The Mortal Instruments: City of Tainted Blood (Book 2) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 10: Bloodstream

"And then she said: Sir, hast thou seen the sweven that I have seen?"

--The Golden Legend

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Waking up, Clary told herself that her current reality was a dream.

Her eyes fluttered open, her skin drenched in sweat and her room plunged in darkness around her. She knew, was sure, this was a dream and instead of fighting it, she let it run its course. In the past, fighting against her dreams led her to scream and thrashing which then alerted either Jace or her mother.

Most of her night terrors started like this: her waking up in her room and leaving it to witness whatever terrors that awaited outside her door.

Nothing seemed out of place in her room. Her floors were not drowned with blood and there were no Anspruch demons by her bed, looming over her as they prepared to eat her whole. She particularly hated the dreams involving Anspruch demons which were the demons they had encountered in Ireland when they had saved Isabelle from the feeding room.

Jace had explained to her that Anspruch demons were rare, very lethal but not very intellectually talented demons that preyed on humans to steal their faces as they also happened to be very vain.

Clary shuddered internally as she remembered the insect-like demons with the faces of humans with their eyes blank and unseeing while their mouthes were slack and open.

"Come outside,"

The detached voice she had come to despise appeared in her mind, making the hair on the back of her neck stand. It appeared almost every time in her dreams, taunting her and commanding her to do things that were despicable to think off. She hated that when she heard the voice, she almost had no control of herself.

Almost against her will, she got out of her bed, her feet brushing against the ticklish carpet of her floor.

Her hand latched onto the cool metal of her doorknob and twisted, hearing the door click open. Hesitating for just a second, Clary opened the door and was surprised to find the empty, dingy hallway before her. She had expected a river of blood or the body of those she loved strung up before her by their necks but she certainly did not expect her ordinary hallway.

"Come outside, Clary."

Swallowing, Clary stepped out, goosebumps rising on her bare arms and legs as a cool breeze, like a caressing breath, tickled her flesh.

A gurgling, muted cry made the blood in Clary's veins cease it's flow. She saw a black crown of hair and pale skin dissapearing around a corner, leaving several drops of fat blood on the carpets.

Alec.

Involuntarily, Clary begun running down the hallway, after Alec. She followed the occasional blood splatters and continued running in the direction of the stairs that would lead her to the ground floor. She ignored the elevator as she passed it, her mind intent on the stairs as she followed the trail.

Her footsteps were muted; the only audible sound were of Clary's labored breathing and the occasional soft cry from Alec. Everything around her seemed to be suspended in animation, Clary being the only moving object in her dream.

"Alec?" Clary whispered as she stared at the empty pews of the Institute, scanning for any horror that could possibly await her in the darkness of the church. She found none and debated pinching herself awake but decided against it because all it would do would hurt her. She would not wake up until the dream finished running its course.

There were no further cries or muffled sounds of distress from Alec, leaving Clary disoriented as she comprehended the sudden silence.

"Go to the Sanctuary,"