Max was standing just a few feet away from him. If Alec just reached out an arm, his brother could grab onto his hand and Alec could pull him from the mass of Forsaken that were quickly approaching.
"Max! Grab my hand!" Alec yelled.
Max reached for Alec's hand but could barely touch his brother's fingers. "Alec! Save me!"
"I'm trying, buddy! Just reach and grab my hand!"
Max reached further and managed to grab the tips of Alec's fingers. This was enough for Alec. He pulled and Max flew forward just in time as a Forsaken made a grab for him.
"Run, okay? Try to keep up," Alec breathed. He took Max's hand and began to run. The apartment was just off in the distance. If they could run a little faster-
"Alec," Max's small voice said.
"Not now, Max! We have to run!" Alec yelled without glancing back at his brother.
"Alec!"
Alec stopped to see what was wrong. Max had stopped in the middle of the road, head down with what looked like blood dripping off his face and hands. "Max? What's wrong?"
"You...." Max gurgled. "You promised you'd protect me."
Horrified, Alec watched as his baby brother lifted his head and stumbled backwards onto the concrete. Max's face was half torn off, revealing solid bone and muscle tissue underneath. He was missing an eyeball as well as an ear.
"Max," Alec whimpered. "I'm so sorry-"
"YOU MADE A PROMISE!" Forsaken Max yelled as he dove forward and bit down on Alec's neck-
"Alec! Wake up!"
Alec woke up. He was back inside Magnus' apartment, breathing heavily and still laying on the mattress which was drenched in his own sweat. Magnus hovered above him with a look of obvious worry on his face.
"Are you....okay?" Magnus asked.
Alec wiped a hand over his damp face. "Was I dreaming?"
"You were doing more than dreaming. You were moaning and talking in your sleep. Then you started screaming."
Alec sat up with a sigh. "What was I making a racket about?"
Magnus looked away. "It wasn't important. You're awake now and that's all that matters. Breakfast is ready when you're feeling up to it. Take your time."
Alec forced a smile as Magnus stepped out of the room. It took a few deep breaths before Alec found the energy to get up and put his clothes on. The gauze on his shoulder was covered in fresh blood so he changed it himself. It was sloppily done but it was better than nothing.
The group were all gathered around the kitchen table when he stepped out. They looked up, offered small smiles, and went immediately back to eating their crappy breakfast consisting of canned beans and what looked like eggs. Where the eggs came from, Alec didn't dare ask. Eggs were eggs at the end of the day.
"Morning," he rasped. His voice was still thick with sleep. "Did I miss anything last night?"
The group looked at each other but didn't speak. It wasn't until Jace heaved a sigh did he say something.
"You didn't miss much. Crying mostly. Isabelle gave me a black eye. But other than that, things were hunky dory."
Alec finally noticed the bruise around Jace's eye. "Izzy? Why did you punch him?"
Isabelle scowled into her bowl of beans. "Why don't you tell him, Jace? Seeing how you're the one with the fat mouth around here."
Alec looked to Jace. "Tell me what? What did you say?"
Jace's mouth moved mechanically but no words came out. Isabelle became fed up with it and answered for him.
"We got into an argument last night. Things got heated and he...he said that it should've been you that died yesterday. Not Max."
Alec clenched his jaw. "I see."
"That's when I punched him. It just came over me. I couldn't control myself. But am I sorry?" Isabelle shook her head. "Not one fucking bit. Piece of shit deserved it."
"I'm sitting right here!" Jace snapped. "Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room!"
The two siblings began to argue when Alec slammed a fist on the table. Their bowls and utensils shook with the action and they instantly fell quiet.
"Stop. Please. Just...." Alec breathed shakily. "I need to get some air."
He rose from the table and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch before storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. The hallway was quiet. But he needed to go outside and clear his head. The building just felt too crowded at the moment.
It was a clear morning. Apart from a few clouds in the sky, the sun was shining and birds flew by overhead. The wind blew through what was left of the leaves in the trees, their soft rustling reminding Alec of when he'd run home from school to go pumpkin carving with his father on the front lawn during the first week of October. Though this memory was from a long time ago, it was still fresh in Alec's mind like it only happened yesterday.
