WHERE WE COME ALIVE | SHADOWHUNTERS FF

SIXTEEN

She didn't understand his hostility towards the other. A bit oblivious of the fact.

"Come on," Lyra grabbed his hand with hers and began tugging him along, "Let's complete our assignment and then we can be all broody," She teased him.

And he didn't mind it, instead fighting back a small smile as he let her drag him towards to Port Storage.

When they came upon the field of crate containers, they could already smell the demon's foul stench. It was like rotten eggs and hot garbage, something mixed between the two. The further they walked in, they began to see the puddles of slimy goo trailing every which way through the paths and even up the sides of the containers.

Jace and Lyra stopped at one such puddle which head the carcass of a large city rat. Their faces contorted in disgust.

She covered her nose while pulling out her seraph blade that gave off a faint glow from her touch. She held it up to keep guard while the other bent down to survey the mess.

His seraph blade in hand, Jace lifted the half-eaten carcass and watched as the slime fell from its body. His own nose scrunching. "Definitely a Raum Demon," He quickly deduced, "Raveners don't excrete whatever this rat is covered in, or even go after rats to begin with." He dropped the carcass, but his eyes followed the single pathway of goo that led away from the puddle.

Lyra coughed and waved away a fly that flew past her. She opened her mouth to speak, but as she looked to her right, she saw a slimy tentacle disappear behind one of the crates. "Jace," She immediately called to him in a low whisper.

When he turned to her and she nudged her head toward the direction, they both got on guard with their seraph blades raised up in alert. The distinct sound of one of the crate doors creaking open was loud enough for them to hear and immediately begin advancing forward.

They were slow and careful, neither of them wanting to alert the demon. Not when they could have the element of surprise at their advantage.

As they neared the crate, Jace stopped them. He silently pointed to her then pointed up to the crate, which she quickly understood.

Jace stood near it with his hands clasped together. He nodded to her encouragingly.

Lyra took a step back, readying herself, before she ran forward. She leaped up with her foot in Jace's hands, before he threw her up with all of his strength. Thus, she was able to land on the top of the large crate with a soft thud.

Then, everything went eerily quiet.

She stopped breathing for a moment, keeping her eyes peeled around her. Before she glanced down to see Jace already rounding near the open door of the crate where the slime trail lead inside.

Jace had a habit of just going for the hunt, she already knew that much.

That didn't stop her worry, though, watching him near the crate door.

She hurried near the edge, and lowered herself. Her eyes just slightly wide. "Be careful," She whispered under her breath. And her heart skipped a beat when he shot her a small smirk, as he had heard her, before he began walking into the crate's darkness and out of her sight.

It was the longest few seconds of her entire life.

Lyra waited, growing more worried. She jumped out of her skin when a screeching that echoed for miles bounced out of the walls of the crate, and in the next moment, Jace flew out and his back hit the metal crate across from her.

From the force, his body dented the metal and he fell to the ground hard. As if nothing had happened though, he rolled himself up quickly with a hardened expression.