Sorry for the long wait! FF has been acting weird for me and I just figured out how to upload these a different way. But in case I can't update on FF make sure to follow me and this story on WATTPAD. It's really nice because you can read it on an app too. I have the same name for everything so just search for me. PLEASE comment on this. It's really hard to continue stories when it feels like I'm not reaching anyone. Comment and let me know that you're still with me and want more ;)


Chapter 12 – Jamie

A/N: It's been way too long since I've updated. I've had a lot of writers block and a lot of stuff to handle in my life. Hopefully I'll be good about updating until this is finished. Thank you to all the dedicated followers of this story who have kept me motivated throughout this hiatus and checking up on me. Let me know what you think of this chapter!

. . .

Jamie tapped an anxious finger against the stainless steel operation table. The beat of the tapping almost mimicked a heartbeat, something that Jamie no longer had, something that stopped at this very table. Suddenly uncomfortable, Jamie removed his hands from the operation table and picked at his nails as he waited. For so many weeks he had been picked and prodded here. He knew it was for a good cause but some days it felt more like torture than science.

He wanted to explain everything to Andie, talk to her in a safe environment where Kaid couldn't influence her. Kaid didn't trust Jamie. Jamie wasn't sure if he ever would, but Andie was curious about Jamie and might even be persuaded to be on his side. She might actually understand that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

He just had to sound like he believed what he was saying.

Just as Jamie was getting lost in his own thoughts, the door opened. Andie sidestepped in, shutting the heavy door quietly behind her. "Hey," she tucked a wet strand of blonde hair behind her ear. It was just starting to curl again and frizz as it was drying.

She took a seat on one of the lab benches; close enough to Jamie to hold a conversation, but also close enough to the door to make an escape if needed.

Jamie stood up, "Hey."

"What did you want to talk about?" Andie asked, crossing her arms.

Jamie pushed his hair back. "I'm sorry about everything. The way I acted and treated you. You have every right to call me an ass."

Andie smiled in surprise. "Well this is unexpected. I thought I would come here and be treated like crap again."

"Yeah. I'm sorry about all that. You didn't do anything to deserve it." Jamie tested the waters and took a step forward. Andie didn't seem to mind, at least she didn't look like she minded. "I know that the way I acted was wrong. I was trying to push you away so you wouldn't find out, so I could keep you safe, but now you know everything so... proceed at your own risk." He said the last part with a mixture of sarcasm and defeat.

Andie readjusted herself on the lab table, suddenly feeling like a specimen, or possibly... a meal? With the way he was looking at her, it could be either one. In this light his brown eyes were a shade above black, making it impossible to discern between his iris and pupil. It eerily reminded her of a hungry shark right before it attacked. "Do I need to be afraid of you? Your brother just tried so hard to convince me otherwise."

Jamie was silent for a moment, thinking about his answer, but he came up short. "Honestly, I don't know. I don't want to hurt anyone, that's the truth. Finn thinks that I can keep it together..." Jamie sighed and raked his fingers through his hair again. A nervous habit. "...but I can feel the monster trying to claw its way free. Everyday I fight it, but I'm afraid that one day..."

Andie's hand found its way to Jamie's hand. It seemed to know what she wanted before she did and once she realized what she was doing she jerked her hand back.

Jamie could already feel the heat leaving. Her hand had been warm. So warm compared to his cold body. And it was already fading. It was such a quick, teasing glimpse at what it was like to be living.

"How do you keep it under control?" Andie finally spoke.

Jamie shifted. Now he was the one who felt like he was under a microscope. "Each day I'm supposed to drink a vial of blood. Doc says it's just enough to keep... that side of me under control. Not too little to starve that side and not too much to put it into a frenzy."

"And that just works?"

Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "It has so far."

"Where do you get the blood?"

"Animals mostly. Finn and I will go out to the mainland and go hunting."

"What do you mean 'mostly'?"

Jamie wished she didn't pick up on that, but he was trying to be honest with her. It felt good to talk to someone who wasn't his brother. To be judged so harshly about anything that had to do with this subject was tiring. For now, she seemed to be neutral about the topic. So he took a breath and continued. "Sometimes Finn helps me out. Doc will draw blood from him sometimes, but that's it. I swear. Emergencies only. Finn doesn't seem to mind, but I don't want to become reliant on it. I don't want it to make me like them. Finn practically had to shove that down my throat one time." Jamie laughed to himself as if it was an inside joke between him and his twin. He wasn't used to someone not getting his joke. It had been Finn and him for so long. Finn had always understood; he was Jamie's other half. Andie didn't laugh. "It's, uh, not one of my better moments. It's a long story, but I was stupid and tried to—" Jamie stopped. Andie's eyes were big from shock, yet they still lacked accusation. She really was giving him a chance to explain himself in a safe non-judgmental space. "aaand now I'm rambling." He would have blushed if his blood flowed like the living.

