She had a small spark of hope light in her as she inched forward, waiting for the perfect time.

As if the bug could sense her thoughts, Ash whirled, his eyes narrowing in her direction. As Pucks knife came down at his back, he spun, knocking it aside, and stabbed forward with his weapon. Puck twisted desperately, but it wasnt enough, and the icy blade plunged deep into his shoulder. Puck stumbled back, dark blood blossoming over his shirt, his face tight with pain.

Ash lunged at Claire

She immediately brought her sword up, glaring up at him. She looked up at the bug, before she turned and hit his head with the hilt of her sword and kicked his side.

He stumbled backwards, and Puck rose up from nowhere with a snarl and slammed the dagger into his chest.

She froze before grabbing the bug in his hair.

Puck let out a strangled noise and wrenched himself away, yanking out the dagger in a spray of crimson. The sword fell from Ashs hand, hitting the ground with a ringing clang that echoed through the house.

Ash staggered back again, managing to stay on his feet for a moment, arms curled around his stomach. He swayed, putting his back to the wall, as dark blood began to drip to the ice, pooling beneath him. Ash raised his head and gave me a weary smile. Then those silver eyes dimmed, like the sun vanishing behind a cloud, and he crumpled to the ground.

However, the bug refused to come out.

She slowly walked towards him, staring down at him as she stood over him. She slowly crouched down, eyes focusing on the bug.

"Stay back!" Ash struggled to his knees, arms around his stomach, shaking with agonized gasps. Blood pooled around him as he raised his head, eyes bright with anguish. "Stay back, Claire," he gritted out, a line of red trickling from his mouth. "I could...still kill you. Let me be." He grimaced, closing his eyes, one hand clutching at his skull. "I can still...feel it," he rasped, shuddering. "Its in...shock now, but...its getting strong again." He gasped, clenching his teeth in pain. "Dammit, Goodfellow. You couldve...made it clean. Hurry and get it over with."

She glared at the bug as she backed away. "I'm so sorry Ash."

"Claire, run." Ashs voice was strangled, and that was all the warning she had before his eyes went glassy and his hands fastened around her throat, cutting off her air.

She could hear a sharp, droning voice echoed through her head.

Kill you.


She could see the bug's round, ticklike body, clamped to the top of Ashs spine, the metal parasite that was killing him. She could hear it, and it was pretty apparent it could hear her, too.

"Claire!" Puck snatched the ice sword from where it lay, forgotten, and raised it over his head