A hand clamped over Alec's mouth. Body stiffening in both fear and reflex, Alec's eyes snapped open to see who his attacker was. To his surprise, it was Magnus.
Magnus put a finger to his lips and shook his head. There was something wrong. Alec wanted to ask him what the hell was going on but his mouth was covered and there were noises coming from outside the home.
"Mm?" Alec muffled through Magnus' hand.
"We're surrounded," Magnus responded in a low whisper. "They know we're here."
Alec slapped the hand that was covering his mouth away. "Who?" He whispered. "Who knows we're here?"
"What's going on?" Isabelle had woken up at this point, her voice loud and demanding.
Alec covered her mouth. "Shh. Keep your voice down. There's someone outside."
"Or something," Jace was awake and ready to attack, weapon in his hand. "Clary, take Max and go upstairs. Quietly but quickly."
Clary nodded. "Max....Max sweetie wake up."
Max moaned. "What's going on? Why is everyone awake so late at night?"
"We're moving you upstairs, okay bud? You can sleep in your own bed," Alec smiled. He didn't want to tell the truth to Max in case he worried his little brother. "Clary is going to stay with you while the rest of us stay down here."
Max glanced at Clary, eyes squinted in suspicion. "Fine. But I'm taking my gun with me."
As Clary and Max disappeared upstairs, the adults downstairs slowly picked up their weapons and aimed them at the windows and doors. The shadows that were moving around just outside had stopped, but now they could hear chatter and feet shuffling around.
"It can't be Forsaken. They don't talk," Jace pointed out.
"Another group maybe?" Isabelle shrugged. Her dagger was sharp and shiny from the previous hours before they went to sleep when she sharpened it and cleaned it. She looked deadly.
"That would make sense," Simon whispered, "considering the size of New York and all the places that survivors could squat in."
Alec grunted in frustration. "Just keep your voices down and don't make any noise. We don't want them to find out we're in here."
Magnus snorted. "I'm pretty sure they already know, Alexander. Otherwise they wouldn't have the place surrounded like a pack of wild dogs."
A window was smashed from in the kitchen and a man holding a machete rushed into the room. Jace fired his gun and the bullet struck the man right between the eyes. He collapsed instantly.
"Shit. Everyone head upstairs-" Alec was cut off when Max screamed from the second floor. "Max! I'm coming!"
Chaos ensued as more windows were smashed in and strange people Alec had never seen before in his life climbed in. Alec shot a man as he came at him with a hammer, but quickly made his way to the staircase and took them three at a time.
"Clary! She's up there too!" Jace shouted. He was clubbed in the back of his head by a man with a shaggy beard and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
Alec was torn between going upstairs to help his little brother and Clary and going back down to help defend his home but another scream from Max drew him up the long staircase. He shot someone-a woman-who jumped out at him from a broken window and wrapped a wire around his throat.
He struggled to throw her off of him. The wire, which was one of those cords that people used to plug their phones in with, was wrapped tightly around his throat and he began to choke and struggled to breathe as he saw the edges of his vision start to go black. Wheezing, he fell to his knees and fell into unconsciousness.
----------
"Alec? Alec, are you okay?"
Alec's ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. Every sound was muffled and when he slowly opened his eyes to see where he was and who was talking to him, he discovered that his vision was blurry. Also, his neck hurt. A lot.
"Where...where am I?" He croaked. His voice sounded like he had swallowed sand; it was rough and scratchy which wasn't what he normally sounded like at all.
"I don't know where we are," said the muffled voice. "We had black bags over our heads when they moved us from the house. We're in some sort of basement at the moment."
Alec sat up carefully. His eyes were starting to clear up and he could make out the distinct shape of Magnus sitting beside him. Then he saw Jace. Then Clary. Isabelle and Simon.
"Where's Max?" Alec frantically looked around the dark basement. "Where's my baby brother?!"
Magnus reached out with a hand to calm him. "Relax. He's here. He's laying with his head on Isabelle's lap. See?"
Alec could see, from what little light was shining through the cramped basement, his little brother sound asleep on his sister's lap. He looked okay and unharmed. "Oh thank god. Did they hurt any of you?"
Jace shrugged. "They got me pretty good in the back of the head. Might have a minor concussion. Clary is fine."
"I'm fine too," Isabelle said. "But Simon tripped trying to get away and bumped his head on a doorknob."
"Thanks for making me sound heroic," Simon smiled sarcastically. "I was literally being chased by an ax wielding maniac. You'd run too."
Alec sighed deeply. He was thankful that none of his family were hurt. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
Magnus looked up at him through the darkness. "I'm okay. I'm not hurt or anything. Just angry that some people would do this. Scare others when we all have the same goal."
"Yeah well," Alec stretched his cramped muscles. The basement truly was smaller than he thought it was. "People do what they have to do to survive."
Magnus shrugged. "I guess. But we had a kid with us. They probably scared the shit out of Max-"
"I wasn't scared," whispered Max's little voice. It had a slight tremble to it but his face looked serious as he spoke. "I wasn't scared, Alec."
"It's okay, buddy. I believe you," Alec smiled and rubbed his youngest sibling's shoulder. "So...does anyone have any idea how we're getting out of here?"
No one said anything. Either they genuinely had no idea how they were going to escape or they were too scared to say anything. There was a guard standing at the door upstairs, Alec could see that much. But when he tried to get up he came to discover that they were all chained to the floor.
"What the-" Alec yanked at the chain. "We're chained to the floor!"
"Nice observation. What else are you going to tell us? That we're in the dark?" Magnus' voice was laced with bitter sarcasm. "Yes, we're chained to the floor. They did it right when we were forced down here."
"And where is here exactly?" Alec pat the walls. They felt wet and cold to the touch.