"Alexander," Magnus appeared behind him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I said I was getting some air, didn't I? So here I am. Outside. Getting some air," Alec retorted. "Why are you here? Did the others send you to check up on me or something?"
Magnus shook his head. "No. I just thought I'd come check on you myself. Make sure you weren't up to something stupid."
A crow squawked overhead, causing them both to flicker their gaze upwards. It landed on the telephone pole beside them and preened itself.
"It's not stupid," Alec finally replied.
Magnus cast him a confused glance. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Alec kicked a rock on the ground with his shoe. "What I'm up to. It's not stupid. It's....personal. But definitely not stupid."
Magnus nodded. "Okay. Then let me help you. And don't argue with me, Alexander. You're not in any condition to be out here doing anything strenuous."
A small laugh escaped Alec. "You don't even know what it is I'm doing."
There was a small but sad smile on Magnus' face when Alec looked at him. It was a sympathetic smile.
"I think I have a general idea," he said quietly. "Come on. We're wasting time just standing around doing nothing."
With their knives out, both men stealthily made their way back towards where Valentine was shot on the wall. There weren't as many Forsaken around like before, but there were still a nice few; enough to make them cautious and wary of the outcome if things went bad.
"Do you see him?" Magnus whispered.
Alec scanned the zombies. "No. He probably wandered off somewhere but let's get rid of them anyway. Just to be on the safe side."
"Fair enough. I'll cover the other side. You got this one?"
"Yup. I'm ready when you are."
Magnus nodded as he crept to the other side of the street. Once he was on the other side, he whistled at the Forsaken near him. This immediately got their attention and their growls grew louder as soon as they saw him.
Alec did the same for his side. He whistled to get their attention and once they noticed him, he gripped his knife and stabbed each one quickly in the skull as they drew near. By the time he was finished on his side, he was covered in blood.
Magnus stabbed the last one on his side from under the jaw. As he let it fall to the ground, he sang out, "How about now? Do you see him?"
Once again, Alec scanned the area. Just by the corner of the wall where it looked like one of Valentine's men had fallen during their shootout, was him. Alec's legs almost gave out at the sight of him clawing and chewing at the flesh of the soldier, blood dripping from his teeth and mouth.
"Oh god." Alec felt his knees finally give out and he would've cracked them on the cement if Magnus hadn't caught him by the arm in time. "Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck...."
"Shhh. It's okay. At least we found him, right?" Magnus whispered in Alec's ear. "How did you want to approach this?"
Alec swallowed back a sob. "I have to-I have to be the one to do it. It only feels right if it comes from me."
"Of course," Magnus nodded. "Let me know if you need any help. I'll just be over here."
Max lift his head as Alec approached, snarling as flesh dripped from his mouth. The sound it made as it hit the ground almost made Alec vomit; it was a sickly slop that sounded just like raw meat hitting a hard surface. It wasn't a sound that a 9 year should make....alive or not.
"Hey buddy. It's me. Your big brother," Alec forced out through a lump forming in his throat. He swallowed before speaking again. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. This wasn't what I wanted for you. Not by a long shot."
Max growled and stood to his feet. When the sunlight hit his face, Alec could see that the flesh around his left eye and ear were completely missing just as it had been in his nightmare. All that showed now was flesh and a bit of bone underneath. His eye was also missing from its socket.
"Oh Max," Alec groaned. "I'm so fucking sorry. You needed me to save you and I failed. The one promise I made to mom and dad....and I couldn't even do that."
Alec held his little brother's shoulders to keep him from getting any closer. As he held Max in place, the child kept trying to sink his teeth into Alec's flesh, snarling and clawing with decaying fingernails.
"I love you. You know that, right? Even though you were an annoying shit sometimes, I loved you to the moon and back. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for you, Mad Max."
Max weakly flailed in his arms in an attempt to grab Alec, but slipped on the flesh he'd been chewing on minutes ago. When he hit the ground, Alec sunk to his knees and hugged him from behind.
