"Jace!" Alec shouted. He woke them both up.
"I'm up, I'm up," he mumbled. "Come on, Clary. Alec needs me again." Jace gently shoved Clary off his chest and left her with her head resting on the small embroidered cushion.
Clary wasn't completely awake, and they didn't seem to need her much, so she layed on the couch, listening in on their conversation.
"We've just received more reports of demonic activity in the stupid motel a few blocks down. I thought you two just checked it out yesterday!" said Alec, frustrated.
Jace sighed. "We did. We couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, although it was strangely warm in there."
"Well, I suggest you go back. Just one more time. Just to be safe. You know, it's pretty close to the Institute and I find it unsettling how often demons show up there."
Jace shook his head. "Fine." He walked back to Clary. "I know you're up. You heard that, right? You want to come with me again? I mean, uless you have plans with the vampire or something."
"No, I would love to come," she replied. She sounded like a child, eager to go on another adventure. Jace was right about the motel. Some thing was odd about it, but she couldn't place her finger on it. It was like there was someone else there, watching, waiting.
"All right. Grab your gear and we'll head out." She had just dumped her hunting gear beside the couch anyway, so that wasn't difficult.
They arrived at the old motel soon after. It felt the same as before, except without the ravener demon. Jace took out his sensor. "Well, I'm not getting much demon activity now," he said, "only what's left over from yesterday. I don't know what Alec was talking about."
"Well we should take another look around anyway. Is there a basement?"
"I'm not sure. I figured there might be, but I can't find a door."
"Is there maybe a cellar door or something outside?"
Jace shrugged. "There might be. Let's go check." They walked back outside together. After circling the building a couple of times, they finally found a discreet little opening in the ground. It looked like it was usually hidden, but had been used recently. "This looks promising," he said with the glint in his eye he always got when he expected trouble.
The two stepped down the stone stairs into the darkness. At the bottom, Clary nervously poked her nose around the corner. "See anything?" Jace asked her.
"Wait." She took out her witchlight and shone it in her pitch black surroundings. It seemed to be just a typical cellar, until they heard something.
"Shh." Jace held up a finger. "I think I hear something coming from the corridor over there?"
Typical, Clary thought. Of course there had to be haunting corridor and secret passages. It sounded so Scooby-Doo. They slowly approached the corridor, stepping as lightly as possible.
There was something short and fat casting a lumbering shadow on the wall. Together, they peered around the corner and what did they find?
Lo and behold, it was Chairman Meow.