The Devil's Gift/The Bloody Handed

4

"Okay, so we need to get someone to stick this outside." It was a sharp metal pole. Dustin looks around then at the pole and hands it to Eddie immediately. "We need to impale the demobat by the wings. We need to drag it in here, and make sure it cannot fly. The last thing we need is someone hurt or even worse, dead."

"No wings, no problemo." Robin says.

"Yes, but here's the tricky thing." He makes a circle with his finger. "The rest will come running once the hear their little friend suffering. So that means as soon as we grab it we need everyone on barricade duty until they get bored." I take a deep breath and stand at the center of the room. Eddie walks up to the window and looks bad at all of us, waiting for the go.

I nod my head. Eddie slides the dresser over just enough to stick the pole through. Nancy and Steve are on the other end waiting to shove it back and hold it.

"Hey fuckers!" Eddie yells. The screams of the creatures blare the area already. "Yeah, come here you ass fucks! Fresh meat!" He sticks the pole in and out, his tongue out in concentration. They start to bang on the window.

"Hurry!" Robin and Steve yell in unison.

"I'm. Trying!" He struggles.

A screech sounds and Eddie makes a satisfied sound. The screeching becomes death screams as Eddie grabs its wing and squeezes it through the window. Steve and Robin shove the dresser back and brace their backs against it. I come by him and step on a wing while he takes the other.

I look up at him and put up my fingers. 3.. 2.. 1- we rip off the wings at the same time, hot and fresh demobat blood splattering me and Eddie. I close my eyes and purse my lips, breathing. The bat starts to squirm but then eventually gives up. It still makes subtle movement. The pounding on the window becomes minimal and eventually they give out once again.

"Now what?" I look to Dustin.

"Do what you think is right. Go with your gut." I nod and take one last glance at the creature before close my eyes. A flash forms in my head of the vision I had in my nightmare. It was exactly this moment. It all lined up chronologically.

"I just saw a flash- a flashback from my nightmare. Of this exact moment." I raise an eyebrow with my eyes still closed. "Anything?" I ask hopefully.

"No, nothing yet." Steve says.

"You got this, just focus Clary." Robin encourages.

I close my eyes tighter but I don't see anything. I can't do anything. I try to focus on the demon at hand but it seems to have more control than I do at the moment. The front of my head pounds with pressure. It felt as if the room wanted to close in on me.

I strain to much and breathe out, opening my eyes and shrug. There was no way we went through all of that hassle for me to not be able to do anything. There has to be a way, but without the proper answers I was as lost as a newborn puppy in the streets. I look at the ground.

"Think." Eddie says. "You need to think." I look up at him and give him a puzzled look. Circles his hands in front of him. "Think of someone, or something that inspires you. Something that might.. make you angry, or sad, or happy."

"You have a really good point." I say. I can do that.. I think. When I'm forced to think on the spot it just gets harder to evoke emotion. But I had to try.

I close my eyes and breathe deeply and meditate on Eddie's words. Happy, mad, sad. Happy, mad, sad. Happy, mad, sad. Come on, Clary.

"Don't ever give up, Clary."

"You're pathetic just like your dear Mommy."

"I love you, Mom."

"Please don't leave me just yet."

All of a sudden, I felt an immense feeling of happiness. I decide to embrace it and let what came to my mind.

"Can I call you Sparky?"

"See? You're not so bad!" The first night we found Eddie and he was trying to teach me guitar even though I barely did anything.

"Look. That bow? It doesn't even look like one. That could be your guitar. I think I'm going to rename it.. The Munson" when he showed me the Orion constellation and told me about it.

"Hell yeah! Hawkins most too wanted baby!" I laugh on the boat.

"Optimist always beats the pessimist." A famous saying that Eddie said that stuck with me.

"How about once we are out of this shit hole we play some good ol' Tears for Fears?" The night he stayed back and saved my ass.

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World?" Yeah, he seemed to know exactly what I was talking about.

"I grabbed it right before I fired the gun. Figured you needed it and that it meant something. I always noticed you tracing the engravings in it." When he gave me my pocket knife I had thought I lost forever. I was so grateful for him in that moment.

"Clary! You're doing it!"

In my mind I keep getting flashes of Eddie and I laughing together. I get flashes of him helping me, looks of worry and sorrow in his facial expressions. I get a flood of visions- looks of him being annoyed and embarrassed. Flustered. I get flashes his goofiness. I could re feel the first time his hand brushed mine the first time he rested it on mine. The first hug I gave him. How he smelled. How we was unsure of what to do.

I could feel myself smiling. And for some odd reason, I could feel myself internalize anger at the possibility that he could get hurt. Or any of my friends at that.

I open my eyes and see the demobat that was once alive on the ground still, but motionless and in pieces. It was ripped in half, black blood spattered all over the wall.. and Nancy.. and Steve.. and Dustin. As well as Eddie. I smile as they all look at me in approval.

"I knew you could do it." Robin says.

"My idea!" Dustin says with his hands up.

"Technically, me." Eddie says. "You had the idea though, kid." Eddie looks to me and then to the bag letting out a puff of air. "Please do not do that to me when I- or any of us- piss you off." He points to the bat and we all share a laugh. "What did you have to think of to do that much damage?"

I shrug. "My parents. Missing them. This shit. Stuff like that." He nods and smiles with his hands on his hips. There was no way in hell I would ever let him know I automatically thought of him.

"Well, it worked." Dustin starts.

"Walkie Nancy and let her know we are coming back up in the morning." Steve suggests. Dustin nods and heads to the kitchen area. I look at my messy work and purse my lips.

Who knew I could purge and tear apart demonic things? Not me. Who knew what else I could do with... this. I look at my hands and turn them over. And surely not my parents. I just wanted to know where all of this came from.

And I knew I needed answers, but those could come later.