I found a Vampire ~ Chapter 40 END

Meiya felt warm, safe, but that was until she opened her eyes, banishing the dream she had of been with Denton, the dream of being safe in his arms, but as she blinked once then twice it was very clear that Denton wasn't anywhere close. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing to go back to that place. Meiya held the image of Denton's face in her head, drawing every shadow and line with her mind, engraining it in her memory. When the dream didn't come back she slowly opened her eyes, reluctantly giving in to a reality without Denton's safe embrace… for now. Meiya was determined to find away back to him, back to her family. She missed them so much. Especially her father and Jason, both were probably going nuts not being able to find her. Meiya felt a load of guilt suddenly weigh in on her shoulders. She hated that they were worrying because of her. She imagined what they would look like, all five brothers, their hair disheveled, dark circles under their eyes, tired and angry. Her father would be the most strained. Worrying for her but also trying to keep Jason and rest of her brothers in check, to keep them from doing something they might regret. Meiya had to get back to them. They needed her. She needed them. Meiya looked away from the white roof. She hadn't looked around the room, the sounds of the room already telling her where she was; a hospital. She could hear the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, could feel the tubes of air lining her face to help push air into her working lungs. Meiya went to lift her hand to take the tube off her face but her hand didn't move, didn't obey her command. She lifted her head slightly and looked down, seeing her arms and her torso were restrained by a thick white band wrapping around her to fasten down on each side of the bed. Meiya flew her suddenly panicked and confused eyes around the room.

It wasn't a hospital.

She was in a room, on a single bed. There was the heart monitor, an i.v. leading into her right hand and a tray of surgical instruments. Nothing else was in the room, the room its self was circular, like a huge well that had some how swallowed her up. There was a door. Only one. It had a window on it but she couldn't see out of it, the angle she was at she could barely see the door. She had to push herself up and tilt her head back to see it. Meiya leaned back down, swallowing to try and bring moisture into her dry mouth.

Where was she? The PAVM have her again? Were they going to torture her again? Suddenly she heard the squeak of a door open then shut loudly, echoing off the walls of her circular room. It was a woman. She came over to Meiya's side and gently took the air tube off of Meiya's face. The woman never once looked into Meiya's eyes.

"Where am I?" Meiya voiced her question. The woman didn't answer, just continued like she didn't even hear her.

She gently took out the i.v. in Meiya's arm. Meiya winced as she felt the needle forced from her skin. Then the woman put a band aid on her, where the i.v. used to be. Then the woman slowly turned toward Meiya's restraints. Was this woman here to help her?

"Who are you?" Again the woman didn't answer, just worked at unfastening the restraints. When Meiya was free she stepped away from Meiya and walked to the door. Meiya forced herself up, following the silent woman. When Meiya came to the door she half expected the woman to close it after her, to leave Meiya in the room, but instead she opened it for Meiya, stepping aside, waiting for Meiya to walk through the door way. Meiya looked at the woman then down the hall with no doors except for the one at the very end.

"What's down there?" Again the woman didn't answer. Meiya sighed inwardly. Well she would just have to find out for her self.

As Meiya walked down the hallway she realized she felt stronger, stronger than she had felt in a long time, her muscles moved without an ache to them, and she felt more energy coursing through her. That’s good. Meiya thought dimly. She was going to need it. When she came to the end of the hall way where the other door was she gripped the handle hesitantly. Then gathering her courage she inched open the door, just enough for her to peak through the crack. Meiya instantly froze as she saw a horse shoe shaped table, six people sitting in the chairs around the out side of it, the table facing her.

"Come in Meiya. You have nothing to fear from us." It was the one in the middle that spoke. Meiya jumped. They had seen her. Meiya felt that in her gut what they had said was wrong, she had everything to fear from them.

"Who are you?" She asked opening up the door and walking cautiously through it.

"We are the council of the PAVM. We are the leaders that keep harmony among the world." Harmony? Meiya thought. Every since knowing them they had caused anything but harmony in her life.

