Finally home and off school for the summer so luckily there will be no more interruptions to posting. Now we go back to Clary.


Clary awoke instantly knowing something was wrong. The ground was cold and hard beneath her and though she had become accustomed to waking up in a new place each night, the woods had never smelled so…musty. Five more minutes, she told herself with a groan, instinctively rolling on her side into the awaiting warm body Jace would provide next to her. An empty pocket of air enveloped her, feeling just like losing Mr. Pointy did.

Clary's eyes burst wide and she jolted into a sitting position. High arched stone walls surrounded her in varying shades of medieval greys and browns. The room was bare, save for herself. No Jace, no Isabelle. No towering woodland skyscrapers or soil to brush off her butt and then slap Jace for watching. She was all alone, with no idea where she was, and no memory of how she got there.

The last she remembered, she was waking up in the tent. Jace was still asleep, and she had stared for longer than she was proud of at the way his long eyelashes fanned upon his cheeks. Her finger twitched, itching to paint for the first time in months. She wanted to remember this. The sun had just begun to filter in through the tent in a gleaming morning golden hour. After some more staring, she had carefully detached herself from his arm that gripped around her frame protectively. She had smiled softly at the gesture. After so long spent surviving and fighting on her own, she knew she didn't need to be protected. But it touched her all the same that someone wanted to try. Someone cared enough to put her first for once.

A smile remained a permanent fixture upon her face as she quickly tossed some clothes upon her frame. There had to be something to draw within the supplies they had raided from the mall, she figured. Her hand grazed against the zipper before sudden horror washed over her at what lay outside. What if Izzy was there, waiting for them? Jace and Clary hadn't exactly been…discreet…the night before. Hell, it had been a while. Clary wasn't above admitting that they were loud. It would've been a wonder if Izzy had slept at all. And Clary knew she would be getting back at them with a ready arsenal of snide jokes and innuendos she had been preparing since they had met.

But Clary wasn't afraid. She knew that together her and Jace would bear the mocking and the blushing, but they wouldn't hide. She had done too much of it. And so she climbed out of the tent, looking forward to being there when he woke up, hovering over him with a pencil and paper.

It was with a smile on her face that she felt something hard hit her, followed by a scream. Then there was only darkness.

There was an indescribable feeling that came with not knowing where you are or who you were with. Though now she could see, and feel, and hear, it was as if she had never left the darkness. Once more, the survivor had become the girl in the net, dangling helplessly above a certain doom. At least then she could go down fighting. Anything was better than waiting at the mercy of a nameless, faceless foe.

She stood, though her head pounded and her limbs shook. It felt as if there was a lining of crust on the inside of her mouth—how long had she been without food or water?—but still, her fists clenched and she screamed to whatever enemy could hear her a stream of curses and threats. For what must have been at least ten minutes, she carried on, ranging from descriptions of the eventual decapitation she would inflict upon her captor to other more creative threats taken from various horror movies she had seen with Simon. Her fists beat into the walls until they came away bloody and raw. She held herself back from continuing on with her feet, as she knew if she came face to face with her enemy, she would need to be able to fight. Though, her mind filled in, there was always her teeth.

A slight scuffle came from outside the heavy iron door that marked the only way out of the room. Clary immediately stood at attention and turned. The noise sounded again, louder this time. What would be on the other side, she wondered? Did she really want to know? And, did she already have a feeling that she knew all along? No matter, Clary silently toed her way to flatten herself against the wall. If the door opened, she would take her captor by surprise.

There was nobody to save her but herself. Clary knew that. Maybe Jace and Isabelle were out there looking for her. But she couldn't count on that. She had to rely on what she'd always had: herself.

A jingle of keys sounded, though it sounded as if it were being muffled. Probably intentionally, hoping to keep her in the dark. She pressed herself further into the wall, practically bouncing on her bare heels. They had taken her shoes and stripped her of any weapons, but she still had herself. That was enough. She would always be enough. There was a click of a lock and a slight creak. The door moved hesitantly, opening barely an inch. The familiar barrel of a gun nudged its way through the crack in the door, inches away from her face. She sucked in a breath but didn't dare reveal herself. Her hand itched upwards, slowly. A plot began forming in her head.

