CHAPTER TWENTY | THE WALKING DEAD

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EVER SINCE ELENA TURNED HER HUMANITY ON, ALL SHE CARED ABOUT WAS KILLING KATHERINE. She needed to get her through the stage of agonizing self-loathing, and in her head, killing Katherine would solve all of that. Evelyn felt the same when she woke in transition after being murdered by Katherine. All she wanted to do was tear the woman's heart right from her chest.

Evelyn stepped into the Grill and Caroline quickly beckoned for the brunette vampire to join her and Rebekah at the bar. They all stood, watching the Gilbert girl aggressively throw darts at a dartboard.

"There you are." Caroline sighed in relief and then nodded her head in the direction of Elena. "You were right. She's obsessed. She asked if I knew where Katherine was and she's been doing that ever since."

"Stefan told her to focus on something that makes her want to live. I guess the motivation of killing Katherine is the only thing keeping her going, right now." Evelyn tilted her head as Matt pushed a bourbon in front of her. "Oh, you lifesaver."

"Well, someone needs to do something before she explodes." The Forbes girl interrupted again as she watched Elena throw yet another dart at the board.

"I got this." Rebekah nodded, jumped off of her barstool, and then grabbed two glasses and a bottle. She gave the vampires a smile and then headed over to Elena. Evelyn furrowed her brows as she and Caroline listened in. "Drink. You're putting everyone on edge." Rebekah handed Elena a glass which she immediately downed. "So, what's the deal? I'm new to this whole emotional switch situation."

"It's not complicated. See that dartboard?" Elena gestured to the board that hung nearly on the wall behind Rebekah. "All I can picture is Katherine's face."

The Original watched Elena grit her teeth and throw yet another dart. "So, your emotions are on, they're just dialed to rage." She nodded.

"Look, Rebekah, I get that we had our Thelma and Louise thing back when I had my humanity off. But, let me make one thing clear— We're not friends." Elena chuckled and then headed to the dartboard to collect her darts.

"What about us? Are we still friends?" Caroline stepped over to the girls while Evelyn stood a little behind her. "All those things you said when your humanity was off— is that how you really feel?"

"Caroline, I really don't feel like going down memory lane."

"Right, okay, sure. What about when you told Caroline that she was a repulsive, bloodsucking monster? Or, when you told me you would always be the thing that stood between Damon and I." Evelyn tilted her head as she watched Elena line up another throw. "Did you really mean those things?"

The doppelganger hesitated over her next throw and then glanced up to the two vampires. "If you're waiting for an apology, you're not gonna get one. I can't let myself feel, because if I feel bad then I feel everything. And, we've all seen how well I handle that."

Elena lined up yet another throw at the dartboard, but just before she could, all of the lights went out in the Grill. The vampires all looked at each other before they hurried outside of the bar and noticed a supernatural wind that blew debris through the air and other objects fell to the ground.

"The power's completely out." Rebekah Mikaelson concluded as she shouted over the horrific winds that blew past them.

"I'll call my Mom— maybe she knows that's going on."

"Yeah. And, I'm gonna call Damon." Evelyn nodded and immediately pulled her cellphone from her pocket.

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Bonnie had started the spell to open the door to the Other Side. They included that she would be starting the spell in the middle of the Expression Triangle, which just so happened to be the high school. Evelyn and Elena waited just outside as Damon and Stefan pulled into the parking lot.

The younger Salvatore jumped out of the car first and walked toward the girls with a look of confusion. "Where's Caroline?"

"Inside looking for Bonnie." Elena vaguely explained before she crossed her arms over her chest. "I think we should split up."

"Yeah. Damon and I will take outside. While Stefan and Caroline check inside." Evelyn shouted over the wind, knowing she'd forgotten Elena on purpose.

"I'll help you two," Elena called out as she ran a short distance to catch up with Damon and Evelyn, who had already set off around the perimeter of the school.

"Someone's an eager beaver." Damon turned his head to the doppelganger who just stopped in front of him and Evelyn with a pointed look on her face.

"Where's Katherine?" Elena asked in a determined tone.

"Now I get it." Damon chuckled in shook his head in utter disbelief. "The one brother shoots you down, you ask the other one. Great."

"Are you kidding me right now, you psychotic maniac." Evelyn spat in Elena's direction as the doppelganger carelessly rolled her eyes. "You do realize that there is literally bigger thing's going on right now, like— I don't know— everyone on the Other Side coming back to potentially kill us."

"Tell me that you don't want her dead. After everything that she's done to you both." Elena began to defend her cause but the two vampires didn't budge.

"Elena, we don't need a list of all the reasons to hate Katherine."

"Damon's right, what we need to do is find Bonnie. Come on." Damon and Evelyn attempted to push past Elena and continue the search, but the doppelganger blocked them.

"I don't care about Bonnie." Elena gritted her teeth with a look of vengeance in her eyes. "I care about killing Katherine."

"They're together," Damon revealed as he watched Elena's eyes widen. "So, maybe you should do a little less threatening and a little more looking." Damon shrugged, grabbed Evelyn's hand, and pushed past her.

