My Story (Damon's POV)

Ch. 33: Down The Rabbit Hole

I wake up to see one of The Five. I realize that I'm tied to a tree with vervain ropes around my neck and hands. I see that one of The Five is crouched by a campfire. I try to get out of my bonds, but I can't. They're vervained, which causes me pain and eats at my skin.

"Something botherin' you?" he asks me.

"Would you believe me if I told you mosquitoes?" I ask him.

"Aye, I would. How does it feel when a relentless eating machine is draining the blood from your veins?"

"Itchy."

"Your friends from Mystic Falls think you're funny, Damon?"

"You obviously know who I am and where I'm from. Have you been spying on me?"

"Aye, I have," he answers, getting up. "You and Stefan, Elena, your witch, Bonnie. Do you need her to cast the spell written on your pal, Jeremy's hunter's mark..." he continues and sits down again. "...the tattoo that looks exactly like this?"

I look at his tattoo.

"You wanna know something, just ask," I tell him.

"I've been killing vampires my entire life. Still, this thing refused to reveal itself to me. That was, until three days ago and it just magically completed for no apparent reason."

"Come on, man. Do I look like I know anything about tattoos? Look at my skin. It's flawless."

"Ah! You're not taking me seriously."

He walks over to me.

"I don't blame ya. You don't know me."

He holds up a pointy wooden stick that he's been holding over the fire. "So, let me introduce myself."

He stabs the stick in my neck.

"My name is Galen Vaughn, and you'd better start talkin'."

It's a beautiful day, as Galen and I walk through the woods, a vervain rope still around my neck and hands.

"Mind telling me where we're going?" I ask him.

"At the wishing well lies an entrance to a crypt. In the crypt lies Silas. And with Silas lies the cure, which will allow me to kill Silas, bring the mission of the brotherhood of the Five to an end. You're my leverage, Damon. I use you to get your witch friend to open the passage to Silas' crypt for me."

"Wait a minute, you're using me to get to Bonnie Bennett? Whoa, brother. Ha! You picked the wrong vampire."

"I guess we'll see about that."

"Here's the deal, Shrek. My witch friend will open the passage for you. No leverage necessary. We don't care about Silas. All we want is the cure, so you cut us in on your share, and we'll get out of your hair."

"You really don't understand, do you?"

"No, I don't understand, so why don't you explain it?" I say in a slight accent, mocking Galen's.

"Silas is immortal. I have to cram the cure down his throat in order to kill him."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with me and my friends?"

"I need to use the cure against Silas. Your friends, they can't exactly have it, now, can they?"

"So, you use it on Silas, and we'll use it for whoever wants to use it. You don't want to share it with us?"