Aaron caught the boy before he hit the ground.
He laid him down on the hay-strewn floor and immediately began checking for wounds. A quick assessment showed an incision on the back of his leg and one long slash across his stomach, both bubbling with demon venom and small bits of puss. It was bad. Aaron looked up and saw the rest of the group gathering around him, each ready to spring into action at his immediate command.
"We need to get him to the Institute," he hefted the boy over his shoulder and started for the door, "Ava, you go ahead and get the truck ready. We gotta get there ASAP, he's not looking too good." Ava sprinted past him, keys tinkling as she ran. They'd parked at the top of the road, a good five minute walk. For a mundane. For a Speed-runed Shadowhunter is was more of a one minute sprint.
He took off at a run, Ian and Madeline following close behind. All three ran, gravel crunching under their boots, until they saw the truck up ahead, tail lights shining red along the rocks. Aaron lept over the tailgate and set the boy down, Ian and Madeline leaping in next to him. He started trying to subdue the damage the venom was causing as Ava floored the truck forward and pulled onto the main road.
"What are we gonna do," Madeline asked, popping open a toolbox near the front of the truck bed and pulling out two leaves of a medicinal plant. She set to work tearing them up, smearing the pieces together with some water and handing the gunk to him.
Aaron began rubbing the concoction on the boy's stomach, the worst of the two wounds. "We're going to take him to Clary and Jace. They should know what to do to help him." There was a sizzling sound coming from the cut now, a sign that it was working a little.
"How much can they do? They can't put runes on him, he's not one of us." She prepared more of the medicine and handed it to him.
"They might be able to find a warlock. Magnus or someone else." He put the plant on the leg wound. "They can just block his memories after that and send him on his way." Madeline didn't look too convinced, but didn't press the issue further.
Both cuts were covered now, each one seeping a dark green liquid that smelled like rot. Cars surrounded them as they pulled onto the highway, orange fluorescent lights passing by overhead. The truck gave a lurch, causing the boy's body to slide into the side of the bed. Ian grabbed him by the jacket and held him still. Aaron noticed the bulge in his pocket and realized it was his wallet. He slipped it out and read the name on the license.
"Okay," he squinted to make out the name in the sparse light, "it says his name is Dan Metsler. He's 17, an organ donor. Doesn't seem to be super photogenic." Ian giggled a bit but Madeline slapped Aaron's arm.
"Dude, that was rude. Don't make fun of him." She crossed her arms.
"I'm not ,it was just observation. Geez." He slid the wallet back into Dan's pocket and looked to see where they were. The traffic had dimmed, as had the lights, and they were on the road that led to the Institute. Ava's driving skills had always impressed Aaron; the whole trip had taken less than 10 minutes. He wondered what Clary and Jace would say when they took Dan to them. None of them had suspected anyone to be at the barn when they were sent out to dispose of the Ravener demon, but, of course, nothing could go to plan.
The dark spires of the Institute came into view as the glamor dissolved around it. Gleaming stained glass windows shone in the headlights of the truck and the grand wooden doors became washed in bright white. Ava parked the truck along the curb and jumped out while Aaron and the others leapt from the back, Dan back over his shoulder. They ran to the doors, Ian shoving both open enough for them all to fit through. There was a dull thud in Aaron's arms as Dan's head smacked into the door frame.
"Jesus, Aaron, he's already hurt enough." Madeline shot him a sour look.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" she just rolled her eyes as they walked between rows of pews towards the elevator. They all crammed inside and Ava slid the cage door closed. Everything rattled as they descended.
They flung the door open when they reached the ground floor and ran through the hallway, squinting as there eyes adjusted to the light.
"Ian," Aaron nodded to him, "go see if you can find Clary and Jace." He nodded and took of down a hall to the right. The rest of the group hurried towards the infirmary.
He lay Dan on one of the white linen beds and opened his jacket to see the wound better. It oozed green and black, sizzling like Mentos in Coke. The plant paste had already been eaten through by the venom. It was getting worse. The group looked at each other, a tense air filling the room. There wasn't much else they could do without a professional healer, but there was no guarantee Dan would still be alive by the time one got there. Madeline handed Aaron the last bit of the medicine and he applied it as evenly as he could. Like last time, it got a little better but would soon be back to full force dissolving.
Ian ran in after a couple minutes of awkward medical silence, delivering the bad news through his panting breaths: "They're not here!"
"What," Aaron blurted, "where could they have gone off to? They've always been here when we get back from patrols." He ran his hand through his hair, messing up the dark blond mass. If Clary and Jace were gone, there really wasn't anything else they could do. The group all looked at each other, each member knowing what the other was thinking. They'd just have to leave it up to fate.
They left the infirmary and started for the entry hall, where they'd wait for Clary and Jace, when Ian chimed up, "Hey, I..think I'll wait in here with him," he nodded towards Dan, "just to monitor him and stuff, ya know."
"There's not going to be much to monitor," Madeline crossed her arms, "but alright. Let us know if anything happens. Like him dying. That'd be good to know." Ian nodded and turned back to the room.
Aaron and the girls walked to the entry hall and sat along the wall. He hoped Clary and Jace would be back soon.