A/N: Thank you so much for reading my first chapter! I promise to update at least once every two weeks, but maybe more frequently if I really take this in my stride and if I get plenty of reviews! As of right now, I really have taken it in my stride; I'm surprised at how quickly I'm writing this! I'm well into chapter 3 right now.

Enjoy!

[Stefan's POV]

I drive through the normal, sunlit streets of Mystic Falls. Despite what Damon said about the attack going on at the hospital right now, the town square kept its pleasant atmosphere, people going into the Grill for breakfast and coffee, shopkeepers opening up for the day's business.

It was not safe for me to go to the hospital, especially not with Elena. What if there were other vampires in a blood craze? Or worse, what if there was blood?

My face paled at the thought.

"Stefan? Are you ok? Are you thinking about the hospital?" Elena asked with worry etched into her expression.

"Yes, I'm worried of what is happening and who is getting hurt." I replied slowly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure the sheriff can handle it."

I slammed on the brakes, causing Elena to lurch forwards, narrowly missing the dash.

"Sorry." I mumbled, watching three squad cars hurtle across the junction toward the hospital, sirens wailing and lights flashing.

"Give me warning next time?" Elena groaned.

"Err, yeah, sure. Sorry." I replied, looking forwards again as I resumed the drive to Mystic High.

Excited and anxious chatter filled our ears as we entered the parking lot; it seemed that everyone had heard about the hospital incident too.

"Do you think it's the animal virus?" someone called.

"I heard that the virus came from Europe." To which someone replied with;

"No, wasn't it made in a lab in the mid-west?" A few people laughed at this, while others shook their heads.

As I found a space I saw Caroline approaching us.

"Hey!" She called.

"Hey Caroline." Elena replied.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm doing good, thanks Stefan. I guess it's all in my instinct. Did you get my text Elena?"

"Yeah, crazy news. Probably just some news story that got blown out of proportion. Where's Bonnie and Jer, they ok?" Elena asked, we hadn't heard from them since yesterday evening, but it was unlikely that they were in trouble. Since Elena's Aunt Jenna had died at the hands of Klaus, Elena had become increasingly protective over her brother, Jeremy. We were both very thankful for Bonnie and Ric's help.

"They're fine Elena," Caroline assured her in a slightly tired tone; "They're already going to class is all."

"You know me Caroline, I can't be too careful, especially with this news about animal attacks. And I guess you've heard about the hospital fight? It's probably still happening, right now." Elena spoke with a fearful and somber voice.

Then the morning bell rang, students headed to first period.

"We best get going to class Elena, see you, Caroline." I said as Caroline turned to go to her class, and us, to ours.

[Liz Forbes' POV]

"11-60! That backup better be coming fast! Wait- we're being attacked! Jeez, this could be on the news soon."

I raced across town; I then broadcast my own message,

"This is the sheriff. I'm on my way, on the street of the hospital."

I arrived at a scene of organised officers preparing to enter the ER block. Police lights flashed across the grounds and a barricade had been set up to stop any citizens getting in the way. There was a fire truck just outside this perimeter, and 3 ambulances were on stand-by. Seeing one of the deputies who appeared to be taking charge, I got out and ran over to her.

"Alright, what is the situation?" I demanded.

"It's looking bad. There are 16 of them, all patients, and they are all from the same block. Now what is really weird is that 14 of them are the animal attack victims, plus one of them bit another patient, and, and, he seemed to be dead when a doctor entered the room. But after going to check him, he got up and then they all attacked and swarmed into the corridor. The doctor came out looking to be mauled by a dog." The deputy looked shaken up and unsure of what to do.

"What? Are you telling me that the 14 patients of the animal attack are biting people? How are their movements, tell me about their eyes."

"Well, I have sent in 2 teams of 8 to try and deal with the situation, but they have a lot on their hands. These patients, or attackers, will not stop, and are apparently delusional. As for their movements, they are slow-"

"Are you sure they are slow?" I cut in.

"Yes, they are reported to be 'slow', and 'shambling almost as though intoxicated'. They will not talk or acknowledge anything besides the people they attack. I haven't heard of their eyes."

"DEPUTY! WE CAN'T TAKE THESE PEOPLE DOWN! THEY'RE CRAZY! PERMISSION TO SHOOT." An officer screamed down the radio.

"Permission granted!" I shouted back.

A hail of fire rang across the block.

"They're down, no wait- oh dear God. They are GETTING BACK UP!" The same officer shouted, then more bullets were fired, then he spoke again:

"Sheriff, deputy, they are dead. But not before they bit a panicking nurse and 2 men. It seems that shooting for the head is the only thing to bring them down. How many are listening to this?"

I can't be sure, at least me and a deputy." I replied.

"They are NOT them. They are something else, something not human, but not them." He almost whispered, in a terrified voice.

"I am calling the state office. Make sure there are no more of them, and see to all injuries. Don't let anyone into the ER block, and evacuate everyone that is still inside."

I pulled out my police mobile and called the office of Mystic Falls County.

"This is division 7: Mystic Falls County. Sheriff Forbes?" An operator for the department spoke.

