BLOODLINE
xix. hybrid zombie mountain man

THE AFTERMATH OF Stefan's silent phone call came as no surprise to Erin. If the last two months told her anything, it was that her sister wouldn't rest until she exhausted every possible method to find her missing boyfriend. So when morning came, Elena reached out to Sheriff Forbes and asked her to trace it.

And once the trace results were revealed, Elena's hope returned in full force. The phone call came from Tennessee, not far from Memphis. The exact location of Stefan's most recent victims.

With her suspicion confirmed, Elena wanted to venture out to Tennessee in the hope that she could find Stefan. To do that, they needed more information about his and Klaus's rampage down the East Coast. They must've had a reason as to why they traveled and killed so often. Erin and Elena needed to know what, if they were to intercept Stefan at their next stop.

Of course, Erin agreed to help Elena in her crazy plan. She wasn't about to let her sister go off in search of her ripper-turned boyfriend alone.

A quick visit to Alaric's apartment put them on the right path. He had helped Damon track Stefan from the beginning, so he knew everything the vampire refused to relay. And after Stefan killed Andie Starr, Damon's compelled girlfriend, the night before, he refused to put forth any more effort to find his brother.

But Alaric never said such a thing. He hesitated to say a word, not wanting them to run headfirst into danger, but he relented and told them everything. Stefan and Klaus were apparently tracking werewolves across the country. And since they were considered nearly extinct, they had a bit of trouble finding any.

Elijah did say that Klaus would want to make more hybrids after he turned. Werewolves were obviously needed to do so.

So, Erin and Elena went to the only werewolf they knew who could help.

"A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up," Tyler explained as the three of them claimed a booth in The Grill. "But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places where they don't have to do that. Where they can enjoy it."

Erin didn't know much about werewolves, but she learned enough from Tyler to realize transforming in a vast open space would seem appealing. Much more than having to chain oneself up to prevent them from escaping and killing someone.

Erin's brows creased slightly when she said, "they'd go somewhere open but secluded, right? Like, state parks and stuff?"

Tyler looked at her from across the table and nodded. "Yeah. State parks, mountains, deserts, anything like that."

"Anywhere in Tennessee?" Elena questioned in a hopeful manner.

Tyler turned her way and nodded, again. "Yeah. Here." He extended his hand out to her. "Give me your phone. I'll try to pull up a map."

Elena reached into her jean shorts pocket and pulled out her phone, handing it over to their friend. As he took it, she told him, "thanks for this. I know it's asking a lot."

Tyler scrolled on the phone's screen, searching for a location to give. He sighed, glancing up at them. "As Caroline likes to remind me, Stefan's in this mess because I bit Damon. I figure, I owe you one." His expression scrunched a bit as his gaze drifted between them. "Have you talked to her today?"

Erin shook her head. "Nope. Not since last night."

"No," Elena added. "Why?"

Tyler pressed his lips together, dropping his attention back to the phone. "Just curious."

Erin noticed the sudden shift in Tyler's demeanor. The attempt at an offhanded inquiry about Caroline. The two of them had been getting close over the last few months, exchanging longing looks and staring at one another like they were seconds away from tearing their clothes off. And by the way Tyler acted that morning, maybe they finally had.

Tyler finished his little search on the phone and handed it back to Elena. "Here. That's your best bet."

Elena nodded, taking her phone as she gave him a light grin. "Thanks, again." She moved to stand and started to leave, but Erin's lack of movement caught her attention. "You coming?"

"I'll catch up in a minute," Erin replied, causing her sister to turn and continue in her path. When Elena was out of earshot, she whirled back to Tyler and quipped, "why do you wanna know where Caroline is so bad?"

Tyler just shrugged. "I don't. Just curious."

Erin picked up in the way he fidgeted in his seat. Her eyes widened as the realization fell over her mind. "Oh, my God. You slept with Caroline!"

Tyler's eyes mirrored hers, before he scoffed. "What? No, I didn't."

"You so did," Erin retorted, smiling brightly at the change of events. "It's about freaking time."

Tyler rolled his eyes, but a sheepish grin formed as he moved to stand. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Erin followed his lead and climbed up from the booth. "Tyler and Caroline sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S..."

Tyler proceeded to walk away, calling out over his shoulder to cut her song off, "shut up, Erin!"

Erin laughed, turning in her heel to join Elena and Alaric. He was apprehensive about following them to The Grill for information, but he decided to do so anyway. Even when he wanted to distance himself, he couldn't seem to follow through with the decision.

"You guys wanna hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?" Alaric questioned when Erin approached them.

It wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but Erin nor Elena ever claimed to be geniuses.

Elena pressed her lips together and replied, "we'll be out of there before the moon is full." Alaric sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. She sighed and stood from her chosen barstool. "If you don't come with us, we're going by ourselves." He gave her a flat look. She shrugged. "What? You're the one who told us that we could handle things on our own now."

Alaric huffed in response. "Yeah, I meant, like - frozen dinners and SATs."

"You should've been more specific," Erin added, capturing his exasperated gaze.

Alaric looked between them and sighed heavily. He pulled out his wallet, setting a few bills into the bar for his cup of coffee. "A - alright, fine. Let's just - let's just go. But, uh, one of you are driving," he stated.

Erin smiled, pivoting on her tennis shoe clad foot to leave. "That'll be Elena. I hate driving."

And with that, they headed out of The Grill for their impromptu trip to Tennessee.

__________

Their journey into the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee took several hours. Many of them reserved for the drive, but the hike into the densely packed landscape would certainly take more. Tyler gave them a fairly broad location to search, meaning a lot of walking and guess work would be needed to find any werewolves. All before the full moon reached its apex that night.

No pressure, or anything.

Erin's legs already strained from the short climb along the given trail into the state park. But as they began to deviate from it, the terrain grew uneven and forced her to remain vigilant to not trip. The activity made her realize just how out of shape she became since she quit cheerleading. She needed to start working out again.

"In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge," Alaric voiced, waking ahead of them as he pointed at a large stretch of mountains that towered in the distance. "If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be."

"You were a Boy Scout, weren't you?" Elena quipped, popping the lid of her water bottle to take a sip. "A Boy Scout slash vampire slayer?"

"Slash whisky-drinking all around lost cause," Alaric retorted.

Erin scoffed, clutching the straps of her backpack as she trudged alongside her sister. "Whiskey-drinking, yes. Lost cause, I beg to differ," she countered.

Alaric brought them to a stop beside a rushing river. He dropped his own backpack to the ground and unbuckled the front to reveal the various weapons he brought along. Wooden stakes, a small crossbow and arrows, and other things Erin forgot the name of.

Elena spotted them as well and said, "wow. You came stocked."

Alaric knelt beside the bag and glanced back at them. "Well, we aren't exactly birdwatching." He reached into one of the pockets and pulled out two glass containers with a brown liquid inside. "Here. Put these in your bags." He held them out.

Erin took one, eyeing the item in her hand. A mechanism sat on top of the container with a pull-ring attached. A handmade grenade. She had seen them used before. The last significant time when she and Elena were almost taken hostage by Elijah.

"Vervain grenade?" Elena questioned at the sight of the items.

Alaric stood to his feet to face them. "Wolfsbane."

Erin pressed her lips together and nodded. Of course. She lowered one strap of her backpack to slip the grenade into the empty mesh holder on the side. The other held her water bottle. When she adjusted the bag back onto her shoulders, she reached into the inside pocket of her running shorts. "If we're giving out gifts..." she trailed off, holding up the bulky Gilbert ring for Alaric to see.

Before they left for Tennessee, Erin asked Elena what she thought about giving Alaric back the ring. He had it before John did, and he deserved to have it again. Elena couldn't use it because she was a doppelgänger, and Erin couldn't because the thing failed to fit any of her fingers. And with Jeremy having its own, the ring would just sit in her jewelry box until she maybe had kids.

Although, Erin didn't think that would be a possibility in her future. She never thought about having kids. In all honesty, the idea failed to appeal to her. Kids weren't on her radar, and she was fine with that.

Alaric paused at the sight of the ring held between her fingers. "That's John Gilbert's ring," he stated.

Erin nodded. "Yes, but it was also yours once. We want you to wear it. You know, with whatever supernatural crap we're about to find ourselves in the middle of."

"He gave it to you," Alaric replied, most likely remembering that God awful day John gave the ring to her.

Erin tried to not think about it as she met his stare. "Well, it doesn't really fit me, and Elena's a doppelgänger. It won't work for her. And aside from me, he left it for if I ever wanted to have kids."

Alaric flicked his gaze from the ring to her. "Yeah, well, then - why don't you save for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?"

Erin rolled her eyes in a lighthearted manner. And he wanted to talk about stubborn. "Alright, fine. Use it today, and then you can give it back. We'd hate for you to die before happy hour," she quipped with a teasing smile.

Alaric simply sighed as he raised a hand to take the ring, slipping it onto his finger.

Baby steps.

Erin grabbed at her backpack straps to pull them from her shoulders. Her upper back began to ache, and she needed a break before they began their hike again.

