Darkness Fades

Mathew deliberates what I’ve said, fiddling with the button on his coat. “What were you when he bit you the first time?”

I shrug. “Whatever you want to consider me before I was a Day Walker,” I say. “A soldier… I’m not sure.”

“But you were a Day Walker when he bit you the second time?”

I nod, the wheels in my head turning. “Do you think that’s what did it? Do you think my Day Walker blood has something to do with the cure?”

His eyes are as wide as I’ve ever seen before, and without even answering, he whisks over to a cabinet door, his excitement giving him a boost of energy. He opens the door and takes out a syringe. There’s a stool next to him and he pats it for me to sit down.

“Why?”

He pauses, uncertain. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to draw some of your blood and study it.”

I pull out the stool and sit down on it. “You think studying it will help you figure out a cure?”

“We’re about to find out.” He pulls the cap off the syringe. “Roll up your sleeve,” he instructs. I sigh, but obey, rolling up my sleeve. He presses the needle into my skin, into a vein. It pinches and I watch as the syringe fills up with my blood. When the syringe is full, he removes the needle.

“So now what?” I ask. “How do you study blood?”

He points at this strange looking object over on the counter with a tube attached to it that angles to a platform. “You study blood through that,” he says, rolling up his sleeve. “But that’s not what I’m doing.”

Before I have time to think, he aims the needle at his forearm and plunges it into his vein. My eyes widen as I leap from the stool and reach out to stop him. “You don’t know if that is safe!” I exclaim, my fingers snagging the rolled up sleeve of his jacket.

He turns out of my reach and nudges my hand away with his elbow. If I wanted to, I could take him out, but it wouldn’t do any good. He’s already put some of my blood into his veins.

“What if it doesn’t work on you?” I say, stepping back and shaking my head. “What if it only worked on Sylas because he was a Day Taker? Or what if it turns you into a Day Taker or an abomination? There are so many possibilities, Mathew.”

“I know that, but that’s how all of this started. Risks where taken. Lives were sacrificed.” He continues injecting himself with my blood. “Whatever happens doesn’t matter… I can either do this or turn or die. I have to try something else.”

Sacrifices need to be made. You must understand that, Kayla.

Shaking my head, I sit back down on the stool. “Well, I’m killing you if you turn.”

He glances up at me with a ghost smile. “Fair enough.”

It grows silent as he takes the needle out of his skin then sets it down on the countertop. I hold my knife and keep my eyes locked on him, ready to slice his chest open if I have to.

He pumps his fist a few times, staring at his arm, waiting for something to happen, I guess.

After some time goes by, I ask, “What do we do now?”

“Now,” he says simply, “we wait to see if I turn human or if you have to kill me.”

Chapter 21

And wait we do, for a very long time—hours maybe—although I’m not exactly sure since I never did figure out the exact concept of time. Nothing seems to be happening. We make it all the way through the night when Nichelle comes by to inform us that a few vampires tried to break through the wall, but were easily fended off. That ends up being the most excitement we get for the night.

She gave me a weird look when she came into the lab, probably wondering why I was sitting there with Mathew instead of being out with her as well as the others, fighting off vampires. However, neither Mathew nor I offered her any explanation, so she got irritated and left us alone.

“Thanks for not saying anything to her,” Mathew tells me after she leaves, slumping down onto the table. He looks exhausted and a little bit weaker than he did before.

“No problem,” I respond calmly, yet on the inside I’m worried about how he looks. I’m kicked back in the stool with my legs up on the counter, my back leaning against the wall so I’m facing the door with my knife on my lap. I look relaxed, however I’m anything but. “I didn’t think you’d want her worrying about you.”

He nods his head, his eyelids fluttering like he’s fighting off sleep. “She’s very important to me,” he says with a yawn. “I hate that she’s even out there fighting.” His head suddenly begins to wobble around so his forehead is angled and pressed against the surface of the table. Then he shuts his eyes and becomes silent.

I sit up and lower my feet to the ground, wondering if something’s happening. My senses go on high alert, my fingers wrap around my knife as I get to my feet. I listen and realize I can no longer hear his heartbeat, so I hurry to his side.

“Mathew, are you okay?” I place my hand on his shoulder and gently shake him, keeping my other arm out to my side, ready to swing it around and stab him in the chest if he sits up and his eyes start bleeding. He limply moves around as I shake him. “Mathew!” I still can’t hear his heart beating so I lean over and put my ear beside his face, trying to hear if he’s breathing. All I hear is silence and I feel no breath.

Jesus, did it kill him?

I pull my hand away and turn for the door to get help, hoping someone else around here can understand medical stuff enough to know what’s going on. I’m halfway there when I hear it. Soft at first, but then it increases; rapid, loud and sturdy.

Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…

I quickly spin around and race back to the table as Mathew elevates his head and focuses on me, blinking his eyes as he looks around in disbelief. I put my hand in front of me, the sharp tip of the knife angled at his throat, but then he opens his eyes widely; my knife slips from my hand and hits the floor.

His eyes are no longer pale. They’re green, like how grass used to look.

“Holy shit,” I say, stunned.

He lets out a shaky breath as he sits up straighter. “What’s wrong?” He looks at me worriedly. “Did it work?”

“I’m not sure… but…” I scoop up my knife and inch closer to him, “but your eyes are green… and your skin looks less pale.”

Mathew’s green eyes widen as he touches his fingertips to the bottom of his eyes. Then he examines his skin over, putting his arms out in front of him, turning them over, noting that it looks healthy and smooth. When he looks at me, he’s in a state of awe.