Crumbling Hearts and Shattered Minds

Chapter 3: Eyes Open Under Water

Damon POV

When I got to the grill I didn't feel like sharing and caring with Rick, who was at our usual spots, so I went to the corner of the bar closest to the entrance.

The blonde jock, that hated me, brought me a drink without having to ask what I wanted.

Huh.

Maybe I should find a new hangout.

Nah.

Bugging people here is just to much fun. With that I took a gulp. At least the kid wasn't stupid enough to vervain it. Maybe he should have. At least it would distract me from All the suicidal thoughts and regret that began to swim back to me.

Every mistake, every kill, and every failure. All these thoughts caused a replay of the nightmare that continues to torment me.

I was to the part were I was being ripped apart by the good towns people, when someone slammed a glass down next to me. not enough to break the glass, but enough to make me wanna jump outta my skin.

But not because it scared me.

Damon Salvatore does not do scared!

I gathered my composure and glared up to the bastard.

I wasn't surprised a bit to see Rick sitting next to me wearing a shit-eating grin. I continued to glare at him.

"Does no one in this godforsaken town have anything better to do with their time rather than try to kill me?" I asked while rubbing my eyes. Something was seriously bothering them.

"Try to kill you? Why, Damon, I would never." Rick stated while acting offended at the thought.

"How drunk are you?" I asked, Eyes still feeling like they're open underwater.

"Not drunk enough. Besides it wouldn't be so hard to kill you if I could scare you half to death with just slamming a glass down." Rick joked.

"You did not scare me half to death! It's just a... Off day for me." I said, putting my hand down on the bar and trying to ignore the weird crap my eyes are going through .

"Hey. You okay?" Rick asked. Out of the corner of my vision I saw him fully facing me on the bar stool.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I lied.

"If you're fine, than look at me." Rick said, still not convinced.

Reluctantly, I lifted my head to look at him. When I was finally looking at his face, he looked at me as though I was a ghost.

But I wasn't paying much attention to that, as to his dead wife, that I turned, and his dead girlfriend that replaced vampire Barbie in the curse breaking ritual.

Rick must have noticed my horrified look cos his expression grew concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asked while looking behind him.

His words broke me out of my frozen state and I got up and ran (at human speed) out the door.

As soon as I was outside I ran at full vampire speed towards the woods.

Screw the car. I just needed to be away from all people.

Hell, everything living in general.

I must be losing my mind. That has to be it. Why else would I be haunted by the ghosts of people who wouldn't be ghost if it wasn't for me? Did that even make sense? Well, I guess none of this does.

By this time I was walking aimlessly.

Or that's what I thought.

Little did I know, my own feet were betraying me now. Without me knowing my feet took me to the one place in this town that I swore I'd never return to.

The old Salvatore estate. It was barely ruble but it was enough of it for me to see and remember everything that had happened here.

"Well, the disappointment of a son returns home." I spun around to see who the voice that said that belonged to.

Though I could recognize that voice anywhere.

It belonged to the man who shot Stefan and I. The man who started us on this hell trip.

Giuseppe Salvatore.

He looked at me with the same disapproving stare that was constant when we were alive.

"You're not here. You're not real! You're dead! Stefan killed you!" I shouted at him. I was losing my sanity and seeing my dead, abusive father, so why not shout a little?

"What? My son is losing his mind and I'm not allowed to visit?" He asked with a rare grin. But this wasn't a good grin. This was more of 'gonna skin you alive' grin.

"So I am losing my mind?" I asked, though I knew I wouldn't like the answer.

"Yes. What did you think was going on? You still aren't the sharpest are you? No, it was always Stefan wasn't it? Everyone preferred him. He was always much smarter, wasn't he?" Dad- no he stopped being dad a long time ago- Giuseppe said, as he started circling me.

Though he seemed to be fading.

"I'll be around. Because this isn't even close to being over." Before I could say anything he was gone.

I was slipping into madness.

And there was too much bad blood between me and Stefan, that I lost faith that he would save me.

I was losing hope.

Losing time.

And losing my mind.

And this is the time that Damon Salvatore gets scared.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at the sky, it was getting dark.

I started walking out of the woods.

Time to face the world yet again.