Minute (maybe? possibly?) gore ahead.

~ THEMESONGS ~

It Gets Better ~ Fun.

All Fall Down ~ OneRepublic

Devil's Spoke ~ Laura Marling

.C.I.W.

21. Can't Stop Now

"God, no!" Someone was shouting. "NO!"

Claire was right on Alec's heels as soon as he burst through the doors, letting her whip slide off her wrist to be battle-ready.

But when she saw what was going on… She didn't know how to react.

Jace and Clary and Simon were sitting on the floor, Jace was cradling something in his arms. It looked like a body. Clary held her hands up to her face, tear streaming out of her eyes. Simon looked like he was in agony.

"You can't go!" Jace continued to shout. "You. Can't! Madi!"

Madi?

When Claire looked at Clary again, she saw the girl gasping.

Jace shook the body in his arms, and that was when Claire saw it.

A pale hand fell limply to the floor, belonging to a battered body with a massive, bleeding crater in its chest. The head lolled to the side, eyes closed, the face holding an expression of complete peace.

Claire never thought she would see Madi look like that.

That was when the world started to fall apart.

"No!"

Claire let the whip slip out of her fingers, and she was already running to Madi's side, dropping to her knees. The overwhelming stench of copper hit her nose, making her gag. She looked down at Madi's chest, seeing the huge…

The only way to describe it was that it was a crater. Like a wrecking ball had just taken a chunk out of a building. It exposed parts of Madi's ribs, her stomach, intestines –

Claire screamed. She couldn't keep the horror inside of her anymore. She let the scream fly from her chest and into the open space around them. She scrambled away from the body, falling on her backside on the cold, tile floor. She covered her hands over her mouth, watching Jace throw his jacket over Madi's body to hide the ugly wound.

"She was just a kid!" Claire shouted. "She didn't. Do! Anything! Who would do something like this? Oh my God!"

She watched as Jace bent down to press his lips against her forehead, his face twisted in pain. Clary was gripping Madi's free hand.

"She was my friend!" Claire continued to shout. "She – She – I –"

Claire grappled her hair in her hands, her breathing growing heavier and more ragged. "What is this?" She screamed.

.M.I.W.

I was in a forest. A forest coated in snow. Fat flakes were falling from the sky. And it was quiet. Deathly quiet.

How did I get here? I blinked slowly, and sudden images flashed before my eyes. I'd been in New York, getting blasted by some demon mojo. I –

Was I dead?

"Hello!" A voice greeted me. It was feminine and young, and if I wasn't mistaken, it sounded familiar.

I turned around to see rustling in the undergrowth. I looked down to my waist to see that I wasn't carrying my weapons. Not even wearing my gear. I was in blue skinny jeans, my black converse, and a black pea coat. I frowned, and looked up once I saw a figure emerge from the forest and into the clearing.

She was young with a thin body. She was wearing a magenta jacket zipped all the way up, blue skinny jeans, and some white slip-on shoes. Her chocolate, straight hair swung as she hopped into the clearing. She seemed to have a pleased expression on her face when she saw me. Like we were friends.

I frowned at the look on her face. "Who are you?"

She stopped a few feet away, folding her arms across her chest. "It's been a long time." She said offhandedly. "I knew you wouldn't recognize me. And then there's the fact that we've never really introduced ourselves. My name is Bree Tanner."

Bree Tanner. My eyes widened in response, I began to really wish I had my swords right now.

Was I dead?

Probably.

.C.I.W.

Claire watched everyone else try to figure out what to do. Alec contacted the Clave, telling them the situation. Maia and Jordan were staying close to each other, Simon and Isabelle were too. Jace stood near Alec, casting a look at Madi's body every so often. Clary was with Jace.

No one was with Madi. She was laying on the floor, covered with Jace's jacket. Only Claire sat next to her, holding the dead girl's twin swords in her lap.

On the floor, next to Madi as well, was an old gun. Claire picked it up and inspected it. It was an antique revolver with a pentagram carved into the handle. It looked familiar, but Claire couldn't place it. Why would Madi have this? Her pride and joy were her twin swords. Claire remembered watching Madi put so much work into sharpening and polishing the seraph blades.

She wouldn't be doing that anymore.

Claire's eyes pricked with tears, but she pushed them away. She didn't want to break down again.

That was when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Claire turned to her right, and saw a tall guy wearing a suit standing at the edge of the roof. He looked pretty creepy, and when he turned to look at her, Claire realized that his eyes were black.