"I'm also sorry for what I'm about to do. But this is going to put you out of your misery, okay buddy? It won't hurt one bit-" Alec winced as Max snarled and struggled in his arms. "I love you, Max. I'm so sorry."
It was like slicing butter with a hot knife. The way the knife slid so easily into Max's skull was the final straw for Alec as his small breakfast came up his throat and out his mouth. He turned his head, spewing up the contents beside him on the pavement. So much for trying to eat breakfast to get his strength back.
Magnus suddenly appeared by his side. He said nothing at first, only speaking when Alec finished wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"You okay?" He asked, voice low and subdued.
"I'm fine," Alec answered but didn't look up at Magnus as he spoke. "Help me get him off the ground. I'm too weak to lift him on my own."
Magnus lifted a finger. "I know just the thing that can help us out here."
He disappeared for a moment and returned with a shopping cart. It made a loud clattering noise as it hit the bumps and rubble in the road but it seemed to withstand it, as rusty and old as it was. Alec thought he saw "Walmart" written on the handlebars.
"A shopping cart?" He rasped. "Are you being serious right now?"
"Well I don't see you putting any suggestions into the suggestion box. This is the best I could come up with, all things considered. A car is too loud. It'll only draw attention to us. Plus it's not too heavy to push so it's less energy we use up."
Alec sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not putting my dead brother in a shopping cart, Magnus. He's not some toy I got at a store-"
"I never said he was. I know it's not exactly a hearse, Alexander, but it's the best fucking idea I can come with at the moment. So either you can put him in the cart or carry him. Which is it going to be?"
The two men glared at each other before Alec finally made a move to get to his feet.
"Fine. I'll put him in the cart. But I won't like it," Alec snapped at him.
"I don't expect you to. But I don't hear any complaints from our client here," Magnus pointed down at Max, who was now placed awkwardly inside the cart. "Sorry. That sounded a bit harsh-"
"Fuck off," Alec grumbled. "I want to head back and bury him behind the building. There's a nice little garden back there that I think he'd like."
They walked back to the apartment in silence. The only time they made a sound was when they heard growling in the distance and they gasped in surprise, freezing in place at the noise. Other than that, the return trip back to the apartment building was as awkward as the body they had placed in the cart.
The remainder of the group were outside when Alec pulled up with the cart. Jace reacted first, waving his arms in anger as he yelled.
"You put him in a shopping cart?! Is this some sort of sick joke?!" He yelled. He turned to face Magnus. "Was this your idea?!"
Alec put a hand on his brother's chest. "Lower your voice. There's Forsaken around and they're close. And no, it wasn't Magnus' idea. It was mine."
Magnus' jaw dropped but he immediately closed it as Alec continued to speak.
"We didn't have anything else to use. Cars are too noisy. I'm too weak to carry him on my own. So we did what we could, Jace. So shut the fuck up and get out of my face. I'm burying our brother."
Alec took a few steps forward but froze when Isabelle moved to stand in front of him.
"No," she said. "We are burying our brother."
A look of understanding passed over Alec's face. He nodded. "Okay. But I'll need help digging a hole and wrapping him up in something."
"Clary and I can go inside and find something nice to wrap him in," said Simon. "Is there anything you guys would prefer to see him buried in?"
The Lightwoods never said a word. They hadn't expected their youngest sibling to pass so soon and the thought of having to bury him so young completely clouded their ability to think straight.
"White," Magnus finally spoke up. "Some cultures bury their dead in white cloth. Though my bedsheets aren't exactly ceremonial, I think they'd be okay for this occasion. If that's okay with the family of the deceased, that is."
Isabelle nodded. "It's fine. As long as he's wrapped nicely."
Simon placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I used to work at a laundromat way back when. I've been gifted by the laundry gods the power of folding."
This made Isabelle laugh through the tears as Simon disappeared with Clary back inside to find some white bedsheets. "He's annoyingly cute, isn't he?"
