My heart stops, the world runs still, and everything blurs together. My mind struggles to grasp at the image in front of me, but is fails to comprehend. Fails to fathom that this could even possibly be reality.

   "Reza!" The urgent cry lands on deaf ears, to enthralled to tear my attention away from the being before me.

   The cadaverous hand reaches for the sky, its fingers twitching and jerking. I feel myself being shook, being pulled away, but I can't stop watching in morbid fascination. I gasp, not even realizing that till this point I had been holding my breath, as a second hand shoots through the ground. The pinky bone twisted back, hanging limply from a patch of withering skin. The two hands lunge forward, grasping at the surrounding grass. Its fingers clawing into the earth, leaving long jagged gouges in the previously peaceful ground.

  "Reza!" Damon shouts in my ear again, but it just sounds muffled and far away.

  On some level I know I should run, that I should go with him, yet I stand there frozen. I stand there hypnotized as another hand, from the strangers grave beside us, tears its way to the surface. This can't be real...

  "We have to go!" Damon urges, finally breaking through my trance with a violent jerk.

  Turning to him I notice another set of arms from the grave behind us quickly pulling the owner out of their rest. It's flesh still clinging to their gaunt arms, hinting at the life they once had. The illusion ruined however by the nubby fingertips, the bones bursting through as the skin was ripped away by the wood of the coffin.

   "If you don't start running I'm throwing you over my shoulder!" Damon shouts, shaking me to demand my attention.

   I nod, unable to find my voice as my mind tries to make sense of the situation. As if all at once, time begins to catch up with me. Run, I need to run! Without further hesitation Damon grasps my hand and pulls me after him. I stumble, my tight pants making it difficult to move swiftly. I curse myself for not changing, for not taking the time! Damon doesn't slow, only pulls me along with him. His long strides drawing us near the car even as my legs struggling to keep his pace, to not trip over my own two feat.

  Breathing in short gasps I push myself onward, to not fall behind. Not that Damon would allow such a thing, his tight hold on my hand surely to leave bruises after this... if there is an after. My heart pounds in my ears, almost managing to block out the screeching cries that echo behind us. I tell myself not to look, to just keep running, but I can't resist. I spare a glance, and my body runs cold.

  They are everywhere. For as far as I can see there are monsters rising from the ground, each in different state of decomposition. An old lady howls, skin waving from her jaw after having half her face scratched away, a bit of wood still protruding from her cheek. She crawls after us, her legs flailing behind her as she struggles to find her ground.

  Behind her a man, at least I assume a man, staggers as he pulls himself free from the binding earth. His head, nothing more than bone and wisps of hair, jerks angrily from side to side. His shredded suite hangs from his skeletal frame, blowing as the wind rushes through his exposed ribs. Turning he finds what he is looking for and lurches in our directions. I stare in horror at the blackness of his empty eye sockets, feeling as though they are sucking away my soul.

  "Get in!" Damon demands as he drops my hand.

  Panic rushes me at the sudden loss of connection, as if that singular touch was the only thing convincing me that I hadn't completely lost my mind. As his words sink in however I manage to realize that he isn't abandoning me, only running to his side of the car. The car! Oh god, how stupid can I be! Don't just stand here, get in!

  I fumble with the door handle, my finger too busy shaking to cooperate with me. A whimper escapes my throat as I hear Damon's door opening and the sudden fear of being abandon strikes deep within me once more. I silently plead for the car to open, for its safety to embrace me. As my hand finally manages to seize the handle I rip the door open and dive in. I can hear the demons behind me shuffling as they close in on us, but I do not dare take another peek.

  Without waiting for me to close the door, or to even properly be seated, Damon steps on the accelerator. The car lunges forward, its engine revving as if to echo our urgency. I cling to the seat as I manage to pull myself into place, closing the door behind me. I cry out, clutching the dashboard, as the car jerk unevenly. First the front of the car and then the back. We just ran over something! Or, God help us, someone.

  "Dick" Damon mumbles under his breath as he glances in his rearview mirror.

  I stare at him in shock, after everything that's all he has to say? Adjusting in my seat I hug my bag to my chest, feeling the outline of my mothers journal press against me. Any comfort I felt from the action is instantly lost at the reminder of her. Resisting the urge to reject my bag, I try to push my thoughts away. No use though, how can you just forget seeing something like that.

  The car is silent except for my panting breaths. I gulp for air, desperately trying to catch my breath. Hesitantly, afraid of what I will find, I slowly turn in my seat and peer out the back window. We are speeding away from the graveyard, quickly distancing ourselves from the nightmare behind us. A figure chases after us, but already its too far to see clearly.

  "What the Fu..."

  "I need to call Stefan" Damon interrupts my curse. Without taking his eyes off the road he digs his phone out of his pocket and dials.

  I sit in silence, gaping at him. How is he so calm? I feel like I am going to die my heart is pounding so hard, and he has the presence of mind to call his brother? The stillness in that car allows me to hear the ringing over the phone, the chime like sound only making me feel more anxious. Taking a deep breath I demand my nerves to get a hold of themselves. Running my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face, I let out a sigh. Slouching in my seat I attempt to appear as calm and collected as Damon, even as on the inside I am reeling.