Elena did the same, stripping off her button up short to reveal the tank top beneath it. "I don't know why you think you're a lost cause," she voiced.

When a whoosh sounded in her ears, Erin whirled around in time to see her sister fly through the air toward the river. Elena screamed, splashing into the water and disappearing under the surface. As she popped back up and began to gasp for air, Erin snapped to the figure that shoved her in.

The moment their eyes met, Erin pointed toward him and commanded lowly, "don't even touch me."

Damon simply moved to rest an arm against a nearby tree and said, "don't make me have to."

Alaric had snatched his crossbow up and aimed for the intruder, but he relaxed and lowered the weapon when he saw Damon.

Elena coughed out water as she lifted her angered stare to the vampire. "Damon! How're you even here?" she exclaimed.

Damon kept his stare on Elena as he called back, "thanks for the tip, brother."

Erin shifted her gaze from him to Alaric, watching his expression fall into a placid one. He called Damon. "You told on us?" she asked him in slight betrayal.

Alaric looked at her and replied, "you think I'd take you guys to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?"

Erin crossed her arms over her tank top. She guessed not, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

__________

After a short temper tantrum from Elena and an equally childish argument from Damon, the four of them continued on their path through the Smoky Mountains. The sun began to sink lower and lower toward the horizon, and they were far from coming across any werewolves. If they wanted to remain alive come morning, they would have to turn back soon or risk being mauled to death.

Sweat clung to Erin's scalp as they pushed on, despite the bun she threw her hair into long ago. She began to think heading back to the car wasn't such a bad idea. They weren't even close to finding Stefan, and she was not about to have her death be caused by a werewolf. Of all the ways to die, that one didn't seem particularly pleasant.

"How you guys doing?" Damon voiced as they climbed the incline before them.

Elena huffed, trudging on despite her breathing growing heavy. "Fine."

Erin scoffed, wincing through the ache that rippled up her calves and thighs. "Well, I'm not," she nearly wheezed. Hiking was not her thing.

"You know, I could help you," Damon replied.

"No, thanks," Elena grunted out as she stepped over a log.

"Just one little fwoosh."

"Yeah, with my luck, you'd drop me."

Alaric continued up the mountain, keeping his gaze straight ahead and exclaimed, "what're you guys - twelve?"

Erin nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly." She pursed her lips, eyeing the flatter portion of the land in front of them. "Although, if that offer to carry someone was real..." she trailed off and glanced back at the vampire.

Damon quirked a brow. "Really?"

Erin released a long sigh and slowed her pace to walk alongside him. "Definitely."

Damon's eyes narrowed for a moment, before he held out an arm and brought her to a stop. Erin's brows furrowed, watching him sidestep with his back toward her. "Hop on, before I change my mind."

Erin beamed, grabbing his shoulders to jump into his back. Damon hooked his arms under her legs and began to carry her the rest of the way up the mountain.

They proceeded in the direction Alaric claimed the werewolves would most likely reside for the full moon. A sight they might see quicker than they wanted. Their journey up took quite a long time, and they hadn't come across any sign of a werewolf encampment.

"We got about a mile left," Alaric stated, weaving through the densely packed trees around them.

"The sun's about to set," Damon added, taking in the darkening forest. They began to lose light and fast.

Elena scoffed. "The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time."

"Not enough," Erin spoke from where she still held onto Damon's back. She was over their little excursion.

As a twig snapped close by, Erin straightened up and snapped to where it originated. She didn't see anything that could've made it, but she knew smaller animals were practically invisible in the underbrush.

But when another larger sound followed, Erin dropped to the ground as Damon released his hold on her legs. She wasn't the only one who heard it. When Alaric raised his crossbow, she trailed his line of sight to see a man stumble into view.

"Stay where you are!" Alaric warned him, causing him to shakily come to a stop.

Blood stained the front of his shirt and trailed down his cheeks, dripping from his eyes. His red-eyed gaze fell over them, settling on Damon. "Vampire," he muttered out.

The man made a move to rush forward, but Damon beat him to it. He sped up to the man, grabbing him by the arms to shove him back into a tree. At the last moment, the man spun and trapped Damon against the bark. He struggled against him, finding it difficult to push him away. Alaric shot an arrow into the man's back, but he didn't seem deterred in the slightest.

They needed to do something. Erin remembered the wolfsbane grenade in her backpack. That could work. She slipped the strap off her shoulder, lowering the bag enough for her to grab it. With a quick pull, she removed the pin and called out, "Damon!" Erin tossed it through the air before he had a chance to respond.

