Bad Feelings (Zach's Daughter series, Book Five, The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter 16__While You Were Sleeping

Bonnie had explained to us exactly what had happened when Katherine's spirit had been talking to her.

Katherine had been whining about Elena getting the life that she had always wanted, and that she had left her a little parting gift.

She had injected Elena with the Ripper virus that was laced with werewolf venom.

So, if we didn't find that antidote soon, Damon and Elena both would want to kill everyone they loved and cared about, and Elena would die. 

In the cell, Damon was still chained up. 

Jeremy and Matt were teasing him with blood. 

"Hilarious," Damon said. "Give me the damn cup. Wipe that smile off your face." 

"Hey, you're lucky I'm even helping you, considering the last thing you did for me was to tell Enzo to strangle me to death," Jeremy told him. 

"Quit crying," Damon told him. "You're still around."

"Yeah, which is more than we can say for Aaron Whitmore," Matt told him. "Weren't he and Elena tight?" 

"Yep," Jeremy answered.

"Does she know that Damon killed him?" Matt asked.

"I don't know," Jeremy said. "Does she?" 

"No, she doesn't, because I'm going to be the one to tell her," Damon answered. "If either one of you clowns beat me to it, I'll rip your tongue out."  A phone started ringing. "Don't you even think about it! Nikki!" 

I rolled my eyes, walking down the basement steps, toward the cell.

"Damon's phone!" Jeremy said.

Elena's voice on the phone. "Jer?"

"Yeah. How are you feeling?" 

"A little confused, but good. I miss you."

"Same here." 

I walked into the cell, pushing Jeremy and Matt toward the door. "He killed you both once before, dumbasses. He can kill you again." I took the phone, pressing it to my ear to talk to Elena. "Someone wants to speak to you." 

I threw the phone to Damon.

Damon caught it. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, don't get used to it," I told him, walking out, closing and locking the door behind me, turning toward Jeremy and Matt, who looked pleased with themselves. "Try not to get yourselves killed." 

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked.

"I need more blood, unless one of you feel up to it to volunteer," I told them.

Matt shook his head. "Uh, no--no, we're good." 

"That's what I thought," I told them, walking away. 

Because I seriously needed more blood. 

~~~~~

I had to go to the hospital blood bank to get blood bags, and with the no-vervain staff, it was pretty easy. 

I was in the bank, opening a door, seeing so many blood bags. 

I hadn't fed in a while, my eyes turning red and veins crawling underneath. 

I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to calm down. I lost the battle, rushing to grab one of the bags, ripping into it and drinking, slowly leaning against the doors because I didn't like this part of me, depressed and angry. 

I exhaled deeply, calm after I had finished it, standing, taking as many as I needed, putting them in my bag and walking away, out into the hall.

I smelt blood everywhere, seeing a patient fresh from a car accident being wheeled right past me. I turned my head to follow with my gaze. 

The paramedics wheeled him into a room, running away to help other patients from the car accident. 

It felt like I couldn't control any part of me, walking toward the room with the patient, closing the door behind me. I walked toward the bed, seeing him unconscious with his head bleeding, blood trailing down his nose, mangled, bruised and bleeding.

I breathed deeply, trying to control myself, closing my eyes, feeling the veins crawl underneath my eyes and then disappearing. I was in control. 

I sighed in relief, opening my eyes. 

My gaze locked over the blood again.

I couldn't fight it this time. I transformed, rushing forward to bite him and feed. 

And if I fed on him, he would die.

Someone rushed inside, pushing me back, turning to face me. "Newbie vamp didn't learn about control yet." 

I looked at Tyler, breathing heavily, brought out of it. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same reason you're here," Tyler told me. "Ran out of the juice boxes, needed more. But when I come, it's nearly been wiped out." 

"I'm hungry," I told him.

"Yeah, clearly," Tyler told me. "Between Damon getting infected with the Ripper virus, Stefan being used by the Travelers and Katherine getting expelled from Elena's body, no one's had the time to help you, have they?" 

"I don't need help," I told him.

"You don't need help?" Tyler repeated. "And here I thought you didn't make jokes." 

I rolled my eyes, looking away. "So I'm having trouble with vampire urges because I am a new born vampire, which every vampire in the history of vampires has gone through. So what? I can handle it myself." 

"Could you handle killing that guy yourself?" Tyler asked. "Just let someone help you before you lose it and kill someone."

"And who's that someone gonna be?" I asked. "You?" 

"Maybe," Tyler answered. "Unless you think that you don't need it." 

I turned around, walking out of the room. "I don't want your help." 

Tyler reached out to stop me. "Wait." I looked at him in confusion. Tyler took a few blood bags from my bag. "Don't be selfish." 

I rolled my eyes, walking away without another word.

~~~~~

I went home, pouring the bags into the deep freezer down in the basement.

Matt and Jeremy walked toward me. Matt had a hand to his neck. 

"Too bad you didn't get here just a little earlier," Jeremy told me.

"Why?" I asked, closing the freezer, turning toward them. "What did you two idiots do this time?" 

"It wasn't us," Matt told me, lowering his hand.

I saw blood on his neck, tensing up. "What the hell happened?" 

"Damon used me to get Jeremy to let him go and so he could go to Elena because she's falling apart," Matt answered. 

"You're telling this to a vampire who's easily angered and has heightened everything right now and is on the verge of breaking and who is really really hungry?" I asked. "Right, you two are idiots, and I need to get out of here." 

I walked toward the door quickly. 

Jeremy turned after me. "Nicola, wait--"

I turned toward them. "I am falling apart! What part of that don't you understand? Just stay away from me right now. It might keep you alive." 

I turned around and rushed away. 

I didn't know how to do this.