You know you're in deep when you make an AU of an AU. I've had this idea floating around for a while so I thought I'd try it out. You know you're in deep when you make an AU of an AU. I've had this idea floating around for a while and I thought I'd try it out. Please don't be surprised if this never goes anywhere; I'm starting up my senior year of college in about a week and a good chunk of my personal time is going to disappear. But, I thought I'd share this with you. I'd appreciate any input!

P.S, this is an AU of the universe that Slivers of Hope takes place in. Take a look through that collection if you're hungry for more!

Hope wasn't quite sure how she ended up in this situation. Sure, it was stupid for her to go out after curfew, but it was Rowan's birthday and she wanted to surprise her with a cake. The rations station hadn't been to far away. It should have been easy…

Something else exploded nearby and Hope bit back a shriek. A squadron of demons stomped by, ripping through the shelving in their attempts to find her.

"Come out little girl," one of them snarled, "we're not gonna hurt you. We'll just… rip your head off! It'll be quick, I promissssssse!"

She slapped her hand over mouth, hoping to stop the sound of her breathing as the group came closer.

"Find her you foolsssss," another hissed, clearly in charge, "take no prisonerssss."

A whimper bubbled in her chest as she heard claws scrape across the linoleum. There was a heavy huff of breath nearby and Hope curled in on herself, flattening against the shelf. A snout poked out from around the corner…

"Stop where you are demon scum!" The shout came through a megaphone from outside and the demons snapped to attention. "We've got you surrounded! Surrender now and we'll put you down quick!"

"Ssssoldierssss," another demon growled, "desssstroy them!"

The beasts' snarls were followed by a symphony of shattering glass and the sharp reports of assault rifles. Hope screamed as she was showered with glass shards.

"What the- there's someone in there!" a gruff voice shouted. "Hang on! We'll get you out of there, just stay where you are!"

Through the screams of both human and demon, heavy footsteps crunched over broken glass and splintered pieces of wood. A gas-masked face peered in through the window amid smoke and blood.

"Are you alright?" the soldier asked in a muffled voice.

She nodded mutely, trembling against the wall.

"Alright, I'm gonna get you outta here. Can you move towards me?"

She nodded again, climbing to shaking feet and inching her way across the floor. The soldier held out a hand for her to take, wrapping his other arm around her waist and lifting her out of the ruined shop.

"Stay low and don't stop running!" he told her, leaning protectively over her to separate her from the ongoing scrimmage. A peek under the soldier's arm showed her the destruction; most of the demons had been torn to shreds by a storm of bullets, leaving their bodies to disintegrate into clouds of cinders. But those that had broken through had managed to do some damage themselves, sinking their claws through Kevlar and flesh before being put down.

Most of the soldiers had found cover behind concrete barricades and the armored truck they had brought with them, and it was there that the soldier covering Hope guided her. They had nearly cleared the first line when the ground exploded beneath their feet. The soldier took the brunt of the damage, the explosion hurling him off his feet and smashing him into the side of the armored truck. He tumbled to the ground and lay still, his back smoking.

Hope was knocked to the ground, leaving her out in the open as the explosion's source revealed itself.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a truly monstrous demon stepped forward, demolishing whatever remained of the station with a club-ended tail. It grinned, baring two rows of sharp gnarled teeth. "Humans are so very amusing, thinking they can stop us with their little toys." In a massive paw it hefted the largest cannon Hope had ever seen. In the other it held a talisman of green crystal that glowed with an eerie, sickly light. "THESE are weapons, insects. Allow me to show you true power!"

The cannon sounded and Hope's world turned to fire and ash. When her ears stopped ringing and she blinked the spots from her eyes, a handful of the soldiers were burning, screaming in agony as flesh seared from bone. Hope snapped from her daze at the cries and scrambled to her feet- only to fall with a shriek as her left leg gave out beneath her. Shards of stone propelled by the blast had embedded themselves in her leg, swiftly turning her jeans slick and crimson with blood.

"Hmm, and what is this?" the demon's voice rumbled from above her, "A tasty morsel for me to enjoy?" Cloven hooves pounded the ground beneath her: the demon was coming straight for her. Unable to walk, Hope dragged herself frantically across the pavement, ignoring the way her fingers were starting to bleed. Anything would be better than death at the hands of such a monster. Talons closed around her torso and Hope found herself being lifted effortlessly until she was face to face with the beast.

"My, what a pretty face," it sneered, forked tongue darting out to lick its teeth, "I'm sure you'll make a most delicious snack!" Its mouth opened, Hope staring into its gullet, ready to swallow her whole.

A shot rang out and Hope's face was splashed with blood. The demon shrieked, dropping everything to raise its hands to its ruined eye. Hope fell hard to the ground, looking up to find the soldier who had saved her still lying by the remains of the armored truck, pain in his eyes but with gun raised. She smiled shakily and resumed her slow, pained crawl back to safety.

The sound of shattering crystal was even louder than the gunshot. Hope looked back to see the talisman the demon had been carrying in pieces on the asphalt. The beast stopped its thrashing, remaining eye widening in terror as it took in the broken crystal, letting out a wordless shout and lunging in a panic for the ruined talisman.

