What's left of me

The pain multiplied and Clary fell against the wall. She felt the pain of the wall scratching, digging in but welcomed it. She slapped her head back against the wall and cringed at the contact. She did it again though because it made her feel alive and every second she had left was precious. The venom of the Medios, a child of the lust demon Asemodeus, burned like fire inside her. It raced through her veins and scorched her. She had seen this before, this death and she had to admit it, she was afraid.

She'd gone out alone to hunt, needing a break from the institute. The solitude was deafening and the hollow halls echoed her every step. Everyone avoided her, even though they were there. No one was sure what to say to her, looking away quickly but not quickly enough for her to miss the pity in their eyes.. Jace had left the institute and gone back to Idris after Valentine's revelation of their sibling status. He had told her he couldn't bear to be near her, because he wanted her to much.

Now every one avoided her, she supposed the fact that she looked like a walking ghost had something to do with it. She was slipping away a little at a time, pushing herself to and over the limits. She knew that if she kept on this way that no one would have to worry about her for long, but somehow she didn't care. She avoided her mother and Luke and barely saw anyone else. She felt like she was the one who was gone.

The skies opened and the rain pelted her as the venon coursed though her. She wished she'd waited for backup, wished she'd not been so foolish, but nothing could make her stay at the institute knowing Jace would be there soon. He was coming home tonight and she couldn't stand to be there when he did. So instead she'd gone hunting alone, even though she knew some Medios demons had been feeding in the area. She'd gone anyway, she'd been running scared.

The night had started well, killing four low level demons without breaking a sweat felt good. She'd begun to let her guard down, had begun to think about what she'd been avoiding the whole night, Jace. She'd been leaning against an alley wall thinking about his smile and remembering his touch and she'd missed the slithering hiss of the monster sneaking up on her.

The pain was quick and sharp, a slicing stab along her back. The monster had reared up with a sly smile framing it's features enjoying every minute of her pain. She'd seen the lust in it's sharp black eyes as it wrapped it's tentacled arms around her and pulled her in. Sharp spikes pierced her arms as it began to tighten around her. Clary felt the venom at a thousand different points, each one a blazing fire up and down her arms. She felt her resolve weakening as it began to steal inside her, made her burn with lust, almost driving her mad. Clary felt it injecting into her and knew that she had to do something.

Clary squirmed and fought the lust burning her like the venom. She managed to free up her wrist blade slicing it up and into the smiling heart shaped opening under it's chin. The thing squealed and fell back it's tentacles letting her go wish a sickening slide and pop, gurgling and sounding like the sigh of a lovely woman at the same time as it began to burn. The thing fell away and dissolved, into a gruesome pile of muck at her stumbling feet.

Clary had hit the wall, grabbing at her clothes, needing air, needing to be touched. The painful horror of the Medios demon was that it left you so needy that you literally burned alive with lust unless you were either given the anti venom, or given sexual release. Clary knew how this went, the last Shadow hunter to be bitten by one had died in front of her screaming, because they'd come too late.

She felt the tears trickle down her face as the rain fell harder. She lifted her face, opening her mouth drinking it in. She was looking for a cool release, but she knew it was useless. The fire that had begun in her back was spreading through her body, along her arms to each puncture mark. She was sobbing now, pulling her clothes, knowing it was almost over. She just wished she could see Jace again one more time. She slid down the wall as Jace's bright hair and beautiful golden eyes danced in front of her as her head began to burn and her vision began to fail.

:"Jace" she murmured softly, trying not to scream, "I love you."

She closed her eyes as the heat engulfed her, missing the screams and the footsteps pounding toward her down the rain slick alley. She missed the man holding her screaming her name.

Jace woke to the heat, feeling it in his bones. He sat up on Clary's bed and gasped as his back began to burn. He felt a sinking in his heart as the pain, the desire got worse. He ran down the hall shouting for Isabelle and Alec, knowing they didn't have a minute to lose.

They found her quickly, the site of the attacks was close to the institute. Isabelle had been helping Alec with a pack of demons and she had told her to wait to hunt, until she could go with her, but Clary had gone on her own, needing to do it alone. They pounded out of the building and raced down the alley's mouth and Jace found himself praying they wouldn't be too late.

Clary had sunk to the ground as they'd come into sight and Jace knew he'd aged 10 years in those seconds as the Medios demon fell away and Clary hit the wall and slid down it's rough surface. He'd seen her pulling her clothes away and had felt the burn of her skin as she'd lost consciousness. She would have hit the ground but he caught her holding onto her.

"Clary, Clary, damn it wake up" Jace shouted as he shook her "Damn it don't leave me." he knew he was shouting but couldn't help it. He couldn't lose her.

"Jace" Isabelle said softly as she kicked the pile of remains on the ground "It's a Medios demon."

Jace closed his eyes and prayed harder...