"Annoying, yes. Cute? I don't see what you see," Jace grumbled under his breath. The temperature had dropped since they'd been standing around outside and they could see their breath as they breathed out. "So was he easy to find when you went back?"
"Not at first. We had to get rid of a few Forsaken before we could finally pinpoint him." Alec shivered against the cold, causing his shoulder to throb. "Once we found him, the rest was easy. Just like any other zombie."
"Except he wasn't."
Alec and Jace looked at their sister as she said that. Her arms were pressed against her chest and her teeth were chattering from the cold.
They didn't disagree with her.
Clary and Simon reappeared with some white sheets in their hands. Simon even had a shovel to dig a hole with.
"We found this in Max's bag. We thought he might like to have them for when we....you know."
Clary handed Alec a bunch of comic books, all of which had seen better days. They were mostly Superman comics that Alec had found on his scavenges back in Alicante.
"He loved Superman," Alec chuckled. "He was always calling me that because I'd always come back from scavenges without a scratch. I guess he thought I was bulletproof or something."
Jace put a hand on Alec's shoulder. "He thought the absolute world of you, dude. Trust me. Whenever I'd be helping him with his homework he'd always talk about you like you were God himself. The kid really loved you."
"Alec did raise him, Jace. We all did. But Alec did more than any of us ever could. I mean...." Isabelle coughed. "He had the guts to go and find him and bring him back. We didn't."
The group fell quiet. It was only when a gust of cold wind picked up did Magnus take the shovel from Simon's hands.
"Let's do this before we'll need to dig a grave for all of us. It's too damn cold to be standing around like this."
Simon kept his word and wrapped Max's little body up so elegantly that it looked like it was done by a professional. By the time he was finished with that, Magnus and Jace had a hole dug up just large enough to fit the body down inside it.
"Should we say a few words? You know. Like they do at real funerals?" Clary asked.
"I don't want to hear any of that bible bullshit here," Jace groaned.
"Clary's right. We need to pay our respects." Alec got to his feet and sighed heavily through the pain in his shoulder. "It doesn't have to be from the bible word for word. It can be just random stuff off the top of our heads."
Jace shrugged. "Okay. I can do that."
After Max's body was placed in the grave, no one was sure who was supposed to go first. They glanced at each other for several minutes in hopes that someone would speak up.
"Maybe the youngest should go first?" Magnus suggested.
Clary snorted. "Age before beauty."
This made Magnus snap. "I knew I should've dug a second hole-"
"Hey!" Alec yelled over the noise. "Are you seriously arguing at a funeral?! Especially a kid's?"
The group instantly fell silent.
"I'll say something if no one else will," Alec spoke again. "Unless one of you do have something to say after all?" When no one said a word, Alec cleared his throat and began.
"Max was a good kid. Even before this all happened, he was a good kid. He loved to run around and play in the backyard. He always made us laugh when we were feeling down. He was the best brother anyone could ever ask for."
Isabelle sniffled and wiped the tears that were running down her face. Jace remained stoic, face emotionless as Alec continued to give his speech.
"After our parents died, Max changed. We all did in a way, but Max more so than the rest of us. He grew up really fast and I regret not slowing down and teaching him how to be a kid and not a....warrior."
Alec cleared his throat, unable to keep going. When he felt fingers loop through his, he looked down expecting Isabelle's hand to be wrapped around his. But it wasn't Isabelle.
It was Magnus.
Magnus squeezed Alec's hand in reassurance. When Alec glanced up at him, he smiled softly and nodded for him to continue.
"We'll miss you, little man," Alec whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. But you're in a better place now. Probably with all the comics in the world surrounding you."
The group chuckled at this. Max did love his comic books.
"So....goodbye, buddy. We love you." Alec picked up a handful of dirt and sprinkled it over Max's body. The rest of the group followed suit and did the same to pay their respects. Then they buried the body with the shovels.
After the small funeral, they headed back up to the apartment to pack their things. Seeing how there was a good chance that Valentine's men were still out there, they needed to move on. It was also getting too cold to stay in a place where there was no way to warm themselves up.
