AN: Sorry this is a tad late, guys. I got a new kitty and her cuteness is very distracting.

I also added a cover, which is actually the cover of one of my previous stories but edited slightly. I really wanted the story to have a cover, but I didn't have the time to make one so I settled for editing an old cover.

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I wasn't sure how long I'd been in the demon realm now, there was really no way to tell time between the darkness of the cave and my unconsciousness. When I'd first woken up again I'd discovered that my leg was badly infected, pus seeping out torn flesh. I'd scrawled more runes with my blood around the edges before bandaging it with what was in the medical kit I had found in the bag. There wasn't much other than bandages in the kit though, and even those were few. After that I passed out again, making myself stay awake was basically impossible; I was far to sick. It worried me, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do about it.

I'd just woken up again and I was trying to figure out what to do next as I re-lit the fire. Part of me wanted to look through the journal from the pack to see if maybe the man had written stuff while he was trapped here. Maybe there would be something helpful. The rest of me didn't want to invade his privacy though.

"I'll just look through the last few pages. If he wrote something I can use, it would be there." I said to myself, more to hear some sound other then the crackling of the fire than an actual need to talk aloud.

Pulling the journal out I flipped carefully until I found one of the last pages and skimmed over it. Deciding that it was in fact about had happened to him down here I flipped to what seemed to be the beginning of his ordeal here.

December 5th,

I think it's December fifth anyhow. It's pretty hard to be sure of the dates during war. I'm not sure what happened, honestly. Jacobs, Donnelly and Me were out on night patrol when we were attacked. At first I thought it was a wild animal, maybe a dog. But then I heard the other two screaming that they couldn't see what was attacking. I shouted at them that it was right there and tried to shoot it, but they still kept shouting that they couldn't see it. Then I realized that it's edges were shimmering, like those things covered in…what did Dad call them? glamours. Or something like that. Things from the shadow world that people in our family could see but most people couldn't. I'd panicked then. I knew that creatures like this couldn't be killed with guns. I think that hesitation is what caused this. I hesitated and the thing grabbed me. I remember the sensation of being crushed after that, but the sensation was everywhere, not just where the arms of the thing had grabbed me. Then I passed out. When I woke up, I was in this cave. I'm afraid to leave now. Where are Jacobs and Donnelly? Where am I?

-David Tanner

December…Somethingth,

I'm lucky enough that my pack seems to have come with me. I've got my tent, my sleeping bag, a change of clothes, a few rations, a meager medical kit, a knife and my lighter. And this journal. I was able to scramble around in the dark until I found some sticks that I wrapped in some socks to use as a torch. I used its light to make a full fire. The wood burns weird, it gives off a greenish flame and it throws sparks sometimes. There's a little spring about a hundred yards deeper into the cave, I drank a little of the water and it seems safe enough. I haven't gotten sick yet, and I think it's been at least a day.

I made the mistake of trying to leave the cave earlier today. But the farther I went, the harder the air was to breath. It was like the gas the Nazis use or something. It burned my lungs and my eyes so much I had to turn back. I saw light though, so I must've been near a way out. I'm going to try again tomorrow, maybe the air will be clearer.

-David Tanner

December,

I tried to leave again this morning, but the air seems like it's still filled with gas. I came back to my camp and soaked one of my shirts in water from the spring, tying it around my face. I then made another attempt to leave. The shirt helped enough that I made it out. I'm not in the human world anymore, that I'm sure of now. I think I'm in the place my dad used to tell me stories about, the demon realm. Dad used to work for the shadowhunters, the people that killed the demons when they came to the human world. But then the laws the shadowhunters followed changed or something and they stopped using "mundane" servants who had the ability to see the same things as them. My Dad still knew a lot about it though, and he'd talk about it sometimes when I was little. He'd tell me about the shining weapons the shadowhunters had, the one's they named after angels. Dad only mentioned the demon realm a few times, all he'd told me was that it was the place where the demons came from, it was entirely separate from our world, and if you went there you never came back.

But anyways, the things I saw when I left can't be part of our world. I don't know much about animals in other places, but I doubt there's anywhere in the world with what appear to be herds of animals with twenty legs and glistening armor like you see on beatles. Those were the first ones I saw, they were traveling in a huge group over what looked like an cracked and dried lake bed the stretched as far as I could see.

So far I've tried not to think of my wife and little girl. I didn't want to think that I wouldn't see them again. But now…now I know I won't. If I'm really in the demon realm, I'll never get to see my little girl turn one or two or three. I'll never get to see her start school, or go on her first date, or threaten her first date with death if he doesn't bring her home before ten. I'll never get to celebrate my first anniversary with my wife, or finally take her on our honeymoon, or help her go back to school.

Maybe I'm not in the demon realm though. Maybe I will make it home some how. Maybe.

-David Tanner

Tanner. That name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I guess it didn't really mater though, at least not right now. There were still several entries left, but I was getting so drowsy now that I couldn't focus on the words. Setting the book down I lay back, resting my head on the pack. I felt sorry for David. To be taken away from the people you loved like that, I knew how hard that was. Well, not being taken from a daughter, but at least from someone you'd planned to spend the rest of your life with.

Magnus.

I slid my hand into the pocket of my jacket, feeling around for the cool metal of the ring I had bought. I pulled it out and examined the little silver loop in the flickering light. It was a simple silver ring, with a little blue gemstone embedded on the outside. It was an engagement ring I bought two days before all of this. I'd almost asked him at the restaurant that night, but there were to many people and I'd chickened out, deciding to wait until we got home to the flat. But we'd never gotten home. And now, I wasn't sure I ever would.

AN: Yeah, I'm far to fond of journals as plot devices...sorry. Kinda. Not really.

Also, the first person to tell me why the name "David Tanner" would sound familiar to Alec will win a free Malec oneshot! No lemons though, since is making the pointless attempt to clean up the site. But other than that, I'll write you anything Malec themed. The winner will be announced in the next chapter update. Go! Go! Go!