Evelyn felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as Damon pushed the double doors open to the school. "Stefan, did you find her?"

"No. But, I think we've been looking at the wrong elevation— she's in the tunnels below the school." Stefan concluded as she watched Damon nod. "I just don't know how to get there."

"If I remember correctly, I think there's an entrance in the basement." Damon hummed toward Evelyn's phone.

"Well, where's the basement?"

Elena rolled her eyes and let a small sigh of irritation leave her lips. "Off the boiler room." She announced as she walked a little behind them.

"Stef, we'll meet you there," Evelyn told the Salvatore just before she ended the call. As she slid her phone back into her pocket, she turned around to face Elena. "You're not coming."

The doppelganger's mouth hung open in disbelief. "What? Are you kidding me, Evelyn?"

"No. Actually, she's right." The Salvatore nodded in agreement with the vampire. "We really need to stop Bonnie from doing the spell, and if you get all murderous and screw it up—"

"—Is that really the reason?" Elena raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest once more.

"As self-righteous as Stefan is, he has a point. Behind your rage, there is a tidal wave of feelings— all of your rage. All of your grief. Every emotion you've ever put off, and killing Katherine's gonna let it all in. And, if you can't handle it, then we're back to square one."

"And if I can?" She raised an eyebrow and looked between the two vampires who just scoffed. "What if killing Katherine takes away all that grief and guilt? What if killing Katherine finally lets me feel all the good things that I've lost? As soon as I get over this hurdle, I'll be me. I'll be able to think clearly, I'll be myself, and everything will go back to normal."

Evelyn glanced at Damon, who looked as if he were considering it, but then the brunette vampire shook her head. "Elena, attempting to kill Katherine is stupid. She's a hell of a lot older than you, and you'll die."

Elena let a small sigh leave her lips, then she stabbed Damon in the stomach with a stake and snapped Evelyn's neck. "At least I'll die trying."

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A loud gasp escaped Evelyn's lips and her eyes jolted open. She felt her body laid in Damon's arms as he gently moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey, hey." Damon soothingly spoke in her ear as she regained a sense of herself. "You're okay."

"She snapped my damn neck again, didn't she?" The brunette vampire rubbed the back of her neck as Damon helped her to her feet. As she got up, she noticed an unfamiliar man stood a short distance away from them. "Uh, who—"

Damon looked dumbfounded for a moment, then realized that his friend and Evelyn had never had a chance to meet. "Oh, Evelyn this is Alaric."

"Glad to finally put a face to the name." The Austin vampire smiled toward the ghost and tilted her head. "It's lovely to meet you."

"Likewise." Alaric nodded for a moment and then glanced between Evelyn and Damon. "Thank you for looking out for this dick while I've been— dead."

"Ah, hang on." Damon immediately interrupted the reunion with a pointed look on his face. "If I can see you." He then patted Alaric's arms and face. "And, I can touch you, that means the little witch did it. She dropped the veil."

"Well, not completely. It's only down inside the Expression Triangle. If I step outside of it, it's back to ghost world." Alaric explained with a nod.

"I'm confused. Where is everyone else?" Evelyn tilted her head and glanced around to the empty corridor. "Surely this place should be crawling with ghost-like people right now?"

"Not every ghost has a reason to come back to Mystic Falls. Just the ones like me, looking out for their idiot best friends."

"I'm more worried about the ones looking out for their enemies."

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Bonnie had managed to turn Silas to stone before he could hurt anyone else she cared about. Evelyn headed off home to shower off the stress of the day while Stefan and Elena spent time with their fallen loved ones before Bonnie put the vial back up. Damon and Alaric were left with the task of disposing of Silas.

"Calcified Silas is one heavy son-of-a-bitch." Damon groaned aloud as he placed Silas' stone body in the back of a truck with the help of Alaric.

Alaric watched as Damon pulled out a flask from his jacket pocket, and then took a large swig. "I can't think of a more appropriate way to spend my last moment as a semi-living person."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You have some place better to be?" The Salvatore chuckles softly as he held out the flask toward Alaric.

"Guess not." The man laughed and then took the flask from the Salvatore. He downed a large amount that caused Damon's eyes to widen.

"Thought you were cutting back?" Damon asked, immediately.

"Yeah, well, I thought you were gonna take care of the children." Alaric raised an eyebrow, referring to the comment that was made by the graveside by Damon.

"You heard that? Well, that's not creepy." Damon rolled his eyes and then downed another mouth-full of Bourbon.

"I, uh—I found this— in the dead guy's pocket." Alaric pulled out a box from his pocket and showed the contents to Damon. "Thought it might do more use here than say, three-miles below sea level."

Damon pulled out the cure to vampirism from the small box, held it up, and stared for a moment. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

"Give it to Elena," Alaric responded simply and then gave his best friend a knowing look. "Then, get the girl—get Evelyn. Come on, I've seen the way you look at her."

"What if she doesn't—" Damon was quickly cut off.

"—Trust me, buddy, she does."

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