This is my first fanfic! Please be gentle! I do not own anything, nor would like to. I couldn't match her brilliance.

This is the beginning of a Clyrnin fic, so I do apologize to any die hard Shane fans. XD Please review! I'll try to update regularly as well. :) This takes place around the middle of Black Dawn when they were reversing the water system.

Chapter 1

"Claire" Shane called quietly to her left.

"Almost got it." She threw as much of her weight into the shotgun as she could, trying to get it to budge.

"Claire!" Shane shouted frantically this time. Turning, Claire saw immediately what he was screaming about. At least twenty draug were making their way down the hallway. Towards a quick meal, she thought grimly.

Shane tried pushing her behind him, but she brushed his arm away impatiently, brought her gun up, and started firing with a calm precision.

"You're impossible sometimes!" Shane grumbled in frustration, mimicking her as he too started firing.

"True, and I'm not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself."

"Woah, where is THIS coming from?"

"So not the time for this."

They kept firing, the draug were screaming, but even when they knocked off a couple, even more kept walking down the hallway. She would have preferred them to run at them, not this slow march that seemed to reek of inevitability. Inevitability that they would lose.

"Claire, we need to run." Shane croaked as she reloaded her gun. She only had 10 shells left, and 3 vials of silver powder. Looking over at Shane, she saw he was just as low, but he didn't think to grab more than 1 vial. A fast assessment told her that it was a miracle he hadn't bolted... which was so unlike him. He was covered in a sheen of sweat, trembling, and his accuracy was getting worse.

"I can hold for a little while longer. Are you alright?" Okay Claire, stupid question, she berated herself for that. Of course they weren't alright, they were trapped in a hallway, with a mass load of draug ready to suck their brains out. Well, maybe not brains. But just as horrible.

Thinking of sucking brains, she giggled inwardly, Myrnin would be so disappointed. She knew he cared about her, but the thought of him finding her body with her brain being sucked out was horridly funny. She could just imagine him tug-o-warring the draug for it. So his machine would have the brain he wanted. Why she thought this was funny, was beyond her. It just seemed comical. Maybe she was finally crazy. Pumping rounds of silver bullets into draug with a cold, calm demeanor that she had seen in Amelie when they rescued Michael. With Shane acting like a frightened girl.

"You're looking a little...lackluster over there." She found herself telling him. Four rounds left.

"You don't understand." He practically snarled at her. It looked like he was convulsing. "They hurt. So bad. They... They're going to kill us!" He screamed out. Then, he did the unthinkable. He ran towards them, took his vial of silver powder and threw it at the draug closest to him, buying him seconds to disappear around the corner, the sound of his beating footsteps fading fast.

He left her.

Alone. With a hallway full of draug. Who weren't walking anymore. They were running. At her. Screaming in rage the entire way there.

Not wasting time she grabbed the first vial of powder, and threw it on the floor, powder bursting up into the air between her and the very, very angry mob. Turning around, she saw a ladder going up to a grated landing above the valves. She had to leave her shotgun if she wanted to get up there quick enough, which wasn't exactly ideal, but she only had a couple shots left anyways.

Hauling herself to the ledge, she took off, not knowing where this would lead. Blind panic had replaced her cool methodical attitude. Her boyfriend had took off, leaving her to probably die. Magnus didn't want to eat her. He wanted to kill her. She could see through his disguise, and was probably one of the biggest threats to him at the moment.

Tears started streaming down her face. It was strangely misty up here, and very dark. She couldn't see anything. Just an inky, misty feeling blackness that sank into her bones, leaving her feeling hopeless. She was always strong. Everyone told her so, she always kept a cool head. Not now though, lumbering around like one of those idiot girls in horror movies, feeling walls for doors or other ladders. Sobbing hysterically now, no sense of stealth. Not that it would help anyways.

Myrnin. She wanted Myrnin here. No, she NEEDED Myrnin here. He would probably be panicking too, but he would still be calm. Why couldn't he have gone with her? Of course. Because her boyfriend was a worthless piece of shit that couldn't program a computer.

She knew that last bit wasn't fair, not many people could program anything. But she couldn't care less. If by some sliver of good luck she managed to live... he'd be lucky to see tomorrow.

"Claiiiirrre" She head voices whisper behind her. Taunting her. Mocking at her. Laughing at her. The draug.

"MYRNIN!" She screamed loudly. Still screaming his name like some crazed prayer, she fumbled for her second vial of powder. Whipping her arm to throw it like a baseball, she started forward when a cold, damp hand clenched her wrist from the shadows.

Trembling furiously, she slowly turned her head towards the attacker. And whimpered pathetically.

Magnus.

Not a copy. The real one. And he looked quite pleased... as much as a thing like him could.

"Claire." He whispered her name in the same taunting tone she had heard mere seconds before. "I think I know what to do with you. Since your friends left and won't be coming back."

And then she was surrounded by draug, who took on the substance of water, to form a bubble that looked more like a glob around her. Then, still staring at Magnus in horror, succumbed to blackness.