  "Hey" I here Stefan answer. I unconsciously lean closer, straining to be able to hear the exchange.

  "We have a problem" Damon barks, his knuckles going white as he grips onto the cell phone.

  "What did you do? Wait, did you find it?" Stefan asks, all niceties now forgotten.

  "I found something," Damon offers, " just attacked us."

  "What did? Who are you with?" Stefan's voice rises as he demands answers.

  "Nereza, she..."

  "You're with Nereza?" Elena screeches in the background, so loud that I even jump.

  "How is she?" Stefan asks, not waiting for an answer to Elena's question.

  "Fine. I am bringing her to the cabin, will be there in 10." Damon growls into the phone, pressing harder on gas making us speed by the passing trees.

  I gasp as I am pushed into my seat by the sudden momentum. 10 minutes? It took us a half hour to get here! My stomach clenches as I feel the waves of nausea rush through me. Too fast, we are going to fast! Then again, I'd rather battle motion sickness rather than whatever those things were.

  "Alright, we will be there" Stefan confirms before clicking off. Damon throws his phone to the center council, not even flinching when he misses and it lands at my feet.

  "What was that?" I finally manage to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

  "It's new to me." He states, shaking his head and clenching his jaw in frustration.

"What do you mean new to you?" I ask exasperated, my voice shrill with panic. "Your over a hundred years old! Nothing should be new to you at this point!" Damon glances at me, his eyes softening as he sees me trembling beside him. He sighs, taking a hold of my hand in his and squeezing it gently.

  "We will find out what that was" He assures me, but it does little to ease my terrified heart.

  "Where are we going?" I sigh, looking out the window as the scenery flies by.

  "To our cabin. You will be safe there" He promises.

  Safe, somehow I doubt that. My eyes widen and I sit up abruptly as a realization hits me. Zeke, he isn't safe! What if those things make it town? What if they.... no, I can't go there.

  "We have to get Zeke!" I demand. Damon raises an eyebrow at me and shakes his head in disagreement.

  "We have to get you out of here" He argues.

  "I can't just leave with Zeke completely clueless!" I protest, my eyes narrowing into a glare at even that notion that he should be left behind.

  "So send him a text!" He scoffs, not even sparing me a glance now.

  "Either we are picking him up, or you can drop me off in town!" I order. Slipping my hand out of his I cross my arms over my chest, showing that I will not be persuaded.

  "And if I don't?" Damon challenges, placing his discarded hand back on the steering wheel and sending me a sideways glance.

  "I'm pretty sure I can master the tuck and roll" I shoot at him, even as I wearily peek at the trees speeding by my window.

  "You wouldn't." He decides, eyeing me skeptically.

  "Wouldn't like it" I correct, jutting my chin out stubbornly. A tense silence settles between us and I begin to fear that he really might refuse.

  "Fine" Damon growls, tightening his grip on the steering wheel as he pushes forward. "Call him! Tell him to be ready."

  "Thank you" I whisper, a small victorious grin pulling at my lips.

  Before he has a chance to object once more I pull out my phone. It only rings once before the call is answered, a rush of gargled noise greeting me.

  "Zeke!" I shout, needing him pay attention to me rather than whatever is going on around him.

  "What's up buttercup?" He greats me cheerfully, not even noticing my urgency.

  "I am on my way to get you!" I announce.

  "Oh, where we going?" He asks, slurping something obnoxiously in my ear.

  "Can't explain over the phone. Where are you?"

  "At the coffee shop. Want me to get you something?" He offers.

  "No, just be ready, we will be there soon" "Okie dokie baby!" He sings before hanging up on me.

  I cringe, knowing he isn't taking this seriously. I normally love his light heartedness, but this is not the time.

  "If he isn't running out to the car when we pull up, we are leaving him" Damon grumbles, obviously hearing the entire conversation.

  "Shush" I roll my eyes, hoping that he is just joking.

  We zoom into town just moments later without incident. The entire time we drove I kept my eyes peeled for any cops, stray commuters, or any of those...things to get in our way. Honestly though, I doubt Damon would have even stopped, no matter what we may have ran into. The drive was tense, him focusing on the road while I stared out the windows like a watch dog.

  I hated the silence, yearning for the playful banter we had just earlier today. In the silence there are no distraction, nothing to stop me from thinking. From worrying. Which is exactly what I did the entire ride. I worried about my friends, my family, all those who may be in danger. I worried for myself. First Vampires, now this? I must be going insane. I must just be hallucinating. Those couldn't really be.... no don't think about it.

   Damon groans as we slow in front of the Coffee shop, rolling past the doors. I shoot him a glare, warning him not to even try to speed away. With a sigh of defeat he hits the brakes, bringing us to a halt.

  I bounce in my seat, impatiently watching the front door of the building. Where is he? I told him to be ready! My eyes scan the windows, desperate to place him, but the glare of the sun makes it impossible to see in clearly. I can feel Damon shifting restlessly behind me, but I do not dare look to him. I fear at any moment he will lose his patience and peel out of her. I bite my lip to suppress the whimper bubbling inside of me.

