Flaw

Chapter 1: B

The air that hung between the crowds of people choked me, and the bodies that rubbed against each other stole my soul as I got lost in between them. I pushed through and before I knew it a massive blonde guy jumped in front of me, pushing me back into the crowd with his body whilst balancing a whiskey on the rocks in the other hand. I shoved his chest, hoping that the force would be so great that he would catch the hint. I was not in the mood to party. He threw back his head and let out a hard laugh. The guy stuck out his arm and grabbed me by the waist – forcing me against him.

"Stop." I warned him, and in the acts of pure futility the blonde brushed off my warning. He pulled me closer to him and in my flare of temper, I opened my jaw wide and sunk my teeth into his shoulder. The guy let out a shrill shriek as I felt the hot thick blood bulging into my mouth. I let go and spit out the red ooze and looking up I saw the blonde guy clasping his hand over his shoulder. The whole dance floor stopped and turned around to look at the scene. Most of the people in the crowd steered away from me; probably scared that I would bite them too. I lifted my sleeve to wipe away a string of blood that slid down my cheek.

I should've felt bad. Even grossed out or ashamed that I just bit another human being, except I didn't. Instead I felt a sense of annoyance towards the whimpering blonde. A raspy laugh echoed above our heads.

"Be wary of this one. Where she comes from the children bites the dogs." I heard Mordecai say from behind the blonde. Two orderlies came and took the guy away, and I was left standing in front of Mordecai. He controlled everything in the village, though he wasn't considered a formal leader. He controlled all the capital flow throughout the village, and distribution of weapons and liquor, and even acted as a judge, jury, and executioner. Though he was empowered, this new world still has not been kind to him – it has not been kind to any of us. I forced myself to not roll my eyes at his presumptuous joke and walked up to face him.

"I did warn him."

"That was purely an example that shows that the foolish won't persevere." Mordecai answered and I slipped him a dying smile. The creases by his eyes revealed his concern, but his eyes glimmered with confidence. "What do you bring bearing with you child?" he asked as he strode me towards the back room with his hand on my lower back. I shifted in discomfort as his touch reminded me that my shirt was the only thing separating my skin from his hand. We sat down on the couches that were opposite to each other. Mordecai dismissed the orderly with the wave of his hand and looked at me with the most fixated expression ever.

"There's been a breach. Let's just say that something or someone escaped from Prolex Laboratories that they wanted to keep hidden." I said with a tilt of the head. Mordecai's grey eyes flickered a sense of interest, and he leaned forward.

"Where did you come onto this information?" he asked, and I gave him a casual shrug. Of course, I had my sources, but I wasn't going to expose them. Besides if I revealed the names of my contacts then I wouldn't get paid for valuable information. If Mordecai knew he could go directly to the source, and they would reveal everything because Mordecai could be, let's just say, very persuasive. "Right. What's the fun in exposing a secret?"

"I could go check it out . . . for a price of course." I said and Mordecai's face grew somber. He shifted in his seat and the once before confidence drowned in the dark cloud that suddenly formed overhead.

"There is no price that can be put on someone's life, Blake." He said and I started to say something when he took my hand and cut me off. "Your mother didn't –"

"My mother is dead!" I snapped and I flung my hand away from his grasp. I found my way onto my feet and turned towards the door. I reached for the door handle but paused to say something to him over my shoulder. "If you have nothing to offer me, then I am sure that there are plenty of others who would give me what I want."