Alec was in the bedroom changing his bandage when Jace knocked on the door.
"Hey. Can we talk?" He asked.
Alec nodded. "Sure. Come on in. Just shut the door behind you."
Jace entered the room. He looked uneasy and nervous. "Look. I was a real asshole to you outside when you didn't deserve it."
"You were mad," Alec nodded. "It's understandable. You saw me pushing our dead brother in a shopping cart. I'd be pretty pissed too if I saw you do the same."
Jace forced a laugh. "Alec. Seriously. I'm sorry for the way I reacted. What you did for Max....by going out there and bringing him back to be properly buried....Izzy and I would've never done that. And he's our brother too."
Alec raised a hand to cut him off. "Jace. It's fine. I'm not mad at you. Or anyone else for that matter. I treated you like shit too. So it cancels out what you did."
The brothers walked towards each other and embraced in a burly hug. At one point during the hug, Alec swore he heard Jace let out a sob but didn't say anything as he kept cradling his younger brother in his arms.
When they finally pulled apart, Jace wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "So....what happens next? Where do we go from here?"
Alec sighed. "I literally have no idea. Wish I had a plan of some sort but I don't. Here I am supposed to be a leader." He snorted in ridicule. "Some leader I am, huh?"
Jace placed a hand on Alec's good shoulder. "Wherever you go, we'll follow. As long as we're all together."
He left Alec to finish packing up. It felt strange, having the group still looking up to him considering everything they went through. Alec almost expected them to disband and go their separate ways but that wasn't the case. Even after Max's death, they still turned to him for guidance and protection.
"You almost ready in there?" Isabelle called out from the kitchen. "We're not in a hurry or anything. Just wondering."
"Just finishing up now," Alec called back. He slung the backpack over his good shoulder before stepping out of the bedroom. He took one look back at the room; at the bloodstained mattress, the white walls and musty old pillow. Another memory of the past. Just another nightmare to put behind him.
Magnus reached for the strap of the backpack over Alec's shoulder. "Let me carry that for you. You're still wounded and weak."
"Wounded, yes. Weak...." Alec sighed as he saw the look on Magnus' face. "Fine. You'll probably bother me until I say yes anyway."
"Excellent choice," Magnus smirked. He took the bag from Alec and swung it over his own shoulders. "I was doing some thinking while packing up. Maybe we should stock up on some warm clothes? The cold weather is just around the corner and all we have to wear is Fall clothing."
"He's right," Clary nodded in agreement. "Plus I think Isabelle's catching a cold."
"I'm fine," Isabelle retorted. As she said this, she coughed violently. "It's just a tickle in my throat. Like dust or something."
"It literally sounds like you're choking on your own lungs," Simon pointed out. "We should try and find medicine too. Not just for you but for all of us. Maybe even some painkillers for Alec's shoulder too."
"Never mind me. Let's focus on Izzy first. We can't afford to catch a cold. Especially not without medicine." Alec swung his quiver over his shoulders so it was resting comfortably on his back. "Does anyone know where we can find a clothing store with winter wear?"
They made their way through downtown Brooklyn, peering in through all the store windows to see what was inside. Quite a few of them were clothing stores but most of them were stocked with summer clothes, which was what the season was when the outbreak first started. None of the stores had a chance to put their winter wear up.
"We could always wear extra layers," Simon whispered as they passed an electronic store. "We've all done that at some point. Right?"
"Extra layers will only slow us down. What if we need to run?" Jace hissed over his shoulder.
Alec stopped suddenly, causing everyone behind him to crash into his back. He'd stopped in front of a store that sold only winter clothing. The front of the store showcased winter hats and jackets on mannequins but he could only imagine what was inside just waiting to be taken.
"This is it. This is what we're looking for!" He said excitedly. "Go in quietly. There could be Forsaken inside. Jace and Simon will take the rear. Magnus and I will lead. Ladies will wait here-"
"Like fuck I'm waiting out here in the cold," Isabelle snapped. She whipped out her blade and shoved Alec out of the way. "I can handle myself, thank you very much. I don't constantly need protection."
