Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

An Unblinking Death

Comprehension spread across Kieran's features, the manic sheen fading from his eyes as he panted for breath and he looked around in confusion until his gaze landed on his niece. Recognition shined in his eyes as he calmed down momentarily and he reached out to grip her hand weakly as he whispered under his breath, "Cami."

"Uncle Kieran?" she asked hopefully with wide eyes as she held his hand tightly within the confined of both of hers but as quickly as the moment came, confusion and agitation warred in his eyes and he jerked away from her touch with a snarl on his lips.

"What do you want from me?"

"You saw that, right? It was just for a second, but it was him."

The question was directed towards the vampire and witch that were slowly standing up from their knelt positions on the floor while Kieran shuffled away from them, backing up until he was cowering against the wall. Imogen sighed heavily in consideration as she turned her attention to the ailing man, silently watching he anxiously fondled the cross around his neck as his eyes glanced around way panic.

"I don't know, Cami. The Rosary was magically imbued to drive people into violent, psychopathic insanity." Imogen explained as gently as she could manage without giving her friend any sort of false hope and a chill ran down her spine as she recalled the horrifying explanation that the Elders had given during magic study when she was a teenager.

"I mean, maybe he's still in there underneath all the crazy, but the crazy is pretty thick." Josh told her tactlessly with an apologetic grimace, not wanting to offend anyone but unsure how to properly word the thoughts running through his head.

"Maybe he just needs a shock to his system, something to wipe the slate clean." Camille suggested eagerly, her voice a pitch higher than normal in her excitement and her eyes lit up with manic desperation as an idea formed in her mind. "Guys, I think I have an idea on how to fix him. Shock therapy!"

Bewilderment spread across Imogen's features as she took a step backwards instinctively but the obvious scepticism didn't derail the blonde and she latched onto Josh's forearm tightly with a pleading look. The vampire furrowed his eyebrows in disturbed confusion as he gazed down at her and then glanced at the witch across from them, silently seeking instructions or help on how to handle the situation but she seemed as worried as he felt.

"Um, Cami? I think we're going to need a little more information." Josh said nervously with a frown as he placed a hand over hers where it rested on his forearm and she sighed in frustration that no one seemed to follow her thought process as she spun away from him. She ran a hand through her hair as she started pacing in front of her friends, ignoring the glance they shared when they thought she wasn't paying attention, the look that said they were questioning her own sanity.

"Electroconvulsive therapy. It's a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from psychiatric illnesses. If we can get a doctor to come up here, they can administer the treatment. A few sharp shocks to his system and maybe his psyche will reset back to normal."

Imogen gaped at her friend in disbelief for a moment, the uncertainty written plainly over her features as she stared at the flustered blonde across the room. She didn't know much about ECT but from the little she had study about the concept, it was a dangerous and risk treatment that only worked fifty percent of the time and was only used in life-threatening situations.

It took her a moment to realise that all eyes in the room were on her, watching, waiting for her decision; Cami staring at her with wide, hopeful blue eyes and Josh's dark gaze searching for direction.

Responsibility weighed heavily on her shoulders, not a new feeling for her as she had been held accountable her entire life. Thoughts drifted through her mind as she closed her eyes for a moment, as though she could read the answer written on the backs of her eyelids. It was true that if they did nothing, Kieran would die, and if they proceeded to conduct electroconvulsive therapy, there could be cognitive impairment or other adverse effects. Their choices were limited: do nothing and die, or do something and maybe die.