Damon noticed the object head for him and caught it, holding it between him and the man as it exploded.

Erin turned away to shield her face, hearing the man scream from the wolfsbane inflicted burns. She looked back to see him in the ground covered in red blisters that quickly began to heal.

Damon didn't give him a second to recover, stomping forward to send a hard kick to his face. The man slumped onto the dirt in an unconscious heap.

Alaric released a long breath and lowered his crossbow to his side. "Let me guess - hybrid."

Erin swallowed, staring down at the man laid a few feet away. A hybrid. Klaus had already begun to create his new species.

Damon and Alaric didn't waste a second, hurrying over to the man to yank him up from the ground to restrain against a tree. The few supplies they brought with them wouldn't do much to hold a hybrid at bay, but it should hold him long enough for them to get out of there in one piece.

At least, they hoped.

Erin removed the last of their ropes from their backpacks, handing it off to Elena. She used a bottle of vervain water to soak them. An added measure to help keep the hybrid subdued. The other ropes were already secured around his body, dripping with vervain or wolfsbane.

"These ropes aren't gonna hold him much longer. What else do we have?" Damon questioned as he and Alaric tied off the ropes.

Elena poured the rest of the vervain water onto their last rope and called out, "Ric, here. Take these." She held them out.

Absent-mindedly, Damon reached back to grab them and shouted when his hand came into contact with the rope. He retracted his hand, waving it around as it healed from the burn.

Erin snorted at the sight. "She said Ric."

Damon sent her a sharp glare. She wasn't phased.

Alaric took the last rope and wrapped it around the hybrid. "Alright, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him." He sighed and lifted his gaze to the mountain range that still towered before them. "I don't think we're gonna make that ridge before the full moon."

Elena stepped toward the hybrid and said, "if we can get him to talk, we don't have to."

Erin rolled her eyes and released a harsh breath. "Elena, let's just go. We have no idea where Stefan is, and it's getting dark," she stated, but her sister didn't pay her any mind.

Elena inches closer to the hybrid, extending a hand toward his blood covered face. She almost brushed his cheek, before his head snapped up and caused her to jump back.

Fresh blood began to escape his eyes and trail down his cheeks as they opened. The hybrid stared between them until his neck cracked to the side, forcing him to let out an agonizing scream.

Erin's own eyes widened, noticing his teeth morph into fangs and hair sprout along his skin. Was he - turning?

Damon voiced her thoughts. "Is he turning?"

Elena gaped toward the hybrid. "It's impossible. It's still daylight."

Alaric scoffed and gestured to the screaming man. "Tell him that."

The hybrid's bones proceeded to crack and shift as more and more hair formed.

Elena shook her head. "There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full."

"I guess hybrids don't follow the same rules," Erin supplied, taking several steps back when the man's screams grew louder.

"You know, those ropes aren't gonna hold a wolf," Alaric stated.

Damon sped forward to hold the hybrid against the tree, but that didn't seem to do much. The man continued to writhe in pain as the werewolf transformation consumed his body.

"Damon, we gotta get out of here," Elena all but shouted at the vampire. "We gotta get out of these mountains now!"

When he proceeded to hold the hybrid, Erin rushed forward and shoved at his back. "Damon, we have to get out of here now! Come on!"

Damon moved away from the hybrid then, spinning in his heel to hook them a mad dash out of the Smoky Mountains.

__________

Night fell across the landscape well before they escaped the dense foliage of the surrounding forest. Erin weaved between trees, hopping over fallen logs and stray rocks in their way. Her chest grew tight as her lungs burned for air, but she didn't slow down. She didn't care that her legs screamed and her feet had grown numb. The only thing that mattered was reaching the safety of the car before a hybrid or a werewolf caught up to them.

Erin sprinted after Alaric, hoping that he knew the way out of there in the dark. She couldn't tell where they were, let alone where they were headed. They ran as fast as they dared, not caring about what else lurked in those mountains. If it wasn't a supernatural creature hellbent on mauling them to death, it didn't even file a blip on their radar.

They ran full steam ahead until a short yell sounded and then a thud. Erin skidded to a halt, whirling around to see her sister had fallen to the ground. But her clumsiness wasn't the thing that caused her worry to spike to unimaginable heights. It was the wolf a mere foot from Elena's face.

Erin sucked in a breath, staring after Elena as Alaric stood before her with an arm held out to prevent her from taking a step.

"Don't move," Damon hissed lowly as her sister remained on the ground.

Elena slowly lifted her head, gasping when she came face-to-face with the wolf. The creature growling, snapping to where Damon stood, before its snout returned to Elena.