"Don't try anything funny, now," the voice was masculine but familiar. Clary felt her breath hitch but didn't stir. Her mind was suddenly very loud. The man now felt more confident to ease himself further in the room, holding his gun firmly outstretched. Clary narrowed her gaze and set her shoulders back. Her mind grew silent.

It happened all at once. She grabbed his wrists, twisting the gun out of his grip before he got close enough to see her face. He let out a yelp but was silenced by her pointing the gun at him. Her finger danced along the trigger. The cool metal sang to her, urging her further. She stared at the boy on the other end of the barrel, who had fallen to the floor in fear.

"Where am I, Alec?"

He continued to back away. His mouth widened and his lips pulled downwards. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, she noted. He was scared. Clary tightened her grip on the trigger.

"I let you go before, but I won't make the same mistake if I have to," she smirked at him, but on the inside, a deep cold numbness was spreading throughout her body. The reappearance of Alec brought her worst fears to life. The reality of what was waiting on the other side of her cell was worse than not knowing. "We were looking for you, you know? For weeks. Isabelle had hope for you, and after all this time you're still stabbing her loyalty in the back. How do you live with yourself?"

The boy's gaze suddenly hardened. He glared up at her defiantly.

"I told you before I didn't have a choice," he grunted. "That's why I'm here. I need your help to free Magnus so that we can all escape and I can be with Izzy and Max again."

Clary pursed her lips, reminding herself that he was just trying to get in her head. It could be a trap, just like the last time. Humans liked to play all kinds of nasty tricks in a fight. At least zombies never tried to talk to her. But still, her heart felt as if it had been ripped raw and bloody at the mention of Max. She looked at him pityingly, worrying her lip.

She was screaming on the inside to just knock him out and run, but then she saw his vulnerable blue eyes begging her.

"Alec," her voice broke. "There's something you should know."

He said nothing, but his shoulders fell. They had both lived long enough in the apocalypse to know when someone was about to give you life destroying news. There was something about the gesture that made her heart clench. You have to trust him, it whispered. Even if it's a trap, all you'll end up in is in a different trap than before.

In the silence, Alec swallowed. It seemed to take all of his courage to ask, "something happened, didn't it?"

If she was going to trust him, if they were going to get out of there, knowing would do Alec no favors. They needed to be focused. And, more importantly, she needed a bargaining chip. She forced her expression to go blank, giving nothing away. It was time for her to be in control of her life again.

"It isn't important right now," she said, though she felt like she was dishonoring the boy she had grown to care for. "What we need to focus on right now is getting out of here."

"Clary, if my family is in danger—"

"Consider it an incentive to keep good on your promise," she fired back. "Get me out of here alive and you get your information."

His mouth was pursed into a thin line. He gazed at her coldly before nodding. She extended a hand out to him to help him off the floor, which he took. His eyes flickered to the gun in her hand.

"I can take my gun back now." She ignored him, instead moving with wide strides to the door.

She hesitated just as she was about to exit the doorway. Biting her lip, she retracted her outstretched palm and turned back to Alec.

"What's your plan for getting out of here and not getting caught?"

Alec smirked.


Clary's wrists might have been bound behind her back, but she swore if Alec pushed her one more time she was going to punch him in the face. After he had designated himself as her escort to not draw suspicion, she had gotten an immediate bad feeling in her gut. It hadn't helped that it seemed like every person they passed felt the need to stop them just so they could jeer and spit in her face.

"You would think with all of the resources you guys apparently have stolen, your hygiene would be better," she grumbled under her breath. She could practically feel Alec roll his eyes behind her.

"It's just a little further Clary," he breathed back before whispering a quick apology and shoving her into the wall. A couple that had just begun to walk by laughed greedily, congratulating Alec for his good job of police brutality, before moving on. Clary muttered a string of curses under her breath. At them, at Alec, at herself for getting into this mess, at Valentine, everyone.

