herondale | shadowhunters

6

I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of screaming.

It's just your imagination.

The constant, repetitive sound fills my ears and is inescapable. I sit up abruptly, covering my ears and trying to overcome it. I want to shout out and tell the voices to leave me alone, but I don't.

My breathing quickens as I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping the same visions I'd been seeing for the past week would disappear. But they're still there.

"Go to sleep, Madeleine." My grandfather sits at the end of my bed, smiling at me softly.

"Grandad?" I hold back tears.

"Get some rest, you need it." He says, but something about the way he looks... isn't right.

"Is that really you...? Are you... really there?" I feel a tear stream down my face and wipe it away quickly.

"Everything is going to be ok, don't-"

A shrill scream escapes my mouth as suddenly a horrific creature seems to escape from the inside of my grandad's body.

A ton of onyx black eyes sit at the top of its skull, staring at me, knowing I'm doomed. It's slimy, long black body and long legs and claws rush towards me as I try to escape out of my bedroom door and slam it on it.

"Mum!" I push the door against the creature as hard as I can. "Mum!" I scream, why isn't she waking up?

One of it's many long, thin, tentacle like legs escapes through the doorframe and I debate running out of the house or fighting against the massive creature.

I feel it getting closer and closer, making dents in my bedroom door. The moment I see one of its deadly sharp teeth poking through the wood, I run.

I run down the stairs and into the kitchen diner, quickly heaving a breakfast stool and and throwing it at the creature. This stops it for a second, but then it carries on charging towards me almost instantly.

Next thing I hear shouting coming from outside the back door, though this time I am almost positive that it is for real. I pull the door open and slam it behind me.

I only catch a glimpse of the tall boy and girl in the darkness frantically trying to get past me.

The creature breaks through the glass door and the boy effortlessly shoves an unusual looking blade into the creature's body. It shatters into tiny pieces. I stand there in disbelief.

"Stupid Ravener," the boy mutters.

"It's still pulsing," the glamorous looking girl tells the boy, holding the ruby necklace around her neck. "There's still demonic activity somewhere nearby."

I am still panting as I look directly at the two people stood in front of me. The first thing that strikes me about them both are the black symbols on their skin, their clothing, which is also entirely black and the weapons which they posses.

The girl has long black hair down to her waist and a fierce looking face. She gives me a sympathetic smile.

"I'm Isabelle." She says, with an American accent... "This is my brother Alec."

The boy looks entirely underwhelmed. He similarly to his sister has strong facial features, slender eyebrows, jet black hair and a defined jawline.

In any other situation, I would be embarrassed to be stood outside in front of two strangers wearing my pyjamas in the middle of the night. But I'm so in shock I forget my appearance.