Chapter 34:

"We had a run in with some hunters. Nothing we couldn't handle, but it turns out the little human didn't get taken. She ran." Jimin explained, standing a bit to the side, so he could face both Lazarus and you.

"Did she?" Lazarus raised an eyebrow and used one slender hand to stroke his hair back, as if trying to fix his disheveled appearance. "Then I suppose you know what I've been doing down here." He glanced around at the scientific set-up and you took a deep breath, puffing out your chest.

"Yes, I know what you've been doing." You said, lifting your chin to look him in the eye, feeling Jungkook take your shoulder preemptively. "I know about your experiments and your delusion that you think my blood can turn you human again." You continued, your hands fisting at your sides. "I know that you're psychotic and deluded and... you have had my mother this entire time!"

You moved forward, shaking Jungkook's hand off as Lazarus smiled and crossed his arms. He glanced to the side at the gurney closest to him and your attention was drawn to it. There was someone on the gurney, tubes and electrodes coming off their pale body. You could see a tube coming from their arm, just under the elbow joint where blood was traveling from their body to the workbench that Lazarus was standing in front of. You moved closer as you looked at the short tufts of hair of the body, the shape of the nose and jawline, recognizing all of it in your own features. Your mother.

You could barely make out her features, but it was definitely her. There was no one else it could be. She looked gaunt, like a corpse on the table, with only a sheet covering her body. Her hair, which you could just see over the tip of her nose, was thin and pale and even from here you could see that much of was either lost of cut off. A choked sob escaped your lips.

"Mom?" You stumbled toward the gurney, but your path was blocked when Jimin appeared in front of you, crossing his arms. You stopped, just before colliding with his chest and you felt Jungkook grab your arm and pull you back into his chest. You trembled against him, but didn't try pulling away as you continued to stare past Jimin at the woman lying unconscious on the table.

"I really didn't mean for you to find out this way," Lazarus said, rubbing the bridge of his nose in mild annoyance. "I was hoping to avoid any unnecessary violence." He took a few steps forward and you whipped your head toward him, a newfound fury bursting from your stomach through your chest.

"Let her go!" You shouted, trying to stomp toward him. Jungkook held fast to your biceps, keeping you in front of him, despite your struggling against him. Lazarus blinked, looking confused.

"Let who go?" He asked, tilting his head. You choked and stared at him with wide-eyed. Was he serious? Was he that out of touch, or was he mocking you?

"My mother, you sick freak! Let her go, right now!" You shouted, fighting to free your arms from Jungkook, but he held firm. You wanted to slap him for stopping you, but at the same time, the rational part of your brain was grateful to him for not allowing you to put yourself in an even worse situation. It was that thought alone that allowed you to take a ragged breath and stop struggling.

"Your mother?" Lazarus raised an eyebrow and pointed at your mother's body. He looked from you to her body and then laughed nastily. "I can't let her go. And even if I did, it's not like she could ever go anywhere."

You let out a sharp breath, leaning back against Jungkook's chest. "She's... alive?" You whispered, a lump forming in your throat. Lazarus scoffed.

"Of course she's alive, I couldn't use her blood if she was dead." He rolled his eyes, like he was speaking to a child. You bristled with indignation and Jungkook's grip on your arms tightened. "She's alive, but not functional. She lost her brain capacity a long time ago." Lazarus continued, flicking his wrist toward her casually. You blinked, looking from her to him, your brain feeling fuzzy, like there was too much static.

"I... what do you mean?" You croaked through the lump in your throat. Lazarus let out a dramatic sigh and planted his hands on his hips, giving you an annoyed glare.

"I mean, if I unhook her from all these machines keeping her alive, then she will die. She's but a shell of a human. She's not dead, but she may as well be." He snapped coldly, the casual tone completely overshadowed by the weight of the words.

You gaped, feeling frozen. You were unable to speak, to move, to breathe. It felt like you were immobilized in your own body, unable to control your actions or do anything. All you could do was stare at the lifeless body of your mother and the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. She was so close. She was right there. There was so much you wanted to say to her, so many questions you wanted to ask her. She was the key to who you were and she was right there...

"I..." You croaked, unable to form a coherent thought or sentence for this situation. You were suddenly sucker-punched with the reality. This whole thing had been for nothing. She was basically dead and the questions you wanted answer would never even be asked. You'd put Jungkook and Taehyung in danger for a shell, a corpse, an empty vessel that once held your mother. Through your own selfishness, you'd put them all in danger and now it was highly probable that you were all going to die.