"Same with me," Clary agreed. "Alec and Magnus will take the rear. Jace and Simon will wait outside."
The men, stunned to the point where they were speechless, watched as the women headed inside and cleared the area. Turns out that there were no zombies inside and the place was theirs for the taking. Being the last ones to go in, Jace and Simon shut the doors and put a small barricade in front of it to prevent anything from coming in.
"Oh, faux fur!" Isabelle squealed. She ripped a coat off its hanger and draped it across her shoulders. "I make this coat look so good! Do you think I can run with this on me?"
"I wouldn't risk it," Alec grumbled. "Everyone find something to wear and take. Make sure it fits. You know the rules."
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "There's rules?"
Alec nodded. "Yeah. No loose clothing. It only makes you an easier target for Forsaken to grab you with."
The boys went into the men's section while the girls checked out their side of the store. If they found something they wanted, they went to the dressing room to try it on.
Alec found a shirt that retained heat and blocked out the cold so he went to the dressing room and tried it on. He carefully peeled off the shirt he was wearing, aware of the bandage on his shoulder. As he grabbed the shirt to try it on, he paused to look at himself in the mirror.
As he looked himself over, he wasn't the slightest bit aware that Magnus was watching him from the changing room across the hall. He didn't want to watch Alec. In fact, he even tried to look away at one point but it was impossible to keep his eyes off the black haired man as he ran a hand over his body, seemingly examining it for whatever purpose.
Magnus could see the broad expanse of back, the muscle shifting under Alec's skin as he moved. His shoulders were broad and powerful looking despite the weight he carried around with him all the time. As he turned to look over his shoulder at his reflection, Magnus had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from making a noise. He only saw Alec shirtless a few times, but each time still felt like the first time he was ever laying eyes on him. He could see Alec's broad chest which was covered in hair that traveled down his chest and down his navel, disappearing into the waistband of his jeans (which Magnus tried very hard not to think about). Some of his ribs showed due to improper eating, as did his abdominal muscles, but he was still in good shape all things considered. Magnus could also see the V of Alec's hips and the flat span of skin between them, the small patch of hair that trailed down from his belly button causing Magnus' train of thought to spiral in a direction he didn't want to go in-
"Hey," Jace's voice cut through his thoughts. "You finished in here?"
Magnus cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. I'm done. This shirt's too small. Going to go get another one."
Jace cocked his head. He glanced behind him towards Alec's change room and then look back at Magnus. "You like my brother, don't you?"
"What?" Magnus snorted. "No. Absolutely not. He just never closed the door to his change room. That's all."
Jace winked. "Neither did you."
Magnus blushed and raced out to the store again to get a bigger size shirt. By the time he came back, Alec was dressed in his new clothes, much to his disappointment. But he looked good in his new outfit. Warm. Comfortable.
"Are the ladies almost finished?" Alec asked him.
"Who knows. You know what women are like when they shop," Magnus chuckled. "You look really good. That material is known for keeping the cold out."
Alec smiled crookedly. "That's why I chose it. I get cold quickly. Always have been that way. Max always used to crawl into bed with me at night so he was mostly the one who kept me warm. But now that he's gone...."
They heard Isabelle giggle as she and Clary approach from the other side of the store. They both had their new outfits on and were walking like runway models.
"So? How do we look?" Isabelle spun around in a circle.
"Warm," laughed Alec. "Looks like you two had fun over there."
Clary giggled. "I haven't felt this good in a long time. It almost feels like old times when I used to go shopping with my mom."
"Except we can take this stuff for free," Simon chimed it. He was bundled so much that he could hardly walk.
"You look like a marshmallow," Magnus smirked. "Why so many layers?"
"It wouldn't all fit in my bag!" Simon whined. "Besides. These jackets are too good to not leave behind. Have you seen the price tags to all this stuff?"
Everyone rolled their eyes just as Jace finished zipping up in the dressing room. He stepped out, took one look at Simon, and said "You look like a marshmallow."
They all laughed including Simon, and for a moment everything felt normal again.