Syed had to leave. Now. There was no time to think, no time to second-guess herself. If she stayed any longer, someone would get hurt—perhaps even herself. She threw on the bag she'd packed days ago and quickly changed into black joggers and shoes.
Peering through the curtain, she spotted two of them entering the room while the others lingered by the door.
She wasted no time. Moving swiftly but silently, she reached the door, opening it as quietly as possible, then gently closing it behind her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the corridor. No one was in sight. With fast but deliberate steps, she moved toward her escape route, already knowing the way. Instead of taking the emergency exit down, she headed up, her muscles tense, her every movement calculated.
The only sound that filled her ears was the erratic beat of her own heart.
When she reached the passage, she quickly made her way to the window. With practiced ease, she slid it open and stepped out onto the ledge, feeling the cold night air prick her skin.
Across from her, a set of old, rusted ladders was welded to the building. Some rungs were missing, but Syed didn't hesitate. She knew the risk.
Her hand met the cold, slick metal as she began to descend.
As she dropped, she timed her landing perfectly, her body adjusting mid-air so she could grab onto the next rung with ease—an experienced move.
She heard voices from within the building.
"Mr. Kindle, it's a pleasure to have you here, but don't you think it's a bit late t—" The voice of the headmistress cut off abruptly with a choking sound, followed by something heavy crashing to the ground.
"Find her," a cold voice ordered, followed by the sound of jangling keys.
Syed's breath hitched as a single tear fell from her eye, tracing down her cheek, unnoticed. She had to stay calm. She had to stay calm. There was no time to break down now.
"Her scent is mixed with so many mundanes," a second voice muttered in disdain.
The footsteps grew fainter, and Syed stilled herself, letting the silence envelope her like a cloak. Her body trembled, her hands gripping the ladder tighter, her palms slick with sweat. It wasn't just the physical danger that rattled her—it was the emotional weight of what she had just witnessed, the betrayal. But she had a mission. She could fall apart later.
Don't worry, I'll take revenge for you.
The thought surged through her mind, making her grit her teeth. With renewed resolve, she continued her descent, until the rungs of the ladder ended.
Syed adjusted her stance, a practiced ease in her movements, before she jumped onto the air conditioner below. It made barely a sound.
Quietly, she wrapped her arms and legs around a thick pipe, using it as leverage to lower herself to the ground.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
The voice was predatory, the tone dripping with malice. "Little angel, did you climb all the way down from up there?" The figure leered at her, eyes scanning her body before locking onto her face with an unsettling gleam. Lust.
"You're the loveliest thing I've seen in my life and I've se-" he purred.
Why is my body standing over there?
She watched, detached, as the body before her slowly turned to ashes. Her hands, steady, moved instinctively, gripping a glowing blade—a small but deadly weapon with twin retractable knives. The weapon felt familiar, comforting even.
Without a second thought, she turned and stalked toward the address she had been given. She didn't dare look back.
---
Rain poured down in heavy sheets, drenching the pavement as Syed moved swiftly through the streets. She turned sharply at each corner, her breath steady despite the urgency. People passed by, blurred figures in the downpour, but she avoided brushing against any of them.
Soon, the crowd thinned, the city noise fading until the only sounds were the rain and the distant echo of her own footsteps.
She hesitated.
The streets were too quiet now.
Something was wrong.
She had her concerns, but did she really have a choice? They were chasing her. She should have sensed them before they sensed her, but Ethan—that *thing*—was different. That demon was unlike anything she'd encountered before.
Her pulse quickened as she reached the address she'd been given: an apartment building, its bricks darkened by the rain.
She took a step toward the door—only to notice it was already ajar.
A chill ran down her spine.
Everything in her screamed that this was wrong. The air was thick with something unnatural, an eerie, suffocating energy. She could *feel* them inside.
Maybe this was a trap after all.
Doubt crept into her mind, twisting into regret. But before she could retreat, a scream shattered the silence.
"Mom!"
Syed's body tensed.
Without a second thought, she rushed inside, her steps light despite the debris littering the floor. Broken furniture, shattered glass—signs of a struggle. Pressing herself against the wall, she listened.
"Mom, mom!"
The girl's sobs echoed through the apartment, raw and filled with desperation. Footsteps pounded through a doorway, then stopped.
Silence.
Syed stayed perfectly still, muscles coiled, heart racing. She could hear the girl's shallow breaths above the sound of the rain.
She could hear steps going further away as she continued to hide.
Then, there it was again.
That dark, twisted malice.
The presence was suffocating. It reeked of something inhuman.
"Dot?"the girl voice traveled towards Syed ears.
Syed stiffened. That wasn't Dot. That wasn't a human being. That was a demon.
She moved.
Ducking past the wreckage, she followed the voices until she reached the doorway. Just as she rounded the corner, she saw it—the demon.
The girl trembled, frozen in fear.
Syed was about to move, but before she could, a glowing blade pierced through the creature's chest from behind. The demon let out a guttural sound before disintegrating into ashes.
Her gaze shifted.
A boy—tall, blond, and tense with battle-ready precision—stood behind where the demon had been, cradling the girl. He whispered something to her, something about Shadowhunters and demons.
Syed barely had time to process his words before the suffocating malice returned.
Her instincts screamed.
"Watch out!"
She reacted on pure reflex, her weapon flying from her hand. The blade struck true, embedding itself into the demon lunging at the boy. The creature barely had time to register its own mistake before it, too, turned to ash.
Silence.
Then, the boy turned to her, eyes sharp and suspicious.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Syed met his gaze under her hood, unshaken.
"I'm Syed," she said, her voice steady. "And I need you to tell me what the hell is going on."