I should have let Dracula turn me...

"You might as well just give up now." Lazarus said, interrupting your thoughts. "I know you think your little posse can protect you, but it's inevitable that I will get to you. I'm so close to perfecting the method and I'll be damned before I let my donor go." He crossed his arms and your attention was drawn back to him, a spark of that fire igniting once more.

"Donor?" You spat, looking into Lazarus' emotionless, uncaring red eyes. "You make it sound like she volunteered." You clenched your jaw and pulled one arm free of Jungkook's grip to point and accusing finger at Lazarus. "I know you killed my father and kidnapped my mother when I was a baby. And I know that you helped him!" You swung your finger around to point at Jimin, who raised an eyebrow.

"And how do you know all of this?" Lazarus asked, a suspicious tone entering his voice as he moved forward a bit. You gritted your teeth and glared at both of them.

"Rosemary was very cooperative." You ground out through a clenched jaw.

"Rosemary?" Lazarus laughed. "She does have a big mouth, doesn't she?"

"She told us everything." You snapped. "About your plan, about your obsession, about how Jimin has been working for you for much longer than we all thought. And she told me that all of this..." You gestured at the gurneys, the tables, the chemistry equipment. "It's all just a delusion! It's not working, it can't work, and you've been kidding yourself into thinking it can. You're dead, a vampire, you can't be human again!"

You finished your outburst and coughed, feeling your vocal chords scratch painfully. You sucked in a quick breath and looked back up to see Lazarus shaking his head pitifully at you.

"Oh, dear sweet Y/N. You know not of what you speak." He looked at Jimin and then gestured at the machines and contraptions behind him that sucked your mother's blood into them through the tube in her arm. "You don't know what I've been doing around here. You haven't been here during all of my testing and all the experiments and all the failures. I get closer to the real thing every day. I won't stop until I succeed." He finished, his eyes murderous, even though he was still smiling. You shrunk away from his gaze, seeing the eyes of a mad man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. This wasn't someone you could rationalize with. He was too far gone.

Lazarus inhaled deeply through his nose and straightened up, brushing his shirt. "Now, we've talked enough, haven't we? Jimin, if you would."

Jimin smirked and stepped forward, cracking his knuckles like prepping for a fight. Suddenly, you were yanked back and Jungkook jumped in front of you, raising his fists protectively.

"Like I said, over my dead body." Jungkook growled, spreading his legs a bit so he lower himself into a fighting stance. Jimin grinned and cocked his head, licking his lips hungrily.

"That can be arranged." He murmured dangerously. Then, Jimin lunged and you screamed as the two came at each other at supersonic speed. You could barely follow it with your eyes as Jungkook threw punches and ducked and parried Jimin in response. They seemed pretty equal in fighting strength as they punched, kicked, and flipped. You looked past them for a split-second, locking eyes with Lazarus. He was smirking, an evil twinkle in his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a crunch and you heard Jungkook yell as he was thrown against the opposite wall. You yelped as his body slumped to the ground and he gritted his teeth painfully. You ran toward him, but someone grabbed your wrist, yanking you back around. Jimin's eyes swam in front of you, glinting hungrily and you screamed at him, using your other hand to slap and scratch at him. He caught your wrist easily and grinned. He yanked you close, but before he could grab you, someone appeared behind you, grabbing you around the waist and pulling you out of Jimin's grip. You yelped as you were flung backward, landing on the ground, your side exploding in pain. You winced and pushed yourself up to look back. Taehyung had taken Jungkook's place and was fighting Jimin, keeping his body planted between you and Jimin.

Jimin looked more and more annoyed as he punched, kicked and blocked. His eyes flashed red and you gasped when quick as lightning, his jaw unhinged and he sank his fangs into Taehyung's neck.

"No!" You shouted, standing up quickly. Jimin's jaw locked into Taehyung neck and wouldn't budge even though Taehyung was writhing and struggling to get free. Only a few seconds later, Taehyung body went limp and Jimin pulled his head away. Taehyung's body slumped to the ground and panic and nausea jumped into your throat.

"No, Taehyung! N-no!" You stumbled toward him, reaching a trembling hand out. Jimin kicked his body away and you looked up at him to see a tightening of his jaw and the tiniest hint of remorse. But then it was gone and the cold smirk was back.

"Sorry, Y/N. Your bodyguards can't protect you anymore. Let's go." Jimin said, a hard mask falling over his eyes again.

