Midnight Rising

Master Race

Klaus scampers around the camp, feeding all of the newly dead werewolves. Resting my head on Stefan's shoulder, the two of us play babysitter to Ray Sutton. For a long while, he just lays there. This is boring. I keep an ear trained on Elena and Alaric, waiting for Damon to arrive and drag them both home. Ray's awakening is slow, starting with the twitching of his fingers. He rolls from side to side, rising into a sitting position. His eyes, now glassy and far away, slide over his comrades.

The newest hybrid slides his hands over his eyes, trying to wipe away the death, "They're dead. They're all dead."

"Wow, great observation," I reply lazily. Perfect, we're stuck with captain obvious and his splitting headache. "Don't worry, they won't be dead for long."

Ray pulls his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. The man buries his head in his knees, beginning to sob. If someone told me I was going to have to deal with overly emotional newborns I would have elected to stay home. This is pathetic.

"He's going through his transformation. He should be feeling better soon," Klaus answers as if trying to get the disgusted look to melt away from my face.

Stefan throws his arm around my shoulders, rubbing his fingers over the skin, "So, is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?"

"Not slaves," Klaus crinkles his nose at the word. "Soldiers. Comrades."

Stefan gives the man a patronizing nod, raising his eyebrows as if not fully buying Klaus' sales pitch, "For what war, might I ask?"

"Oh," Klaus lets out a chuckle, tickled by Stefan's naive inquiry. "You don't arm yourself after the war has been declared, Stefan. You build an army so big that no one ever dares pick the fight."

"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?"

"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team."

"Or when sired to the vampire who created you," I interject, not wanting Klaus to get so big for his britches that they bust. Sure, some of the new hybrids will be more than willing to fall in line. For those that don't Klaus needs a contingency plan. Me.

Stefan glances down at me, "Sired?"

"Uh, essentially under their control. You'd do anything for them if you thought it'd make them happy or serve their will in some other way. It doesn't happen to everyone, usually, just those who have a strong bond with the person who did the turning," I give Stefan the short version, not wanting to get into all the tiny details right now. Siring can be a nasty thing, causing many vampires to get themselves killed. I'm not sure Stefan would be too comfortable with the spell I'm tasked with performing if he knew the full extent. "I'm here to ensure that each and every one of these, wonderful new creatures feel connected to Klaus." I do a shit job of keeping the sarcasm out of my words.

"Through magic?"

I smile at the vampire, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "You catch on so quick, Stefan."

"Though, you may not need siring once you get that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder," Klaus counters with a playful grin.

Stefan chuckles, shaking his head, "Is that why you're keeping me around, to witness my attitude adjustment?"

"You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know," Klaus answers, squatting down next to Ray. The hybrid has begun to bleed from his eyes, the glistening red liquid leaving tear streaks down the man's cheeks. The arms of Ray's jacket are heavy looking, stained with the sticky substance.

"News flash, he's keeping you around to entertain me and to do the heavy lifting," I give Stefan a wink, offering Klaus a smile.

Klaus fights to frown, his lips finally turning up into a grin, his eyes sparkling as he plays along with my joke, "Now, you weren't supposed to tell him that. You're ruining my fun."

"So sorry," I feign innocence, widening my eyes and fluttering my eyelashes at the blonde vampire. Glancing back to Ray, I point to toe of my boot towards the man. "What's wrong with patient zero over there?"

Stefan and I stand, joining Klaus next to Ray. Blood has started to pool in his ears, dripping down into his sideburns. Damon's brother squats next to Ray, tilting his head side to side. "I'm assuming that shouldn't be happening."

"Well, obviously," Klaus looks over his shoulder up at me. "Diana, can you fix it?"

I let out a scoff, crossing my arms over my body. He can't be serious? Over the past few months, I've pushed my magic and developed my powers, but this is beyond any witch. "Oh yes, let me just pull out my spellbook and flip to the vampire-werewolf hybrid section." I narrow my eyes, giving Klaus a shake of my head. "This is happening because the vampire and werewolf DNA doesn't mix, Klaus. The witches who spelled the curse didn't mean for someone to do this to break it."

"Fix him," Klaus demands with a growl, disregarding my explanation.

"I can't," I shoot back through gritted teeth. "The best I could do it channel the pain so that his death isn't too miserable."

Ray has begun to shake, staring at the blood that coats his hands and wrists, "You said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?"

"Because it failed," I snip.

Stefan rolls his eyes, going back to his original spot on the log, "Some master race."

"Lose the attitude," Klaus snaps, standing. He looks around for Derek, the only human left alive. "Time to feed your girlfriend."

With no one supervising, Ray stands. He lets out a gurgled snarl before disappearing in a blur. Klaus spins, grabbing at empty air. As he turns to Stefan his eyes are black, a new kind of rage filling Klaus. "Go get him."