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Every Action Has A Reaction
~ Mystic Falls 10 Years Ago ~
Kol's agonized scream rent the air as his body jerked and convulsed, limbs flailing helplessly like a puppet in the hands of an inexperienced puppeteer. Overcome by pain he dropped to the floor, body writhing in involuntary spasms as he burned.
The Gilbert siblings backed away from the fiery heap, breathing heavily. Feelings of relief and triumph battled against the horror of watching a living being burn to death.
Kol's older brother, face expressionless, stood frozen, watching; only his tear filled eyes betrayed his grief.
Hours later, across the world, his first turned children weakened. Surprise was the overwhelming emotion as they felt their strength drain, leaving them feeble and nauseous. As the first generation died, the next one was overcome. It was a prolonged process working through the many layers of offspring leaving plenty of time for survivors to experience confusion and dread.
They were not a faceless group called 'thousands'. They were individuals . . people. People who lived and loved, felt joy and pain. People who like all other people wanted to live. Some were evil, some were good, but most were like us - a mixture of both.
Each one met their end according to the way they lived their undead lives. Some faced the wasting death stoically. Others pleaded to the God they knew would not welcome them, begging to be spared. Some were resigned, fearing only for their loved ones. Others died terrified, afraid of the true death.
Some died alone, tucked away, sheltered from the light. Some died in the arms of a friend or loved one. The wasting death was indiscriminate, killing all of Kol's line. Good or bad . . it made no difference. As the wasting disease moved down the family tree from sire to vampire offspring the fear amped up, spreading rapidly. Vampires panicked, scattered, going into hiding, hoping to save themselves. The deaths mysteriously stopped around sixteen hours after they started.
Wild rumors spread – contaminated blood, a virus, witchcraft, God's wrath. Gradually cooler heads prevailed, and the facts were examined. The connection was finally made. All those who fell were from Kol's line.
Who knew how the real story eventually spread? Did it come from Klaus? Rebekah? Elijah? In the end it didn't matter. The truth spread like ripples on a pond, ever outward, ever wider. Kol had been deliberately slaughtered.
The doppelganger had done this. The doppelganger and her brother, reputed to be one of the five Hunters. Hunters were supposed to be a thing of legend, discounted as bogeymen designed to frighten young vampires. There was a quest involved, and the Gilberts had sacrificed Kol for a chance for Elena to become human again.
The murmuring began. The resentment and anger grew.
Who were they to decide who lived and who died? Would they kill another Original? Was anyone safe from them?
Time passed. They say revenge is a dish best served cold. There were many ready to dish it out.