Shadows of the earth
Author Note: While the characters of The Mortal Instruments are the property of Cassandra Claire (I wish I owned them but I do not) This story is indeed mine. This story is set after the events of City of Heavenly Fire but Simon is a Shadowhunter with all of his memories.
(Side note by 'utility' I mean a pickup truck or ute)
Isabella Lightwood couldn't believe the world was ending. She had spent all her life training and fighting against the endless onslaught of demons, her whole bloodline had, her mother and father and brothers and everyone she ever knew. Shadowhunters often die young, some demon or Downworlder causing thousands of youth's premature demise. She never expected one of Simon's movies to come true. Just like 'Dawn of the Dead' thousands of New Yorkers are now roaming the streets, eating anyone they could get their hands on, regardless of who they were just a few days ago. Izzy and the others, Simon, Clary and Jocelyn, Luke, Alec and Magnus, Jace and her mother had been able to hole up in the institute for months, one of the perks of protective runes and a well-supplied fortress. We all watched in horror as other institutes worldwide fell, not from demons but from these undead creatures. Tokyo fell first, the Los Angeles and the rest of the world. Not even the superior strength, speed, agility and training of Shadowhunters could overcome the sheer size of the undead opponent.
Izzy's train of thought is derailed by another trio of shambling New Yorkers moving towards her, their bloodshot eyes looking what she thought was straight through here
"Isabella, keep them off my while I get this damn thing working!" Luke Calls to her. Luke sat behind the wheel of a blue utility attempting to hotwire the car's engine.
Isabelle pulls the dull tube of a Seraph blades hilt from her belt, she whispers Sanvi and the crystal blade extended to form a sword of blue fire. Isabelle ran at the closest shambling beast, a white man dressed in blue plumber's overalls. Before it could react Izzy swings the angel blade in a high ark, decapitating it. Beside her a second beast, a blond woman dressed in a bloody and torn police uniform, is swinging a handless fist at her head. Isabelle spun to meet the policewoman, bringing the seraph blade up to block the impending blow. The Seraph blade cuts deep into the arms rotting flesh, catching on the bone. She landed a kick square in the chest of the woman, sending it to the ground. Behind her the utility roared to life, Izzy turns around to see Luke's success. Isabelle had been under a monumental amount of stress these past few months, everyone was, she was too busy surviving to train her skills. The final shambling corpse snuck up on Isabelle, grabbing her around the shoulders and despite her resisting is slowly moving its gaping jaws towards her neck. Abruptly the creatures head had jerked back violently and the thunder like crack of a gunshot hit her ears.
"I got you Izzy, get in before more of things arrive. We need to get out of here" Luke shouts to Isabelle. He is still pointing the small black handgun at her.
Still shaking with adrenaline Izzy gets into the passenger side seat of the utility and with spinning wheels the pair sped off through the streets of New York City.
2 Hours Later
Isabelle and Luke had successfully escaped the concrete hellscape that is New York City and are making their way towards Harrisburg. Occasionally the pair see rotting people littering the side of the road, either bloating in the midmorning sun or eating unlucky humans. Izzy leans back in her seat and rolls her window up slightly, enough to leave a constant flow of air into the cabin but a small enough gap to prevent undead hands reaching in. Not that a glass window would stop them, Izzy thinks to herself.
"What the hell happened back there? Institutes are designed to withstand even the strongest demons. How did a couple of corpses get through?" Izzy says, her voice still laced with bewilderment and fear.
"Besides the wards and charms, the institutes are nothing more than churches structurally. You saw and heard how many were at the doors, must have been at least 60 of the dammed things. 60 people who don't care how messed up they get can make short work of a few doors." Luke said sombrely.
Everyone had been residing in the institute that morning, 7 well trained Shadowhunters, a New York pack leader and former shadow hunter and one of the oldest and most powerful warlocks to walk the face of the earth. Even with all of us, the institute still fell. Izzy thinks to herself in disbelief.
"Do you think anyone else made it out? Out of the 8 of us someone else must have been able to escape. They can't all be dead" Izzy said, wishing her friends and family had survived that massacre.
"I'm sorry Izzy, but I saw them take Magnus. He was holding them of in the foyer. I told the idiot to get out of there but he was oblivious, he was so weak from the fighting. I saw the explosion- he sacrificed himself for us all."
Izzy remembers how the floor beneath her shook with sheer force. At least Magnus had died protecting the people he cared about, that would be the only way he would allow himself to go. Izzy doesn't know if there is a heaven or hell or anything after this life, but she hopes Magnus is in a better place.
"Luke, I'm sorry" Isabelle said with tears in her eyes "Jocelyn was in the catacomb, she would have faced that second mass of corpses by herself. I know she was an amazing fighter, better than anyone I've seen. But I doubt she made it out of there alive."
Luke is silent at this. His hands grip the steering wheel of the utility so hard his fingers cutting into the plastic, leaving grooves. His eyes are tearing up and unwavering. The pair are silent now, the weight of their loved ones' deaths weighing heavy on their minds. Both of them have lost someone close before but it wasn't any easier. It simply doesn't seem possible that someone like Magnus or Jocelyn are no longer on the earth. The void they leave will never be filled. Izzy thinks as she stares out the windshield. Up ahead there is a corpse dressed in a farmer's overalls and blue checked work shirt shambling down the highway. Already Izzy can hear the ungodly moans coming from the creatures' mouth. Without warning Luke suddenly hits the accelerator, sending them speeding towards the farmer. He stops about three yards from the farmer, aggressively he stopped the utility and threw on the handbrake. Izzy watches as Luke throws his door open and quickly walks towards the creature. There is a fiery anger in his eyes and the small black pistol in his right hand. Luke brings the pistol to bear on the creature, firing wildly. Luke is screaming abuse at the creature as he walks and fires, asking why it had to be her rather than him. The gun runs out of bullets and he throws the useless weapon at the farmer as he falls to the ground. Luke sprints over to it and starts kicking the farmer, stamping on the creature's skull until it finally gives way to Luke's heavy boot. He is standing over the farmer now, not speaking but staring. After what feels like a silent eternity Luke walks back to the utility and they are slowly moving along the highway once again. Neither Luke or Izzy has said a word since the farmer's death.
END
I hope you all enjoy my work, chapter 2 is on its way!