other hunters were supernatural. They were werewolves, vampires, faeries, and witches who all despised what they were or had lost a loved one. They used their magic against other supernaturals, sometimes fighting with the human hunters. They had even convinced some dhampirs to join their crusade, using their strength and heightened senses as an advantage. I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and shook myself. I had promised myself that I wouldn't think about those memories anymore. I stood up, headed a few short steps to the sink, poured a glass of cool water, and headed to the window. I was now 22.

I gazed out my small apartment window and watched the hustle and bustle of New York below. I loved it here as the saying is true: New York never sleeps. I sighed as I watched the ever-busy traffic flow through the streets, wishing I could just flow through life like everyone else and not be on the run. Running for the last three years makes you tired and makes you want to have a place to call home and not worry about having to up and go at a moment's notice. I jumped at the sound of my alarm clock as it changed to five am. Sighing, I turned away from the window and headed straight back to bed, hoping to catch a couple more hours of sleep. I had a significant meeting that I couldn't miss, and I did not want to put myself at risk by being tired. That could be a fatal mistake. The bed creaked as my body lay down, wishing I could afford a better bed, but I knew it would be pointless as I would soon be moving on to somewhere different. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep to beeping horns and traffic rush as New York started waking up for the day.

I stood, shifting my weight from foot to foot, feeling uneasy as I waited for the man behind the heavy door to confirm my identity. I still needed to figure out if I could trust these people, but I was running out of options and needed help. Fast. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal a very tall, intimidating-looking man. He must have been at least six feet tall compared to my five foot two inches. He stepped to the side, granting me access, and I looked at him, trying to determine if he was packing. He most likely was. My world was dangerous, and it always helped if you had some sort of protection. I didn't need any. I had my form of protection. The hallway was poorly lit; it felt like one of those classic movies where it was a poorly lit room, the boss would be sat behind a desk, and you would beg for your life. I was hyper-aware of my surroundings and had three exit strategies, which I learned by studying the plans of the building before arrival. I wasn't stupid. The man I was here to see was sitting behind a desk in a side room with several people chatting with him, which stopped when I entered the room. There were six men in total, all ranging in body shape, and if this went sideways, it would be a tough fight.
"Sophia! My darling, I am so glad you could make it." The man rose from his desk and approached me with his arms open. I had given a false identity to protect my secret. Smiling, I headed towards the man and met his embrace, kissing both cheeks before stepping back.
"It has been a while, Chow." Chow gave me a full gin. We met a few years back when I got into a scuffle with some hellhounds, and he saved me. I owed him a favour, which had been collected since then, but we always stayed in touch. He was a good source of information about prophecies and knew where to get the answers. Chow was also a demon. He didn't know my true identity but knew I was interested in 'finding' the dhampir with magic blood. He thought I was looking to protect her from the hunters, and he wasn't far wrong. I glanced around, sat before Chow's desk, and propped my feet up. Tutting, he pushed my feet off before sitting across from me, making me smirk.
"Have you been up to anything interesting lately, Chow?" I asked curiously, trying to make a little small talk. Shrugging, he leaned on his elbows.
"Not much, sweetie, you know how it goes. Find some human looking to make a deal at the crossroads, then cheat them out of it to get their soul." I laughed; Chow always said it how it was. He then looked at me with curiosity.
"So tell me. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" The time for small talk was over.
"Have you found a way to track the dhampir yet?" I knew it would be risky to get him to try to track my blood, but I had to know if there was a way to do it. If the hunters could find out how to do it, my life would be over quickly. Sighing, he shook his head.
"No, darling, I haven't. It's been tricky to find that kind of information; it raises many questions." I shrugged. It wasn't my business to care.
"So, is there anything useful you can tell me, Chow?" He grinned like the Cheshire cat before waving his index finger at me, tutting.
"Now, I didn't say that, did I?" Chow always had a price.
"What do you want this time, my dear Chow?"
"You know me so well, sweetie." I snorted and rolled my eyes.
"I know that everything comes with a price with you." Chow leaned back in his chair and gazed at me for a moment before opening his top drawer, pulling out a knife, and placing it in front of him on the desk. I raised an eyebrow. Typically, Chow wanted money or something stealing as it was my speciality. However, this was unusual, and I started feeling bad about it. The knife slid across the desk until it landed in front of me. It could cause a lot of damage if used correctly. Somehow, I knew Chow would know that I could use one. Looking up at him, I frowned.
"What's this for Chow?" He smiled his evil grin, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
"I want you to kill Billy here." He gestured to one of the prominent men who sat near him; Billy looked surprised and stared at Chow.
"I know you have been a bad boy, Billy. You have been talking to hunters, haven't you? You have been spying on what information I have been gathering about our special dhampir and feeding it to them. You are a traitor to our kind." Chow then turned to me.
"That is my price. Kill the traitor, then you have the information you desire." I stared open-mouthed at Chow. He was not usually one for getting his hands dirty. I was about to protest when Billy lunged across the desk towards me, knocking me backwards off my chair. He growled, his eyes glowing gold. He was a werewolf. Shit. I brought my knees up to my chest and kicked Billy off me before rolling backwards onto my feet. The knife behind Billy sat on the desk, and I knew it would be silver; I had to get it before he shifted into his wolf.

Scrambling to my feet, I glanced around the room, looking for a makeshift weapon. Cursing, I found nothing and decided to go old school with hand-to-hand combat. Billy lunged again from the side, and I managed to roll to the side to dodge him before sending him a kick into his side, making him grunt. Growling, he quickly turned, grabbed my leg and pulled me to the floor before climbing on top of me and squeezing my neck. His eyes were blazing, and I knew I didn't have long before he shifted. His hair was the only thing I could grab, so I pulled it until he wined and loosened his grip. I kicked his stomach, pushed him off me and made a grab for the knife. Before I could reach it, I got knocked sideways into the bookcase and cursed as I felt a rib crack: damn wolves and their strength. Pulling the knife hidden in my trouser leg, I faced Billy again and watched his features change into a wolf. Fur emerged from his face as his nose elongated and his eyes narrowed. I had to make a move for the knife. Giving a battle cry, I decided to attack head-on and dive for Billy. He dodged only to get stuck between the cabinet and a chair. Grinning, I lunged forward and sliced his leg. Letting out a howl, he lunged towards me, but I was faster and leapt out of the way, giving him another slice as he went past. I reached for the desk and grabbed the knife. I spun just in time to find Billy's teeth near my throat. I yelped, dropping to the floor and thrust the knife upwards into his chest. He let out an almighty roar before dropping his total weight onto me, his eyes becoming dull. Who knew that werewolves could be so heavy? My feet were able to get under his lifeless body and push him off. Standing, I brushed myself off, noticing a few minor cuts and scrapes, before turning towards Chow, smiling brightly in his chair. The other men shifted uncomfortably, passing nervous glances at each other.
"Now then, Chow. How about that information?"