"Hey red, my glass is empty!" The drunken man bangs his glass against the bar.

I work at a small dive bar in Mystic Falls. I absolutely dispise my job. The only people that come here are low-life drunkards.

I sigh and slide another glass across the bar, I really should have cut him off 3 drinks ago but im desperate for money and he tips well.

I glance at the time, the clock reads "1:30am". The end of my shift was drawing near, the bar closed at 2:00am.

I hate working so many late nights, but I need the hours and nobody else wants the shifts. Most of my co-workers had families to run home to; kids, parents, significant others.

Me... I have only my mother, although  I am more of a mother to her than the other way around. She is a "woman of the night" and an addict. If she was not passed out on the couch when I got home in the morning, she was blowing up my phone with calls and text messages asking for money.

The thought of what I would have to face when I got home crossed my mind and I pour myself up a shot.

Perhaps I'll get a hotel room, I really don't want to deal tonight. I ponder the idea.

"Fuck my life..." I groan before taking the shot.

"You're not supposed to drink on the job, you know." I hear a joking voice.

A man with dark hair and striking blue eyes sits at the bar infront of me. There is no way I could have missed him, but I swear he was not there a second ago.

I shake it off.

"If you were me you'd drink too." I chuckle. "What can I get you to drink? A beer?"

"Your finest bourbon, please." He grins.

I look through the open bottles that line the back counter, there was none. Probably because I've never had anybody ask for it before.

I find a bottle of cheap bourbon in the back of the cupboard. He gives me a repulsed look as I wipe the dust from the bottle before cracking it open.

"Aged to perfection." I make a sarcastic remark before pouring it into a glass and laying it infront of him. What else did he expect in a shit hole like this?

He swirls it around in the glass before downing it.

"Want another?" I ask.

"What, are you trying to poison me?" He snickers. "That is the worst thing I have ever tasted."

"Well, obviously you didn't walk into a place like this expecting top tier service." I take his glass and lay it into the sink. He was well kept and nicely dressed in a fitted leather jacket. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all of the run down regulars that sat across the bar.

"So what brings you here?" I was genuinely curious.

"I decided to drop into town to visit my brother, we haven't seen each other in years." He has a mischievous look in his eye.

"But he didn't appreciate it at all- just kicked me out..." He continued. "Teenagers, am I right?"

It was funny to me, he looked almost pleased at his brother's dismissal.

"Who is your brother, perhaps I know him?" I don't socialize much, but I have lived in this town my whole life.

"Stephan Salvatore."

"Ah, yeah I know of him." I mainly know what I've hear from Caroline, we know each other well because of the countless times her mother -the sheriff- has dragged my high mother home. She really loves to talk, even though I've been out of school for 3 years now she makes sure to fill me in on all of the petty drama.

"But I haven't heard anything about him having a brother." I tilt my head in thought.

"Typical." He scoffs. "There are a lot of things he neglects to tell people."

The clock chimes as it hits 2:00am, people leave an some are escorted out as I make the last call.

He gets up, looking tiffed.

"I need to go blow off some steam." He bites his lip. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again."

I nod and he shoots me a wave as he leaves. I realize I forgot to ask his name. I'll have to ask Caroline.

I wipe down the bar and clean the dishes. I shut off all of the lights before checking all of the doors and locking up.

I only live down the street so I always walk home, between bills and rent I could only dream of affording a vehicle.

I pull a small can of pepper spray from my purse. There have been reports all over the news the last couple of days about people dying or being hospitalized because of violent animal attacks, and I am not prepared  to be one of them.

I feel a coolness run down my cheek, it is beginning to rain. I stop and pull the hood of my jacket up over my head. As I do so an uneasy feeling washes over me, like I am being watched from behind.

I look around, nothing. I listen carefully to every step I make. I am alone, But I am unable to shake the feeling that I am not.

My house is at the end of the street but it feels like I'm not getting any closer. Once it creeps into sight I start to run, attempting to close the gap faster.

Until I trip, landing on my hands and knees. The flats that I had worn to work were not meant for running in.

I rub my hands together to remove any gravel that had scuffed them. I turn over my palms, they looked dark in the moonlight.

I pull my phone out of my purse and use its flashlight to examine my hands... they are covered in blood! I know I didn't fall that hard.

I use the light to look down at the pavement and, to my utter shock, I had been kneeling in a puddle of blood.

I scream and jump to my feet. Who's blood was this!? I look up toward my house, it was only minutes away. I want so badly to just run the rest of the way home, go to bed and pretend this hadn't happened. But I have too much of a conscience for that, if my loved one had been attacked I would want to know.

Beside the puddle of blood there were marks as if the body had been dragged into the ditch, what kind of animal is strong enough to do that? I follow the path of blood and step down into the hole, I can see the silhouette of a person laying at the bottom of it.

The last thing I imagined I'd be doing tonight is seeing a dead body for the first time. My heart races and I hold my breath.

As I dial the number of the police department I shine my flashlight onto the corpses face, and staring back at me -pale and lifeless...

My mother.

"Mystic Falls Sheriff's department, what is your emergency?"

I try to speak, but no words leave my lips.

My mother's face was distressed, as if her final moments were a struggle. Blood pooled in her hair as it gushed from the large gash in her neck.

"Hello?"

Tears begin to roll down my chin and I gasp for air.

"Elizabeth...? It's Morgan... my mom...has been attacked by an animal." 

"Where are you?"

"Just down the street... from home." It took me a moment to answer, I was having trouble collecting my thoughts.

"We'll be right there."

The phone hangs up and I rest a hand on my mother's cold cheek.

"I know we fought a lot. And I know I always called you a nuisance and said i wished you were dead...But I didn't expect you to go this way..." I whisper. "I thought you would just fall asleep and not wake up...peacefully... not like this."

Minutes later I see the red and blue lights reflect in my mother's glassy eyes. The police had arrived.

And the realization hit me...

Now I have no one... I'm all alone.