He started to walk toward you, and your eyes whipped to Jungkook, who was attempting to push himself back up, to Taehyung who was twitching and wincing on the ground, the hopelessness settling in your chest. You hadn't realized just how strong Jimin really was. You looked up into his dark, empty eyes that no longer held any of the mischief or playfulness that you'd seen when you first met him. This was a shell of a man, a vessel for Lazarus' orders, nothing more. And it terrified you.

"What happened to you?" You whispered, backing away as Jimin paused in front of you, his dark eyebrows shrouding the black orbs. "Since when have you ever taken orders from anyone? Why are you following him?"

"He doesn't have a choice." Lazarus said suddenly, drawing your attention back to him. Lazarus was grinning, his eyes glinting triumphantly as he surveyed the scene. You frowned and looked back at Jimin, confused.

"Wait, what? What's he talking about, Jimin? Of course you have a choice." You said, stepping back again at the same time as Jimin stepped closer. Lazarus answered again.

"No, he doesn't. His entire purpose is to serve me. It's why I created him."

This made you pause. You jerked a look at Lazarus, who was beaming, like this was a secret he'd been dying to tell from the beginning. You turned to Jimin, whose face was hard and serious. There was no sign of the ever-present smirk or twinkle in his eyes anymore.

"Created... what?" You whispered, feeling your shoulder sag. Lazarus spoke again, but you kept your eyes firmly on Jimin, wishing that he would speak for himself. Instead, he just crossed his arms and lifted his chin, like a trained dog...

"I turned Jimin into a vampire. I needed someone to do my bidding without asking questions, so I created him. He will follow my orders because only then will I set him free. Only when I succeed, will he be free."

You shook your head as you stared at Jimin, searching for something that would tell you this horrible truth wasn't real. You searched his eyes, but they were cold and hard, more closed off than you'd ever seen. You pressed your lips together, afraid that he could see them trembling.

"Jimin, is this true?" You whispered, slowly shaking your head.

He shrugged and held his hand out for you unapologetically. "You might as well just give up, Y/N. You can't fight this. It's going to happen whether you like it or not." He deadpanned. You looked down at his hand and heard the telltale sign of Jungkook trying to push to his feet. You could hear him swear and cursing Jimin under his breath and you swallowed hard, looking back up into Jimin's eyes.

"Jimin, you know me. I have to believe that throughout everything, all that's happened, that you do know me. You have been kind to me before." You said, looking for anything that would tell you that you were right. Jimin shrugged again, his eyes still flat and emotionless.

"Keeping your trust was in my best interest." He said robotically, like he was trained to give this answer. You detected something in his voice and it gave you the smallest spark of hope. This was something that he'd said before, probably to himself. Perhaps he'd been trying to convince himself of that same fact, when he in fact didn't feel this way.

"It couldn't all have been a lie." You argued, now filled with determination. "Maybe it was at the beginning, but I got better at reading you. And I know that you've been sincere before, you've been genuine. This doesn't have to be you." Jimin shook his head.

"Sorry, Y/N. Your intentions are noble, but this is my purpose. It's what I was bred for." He said firmly. You saw Lazarus grin victoriously behind him. You gritted your teeth.

"You don't have to let him dictate your life!" You exclaimed. "It's your life, Jimin, your choice, not his!"

"I'm not living at all, Y/N. And I would like to live again." Jimin said analytically. You shook your head indignantly and stomped your foot.

"What kind of a life would that be, huh? In order for you to live, someone else has to die? In order for you to be happy, you have to make others miserable? If you do this, Jimin, then you won't deserve it. It will haunt you forever, you know it will!"

Jimin rolled his eyes. "Y/N, you should know I don't care about the menial people."

"This isn't just some random stranger, Jimin, it's me. The one you swore to protect, that you swore no harm would come to." You snapped. Jimin lowered his hand, looking up in surprise. You took a deep breath. "Don't you remember the hospital? What you said to me? You can't tell me that was a manipulation."

Jimin's lips parted as he realized what you were talking about. You nodded, knowing you'd gotten him. Back a million years ago, he had taken you to the hospital when your friend had been injured. He didn't have to do that, especially if it wasn't in his best interest. On top of that, he'd comforted you, he'd tried to convince you that it hadn't been your fault. That conversation had been burned into your brain because it had been so out of character for him. It was the few genuine conversations you'd had with him and it proved that he cared, even just a little bit.

Lazarus growled, breaking the tense silence. "Enough of this, take her Jimin." Jimin blinked, like he'd been snapped out of a trance and started toward you again.

"No, stay away from her!" Jungkook, who'd had ample time to recover from initial fight, had sprung back into action. He started to run toward you just as Jimin grabbed your forearm, digging sharp nails into your skin.

