"I'm sorry for putting you through this." Lloyd mumbled.
"The alternative," he bit his lower lip. Glancing around the filthy room that had once been something as horrific as the place where all death row inmates were stripped of their lives. Even the viewing room could be seen out the corner of his eyes. "It was too risky, wasn't fair on you."
"It would have torn the team apart, eventually. We didn't have much of a choice, couldn't let you suffer."
Near silence all around. Steady breathing was all he could hear, that and the echo of his own voice. He felt so strange talking to himself out loud. Technically he wasn't talking to himself though. He was conversing with a non talking, half dead 💀, pre existing full vampire. Who could and would have bitten him without a hint of remorse.
Lloyd remembered how determined Cold had been. Even shuddered when Kai told him of the bloodlust before he bit Jay. Sadly, both bite marks would scar. Eddie had mentioned that fact. Vampires never marked, their skin healed rapidly. Mortals, not so much.
"You wanna know why we did it? What it was? They said to watch and wait." Lloyd shook his dirty sweat soaked hair out of his peripheral. "And by they, I meant Alan and Edgar. They said if we waited any longer than four days, you'd change into one of the undead."
"Bit extreme I know, but you never really saw Cole or Kai when they were at their worst."
"I did though."
"I'm telling you now Jay, they were scary. Bit like you were earlier, when Eddie put the blood under your nose and you flat out tried to bite him." He shivered recalling the incident, it was so vivid.
"I guess what's done is done. There's no taking it back is there? He also said we won't know of the damage until you wake up. Like I said...risky."
If you wake up.
More silence.
"If you were a vampire you would've woken up and fought them off, I guess that's what they were hoping for."
"They we're expecting it."
"Honestly Jay, you should have seen the weapons they had, for one person..."
Feeling alone, Lloyd took a fleeting glance around the grimy room for signs of life to hold a double sided conversation with. For someone to talk to other than Jay who wasn't responding.
He didn't dare let go of Jay's hand, though it felt warm, that in itself wasn't much consolation. He needed to feel that steady thrum of Jay's pulse rushing through his hand. It was there, strong, not thready and weak like it had been.
It was still so lonely in here, with just his own thoughts to keep him company. Jay wasn't exactly his usual talkative self, this procedure had put pay to that aspect.
Lloyd wasn't sure when he had started talking to Jay, it had just happened because he didn't know what else to do. And yes,Zane's wise words were that even if the person was at deaths door, they would still be able to hear you. After a few minutes of what felt like an hour of solitude, Lloyd stared talking to Jay and he hadn't stopped.
"I hope you'll forgive me. This wasn't your fault, it wasn't really anyone's."
"I guess it was easier to blame Cole because he was so focused on Star and doing his own thing, screw everyone else."
"And I'm not mad at whoever thought it was a good idea to come here either, because that was my mom. She thought it would be good for us to relax and unwind. Chill by the beach for the summer."
"It never works out that way though, does it? Other things influence us, weather, girls, thinking of others before ourselves?"
"Hands up vote, worst brother award goes to...me." He grumbled. Holding Jay's hand up as well as his own.
"I'm sorry—"
A noise unsettled him from his somber mood and he jumped out of his skin when he saw his brothers enmasse.
"H-how long have you been standing there?" Lloyd asked, palpitations subsiding as he stepped to the side as the paramedics came through.
He stood back watching as they placed various pads onto his exposed skin. One radioed into the dispatch unit.
"Long enough," Kai replied. His arms crossing his breast and his expression annoyed. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"We would've understood, considering." Cole had come over standing by Lloyd's side. "I mean, the whole changing into a vampire thing ya know? We would've listened, helped. There was no need for the secrecy."
The first thing he did was took Jay's hand, he squeezed it.
Lloyd shrugged, lost for words.
Within a few seconds, the room was lit up by torchlight 🔦. The paramedics took to individually taking Jay's vital signs.
"Blood pressure, 118 over 70. Pulse strong and steady, 66 beats per minute." The paramedic noted, writing his findings on a graph. He quickly pinched the juncture between Jay's neck and shoulder and he flinched. "Responsive to pain, that's a good sign."
"Any of you know his name, age and what happened?" The second paramedic queried calmly. He carefully opened each eyelid before shining his penlight to check pupillary responses to brightness. "Slowed response to light, his pupils very dilated."
"Substance use disorder?"
"Possibly, need fbc and lft's to rule it out."
"Jason Walker," Cole said, looking at Lloyd nervously. What possible excuse could they give for this? "He's not a user, anymore."
But then. He had been when he was in her company.
"You sure about that?" The paramedic questioned.
Cole stood his ground. "I'm Positive." He growled.
The paramedic who was shifting Jay onto the pat slide, before sliding him onto the gurney. This whole dodgy setup looked like some sort of cultist thing. He, for one had seen similar before in this line of work, it was inevitable. Some of them never woke up, some had even stopped breathing altogether.
This looked like some strange practice where the person was technically dead for 45 seconds, and during that time they experience hallucinations that some could contest they had seen their dead relatives. Enough time for them to say one thing.
"He's 21. I don't know what happened, Lloyd?"
Obviously when the Frog brothers had left a few hours ago they must have contacted the paramedics on their citizens band radio device. And it would have been before visiting Lloyd's brothers, who were all at Donald's house after having a day on the beach and boardwalk. Alan and Edgar had been gone for a few hours at most, and this place wasn't exactly far off the beaten track despite it's run down appearance, it was sometimes a hot spot for illegal parties and the like.
"He wanted to speak to his mom one last time. He'd been suckered into this by the promise of closure. I tried to stop him, but he was dead set on it."
The good paramedic nodded. "Grief affects everyone differently. Still, this was a risky procedure. Jason is lucky to be alive. I think he must have someone up there who's looking out for him."