Something else was at play however. The splintered pieces trembled and, in a swirl of mist, slipped between the grasping fingers of the demon. Higher they flew, up above the monsters head where they hung for a moment just out of reach. Then, in the blink of an eye, they streaked forward in a collision course with Hope. She didn't have time to react as the shards connected with her chest, right where it connected with her right shoulder, the force enough to knock her back.

Hope screamed, feeling the fragments worm their way into her skin, pain branching thick roots into her body. Her back arched against the pavement as she clawed uselessly at the shards in a frantic rush to get them out as they pushed deeper with the sickening sound of parting flesh. Then came the rage. It was an anger that was not hers, ancient and overwhelmingly powerful, welling up from the wound and spilling out into her body, building behind her eyes until it practically blinded her. There was something like a snap in the back of her head, and Hope's world went dark.

Hope came to slowly, knowing that waking up would force her to remember the pain. Inching open an eyelid brought the light lancing into her retinas and she groaned, feeling as though a needle had been driven between her eyes.

She tried again, a little more gently this time, until the world resolved itself into tiled ceilings and the smell of antiseptic. She turned her head, wincing at the pain in her neck, and saw a vase of white lilies sitting on the bedside table.

I'm in a hospital, she realized, the thought coming slow and sluggish. She raised a heavy hand to her face, tugged at the tube feeding oxygen into her nose as she tried to sit up. Everything hurt and moving only made it worse. Her vision went dark for a second before she felt hands on her arms, gently leaning her back into the pillows. Her sight cleared to reveal a nurse smiling sympathetically at her.

"Oh thank God you're awake," the woman said with a relieved sigh, pushing back the sweaty brown locks from Hope's face. "It was a little touch-and-go there for a bit. How are you feeling?"

"Wha-" Hope's voice caught in her throat as she tried to speak, her tongue heavy in her mouth. The nurse seemed to understand, grabbing a glass of water from the nightstand and helping her take a couple of sips.

"Wh-where am I?" she croaked.

"New York Central Hospital," the woman answered, "You were brought in with a contingent of soldiers a few days ago. How much do you remember?"

Hope furrowed her brows. What did she remember? A lot of it was a blur mixed with sensations and sounds. "There were d-demons," she stammered out as the memories started to collect. "I-I don't know how they got inside the wall but… there were soldiers there too. One of them tried to help me but there was this huge one-"

Her hand flew to her right shoulder. Beneath the thin material of her hospital gown, she could feel hard irregular lumps protruding from the flesh there. The nurse grabbed her hand to stop her from investigating further.

"It's alright Hope," she said soothingly, "You're alright. But I'm going to give it to you straight. There were a few cracked ribs, a little bit of internal bleeding, but nothing major there. You had to get quite a few stiches on your leg, so you'll need to keep off it for a while. As for your shoulder…" the Nurse sighed, looking Hope straight in the eye with a steady gaze. "We don't really know what it is. The doctors tried everything they could think of, but the shards wouldn't come out."

Hope swallowed thickly, trying to stifle her rising panic. "Will I… be able to go home soon?"

The nurse smiled. "Well, now that you're awake we've got less to worry about. We're bringing in a specialist to look at your shoulder, and she won't get here until tomorrow. Other than that, we'll keep you on for observation for another few days before we let you go."

Hope nodded stiffly, holding her hands in her lap to stop her fingers from pulling at the neck of her gown.

"I'll let your friends and family know you're awake," the nurse said. "Will you be alright here by yourself for a while?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright."

"Okay, I'll be back soon to check on you." The nurse patted her clasped hands and left the room.

The moment the door closed, Hope propped herself back up, grimacing as pain shot through her ribs. Her fingers felt clumsy as she undid the top buttons on the back of the gown, and moving her right arm made the chest muscle throb. She pulled the neck of the gown down over her shoulder and sucked in a breath.

Shards of green crystal were peppered across the right side of her chest and shoulder below the collarbone. Some were as big across as quarters, while others were no bigger than little splinters. The flesh was still tender, bright red around the fragments, though moving her arm didn't cause it to bleed. The crystal was cool to the touch, though it should have been warm from her body heat.

Hope remembered the moment when the shards had pierced her skin, burrowing deep like parasites and burning with a rage that was not her own. She pulled her fingers away from the wound and closed her eyes, leaning back against the pillow. The nurse said that the shards wouldn't come out. If the doctors couldn't do anything than there wasn't anything she could do either.

She took a deep breath and closed, letting the hum of the florescent lights and the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor sooth her.

I should just be glad to be alive, she thought to herself. Not many civilians survived demon encounters, though the fact that a group had breached the wall was troubling. For months, the global military had been holding back the demonic forces, building thick walls around the world's major cities as bastions for humanity. For a while it seemed as though things were going back to normal; the initial shock of the attack had passed and raids were happening less and less. Perhaps Hope was just unlucky. The one time she decided to break curfew and she ends up in the middle of an invasion.

She looked to the vase of lilies on the nightstand. She could just make out the loopy handwriting on the card strung around the neck of the vase: To my Sunshine, Love Mom.