She didn't bother asking whether he had needed to shove her so hard. He had. Throughout the stone sanctuary that Alec had called The Institute, they had passed nearly a dozen people. All of them knew exactly who she was and what she had done to their group. Singlehandedly, she had killed twenty-eight men and four women from Valentine's people. Alec was one of the few who had survived. But nearly a quarter of the sanctuary's population had been wiped out by her. They wanted blood, Alec had told her.

"But what is he planning with me," she murmured under her breath just loud enough for Alec to hear. There was a long pause before he replied, "I can't be sure."

She found herself reminded of Jace's reaction to Valentine's words and somehow, she knew deep down that it was better to hope he wanted her killed quickly.

"Get in the doorway you…bitch." Alec gave her a shove towards the door at the end of the hallway. She kept from rolling her eyes at his awkward display of aggression.

"I'm absolutely quaking with fear," she deadpanned once in the large room, facing Alec.

"As you should be."

Clary froze. Behind her, Alec remained unphased by the addition of the new voice that Clary would have recognized anywhere. After all, he had known exactly who was waiting in the room. "After what you did to my people, I would expect nothing less."

Half moon crescents scalded Clary's palms as she clenched her fists tightly enough to draw blood. "I'm not afraid of you."

Her back still faced the man who had brought her to him against her will, but she could hear the satisfaction in his reply. "I know, if you were you wouldn't have been any use to me. But luckily for you, you are."

"Funnily enough, I wouldn't expect to see this scenario on a box of Lucky Charms."

Alec stood beside her, stonefaced and uncaring, like a perfect soldier. The one who was tasked to bring her to Valentine, no matter what may happen to her here. Slowly, she turned.

Valentine stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his feet spread apart. The stance of a soldier. A living weapon that thrived in everlasting war. He looked much the same as before, only this time there was a gauze bandage over what was once his left ear. Clary smirked openly at her handiwork. He noticed.

"No, I hadn't imagined you would feel remorse at what you caused during our last meeting."

"Not true. I'm absolutely rolling in remorse over you not being a pile zombie kibble."

Something flashed in his eyes that she remembered seeing before, back in the mall. It unsettled her now just as much as it did then. Valentine turned his gaze to Alec appraisingly.

"I know that her being here must be very confusing for you, especially given her relationship with your…siblings," Valentine emphasized the word siblings, toying with it as if it were all a fun setup to an even greater punchline. He knew, Clary realized. How long had he been watching them? "I remember how conflicted you were at the mall. If your actions hadn't ultimately proved fruitful, my punishment would have been far more severe. Yet, I still have to question whether or not I can trust you."

It was a test. Valentine was toying with him, poking with an iron rod at his emotions. The boy remained a blank slate, though Clary thought she had seen the slightest quirk in his jaw.

Alec remained straight-faced and dutifully responded, "I'll make sure Clary doesn't get in much trouble on the way there and we'll be ba—"

"That won't be necessary. I'd like an opportunity to welcome Clarissa alone. She will stay here, with me."

Alec blinked while Clary felt the beginning of cold sweat. After a pause, Alec finally nodded and made to exit. Once his back was turned, Clary could see the true panic on his face as he looked at her with imploring eyes. That hadn't been the plan. When they had entered the room, Clary knew Valentine would be there and Alec would pretend to betray her in order to gain Valentine's trust and get the keycard which would give them access to Magnus and safety. It had all been planned, but her staying with Valentine ruined everything.

"I'll be there," he had assured her when he first proposed bringing her right into the enemy's hands. "You'll be safe from him doing anything to you when I'm there."

"But what will he do," she had pressed. He had pursed his lips in return before shaking his head.

"Like I said Clary, I'll stay by your side. As long as we get you out of here before nightfall, you'll be fine and the three of us can get back to Jace and my siblings."

