She continued through the house, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

They reached the living room, cloaked in shadow except for the light that came from the open door and the flickering static of the television. Silhouetted against the screen, Moms and Lukes heads were visible over the top of the couch. Leaning together, as if asleep, they were frozen solid, encased in ice like everything else.

She sprinted over, crouching in front of the couch as she stared at them.

Puck grabbed her arm, pulling her back. His eyes were hard, his jaw set as he pulled me behind him, a dagger appearing in his hand.

She frowned, looking around.

Ash melted out of the shadows on the far wall, drawing his sword as he did. In the harsh blue light, he looked awful, his skin split open along his cheekbones and his eyes sunk into his face. There were new wounds over his arms and hands, where the skin had blackened along the openings, looking burned and dead. His silver eyes were bright with pain and madness as he stared at them, every inch a killer.

"What is she doing to him?" She whispers, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword.

"Kill me." He stood rock still, the muscles working in his jaw, as if he was struggling to speak. "I...cant fight this," he gritted out, closing his eyes in concentration. His arms shook, and his grip on the sword tightened. "You have to...kill me, Claire. I...cant stop myself..."

She froze, "Ash... I cant..." she says softly, staring at him.

His eyes opened, glazed over once more. "Get away from me, now!"

Puck shoved Clare away as Ash leaped across the room, his sword coming down in a sapphire blur. Puck and Ash battled in the middle of the living room. Ash was lost to her now, and worse, one of them was going to die. If Puck won, Ash would be killed. But if Ash emerged victorious, she would lose everything, including her own life. As Ash whirled away from a vicious upward slash, something glittered beneath his hair at the base of his skull. A tiny spark of cold, iron glamour glimmered at the top of Ashs spine. That was it! The bug, the thing that was controlling him and, ultimately, killing him.