"We have a situation down here at Mystic Falls hospital. We have just had to gun down 16 civilians and we have 3 others that have been bitten by these attackers."

"Elizabeth? I am so sorry to tell you this. But this situation is rapidly growing to more than just a town or even county issue. It is almost national."

"What the hell is this? Are they slow vampires or something!" Oh dear. I just implied that vampires exist to the state department.

"Vampires? This may sound crazy, but it almost seems that way. People come in with bites, only these bites are always from peculiar issues involving people biting people, usually with intent to kill. These bites appear to be infectious. They admit themselves to hospital, and then they suddenly become insane and attack anyone unlike them."

"How many cases?" I ask.

"Approximately 224,000. But we can't be sure."

"224,000 is a national level, right?

"No. It is only state-wide, and it is growing. The national level is far greater. Listen, we are going to send a platoon from the National Guard, which is how this system is being laid out. I just hope there is a readily available unit. I'm sorry, I am going to have to hang up on you, further contact details for this crisis will be sent to your office. But I have several other calls to attend to. Good bye." The operator hung up and the line fell silent.

[Caroline's POV]

The lunch bell rang and I headed out to meet Bonnie and Elena in the cafeteria. An unseasonably chill wind had swept over town so it was too cold to hang around outside. Just before reaching the cafeteria my phone began vibrating in my bag. Looking at the screen I found it was Mom.

"Mom? Hey, it's still school, is something wrong?" I asked.

"You need to come home right now. It isn't safe at school." Liz replied.

"What? Why?" I gasped.

"The attack at the hospital… I don't know what exactly had happened to the people that were bitten, but they began turning around and trying to bite everyone. I had to order nearly half the department to open fire on them. They did not fall until… until…" She stopped and began breathing heavily.

"Mom!" I cried aloud, and several people stopped and stared.

"Just come home. Now, please." Mom was on the verge of sobbing. I had to tell my friends. I walked quickly, almost running, to the cafeteria where my friends were.

"What's the matter Caroline?" Bonnie asked; her eyes wide at my distressed appearance.

"Mom just told me to go home, now. She's really freaked out by the hospital attack, and it sounds like they were all vampires." I announced with a considerably shaky voice.

Then Stefan stood up, "Caroline, tell me everything that the sheriff said."

"She said all the people that had animal bites got up and started trying to bite other people, then she told her unit to fire at them, which took them down after something happened."

"After what? You need to tell me if you can." Stefan's voice was slower and more soothing.

"But that's just it," I shrug, "She kind of stopped talking and broke down, after telling me to go home right now!" I was beginning to shriek a little, and it was rubbing off on the crowd in the cafeteria, who were also on edge.

"Maybe we should all go back, maybe to the boarding house." Stefan suggested.

"No, Stefan, I don't think that will help, we're probably better here in a crowd, I think we would be better waiting it out to see what they do." Elena spoke up.

"I won't go anywhere without you, Elena. But are you completely sure you want to stay here? What about you, Caroline?" Stefan replied.

"I would rather stay with you all. I don't want to be on my own, and mom has her police force, she won't be going home anyway." I wasn't sure at all of what to do, I wanted to go with Stefan's first plan, because then we could be out of town and with Damon to keep us safe.

"Care, I'll be able to keep you safe, you won't be on your own, I promise." Tyler, though with a pinched frown, spoke warmly.

"Thanks Tyler. But maybe we should stay here with everyone. I mean mom won't even be home if I went back, she's at the hospital sorting out the mess. Wait, she said they were dead anyway. So what is the problem?"

"Maybe you're right. I don't know about all of you but I want to stay and get on with things normally, I've had enough of crazy and freaking out, so let's just do normal." Jeremy placed his input into the conversation.

"Well that settles it then, are we all staying together at school?" Elena asked to a reply of nods and approval.

[Damon's POV]

Now what was I doing again? I had just put down my book and was in the process of walking through the library door. Oh yes, I was about to head out to the Grill, hoping to meet up with Ric after he finished work, but there's no harm in getting a few shots beforehand…

I pick up my leather jacket and head for the stairs… however; I then catch a glimpse of two figures moving to the front door. I stop and look back but they left my view. Shortly after I heard someone knocking slowly on the door. What's up with that? They continued knocking. Then another sharper knock on the door accompanied the first, but only happened twice and quickly.

"Ok, ok!" I shouted.

I opened the door to be greeted by two disgruntled hunters, one loosely carrying a broken rifle, the other with a face covered by a jaunty, low baseball cap.

"Can I help-" Suddenly the two hunters charged at me, which caught me off guard completely.

I threw down the rifle-carrying 40 year old, and he collided quite sharply with my heel, breaking his neck. But then, he began to get up again!

And that was when the younger man with the baseball cap forced me against the wall and bit down on my arm.

A/N: The first encounters with the walking dead, well, the dead-appearing undead, rather than the healthier vampires. Will Damon be infected? Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I wanted to end on this cliff hanger! Feel free to look up the police codes! I will refrain from using them more though, because it will only confuse some people.

I also promise you that chapter 3 is where things really begin to hit off!

Review and favourite!