What do you want?"

"From you? Nothing." Meiya's mind clicked. They wanted Denton.

"Denton." She said, compelling them to answer her unspoken question.

"Yes. He has been quite the… issue for us." Meiya could feel her heart beat frantically in her chest. They were going to hurt Denton. No, they weren't hurt him, they were going to kill him.

"Please. Don’t. Denton… He… I…" Meiya didn't know how to beg for his life, she couldn't find the words to persuade the six people in front of her. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about Denton's love, his kindness. "I love him. He isn't the monster you all think he is." Meiya said tears flowing down from her eyes.

"Meiya-"

"No! Listen to me. Please. He is a vampire yes, but he loves me! He would do anything for me."

"Well that’s what we are counting on." The one on the end said. Meiya frowned.

"What do you mean?" Before one of them could answer there was a sudden crash then a split second after the wall to the left of the council suddenly crumbled.

"MEIYA!" Denton's voice flooding Meiya's ears was the best sound in the world. She ran to him, her legs not going fast enough. She saw him move toward her as well, but then when they were only a foot apart from each other Meiya was suddenly stopped by a wall, like the air had suddenly gotten so think is was like a wall. Meiya's panicked eyes looked to Denton to see him crashing his body against the invisible force. He screamed and clawed and kicked against it, his limbs moving with inhuman speed with their strength but nothing would budge. Meiya's head spun toward the council. All sat completely still except for one who had stood, a woman, her left hand extended toward the two of them.

"Please! Just let us be together! Please! Just for a moment!" Meiya begged.

"No." One said, denying her. Denton's eyes turned black as he started to walk toward the council. The woman who stood, suddenly lifted her right hand and Denton was stopped in place. The woman had some kind of power, the ability to compress the air till it was like a wall that even a vampire couldn't break through. Denton became like a tiger in a cage, he screamed out in rage.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" He screamed out. All six suddenly straightened.

"Did you feel that?" One asked in a quiet voice to another. The other simply nodded, his eyes wide.

"You are more powerful then we expected." He said.

"Please. We didn't do anything to harm you! Why are you doing this?" Meiya said, asking again Denton's question.

"We told you before. We create harmony through out the world. Denton interferes with that harmony."

"How? By being who he is?" Meiya said, trying to keep her voice level. Denton was doing enough screaming for the both of them.

"No. By having the ability to kill a vast amount of people and being able to control many others."

"Denton would never-"

"He already has." Meiya looked over at Denton as he suddenly got quiet.

"Denton?" She called out to him, her heart full of doubt.

"I did it when I thought you were dead. I was in a dark place. I-"

"But even when you found out she was alive you continued to control Blake." One of the council members interrupted him.

"Yes, but that was to find Meiya."

"There is no excuse for taking the free will of a human being." One spoke harshly.

"And what about the free will you took?"

"What?"

"When you took Meiya! When you tortured her! I would hardly assume that was with in her freewill."

"That was for her training."

"But you didn't ask me if I wanted to be 'trained'! And that wasn't training that was hell!" Meiya screamed out, remembering her pain. Silence wiped over the company of the six.

"Never the less it was needed to accomplish what needed to be done." Meiya gritted her teeth as she felt her anger rise within her. "Our actions do not justify yours."

"Oh but I think they do! If Blake hadn't taken Meiya out of her home, away from her family and away from me all of this never would have happened." Denton said countering their words.

"If you had never awoke then all of this never would have happened. We did what was needed to protect-."

"Torturing Meiya was for protection?" Denton bit back.

"Keeping her from you was for her protection. Teaching her how to withstand the pain a vampire could inflict was for her protection." One spoke directly toward Denton, then he suddenly turned his head and looked to Meiya. "What we did was for your protection. We always had your best interests at heart. We still do."

"You are so far gone that you don’t even realize how twisted your logic is!" Denton screamed before Meiya could say anything. Meiya could almost feel the rage radiating off of him.