This was the dude that Madi had been talking to in that graveyard.

The demon.

Wasn't his name, like, Belial or something?

Claire jumped up from Madi's side, setting the seraph blades next to her body. She grabbed her whip, and ran towards the doors, knowing no one else in the room would even notice she was gone.

She stormed out of the doors, focusing on the strange man… demon….

Whatever.

"Who are you?" Claire demanded.

The demon's gaze flickered from Claire to Madi's dead body, and he folded his arms behind his back.

"I suppose I should formally introduce myself," he decided in a silky, creepy voice. "My name is Belial. I am the demon that bestowed Madison Verdantia with her powers."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She knew what she was doing the whole time. You see, Claire Icanthya, your mentor knew she was going to die. She knew for quite some time."

.M.I.W.

"And you're Madi Verdantia." Bree went on. "Even though that's not your real name. I understand if you don't know who you are – some people don't when they first come here."

"I know who I am." I said indignantly. "How do you know Verdantia isn't my real name?"

"I've been watching you." She said casually, because when you're dead I guess that's a normal thing to do. "I mean, you'll forgive me for wanting to get to know the person that killed me and all."

Guilt washed over me in that instant, and I sighed. "I'm so sorry. If there was any other way, you have to know –"

"I do." Bree replied. "I've looked over my death so many times. I would have died some way. It was my time to leave, as it was yours."

I didn't like the way she said that, and there was no way in hell I'd just forgive the asshole that offed me. "You're not mad?"

She smiled kindly. "At first I was. But after watching you, and your life, my anger faded. The beautiful thing about death is that there is understanding and acceptance. With understanding you, I understood my death. When I accepted you, I accepted what happened."

"To be honest, I don't think I'll find much understanding in my death."

"You should not have died, Madi. You will never find understanding or acceptance."

Well isn't that just the icing on the cake? "Then why am I here?"

"Because you died." She replied.

"But if I shouldn't have died, then can't I just go back? If I don't belong here, then shouldn't I –"

"You can't go back." Bree said, her voice suddenly stern. I frowned. "This may have not been the destiny of your life, but your physical body is gone, and you could not have changed that even if you wanted to."

"So… is it going to be like this forever?" I asked.

Bree laughed. "No, of course not. This is just the first part. I'm here to lead you to the next, when you're ready."

She held out her hand.

.C.I.W.

Claire's mind was reeling. Belial told her the long story about how Madi's fortune was foretold by a demon that she was going to die. She knew she was going to die. This whole time, Madi was fighting horrible dreams sent to her by a demon, dying, and never knowing when or how. A lot of things suddenly started making sense.

This was what she meant when she begged Claire to tell her family if something happened to her. She knew she was going to die in this world, and her family would never know. Just like Claire's family wouldn't know what was happening to her right now.

"So, as you can see, this leaves me without my finest creation." Belial said.

"Then why don't you just bring her back to life?" Claire demanded. "You're supposed to be a Greater Demon, you can do stuff like that."

"Death is not as simple as it looks, child," Belial replied calmly. "Even if I could, I would not be able to resurrect her. Madison Verdantia has been marked from the moment she was given these powers. There is no scenario, no change of plan, that would let her life continue for a second longer. Amusing how one small weight can tip the scales into one's favor."

Claire didn't like this. If this freak was going to keep talking in riddles, she would coil her whip around his throat right now and end it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I wish to offer you a proposition, pet." Belial explained.

.M.I.W.

I looked at Bree's hand from where I stood, frowning. It was tempting, it really was. Just to leave and accept that I was gone. So tempting, yet something felt off. Wrong. Unsettling. I took a step further back.

"This is a little too homo for my tastes." I admitted.

She dropped her hand and sighed. "Madi, I know it's confusing, but I promise you it'll be easier if you just come with me."

"I'd rather not." I replied. "Actually, I think I have an appointment."

I remembered.

"Yeah… I do. Belial is supposed to have my eternal soul." I said, gesturing to myself. "If I'm right, this should be… me… right?"

Bree nodded.

"Then I can't. Claire has to be kept safe, and this is the only way I know she will be."

But Bree wasn't looking at me anymore. Instead, she'd turned to my left, focusing on something in the distance. I slowly followed her gaze, frowning. "What…?"

Suddenly, a bright light surged through the forest, snapping trees and bowling them over. Bree let out a shocked gasp, and I turned to look at her just as she was running back the way she came.