  "I'll go get him!" I announce, opening my door as I speak.

  "No!" He demands, but I do not waver.

  I step out of the car and close the door on him in attempt to silence any further arguments. Of course, this doesn't work.

  "Nereza, get back here!" He hisses at me as he pushes his own door open and joins me outside.

  I am about to argue with him when Leo steps out of the shop, my words dying in my throat. I stare at him dumbly, feeling like a jerk for not even thinking about warning him. I mind scrambles for a solution. What do I do? He doesn't know about Damon and the others, he is never going to believe us! Leo doesn't seem to notice my inner debate, just beams at me as he steps onto the sidewalk.

  He looks better today, his wounds healing quickly. His eye is no longer swollen, and the bruising has lightened up a lot. There are still a few scrapes that have scabbed over, but they are not as angry looking as they were even just yesterday. He offers us a small waves with his right hand, which is still wrapped in a brace. Even that, however, looks to be feeling better as he is no longer babying it as he was.

  "Hey guys, what's going on?" He asks, eyeing Damon cautiously who is glaring at him from the other side of the car.

  "Didn't she tell you idiots to be ready?" Damon scolds as he hits the top of his car. "Get in, lets go!"

  "Ugh, sorry?" Leo offers, unsure of himself. He turns to me with knitted brows, his eyes soft and concerned. "Is everything okay?" He whispers to me, glancing at Damon as if worried he is about to yell again.

  "No," I answer honestly, "we just need to get going."

  "You sure? If he is being a jerk to you I can make him leave" He leans in to me, his breath tickling my ear as he whispers his offer.

  "How?" Damon sneers, "Going to say pretty please?"

  Leo blinks at him, his color draining from his face as he stares in confusion.

  "Stop!" I warn Damon.

  Not only is he being a jerk, just as Leo said, but he is also being weird. Normal people can't hear a whisper from that far away!

  "Are you sure" Leo whispers again, pausing when Damon raises an eyebrow at him.

  "Yes, like I said we really just need to go!" I insist, fidgeting in place as the need to get out of here builds inside of me. "Where is Zeke?"

  "Oh he was just getting you a drink, told me to meet you out here." Leo shrugs. I drop my shoulder in annoyance and let out a groan.

  "I told him not...AH!"

  I scream as my ankle is suddenly yanked out from underneath me. I am pulled off balance, tumbling to the hard cement. I am caught, at the last moment, by Leo who pulls me close to him.

  "What the!" He shouts in horror as he gapes at the creature that is clawing at my leg.

  Its bony fingers, with only stray pieces of putrid flesh still clinging to them, dig into me through my jeans. The things singular arm tugs at me, pulling me toward it. Leo holds me tighter, giving me the terrifying feeling of being in the center of tug of rope game.

   "Hooooi" The creature whines.

  Its tongue lolling to the side of its mouth, jerking and spasming as it moans, the jaw broken and hanging uselessly. The face, so abused I am unable to even tell if it was once a man or woman, has been skinned along the way with bits of gravel piercing into it's soft tissue. I try to hold back my scream of horror, not wanting to draw people out, but as the thing pull itself up with my leg I can not help the whimper. Half of its body is missing, it's organ dragging behind it as it pulls its way out from under the car, leaving a trail of chunks and oozing liquid.

  Leo kicks the thing in the head, its neck twisting in a sickly manner. It's hold on my only tightens however, its eyes rolling in their sockets as another moan escapes its open mouth. I hold onto Leo for dear life as I shake my leg desperate for my freedom. Leo curses as he winds back, kicking once more with all he has.

  The head drops to the side, the neck completely broken. The hands falter and I am able to kick myself free, but it doesn't die. It falls to the ground, its outstretched hand still reaching for me. The tongue sliding along the ground, as it howls in response.

  "Shit!" Damon curses, sprinting to my side.

  Without hesitation he hovers over the monster, glaring down at it. With one swift motion he lifts his foot and stomps on it with all his force, crushing the skull instantly. It twitches once, and then grows still.

  A sob wracks through me as I stare at it in horror. Even with the head smashed in I fear that it will somehow jerk back to life and pounce. My legs, trembling beneath me, threatens to give out. I lean into Leo, who still has me wrapped in his arms. He coos in my ear, seeking to soothe me. Even as he does, he never takes his eyes off the lying beast.

  My stomach rolls, threatening to be sick, as Damon kicks his foot free of the skull. A spray of chunks scattering along the side walk with a sickening 'splat'. He turns to us, his eyes darkening for an instant as he watches me bury my head in Leo's chest. Another sob escapes me, making his lips purse and his eyes soften. He takes a step in my our direction, reaching out for me.

  A soft thud makes us all turn back to the entrance of the coffee shop. Zeke, pale as a ghost and eyes wide with terror, stands there frozen. His mouth drops open, but for once he is unable to find the words. My iced coffee dropped to the ground forgotten, its contents flowing freely over the sidewalk mingling with the remains that lie still before us. He turns to us, a small noise gurgling in the back of his throat as his gaze darts around the scene he stepped into.

  "What the Fu..."