"Or perhaps you just do not see it as we do." Denton was about to scream at them again when Meiya spoke up.

"Stop! Just stop! Why are we here? The past it gone, we can't do anything to change that! No matter how much we argue of whether it was right or wrong its done! What has happened, happened, it's in the past. My future is what I want to know. Will you allow Denton and I to be together?"

"No. Not while he is still a vampire." Denton heaved himself against the solid air the woman had compressed between Denton and her. Meiya looked over at Denton and refused the tears that were starting to boil up.

"Well what are you going to do with us? If you know anything you know that Denton won't stop trying to get to me. And I won't stop trying to get to him either. So you're going to have to kill us if you want us to be apart, but even in death we will be together, so there is nothing you can do!" Meiya said her mind so jumbled and emotional she didn't even realize she was screaming till the tears started to cloud her vision.

"Meiya!" Meiya's head snapped to Denton as she heard the tone of his voice. Fear and anger mixed lethally together. Fear that she had meant her words. That she would die for him. And anger because that was what may in fact happen. They could die. There was a pause of silence.

"No. We are not going to kill you." One spoke, drawing both Denton's and Meiya's attention back to the council. Meiya and Denton stood, unbelieving.

"Then what?" Meiya asked, frustrated and confused. The man that had spoke ignored her and turned toward Denton.

"Denton. Meiya has just said that she would die to be with you. Are you willing to do the same?"

"If it were possible." Denton said his deep voice drawing Meiya's eyes back to him. He turned his head back to look at her. "I love her." He said his eyes steadfast on Meiya.

"I believe you have your answer council." Both Denton and Meiya looked to the new voice entering the chamber.

"April." Denton said, his voice underlain with distrust.

"Hello Denton…. Hello Meiya." Meiya had never seen the woman in her life. Meiya frowned as she watched the woman come toward the two then walk through the air that was like a wall toward the council. Denton immediately tried to get to Meiya but the wall was still there, blocking him from Meiya's touch. "Council." She said in greeting.

"What are you doing here April?"

"Blake sent me… He was afraid that Denton would get Meiya." The council was silent. "Blake doesn't know of our newly acquired procedure does he?" April looked up at the council and took their silence as answer enough.

April then turned back to Denton. "I know that you don’t trust me. But… when it comes to the last stage. Remember why you're going through it. Cling to Meiya. If you don’t… if you try to concur the pain on your own with out something to hold on to you'll die." April paused. "Just a bit of advice from one who's been through it." April pressed the palm of her hand against Denton's face. Meiya involuntarily jerked in reaction. She hated the look she was giving him, a look that Meiya herself had given. Love and admiration. "My love didn't love me enough… if you care about her don’t let her live alone. It may be a short human life, but it will be filled with an eternity of loneliness." A tear rolled down the side of April's face before she turned away from Denton and Meiya and walked quickly toward the door. Before she opened it she stopped, her back toward the council. "What do you want me to say to Blake?"

"Tell him Denton is dead." April turned the handle to the door and walked out, leaving both Meiya and Denton confused.

"What was she talking about?" Denton asked, his voice softer, it had lost its harshness.

"Up until recently the only way to get rid of a vampire was to kill them." One spoke.

"What do you mean?" Meiya asked.

"We have developed a remedy that will reverse the process of the effect that the venom of a vampire has on a human." Meiya frowned still not understanding.

"The venom in a vampire is like a poison. And like any poison there can be an antidote. We've created one. An antidote that will reverse the process of the venom in a vampire, but for the vampire, it is like dieing all over again, but worse. Since the infection is the vampire, the procedure can take up to three days. In those days it will be like their skin is being ripped from their body one strip at a time. And after the skin it continues inward. First going through the muscles, then to the intestines, then the organs, then ending finally with the brain. When it reaches the brain that is when things can get a lot worse. The brain controls everything in the body, and for the serum to work it must delve into all parts of the brain. And if the subject isn't strong enough he or she will die. It triggers not only physical pain but also emotional pain." Meiya's heart pounded within her chest so hard that she could hear it in her ears. They couldn't do that to Denton!

