Deserted Highways

Paved in Blood and Gold

face flash to the forefront of her mind. She almost remembered, she felt whispers of the feelings she'd had for him, but she couldn't remember the staggering need she'd felt for his presence, for him, couldn't remember why. There was nothing stopping her, nothing holding her back anymore.

"Whatever I want?" she repeated and Jordan nodded at her. "And what? I report back to you?"

"I will need to have updates, yes. But other than that, no Kaelie. How you take down these ants, destroy the hill, that's all you. However you want. You have an army of Hunters at your disposal," he said. "Now, would you like to go see your friends?"

Kaelie felt the cruel smile stretch taut across her lips. "Yes. Yes, I think I would like that." Jordan laughed.

"I can feel that rage, Kaelie, boiling off of you, potent. Just about anything would set you off," he said. Stopping again outside a plain door with no windows, no way to see in. He opened it, and Kaelie heard someone, several someones stirring inside. She stepped in, and Jordan didn't join her, just stood in the doorway behind her, watching.

Kaelie didn't move for a moment, she noticed Jace first, pulling himself to sit up. He looked at her, grey eyes wide, confused. Michael groaned in the corner, and she cocked her head at the state of his face, the bruising and swelling nearly concealing his features from being recognizable. Lilith and Sarah turned to face her. "Kaelie?" Sarah asked, her voice soft, almost echoing off the walls in the room.

"Hey Sarah," Kaelie said, sickly sweet. "You guys look just great."

"Kaelie, what- what happened. What did he do to you?" she said, letting go of Michael, and he sat up slowly, leaning against the wall next to Jace. Jace just stared, hadn't opened his mouth to say anything to her yet.

"What did he do to me?" she asked with a chuckle. "You mean after you guys had your asses handed to you and just let him have me?"

"You- Kaelie, you went to him, you told us to leave you there. He said he'd give us Jace, his mom- he lied. We didn't- we didn't want to leave you behind, we had to and then he sent Hunters at us- so many god damn Hunters and we didn't know you were even still here, still alive," she rushed out.

"Yeah, I told you to leave me behind, you weren't supposed to actually do it. You were supposed to fight for me, like I have been fighting for you for years, like I have been sacrificing for you, for years. And instead, you let Jordan have me, you let him take me away. Pathetic, really," Kaelie said, her voice cruel and angry and she stepped further into the room.

"Kaelie, what happened to you? You're not-" Jace started to speak, finally, looking up at her as she came closer, and she crouched down, hooking her fingers under Sarah's chin, digging her nails in, and Sarah gasped. She looked at Jace as she held her.

"What? I'm not me when I'm hungry?" she asked, smiling at her joke, and reaching for Jace's face with her other hand. "You know, Jace, I get it. You're confused. Probably sad, a little angry. Oh, but I'm worse, love. You see, you guys let Jordan have me and he decided to do a little surgery, and now? Now, I'm fucking aces. I don't feel anything. I don't care about anything. All I feel is rage. I want to kill, I want to see all of you bleed, and not even because you let this happen to me, but because I think it sounds like fun."

"Don't you?" she asked, turning back to Sarah, and releasing Jace to slump back against the wall, his mouth slack with shock, and her skin felt too hot. She stood, taking Sarah with her, pulling her up and then slamming her against the wall, holding her there by her jaw.

"Kaelie, don't," Michael started, pulling himself to stand and she barely turned, swatting him away so hard that he flew across the room, landing on the floor with a satisfying thud and not moving again. Sarah gasped loudly, almost a whimper escaping her throat.