"Basement," Jace grumbled. "No bigger than 5x6, I'd say. So be careful when standing up, Sasquatch."
Alec shot him a look but it was ineffective due to the darkness they were in.
"That's more of a cell. Not a basement," Isabelle whispered as Max whimpered softly. She stroked his hair to calm him down.
Alec barely had enough room to stretch his legs out. If he tried to stand up, he knew he would crack his head off the ceiling. He was too tall for this cell of a basement. "Okay. Okay. Let's collect our thoughts and try to figure out a way to-"
"You won't be getting out any time soon," came a voice from upstairs. The group all looked up when the door at the top of the stairs opened and a light shone down at them, causing them to squint in the sudden brightness. "At least not while I can help it."
"Who are you?! What do you want from us?!" Alec croaked.
"It's not about what I want. It's about what my boss wants," said the voice. "Go down and unchain them but cuff their hands. We don't want a Jem Carstairs situation again."
Someone stomped down the stairs and began cuffing their hands behind their back one by one before unchaining their ankles. Alec was the last to get cuffed. He was about to muster up his strength and attack but a look from Magnus made him think twice. So he allowed his arms to be pinned behind his back and linked together with a pair of handcuffs.
"All done? Excellent. Now one by one, come up the stairs and line up against the wall here. I'll show you around a little bit," the voice, undeniably the voice of a man, demanded. "Quickly. I don't have all day."
The group all shuffled upstairs as quickly as they could, which wasn't very fast considering they were chained up in a cramped room for hours, but eventually made it to the brightly lit hallway at the top of the stairs. They lined up like they were told as the man spoke to them again.
"You'll follow me in a single file. Your eyes will remain up front at all times. If anyone tries anything, you will get shot. Do I make myself clear?" The man asked.
Alec eyed his captor carefully. He was average height, maybe about 5'10 or so, with dark hair and brown eyes. He didn't look too friendly and a name tag on his jacket said "Raphael".
"No questions? Good. Follow me. The boss will see you now," Raphael nudged Alec forward with his gun. "Come on now, Pretty Boy. Don't be shy. We only hurt people if they deserve it."
"And do you deserve it?" Magnus, at the back of the line, spoke up. Alec heard a grunt as a blow landed on Magnus and forced himself not to look back to make sure he was okay.
"Nobody ever listens to me when I talk," Raphael sighed. "Hopefully your friend learned his lesson back there. Pangborn likes smacking people around. Even if they don't deserve it."
Alec bit his lip. He wasn't going to say anything. As much as he wanted to, he had to bite down so hard on his lip that he tasted blood forming on the inside his mouth.
They were led outside where a light misty rain was falling. Alec wasn't sure where they were exactly but there were houses lined up on either side of them, lit with torches and armed with guards. Because he couldn't turn around to look, he made a mental note when they first emerged from the cell that the end of the road was blocked off by a wall made of....well, he wasn't sure what it was made of. It looked like scraps of large metal welded together. Sloppily made but it looked sturdy enough to keep out Forsaken.
"Where are we?" Alec asked Raphael. He immediately winced. He forgot he wasn't supposed to speak.
"That's not my question to answer," Raphael replied. "Boss will answer any questions you have. He usually gives you three. Extra questions require sacrifice. Fingers usually work-"
"What the fuck?!" Jace yelled from the lineup. Alec heard another grunt as Jace stumbled forward. "You people are sick fucks!"
"Jace, that's enough!" Alec called back to his brother as he heard a cry of pain. "Please. Just keep quiet."
Raphael chuckled. "I take it you're the leader?" When Alec didn't reply, he smiled broadly. "A rule follower. I like that. Boss will too and judging from the look of things so far, I think you'll fit right in, big guy. Not much further now."
They walked a little further up the road until they reached a tall brick building only lit by a few torches. Inside, however, had working electricity. The guards at the front nodded as Raphael waved at them to open the door and they did.
The inside was incredible. The Lightwood mansion was put to shame by the architecture and the decorative objects lining the walls, a deer head being one of the many trophies being displayed.
"Jesus," Simon whispered. Alec could feel him breathing down the back of his neck as he spoke. "This place is amazing!"
"The boss likes his trophies," Raphael said. "If you like that then you'll love his trophy room." He nodded his nodded in the direction of a large white door. "This way."
They stepped through the doors and immediately they were hit with a pungent odour of something dead and decaying. The room was dark, so it was hard for Alec to tell what that smell was exactly. He coughed and gagged. The rest of the group did the same.
"Boss! I brought them here like you asked me to," Raphael called out to the darkness.
"Excellent" echoed a deep voice. "Let's turn on some lights, shall we?"
Alec blinked and squinted as the lights overhead came on....and he gasped in shock at the sight around him.
Severed heads. Hundreds of severed heads lined the walls around them and much like the deer head in the previous room, they were displayed on the walls like trophies. Some were of Forsaken while others were human heads, unturned.
Behind him, Alec heard Clary vomit and Max burst into tears. Jace was swearing and Isabelle joined him, but he couldn't hear Magnus. He hadn't said a single word since they left the cell just minutes ago and he still hasn't said anything, even when the room around them was revealed. Alec found this oddly suspicious.
A man appeared at the front of the room. Somewhat stocky build, bald head and piercing eyes, he smiled and outstretched his arms as if in welcome.
"Newcomers! It's been a while since we brought anyone to this lovely town. Please forgive my men's behaviour. They can get a bit rowdy sometimes."
Alec stared up at him, unsure if he should speak or not. "Where are we?"
The man laughed. "Where are you? You, my boy, are in the greatest little survivor outpost in the USA. It might not look like much from the outside but on the inside-" He scoffed and laughed. "Anyway. Welcome. Welcome to the City of Bones."