"But in the end?" Denton spoke his voice smooth and calm. Meiya's head snapped toward him. He couldn't possibly be entertaining even the possibility of going through with this, could he?

"The subject will be completely human." Denton lowered his head, his eyes dashing back and forth thinking. He was entertaining the idea!

"NO! Denton! It's way to dangerous!" Denton didn't look over at Meiya's voice of fear.

"Completely human." Denton said more of a statement rather than a question but the council member still answered.

"Yes."

"And you won't let Meiya and I be together if I am still a vampire."

"No. We won't." Denton lowered his head then looked back to Meiya.

"Meiya-" She knew what he was going to do, knew just by the look in his eyes. The door opened and the bed that Meiya had laid on was pushed into the room by two huge men.

"Denton no!" Meiya whimpered, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"I love you." Denton said starring at her as he let himself be pushed onto the bed and then strapped down by the restraints.

"NO!" Meiya slammed her fists against the wall of air. "NO!!" She screamed again as she saw one of the men pull out a huge syringe.

"You have to do it." The man said holding out the needle for Denton to take. "Cut open your skin and inject it." The man said simply. Meiya screamed out thrashing herself against the wall, trying to stop what she was seeing from happening.

"NO! DENTON! PLEASE! I CAN'T LOOSE YOU!" She shrieked. She saw Denton cut his own skin with his fingernails then forced the needle in before the skin could heal. Meiya collapsed to the ground, her fisted hands pressed against the wall. "No…" She couldn't stop her tears from sliding down her face. He turned his head as he dropped the syringe to the floor, his eyes connected with hers and he smiled a small smile before his whole body jerked. His scream made Meiya jump with pain of her own, pain that he had to go through this. Meiya watched as he writhed on the bed, his head tossing back and forth, sweat was brought to his forehead with the effort of trying to control the pain, trying to not let the pain take him over. He screamed again and instantly Meiya was on her feet. Her mind spinning back to the girls words. He had to cling to something he cared about. Something that mattered to him to help him through this. Meiya turned toward the council who watched with solemn eyes. "Please! Please let me help him!" The woman that still held up her hand, holding up the wall of air turned her head toward the one in the middle. He nodded and she let her hand slide down. Meiya instantly rushed to Denton's side.

"DENTON! DENTON! LOOK AT ME!" She screamed over his scream. His eyes opened to look up into her eyes. "I'm here Denton. It's going to be okay." She comforted. He suddenly gripped her arm, the pain making his grasp in humanly hard and tight. Meiya screamed out as she felt her skin then bone starting to be crushed by his grip but then the pain suddenly lessened, his grip was still strong, still painful, but not in a vampiric way, in a humanly way. Meiya's head snapped up to the council.

"Its taken to his muscles… the adjustment we did to the serum worked." One of the council members said then he looked to Meiya. "It won't take 3 days. We modified it, did experiments. We didn't know if the time span would be different or not. But apparently it works." Experiments? Meiya wanted to scream and attack him. They were experimenting with the life of the man she loved! She looked down as Denton screamed again. She put both hand on the sides of his face, trying to still him, making him look at her.

"Shh… its okay. It will be over soon." She said, stroking back his hair. "It will be okay."

