Left For Dead [malec fanfiction] [complete]

Three: Behind

"What is this stuff?"

Max pretty much echoed what everyone was thinking, the only difference being that he said it out loud. The goop that was slapped down into their plates looked a little too much like oatmeal that had already been chewed. It was wet and mushy and the smell alone made Alec almost lose the contents of his stomach, which was pretty much empty.

"Can we eat it?" Max poked it with his spoon. A bubble burst open from the goop, making him jump. "Ewww. Gross!"

"It's not that bad. Watch." Isabelle scooped some up on her spoon and put it in her mouth. Once the taste finally registered, Alec couldn't help but smirk as her face screwed in disgust. She swallowed quickly. "See? Yummy. Now you try."

Jace already had his gone when Alec looked over. He was licking the plate like a cat. "I didn't see anything wrong with it. It was amazing. Eat up, Mighty Max. It's good."

Max looked down at his plate and tried a bit. He cringed. "I guess it's not that bad...."

The city hall doors flew open and their resident town council, entitled the Clave, stormed in. They were always the last to eat (Alec thought it was because they wanted the citizens to get their share first to make themselves look good).

"I told Inquisitor Herondale about the wall. She told me to write a report and hand it in by tomorrow. I told her to suck my dick," Simon whispered into Alec's ear. "Actually, I didn't really tell her to suck my dick. That part I said in my mind."

"Good for you. When did they start wanting reports written? We always made verbal reports...." Alec shoved a mouthful of the oatmeal/vomit/dog food into his mouth. Jace was right. It wasn't actually that bad.

"I don't know. I'm just a newbie scavenger. That's just what I was told to do. I'm a follower, not a leader," Simon pointed out. "So what are we looking for tomorrow? Anything in particular?"

"You're going on a run tomorrow?" Clary Fray, a fiery redhead that Jace was dating, leaned over the table and hissed. "It's not your group's turn tomorrow to go."

"Do you see anyone else eager to make a trip outside the gates, Fray? I sure as hell don't," Alec hissed back at her. "Simon and I are going. Whether the Clave likes it or not."

Isabelle cleared her throat. "You left me out. I'm going too. God knows I can't spend another minute inside these walls. I need to shoot something. Or stab it right in the eyeball-" She paused when she noticed Max staring at her in shock, his spoon halfway up towards his mouth. "I mean the Forsaken. Stab the zombies."

Max slowly looked away but didn't say anything. He just continued to eat his dinner in silence.

Simon took this opportunity to speak again. "You didn't answer my question about what we're getting tomorrow on the run."

Alec sighed. "Simon. I don't answer a lot of your questions. Mainly because your voice annoys me. But if I were to answer your question, I would say the usual. Things we need. Medicine. Food. Bottles of water. Anything the town needs and is running low on."

Simon scratched his head. "So I'm confused. Did you or did you not just answer my question-ow!" Isabelle had kicked him in the knee under the table. "Right. Okay. Sorry. The usual. I heard ya."

Before anyone could say anything else, Inquisitor Imogen Herondale stood up and raised a hand to silence the crowded room. Everyone went dead silent in a matter of seconds. It was scary, how much power she had.

"I would like to take a quick moment to thank the group that went outside the gates today to gather supplies. You took a great risk today. It will not be forgotten." She looked directly at Alec as she spoke. "As a reward, you will be granted running water tonight if you're not already scheduled in for it today. Please enjoy this luxury."