Jace didn't know where he was.
He had gotten out from his car, and hiked a little ways, searching for any survivors. He couldn't remember how much time had passed, since he had stepped out from the car. This whole crazy search expedition hadn't gone well, and he hadn't found anything. The small sliver of hope he had held onto was quickly diminishing.
He was beginning to think all the people he cared for were dead, and he was alone, utterly alone.
All he saw when he looked around was green brush, and towering tress, swaying gracefully in the wind. If he squinted, he thought he could see the remains of the resistance building, or it might have been his imagination. Sighing, he stumbled in that direction, tripping over roots and vines.
he had brought the keys with him, so unless you really did know how to steal a car, you couldn't drive away with it. That was maybe the only smart thing he had done within the last twenty -four hours.
His foot caught on a tree root, ad he fell to the ground, breaking the fall with his hands. Blood spilled from the wounds on his wrists, and his ankle burned. He didn't think he had done more than twist his foot, thankfully. He stumbled a few more feet, falling again as his foot gave out beneath him. He let out a small hoarse cry as he slammed into the ground, reopening his bandaged wounds. He felt the familiar warm trickle of blood running down his sides, most likely staining his clothes. He groaned, rolling over. He hoisted himself up onto his elbows, struggling into a sitting position.
He braced himself up against a nearby tree, using it so he could stand. Looking in front of him, he saw a few things.
He saw his car, and the ruins of the resistance.
He also saw two figures huddled just behind it, two tall boys.
Who were they?
Magnus had dragged Alec along with him on his morning walk,mostly to see how Alec was doing.
He hadn't been sure if Alec could walk, and he was struggling. Whenever Magnus offered his help, Alec would refuse him.
Alec stumbled beside him, his foot snagging on a fallen tree branch. Magnus leaned forward to catch him, succeeding just before Alec hit the ground. Alec's eyes were wide, color pinking his cheeks. He wriggled out of Magnus's grasp, struggling to keep his balance.
Magnus had taken a route leading them closer and closer to the remains of the resistance building, to search for any society vehicles. SO far, he had turned up nothing.
Alec said something under his breath, Magnus couldn't make out.
In fact, he was glad he couldn't make it out. Alec's words had sounded an awful lot like curses.
There was a rustle behind him, and he turned to see if Alec was having trouble again. He saw Alec was doing fine, limping along almost as fast as Magnus was walking. Alec didn't appear to have heard the noise,as he was continuing as usual.
He heard coughing, and Alec the sound of Alec's footsteps stopped abruptly.
Someone was out there.
He prayed for it to either be a society member with a car, or another surviving resistance member. He slowly made his way to the noise, and his heart soared.
Parked only about 15 feet away, was a society vehicle. He couldn't see any nearby society members, but there could easily be someone armed with a gun only a short distance away. Alec was still frozen, squinting at the scene before him.
But even if there was a car, how were they supposed to drive it away?
With invisible keys?
Magnus traveled near the direction of the noise, Alec on his heels.
Magnus circled the car, and it was utterly empty, and these cars were never empty. Something odd was going on. Alec had gone as white as a sheet, and was staring in the distance. Magnus followed his gaze, and inhaled sharply.
People stood only a few yards away, huddled over what looked like an injured man. He could hear their angry voices rising. He followed Alec over to the scene, hoping the group wasn't full of society members. If it was, they were dead.
The group was about as badly injured as Magnus, Simon, Cole, Ian, Isabelle, Clary and Alec were. Cuts and scrapes were visible where sleeves didn't cover. One boy's shirt was white spotted with specks of red and brown, most likely dirt and blood. The girl who raised her foot to kick the figure on the ground wore a stained tank top and a leather jacket, one sleeve ripped away. Alec kneeled besides the limp body, using gentle hands to turn the person over. He heard Alec gasp.
He peered around a tall boy to see what had surprised Alec.
At first he saw a boy, a badly hurt boy. Then he noticed society uniform, sticking to the boy's skin with blood and sweat.
After his mind was able to strip away the grime and blood, he saw Jace. His golden hair no longer looked gold, but a shade of dirty blonde. Dirt and blood streaked his face.\
But it was Jace, the boy he had met only a few days before.
What the hell had happened to him?
How had he gotten a society uniform, and a car?
Alec looked up at the girl standing above him, who was looking at Alec suspiciously. The girl had dark brown curls tied back behind her head, and a dark skin tone.
"How do you know a society member?" She asked, forcefully.
"He's my brother." Alec said a little sadly, and an expression of rage crossed the delicate features of the girl.
"Your brother?" She repeated incredulously. Alec nodded slowly. If Magnus were in his situation, he would have lied,no doubt about it.
One of the boys behind her pulled a gun form his belt, which had been hidden inside his coat.
Alec's expression remained unchanged.
Was the boy really going to shoot him?
He turned to Magnus.
"What are you doing here then?" He asked.
"Probably same as you. We were stranded when the resistance burned down." Magnus answered honestly.
He prayed they would believe him.