~ ~ ~

Meiya's voice was the only comfort in a sea of pain. Her voice the only relief against an ocean of torment. Denton had never felt this kind of pain ever before in his life, and if it hadn't been for Meiya by his side, whispering her love and devotion he was sure he would have died the moment it began. The serum worked quickly, he could feel it traveling up his veins, moving through his muscles like liquid fire running through him. The pain that the human had warned him would happen wasn't like how he explained, it was worse. It felt like each inch of him was being pulled apart, twisted and made to be inside out. He felt it reach his liver, intestines, stomach, and finally the heart. That was one sensation that really surprised him and felt very… weird. He could feel the new blood pumping through his veins. His blood. But before he could revel in the feeling the serum had worked its way to his brain. First there was only pain, a heightened level of pain, beyond belief. He clung to Meiya, the image of her face, her smile, he clung to the love that surrounded his soul. But then suddenly the pain reared to a new level, not physically more painful but mentally. He saw Kiska. Her face and body white in death. He shrieked at the sight. He had pushed it so far under that he never wanted to see it again, never wanted to revisit the pain that he had caused for her. Then the man that she had loved, his face and body bloody with his own blood. He had killed them. And he hated himself for it. Then suddenly faces crowded with the two that were already making him cry out. Faces of all the men and woman he had killed. Guilt and pain and resentment at what he was sprang to the surface.

"DENTON! LOOK AT ME! REMEMBER ME!" Meiya's voice came like a fog through all of it and Denton realized he had let her slip away, let the love he had for her slip into the background. Denton forced it forward, brought it to the surface, wiping all the other images away till there was only Meiya. But then the two dimensional images in his mind suddenly became three dimensional as he opened his eyes. The pain had finally subsided, he had no sense of how long he was under, no idea if his skin was even still on his body, but Denton could see Meiya, he could hear her sigh of relief. But then he realized she was different. Her hair wasn't as shiny, her eyes not as bright, but then he realized it wasn't just her, the whole room was dull with color. Then Denton heard a thundering whooshing sound in his ears. He frowned as he looked down. His hands were different, weren't as pale, but then his eyes widened as he caught sight of the visible veins in his wrist. He tried to focus his vision sharper, but his frown deepened when nothing happened, his sight had diminished. He moved his wrist closer to him and pressed the wrist against his nose. He drew in his own scent deeply. It was like a man. Musky, strong. Denton felt a hand wrap its self in his. Denton was dimly aware that the councile members had left their seats, leaving both him and Meiya alone in the room.Denton looked up to see Meiya again, his eyes still wide. Her other hand came up to gently cup his face. She wasn't unbearably warm anymore. Her hands were actually cold. But he didn't shrink away from her, taking in the eyes that he had so many times starred into.

"Meiya." He barely was able to get out before her lips were on his, he wrapped one of his hands around her neck, twisting his fist in her hair, as his mouth delved into her's with out restraint, it felt so good to fully kiss her, to not be continually afraid that he was going to hurt her. But then suddenly before Denton could really explore both his restraints and her's Meiya pulled away. Her right hand suddenly contacted with his left cheek. The sting surprised him out of his sexual thoughts. He opened his eyes wide to look into her frowning ones.

"If you ever do something to scare me like that I swear I'll-" He laughed and grabbed her, pulling her back onto his lips. She sunk into his grasp. At least that was one felling that didn't change. She still grew weak at his kiss. Denton twisted his body so that he was sitting on the bed then quickly picked Meiya up in his arms and set her down in his lap. She was still light, but now he could feel his muscles constraining to lift her. He smiled at the feeling. Something inside of him jumped and Meiya pushed away from him slightly.

"Wow… Well when they said all human they didn't mention…" Meiya said shifting on his lap.

"Sorry." She smirked.

"Don’t be." She shifted so that her legs straddled his hips, grinding against the intrusion to their kissing.

"You're family is going to have a lot of questions." Denton said between kissing her, trying to focus his mind on something other than what his body was wanting, knowing that this wasn't the place nor the time.

"Well I'm sure we'll think of something…"

Both Meiya and Denton lived a full life of love and laughter.

Over the few months after Denton's reversal the PAVM injected the serum into every vampire that they knew of. Soon the massacres that had occurred from vampires vanished, and the stories that once could have been proven were left to be simply rumors and legends then simply myths. But then who knew when some one else would discover another vampire hidden away and sleeping, the person may even whisper out into the darkness with disbelief:
"I found a Vampire..."

THE END