Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

34. Original Sin

Caroline held the gate to the cell closed while Matt kept his gun pointed at Tyler, filled with the wooden bullets that Damon had given to Riley.

"It's not gonna hold," Riley said frantically. "He's gonna break in here and tear us to shreds."

"You're not helping!" Caroline said through gritted teeth, still maintaining her grip on the gate.

Wolf-Tyler backed away from the door, before bashing into it again and again, trying to break through. Matt pulled the trigger, shooting a wooden bullet directly into the wolf, who backed away from the door.

"Matt, no!" Caroline scolded him. "It's Tyler!"

"He's trying to kill us!" Riley reminded her. "Out of all of us, which ones are probably gonna survive? The wolf, the vampire, or the two humans? We have to protect ourselves, Care."

"Just... wait," Caroline said, peering through the door. "He's wounded."

Matt tightened his grip on the gun. "Stay back!" Matt warned her.

Caroline slowly began to unlock the gate. "We can go around him."

"Are you nuts?!" Matt asked, his gun still on the wolf that was lying on the ground, his breathing labored.

"Take my hand," Caroline instructed, holding out both of her hands. Riley took her hand immediately, while Matt was more hesitant.

"Come on Matt!" Riley said, desperate to get out of the cellar before the sacrifice began. Matt put the rifle over his shoulder and reluctantly took Caroline's other hand. She vamp-sped them out of the cellar, passing Tyler and not stopping until they were well away from him.

"We should go to Tyler's," Caroline said. "It's close, and it'll keep him out."

Matt nodded at the logical plan. "OK, let's go."

Riley hesitated. "I can't."

"What do you mean?!" Caroline asked. "Put one foot in front of the other, it's easy."

Riley shook her head. "I can't," she said again. "I have to be with the others."

Caroline grabbed her arm. "Those bullets won't keep Tyler down for long. If he's still out here, we need to be inside."

"The last thing I want is to have to hear from Jeremy or Ric that someone we love got killed, I can't." It wasn't long until the ritual began, and she had to see them before they left to face Klaus. She had no idea what he was capable of, but she couldn't let them go to him without saying goodbye.

"There's nothing you can do," Matt reminded her.

"I can be there," she said. "That's all I have to do."

Caroline didn't want to let her go, but she got it. She understood that Riley was the kind of person who loved with her whole heart. She couldn't even begin to think about how to handle death and loss because she'd never had to – and she didn't want to start now.

"Take this," Caroline instructed, taking the gun from Matt and handing it to her. "You see anything, you shoot, got it?"

"Got it," Riley confirmed. It was the second time that day that she'd been given that advice.

"Love you," Caroline said, pulling her into a tight, quick hug.

"Love you," Riley echoed. "Please don't die."

They ran in separate directions, Caroline and Matt towards the Lockwood mansion, Riley towards the old witch house. Luckily, she didn't find a use for the gun in her hand.