Hope smiled. White lilies were her favorite. She wondered where her mother had gotten them. Luxuries were becoming scarce after all.

Her smile faded. Sure, the demons hadn't killed her, but her mother certainly would when she found out that Hope had broken curfew. And when Rowan found out? Hope sighed. She was going to get annihilated.

She made the decision that she wanted to see him as soon as she was able to get away from the fussy attentions of friends and family. The next time she had seen the nurse, she asked if the soldier who had saved her was still somewhere in the hospital. It took a bit of arguing, but eventually the woman conceded, on the condition that Hope wouldn't disturb him for too long. He wasn't in great condition, she was told, and they didn't want anything to excite him too much.

It was a sad sight inside of the soldier's room. The dark-skinned man was hooked up to all manner of machines, swathed beneath layers of bandages. But he seemed to be awake, propped up on a mountain of pillows with a book in his hands. He looked up as they came through the door and the nurse called "You have a visitor Private Ricker." He smiled through the bandages as the nurse wheeled Hope to the soldier's bedside.

"Would you mind if… we talked alone for a bit?" Hope asked. The nurse looked to the soldier, waiting for his reassuring nod before she left, letting them know to contact her if need be.

There was an awkward silence as Hope searched for the words. She wasn't quite sure what she had wanted to say to him when she made the decision to visit and was still clueless. Might as well start with the basics.

"Um, Mr. Ricker?" she began, "I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Hope. You saved my life during the demon attack a few days ago."

He nodded slightly, as much as he could through the volume of bandages. "I remember you, young lady. I'm glad to see that you pulled through."

"I'm glad you're okay too!" she blurted, wincing when she realized that he was definitely not okay taking into account the amount of bandages it was taking to keep him together. "I-I mean, not necessarily 'okay' but-" she cut off and sighed, feeling the heat rush to her face, "I'm glad you're alive."

Ricker chuckled, a slightly wheezing sound, "well, I've got you to thank for that, young lady. I don't know how you did it, but taking down that monster was definitely impressive."

Hope blinked. "Come again?"

Ricker's grin started to fade. "Do you... not remember?" he asked, brow knitting beneath the bandages.

Hope searched her memories again, sorting through the haze of fire and blood, right up to the horrible burning pain that had overtaken her. After that there was nothing, not until she had woken up in a hospital bed. Slowly she shook her head. Ricker's face twisted briefly in concern before he shook it off.

"Forget I said anything," he said, "What's important is that the both of us, and a good bit of my squad, are still alive." He smiled gently, reaching up for the call button. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Hope, I'm feeling a little worn down. But please, come by again before they let you go, okay?"

"Yeah okay," she replied slowly, feeling now slightly uneasy. She had done what? "I'll make sure I stop by again."

The nurse came back into the room, asked if Ricker needed anything, then grabbed Hope's wheelchair to take her away. The soldier waved at her as the nurse wheeled her out the door. Hope waved back, feeling the coils of confusion settle in her chest.

She had finally gotten away. The click as the bathroom lock slid into place was satisfying as Hope let out the breath she had been holding in since that morning. She took a seat on the cold tiles and sighed deeply, tilting her head down and closing her eyes. Private Ricker's words still had her concerned. There was a hole in her memory and she had absolutely no idea how it got there. Thinking about it made her head hurt.

"It's about time. I thought they'd never leave you alone." The voice was sudden and resonant and Hope's head snapped back, smacking into the wall. She hissed, clutching at the spot where a tiny bump was already forming.

What was that? She thought warily, fingering the lump.

"That was me," the voice said again and Hope jumped. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once, ringing like an echo in a canyon. But where was it coming from? The bathroom was tiny and she was the only one in it.

"H-hello?" she called softly and cringed. The last thing she needed right now was to start talking to herself. Please just be a side effect of anesthetics…

"I do honestly wish I could tell you that I'm just a drug-induced hallucination, but that would be a blatant lie. I do not blame you for believing so."

Hope clapped her hands over her ears, breath hitching in her chest. The voice wasn't just coming from anywhere; it was coming from inside her head. She felt its intonation rumble down through her rib cage, lingering around the stones embedded in her chest. Gripping the edge of the sink, Hope pulled herself to her feet, turned on the tap, and splashed her face with the cold water as she muttered "calm down, calm down" over and over. She took deep breaths, soothing the pounding of her heart even as her knuckles turned white from their grip on the sink. She was still for a moment, listening for the voice. When it remained silent she took another calming breath and looked up into the mirror.

Fear turned her muscles to stone. Behind her, in the reflection of the glass, an eerie green mist swirled about her. She watched with terrified fascination as it billowed and coalesced into a figure. It loomed nearly three feet over her head and twice her width, details solidifying into corded muscle and jutting ribs and the blank plane of a skull shaped mask. Amidst the sickly green fog that composed the specter burned eyes like glowing embers.

Hope stood frozen, held in place in the grip of fear as the wraith tilted back its head, thick arms crossed over its bare chest. Its voice rumbled once again through Hope's head, gravelly and chilling as a grave. "I am Death," it said. "And you and I have much to discuss."