Long update, short chapter. Maybe the content will make up for it?


Chapter 8: Nightmares


Sleep seemed like an easy enough task ordinarily. When you had been attacked by monsters, however, and almost mauled to death by them, sleep became a whole lot harder to reach, and once reached, even harder to deal with.

He was walking through the forest again, alone this time and armed only with a long bladed knife. The trees pressed in around him and Lucian had to keep himself from holding his breath, the rapidly closing in darkness stirring up childhood fears from long ago. The man adjusted his grip on the weapon in his hand and looked around himself warily before berating himself and straightening.

This was ridiculous. He was a shadowhunter for crying out loud and the dark should have been afraid of him, not the other way around. Glancing around, Lucian took in a deep breath, holding it in as he tried to calm the nerves fluttering around in his stomach. The blue eyed man was still afraid, but unsure as to why.

Leaves crackled beneath his sturdy shoes as Lucian set forth once again, having stopped upon battling to keep sheer panic from possessing his being. The shadowhunter could feel the wrongness of the place in the air, the wrongness of the area around him, yet in the distance a barn owl hooted as if everything were as it should be.

It was the luminous and glowing eyes which gave them away.

Howling, the wolf-like creatures came out of nowhere, fading in and out of the backdrop of inky blackness which shrouded them in shadows. Mouths salivating and snarls beyond murderous and blood hungry, it took the creatures to land only a few feet away from Lucian to force the man out of his frozen shock and to run in the opposite direction.

Wind blowing through his short and curly hair, Lucian could smell the strong scent of fear upon himself, sweating from running so hard and so fast, yet adrenaline was pumping through his body none stop so the young man could not feel the exhaustion shaking his limbs as he fled. The monsters behind him snapped at his heels, drawing close enough for Lucian to be able to feel their hot breath upon his neck and at one point he was pulled back, his jacket caught in the powerful jaws of one of his foes, only to sprint forward in a burst of high strung energy as he tore free of the piece of clothing which had been imprisoning him. The cold air of the night was cool upon his bare arms, t-shirt clinging to his lean and not overly muscular chest. A head drew up beside him and it was in that moment Lucian realised he was not going to outrun the enemy. Better to stand and fight then.

Drawing short, the blue eyed shadowhunter had only managed to just pull out his knife before being struck in the back by a massive weight. Falling forward, Lucian barely had time to scramble to his knees before being struck again in the back, this time with sharp and stinging claws slashing through flesh and bone. Suddenly all the feeling went out of his legs and the young man flopped to the ground, pain exploding up his spine.

Lucian screamed, long and hard as the pain engulfed him, greeting the man with its wicked tendrils. The creatures did not stop there, however, and it was only moments later that Lucian found himself being mauled, chunks of flesh ripped from bone as he was mercilessly kept alive. Above it all, a shadow loomed, the familiar face baring an unfamiliar cruel and wicked grin.

"Help me, please," Lucian somehow managed to get out through his mouth, lips moving almost wordlessly. Yet the being ignored him and it was to Lucian's utter horror that Valentine turned away.

Breathing hard Lucian woke from the dark dream, shivering at the ferocity of it all. Being attacked by a pack of angered werewolves did not leave one unscarred and Lucian felt like throwing up, almost did so as images of his own blood and mutilated flesh flew through his mind yet again. Why he had dreamed of Valentine the blue eyed man had no idea, but the shadowhunter sensed something was wrong in the air, just as it had been in the air of his dream. There were secrets lurking within the room and the house itself, hidden things of which had been built up on lies and deceit and ill-found trust, but what it was that was so wrong, Lucian had no idea.


Please review and tell me I am forgiven. Thanks for all the reviews by far.

Anon - That image is branded into my brain. He is a good actor. I am glad you are enjoying this.