Yet, despite the kink in their plan, she looked stonily away from Alec's panicked expression and met Valentine's gaze in a challenge. Go, the action told him. I can handle him. She just had to hope that Alec would come back for her, even after he had Magnus.

The door clicked shut behind him. Clary felt an unmistakeable coldness wash over her at the triumphant gleam in Valentine's gaze.

"I assume he doesn't know about his brother?"

Electricity sparked throughout Clary's body at the mention of Max. She gaped at him with wide eyes.

"How long have you been watching us?"

He smiled like a chess player watching all the pieces fall together perfectly for a triumphant win.

"Long enough. I didn't see it happen, but once I noticed his absence within your group it was easy enough to put the pieces together." His gaze softened then as he looked at Clary imploringly. "I know how you think of me, but I hope you know I don't enjoy his death. Like you, I have had to watch too many around me die."

He drew closer to her, never breaking eye contact. "It's unfortunate, but Max was only the beginning. Everyone around you will die eventually, but you will remain because you are stronger than them. That's why I brought you here. You're a survivor."

His words felt like a slap. A few weeks ago, would she have been taken in by his speech that catered to the survivor in her but forgot the girl? Her fists clenched tightly.

Ignore him, Clary, she told herself. He wants to get inside your head. He wants to hurt you. If you're a survivor, you can survive him.

"Are you trying to sell me a car because this whole snake charmer spiel of yours is rather pointless." She morphed her expression into one of boredom, hoping if she annoyed him enough that she could put off whatever plan Valentine had. He was unphased by her remark, instead beaming as if she had just proved his point.

"Do you know how the apocalypse began? What started it all?"

Clary paused. Despite all the time she had had to consider the question, an answer had never occurred to her and everyone seemed to have different answers.

"The government did it," a group of survivors wearing camouflage trucker hats had told her. "First they put fluoride in the water to turn the turtles mutant, then they turned us dead."

"It was a virus, like the plague," said one woman who looked as if she had spent her entire life in a yoga. "Scientists were building chemical weapons for the next war and it backfired on us."

"God sent this curse upon us as punishment for the immorality of gays getting married," one had said. That one had been her favorite. Not because she believed them, but because it had been extra funny to watch them be eaten alive the next day by two male zombies stripped to their underwear.

In all of the scenarios she had been given, they all seemed like bullshit.

"No," she replied finally. The truth was that she didn't care. Knowing why wouldn't change anything. Those she loved would still be dead and she would still be held hostage in the dank walls of The Institue by a sociopath.

"I wouldn't suppose you would. Most people are content with finding a source to pin their outrage on, but the truth is that all of this," he gestured around him, "is because of us. There was only so long that our species could spend dumping waste into the oceans and the sky, melting the planet, before the Earth struck back. The chemicals we used to be fine polluting the planet with backfired and polluted us. And, as you know, there were some nasty side effects."

She clenched her jaw. He continued on.

"Humans have always been weak. Even when they knew what was happening, they weren't strong enough to do anything to stop it. Thus, only the strongest of us will survive this world to a point where we can rebuild our population. I brought you here because I want to create a human civilization of survivors that can outlast the apocalypse."

"There's no way of knowing who will survive," she bit back. "People like Max and Simon and Jonathan didn't die because they were weak. They…it was just bad luck. It could happen to any of us."

He looked at her like one would look at a five-year-old who had just said something cute, but utterly nonsensical. And, just like when she was a five-year-old, the look made her bristle.

"It's a nice thought, but it's wrong." Clary began to wonder if it was possible for Valentine to speak without being obnoxiously patronizing. "There's a reason the children and elderly were the first to go. The sick, the disabled, the slow, the stupid, all of them lack what it takes. We are in a time where survival of the fittest is a reality and those who will last are those who can evolve. And to evolve, we must destroy the parts of ourselves that make us weak."

Clary took a step back, her heart beating faster. His words brought her back to what Jace had revealed around the fire, while they were waiting for Max to die.

"What you're doing is sick," she spat, clenching her fists. "Mixing humans with those…things. Turning people into monsters…you may be alive but you're no better than the zombies."