A shy smile found its way onto Andie's face. She did blush because she was living. "It's okay. I ramble too when I'm nervous."

"I'm sorry. It's just...I never really talk about any of this with anyone other than my brother. Most people aren't interested in hearing the rest of the story. They usually make their judgments and go."

Andie dropped her eyes. For a moment, there was silence between them. Both of them were thinking about what to say next. "Are you contagious?" she asked.

"Doc's not sure. Whatever 'venom' makes Duskies contagious is in my saliva. That much Doc is sure of; it's just at a much lower concentration. He just doesn't know how much of that venom it takes for a person to Turn."

"I feel like that should be a priority for him. I mean it's possible for you to infect the entire island, isn't it?"

"True, but I'm careful. It's not like I use the plates or silverware... I don't eat. And I don't go around spitting everywhere."

Andie laughed slightly, imaging him drooling like a dog. Suddenly he seemed a little less frightening. "I guess you're right."

Slowly. Slowly Jamie was gaining her trust. She seemed a little more relaxed now.

"Besides. Doc's never had the guts to try it out on anyone. I mean, would you volunteer yourself to be exposed to the venom of a half Duskie with the high possibility that you'll end up like them?"

"Isn't it possible that someone could end up like you? Somewhere in between human and Duskie?" Andie leaned an elbow on a lab bench and rested her head in her hand. "From what you told us, you are the way you are because the venom wasn't strong enough for you to make a complete Turn."

"That's one possibility. We don't really know for sure if it was Doc's antidote or a combination of the two. There are too many unknown factors in play for us to reproduce results with accuracy."

Andie looked at Jamie. She was biting her lips, but she was still smiling, holding back a laugh.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"I think you've been hanging around Doc too much: 'There's too many unknown factors in play for us to reproduce results with accuracy.'"She mocked with a laugh.

"Oh God," Jamie moaned. "I really have spent too much time in here with him." But did he have a choice? Doc kept him safe and under control. This lab was a safe place for him. Outside of the lab the world was unpredictable, and so was he.

Andie's smile faded. Jamie wished it hadn't. "But in all seriousness, haven't you guys run tests with the antidote on Duskies?"

"We've tried that, but nothing seems to work on them. Doc has a theory that the antidote only works through the blood stream, so it needs a beating heart to get it to work."

"So if it only works on humans then the antidote would be more like a vaccine." Andie finished.

"Correct." Jamie said. "It's the only thing he's got right now, but it's a start."

"He's going to have one hell of a time trying to convince the world to take this vaccine. I mean, look what happened to the world from the first one. People aren't going to be so easy to convince this time. And it's not like we are having volunteers begging us to try it out. People are desperate for any sort of protection, but that doesn't mean they'd risk their humanity."

"Because in order to make sure the vaccine works they'd have to subject themselves to Duskie venom." Andie thought out loud. "Sounds like you guys have been stuck without volunteers for a while."

"Doc just has to be one hundred percent certain that he has it right. He doesn't want to put anyone else in danger. Not after what he did. He has enough guilt and regret."

Andie wasn't sure what that meant, but decided it wasn't her place to ask.

Suddenly there was a scream that pierced the silent night. A human scream. Then it was cut of terribly short. It was then followed by the worst sound they could hear: the ragged cries of Duskies thirsty for blood. It sounded like an entire pack of them. Then came the sounds of panic. Screams, thuds, glasses breaking, feet running, bones breaking, flesh ripping.

The smell of fresh, human blood hit Jamie like a ball to the face. Jamie had to steady himself with the table. On a second thought, Jamie thought that he grabbed the table to prevent himself from following the scent. He could feel his fangs poke his tongue.

This isn't real. It can't be. They can't make it to the island.

"Are you okay?" Andie asked.

Andie's words pulled him back to reality. Jamie's response could be simplified into two words. "They're here." He didn't mean for it to, but his voice came out as a whisper.

"No." she said as soon as the realization hit her. Andie looked like she was on the verge of tears. This was supposed to be a safe place. "It's impossible. Isn't it?" She turned to Jamie, who looked just as fearful as she was.

"They're getting smarter. They had to have planned this attack." The realization hit him of how little time they had left to act to get everyone to safety. He bolted for the door, moving slightly too quick for a human. "Get as many people to the docks as you can." He yelled back at Andie. She didn't want him to leave her alone, but before she could get a word in he had already vanished through the door.

Andie was alone. She could hear the sound of chaos rising throughout the hospital. Her hands were shaking.

This is the end.