"Bree!" I shouted, turning back to the light.

I tried to run back, move, but I was rooted to my place. Instead of being panicked like I knew I should have been, though, I was confused.

The light hit me then, and it was followed by a terrified, bloodcurdling scream.

.C.I.W.

"What… kind of proposition?" Claire asked.

Belial shrugged. "A simple one. One in which you swear your loyalty to me, where your mentor did not."

Claire could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

"If you don't, your fate will be just as certifiable as the Verdantia's," Belial explained. "She thought she could be free to have a choice. She was too naïve. But you – you know better. I can see it in your eyes, child. You are calculating and will make the right choice. Now, you can chose to be loyal to me now, or…" Belial looked at Madi's body. "Or you can wait until another demon finds you. I can promise you now they won't be as… lenient as I."

Claire played with the handle of her whip a little. She felt her body beginning to tremble, which wasn't a cool thing at all to experience. She glared at Belial.

"Not a chance," she said icily.

"Then you can't live," Belial replied.

Before Claire could even say anything else, Belial threw out his hand, and she watched as a pitch black dog rose up from the floor. It snarled, and leapt straight for her.

.M.I.W.

I gasped and coughed, opening my eyes wide. "What the fuck was that?" I demanded.

"Madi!" A masculine voice gasped in surprise. It was then that I felt warm arms around me, tightening when I tried to move. Pain radiated through my body. I felt like I was burning just underneath my skin.

"I restate my earlier question." I growled, craning my neck around. My vision grew less blurry by the moment, and I found myself staring into gold eyes, then ice blue ones, green ones…

"Madi, what the –" I heard Jace stammer. "You should be –"

Then someone screamed.

It sounded the exact same way as it did before, and it ripped through my ears in painful awareness.

My fingers tightened around the hilts of two familiar blades, and I leapt up, charging straight for the cry.

Straight ahead, I could see Claire.

She was off to the side, misplaced, being mauled by a hellhound.

"Sandalphon! Metatron!" I cried, and my two swords burst into a bright, victorious light.

I flew forward with a speed I'd never felt before. Everything was all reaction.

I swung out with both blades, and sliced through the neck of dog.

Claire gasped in pain, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head at the pain she must've been going through. Then her eyes closed, and her body went limp.

"Claire!" I shouted, dropping to her side. My eyes widened as I looked her over, my head pounding and making me feel dizzy. I didn't care.

Claire was pretty banged up. She had claw marks sliced through her stomach and shoulders, a gruesome chunk had been ripped out of the arm she'd been defending herself with. And then there was the really fucked up wound on her shoulder. Bile rose in my throat, and I could only swallow to keep it back. No wonder she passed out. She must've been in some serious pain.

When things began to come into more focus again, I could see that the wounds weren't normal. They were black and already swollen-looking, oozing dark crimson blood that didn't seem to stop.

I heard the sound of a paper crumpling not too far off, and looked up.

Belial. Strange, always-out-of-place Belial was standing off in the shadows, a horrified expression on his face as he looked at me.

Somehow I didn't even have to ask. I just knew.

Belial.

It always came back to Belial.

I made sure he got the most murderous look from me possible, and I watched him disappear in a cloud of black mist.

I shucked off my jacket (which I noticed had a nice chunk of it burnt off) and wrapped it around Claire's arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alec run around me and on the other side of Claire. He began to check her injuries.

"What do I do?" I demanded.

Another person dropped to their knees beside me, and I looked over to see Jace. "Jace, what do I do? One of you – tell me what to do! She's dying – I promised I'd keep her safe!"

"She's been poisoned from the hellhound bite," Jace explained. "It's pretty severe – it needs to be treated fast. She'll have to be cleansed with holy water, but there isn't a church close by. She might not make it –"

"Oh, trust me, Lightwood," I growled, stepping over Claire's side to push Alec out of the way. "I'll make one close by."

Jace looked at me in shock. "Madi –"

"I'll be right back," I stated, crouching down to Claire's side. I threw out my arm in front of me.

Churches, churches, churches, churches, churches –

A blue portal cracked open out of thin air.

"Madi!" Isabelle shouted, and I looked up just in time to see the Shadowhunter throwing a jacket at my face. I caught it and pulled it close to me.

Without saying anything else, I pulled Claire and myself through the portal.

.M.I.W.

Ta-da? Have I completely destroyed this readership yet?