Within two strides he had crossed the floor and she was slammed against the wall, his hand around her throat. It twitched, keeping a grip that was just tight enough to show her the power he held to kill her without quite cutting off her airways. She glared up at him, refusing to back down. Just as she always would.

"I'm saving the human race," he growled, applying a bit more pressure to her throat. A small gasp escaped. It was becoming more difficult to breathe. Her eyes flickered down at the wrist choking her, only to widen in horror. It was now, up close that she could see the scars of multiple bite marks traveling up his arms. His eyes flashed with wicked satisfaction when he saw where she was looking. He released a bit of pressure off her throat. "You want to know how I know that only the strongest survive? Because it is only the strongest who can survive the mixture of blood. It doesn't matter if I am bitten. I will live. And, so will you."

Clary wanted to throw up. She wanted to be far away, huddled under sheets with Jace beside her where she knew nothing could harm her. She wanted to go back to when things were simple and she was just trying to stay alive and all she had to worry about were the zombies and herself. And, more than anything, she wanted to go home. What she would give to be able to walk through her front door, drop her school bag, and launch herself into the awaiting arms of her parents. They would hug her and kiss her and tell her that everything was going to be okay and they would always be there for her.

But they weren't.

If she were able to bring them back, would she? As much as she wanted those she had lost to be alive, would she wish survival on any of them if this was what it took? Would she wish survival upon herself?

"I don't want to survive if I have to lose what makes me a human to do it."

His gaze narrowed. Suddenly her throat was being crushed. Clary's eyes watered and she struggled for breath. Her feet kicked outwards and her nails clawed at the hand gripping her throat. He took in her reaction with a bemused interest.

"It's funny how our instinct for survival will turn us into desperate animals, only fighting to live. This is human nature, Clarissa, despite the romantics my nephew might have convinced you of." There was a cruel flash within his eyes as he further tightened his hold upon her throat. Black spots appeared in her vision. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Feed me, feed me, her lungs screamed at a piercing decibel. "You fight to live now, not as a human being, but as a survivor," his voice had softened to a hush, right by her ear. Her vision was fading. She was falling. She was losing to utter darkness. Down and down and—

"Maybe you just need to be tested to see the truth."

She was gone.


When she awoke in a crumpled heap on the floor of an empty room, she wanted to scream. Her throat was thick and heavy and on fire. A ginger touch told her that it was bruised, but luckily not crushed. She coughed, an action that felt painful and cruel. Like swallowing a pinecone. She tried to speak, but it came out as a wheeze. It would take time to heal before she could fully speak again, but her vocal cords didn't seem permanently damaged.

Hair prickled on the back of her neck. The room she was in was devoid, occupied only by her and a small knife resting beside her, but she sensed danger. Quickly, she snatched up the knife, hoping that the next time she saw Valentine she could tear his lungs open. What was Valentine planning? Where were Magnus and Alec? An unease had taken hold of her. Something was coming. She just knew it.

There was only one exit in the room: a set of double doors coated in chipping green paint. Slowly, she got to her feet and edged closer to the door. It's not going to work, her ration told her. Valentine wouldn't just give you a knife and an unlocked door out of the goodness of his own heart. He's already proven he doesn't have one. She knew it was a longshot, but it was at least worth a try. She opened the door.

She barely had time to jump back from the zombie that had been on the other side. And the next one, and the next one, and—

Her breath caught in horror as a herd of zombies flooded into the room, all gunning towards the girl with only a knife. All thoughts of fight and survival abandoned her. She continued walking backward into the corner of the room, gripping her knife tightly, staring her own death in the face.


Like usual, Clary has a nack at getting herself into trouble. What did you guys think about Clary not telling Alec about Max's death? And what did you think about Valentine's reveal in what caused the apocalypse?

I don't want to spoil too much about next chapter, but let's just say that there will be a reunion.

Be sure to review and let me know what you think. We're getting closer to the finale now!

-Anika