Before anyone could say a word, Damon called out, "here, doggie doggie." He then spun on his heel and sped off through the trees.

The wolf followed hot on his heels.

Once the creature vanished, Erin rushed forward and yanked her sister up to her feet. "We need to get the hell out of here," she breathed out and started to move.

But Elena's voice stopped her. "We can't leave Damon."

No, they couldn't, but they also were no match for a hybrid. At least Damon had a fighting chance.

Alaric spoke her thoughts, "he can handle himself."

Elena shook her head quickly. "No. If he gets bit, he'll be dead. I'm the reason he's out here."

"I am the reason he's out here," Alaric countered in a terse tone. "I told him where we were, and I'm telling you to keep moving." When she didn't move an inch, he demanded, "let's go, Elena, now!"

Erin didn't give her sister time to object as she stomped toward her and snatched ahold of her hand, dragging her after Alaric and out of the mountains.

__________

By the time they reached the safety of the car, the full brightness of the moon illuminated the entire mountain range. A light blue hue that blanketed the jagged landscape and the foliage that consumed it whole. The sight would've been beautiful on any other night, but Erin couldn't quite appreciate it when her friend's life was threatened.

Erin rested in the backseat of Alaric's SUV, leaning sideways against the leather with her knees brought up to hug them against her chest. She didn't know how long they waited for Damon to emerge from the tree-line unscathed. They sat there, scanning the thickly compact trunks and hoped he appeared sometime soon.

"Stefan's out there somewhere, and now Damon, and we're just sitting in this car," Elena exclaimed, staring out the open passenger side window.

Alaric claimed the driver's seat of the silent car and replied, "let the vampires fight the hybrid, zombie mountain man. I'll take care of keeping the humans safe."

Elena shifted in her seat to face him. "I thought you were checked out of taking care of people?" she quipped in return.

Erin perked up at that. She turned and lowered her legs to the floorboard. Alaric made it clear that he didn't want to have a part in their lives anymore. He claimed to be a bad influence, that his behavior wasn't what they needed. So why care now?

In truth, Erin didn't think Alaric ever stopped caring. If anything, he distanced himself from them because he cared too much. They were a part of his life now, and he wanted to protect them from both the average and the supernatural world. He just didn't want to admit it.

Alaric scoffed and set his attention on Elena. "I know what you're doing. Don't. There doesn't need to be a lesson here," he retorted.

"No lesson," Erin voiced as she scooted to the edge of the backseat to peered between the front ones. He glanced her way. "Unless, getting you to realize you're better at taking care of people than you think, counts."

Alaric simply shook his head and returned his gaze to the windshield. "Oh, boy, are you guys a sucker for a lost cause or what?"

"You're not a lost cause, Ric," Elena told him. "You're just - lost. But so is Jeremy, and so is Erin, and so am I." She paused, releasing a short breath. "Our family is gone. We don't have anybody. I'm sorry, but you don't have anybody either. So - we're kind of good for each other."

Elena made a great point. Erin, Alaric, and her siblings were now all alone. Their families were gone, and they were left behind to pick up the pieces of their lives. In a way, the universe was practically pushing them toward each other.

Alaric seemed to contemplate the same notion, dropping his eyes to the ring placed onto finger. He pressed his lips together and looked between them. "I'm keeping the ring, then."

Erin smiled lightly and nodded. "Fine with me."

Right then, a figure approached them from the tree-like. Damon came into view as he grew closer to the quiet vehicle. Erin scuffled across the seat to shove the door open and hop outside. Elena and Alaric did the same, the former reaching the vampire before either of them.

"Are you okay?" Elena rushed out as she stopped before him. "Did you..."

"Fine. Bite free," Damon interjected her question. "Get back in the car, please."

Elena gave him a look of disbelief. "Can you just give me a minute to appreciate that you're not dead?"

Damon's lips pursed. "I'll give you ten seconds. Nine, eight..." he reached out and grabbed Elena a by the shoulders, pushing her in the direction of the car. "Hey, Ric, did you happen to see where I parked my car?"

Elena grumbled as he continued to shove her along. "Damon, stop being such a caveman."

Erin chuckled at the sight until Damon's gaze fell to her.

"Unless you want the same, get back in the car," Damon stated, only releasing his grip on Elena when they reached the backdoor.

Erin rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue and climbed onto the leather seat without a complaint. Their failed trip was over, and it was time to head home.

<April 10, 2022>

Kind of a boring chapter, but the next one should be better. Maybe. But after that is when the real fun begins!

Don't forget to vote and comment.

- Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.