SOMETHING ROAMS THE NIGHT...

FORTY FOUR

"Whoa, Haley," Ezra's fingers dug into my skin. "What are you doing?"

I ignored him, my mind blank. All I knew was that I had to go to the figure, go to the person concealing himself in the dark. He was waiting for me.

I could just make out the dark stain on his shirt, the soft drip, drip, drip as blood trickled from the wound in his chest to the pavement. His golden-yellow eyes were fastened on mine. Mesmerizing me, pulling me in.

"Haley, stop," Ezra tugged harder. I felt pain, but I didn't react. I kept walking, mindlessly, soullessly.

Yes, come to me Haley...

Come to Damon...

"Haley!" Ezra whirled me around with one quick swing of his arm. "What was that?" he shook me by the shoulders.

I was befuddled, and my head hurt. Stars seemed to explode in my brain as I struggled to clear my vision. "Wha-" Ezra's captivating eyes were the first thing I saw when I came to my senses. "What happened?"

"Hale, are you okay?" There it was again, the same question. "You don't look too well."

"I..." I mumbled groggily. "I don't remember anything. We were sitting there, and then..."

"You got up, and started walking away. It was as if you saw something," Ezra didn't release his grip on me. "What did you see, Haley?"

"I...did?" I blinked. "I don't...remember."

"Yeah, it was creepy. You were like hypnotized or something, walking like a zombie towards something I couldn't see. What's going on with you, Hale?"

Why couldn't I remember a thing? How could I even answer Ezra when I couldn't even explain my actions? How could I have no clue what I was doing?

"Oh, God," I gasped in terror when all of a sudden it all came flooding back.

"What? Do you..."

"It was him," I choked out. Fear overcame me, and my body began to tremor.

"What?" Ezra didn't seem to comprehend. "Who?"

"Damon," I whispered. "He's back."

"What?" Ezra looked at me as if I were insane. "Are you crazy?"

"I saw him," I stared at the spot where the figure once stood. The pavement which had been spattered with his blood was spotless. "I saw him."

"You know that's impossible," he tightened his arm around me. "Come on, let's get you home. I need to make sure you're a hundred per cent fine."

"I'm not crazy," I shook my head. "I saw him, I swear."

"It's okay, he's gone now," Ezra tried to soothe me. "It's okay."

"It's not," I shook my head again. "He's back, and he wants revenge on me."

Are you afraid now, Haley?

You're going to be like me one day...

You see, I live in you now...

Your memories of me keep me alive...

As long as you breathe, I will breathe too...

And when I'm strong enough...

I will eat you alive from the inside...

And you'll be a reaper, just like me...

Just like me, Haley...

A creature of the night, a predator...

a killer.