Then, something strange happened. There was odd thunk sound and a gasp and Jimin's eyes widened as he stared over your shoulder. You turned around and your heart jumped into your throat.

Jungkook stood a few feet away, frozen in place, staring at you with a ghostly pale face. You could see the whites of his eyes and he looked down at his chest, drawing your attention down to the tip of a wooden stake that was protruding through the exact center of his chest. Blood was pooling around it, seeping through the fabric of his shirt and dripping down his stomach. Your hands started to tremble and you shook your head as Jungkook lifted his head back up to meet yours. His knees buckled and he started to fall.

"No!" You tried to run to him, but Jimin was still holding fast to your forearm. On pure instinct you whirled around and whipped your fingers at his face, scratching his cheek. Jimin's head snapped to the side and he released your arm, his eyebrows shooting to the top of his head as thin red lines materialized on his cheek where you'd scratched him. As soon as you were free you dashed to Jungkook, catching him before he hit the ground. You fell to your knees, the weight of his slumping body in your arms. You laid him down on the ground on his back, feeling the tears well up in your eyes.

"N-no... Jungkook..." You whispered, brushing his hair from his eyes as he coughed painfully. The blood coated his entire chest around the stake that impaled a hole right through him.

"Die... vampire scum." You looked up at the voice croaking from the entrance to the hallway. Caden stood there, leaning against the wall, his crossbow raised in his arms. You opened your mouth to scream, but before you could say anything, Taehyung was standing in front of him. You hadn't even realized he'd recovered from the fight with Jimin. In the blink of an eye, Taehyung snapped Caden's neck and he slumped to the ground, his eyes glassy and pale. You panted, feeling completely out of breath and looked back down at Jungkook, whose eyes were fluttering. His hands were like ice as you gripped them tightly in yours.

"Jungkook... please, you can't die." You whispered, squeezing his hand to your chest. The tears streamed freely down your cheeks now as Jungkook turned his head to look at your through lidded eyes. He smiled weakly and reached up to stroke your cheek.

"Don't cry, Y/N..." He murmured. "I hate it when you cry." He caught one of your tears with his finger, which only made you cry harder.

"Y-you can't leave me... I just found you..." You sobbed, pressing your cheek into his palm. Jungkook's faraway smile seemed frozen on his face as he studied your face, like he was memorizing it.

"It's gonna be okay..." He whispered, stroking your cheekbone with his thumb. You gritted your teeth and squeezed your eyes shut, listening to his ragged breathing, feeling like each one was stab to your gut.

This was your fault. Your fault. You did this. Caden was alive because of you. Caden had the chance to follow you because of you. You brought Jungkook here. You insisted on coming. You refused Dracula's help. You refused to change into a vampire. This was your fault. He was dying and it was your fault. You wept against his palm, shaking your head violently, your heart feeling like it was being ripped from your chest.

You couldn't let him die. You couldn't let this happen. You'd trade your own life if you could. You sucked in a sharp breath and opened your eyes when an idea came to you. You pulled Jungkook's hand from your cheek, squeezing it tightly as a new determination swelled in your chest.

"No, I refuse to let this happen." You dropped his hand stood up, wiping away the angry tears. Jungkook coughed and you winced, looking down at him in anguish. You sniffed and turned around, looking directly at Jimin and Lazarus, who were both staring at Jungkook, equally surprised at this turn of events.

You marched over to Lazarus, a fiery determination fueling your every move. He wasn't going to die, you would make sure of it. He wasn't allowed to die, not after everything you'd been through. Not after everything you'd survived. He was not allowed to die by the hands of a vengeful hunter. Not on your watch. Jimin made a move like to stop you, but Lazarus held up a hand, allowing you to stomp right in front of him. You looked up at him, your eyes still burning but tear-free.

"You're so convinced that your little experiment works? You'd stake your life on it?" You demanded, internally wincing at the sound of Jungkook wheezing and heaving in his breaths. Lazarus narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw.

"Yes, I would." He said, nodding mutely. You nodded in return and took a deep breath, shoving all your fear down into the pit of your stomach.

"Okay. Then, you can use me." You yanked your sleeves up and extended your arms toward him. Lazarus' eyes widened and glinted excitedly. "Use my blood to save him."

"N-no—Y/N, don't—" You squeezed your eyes shut, ignoring Jungkook's painful voice behind you.

"Save him..." You whispered, looking desperately up into Lazarus' red eyes. "Please..."