Chapter four

A little slice of death

"They spread out. My man was watching the witch's house and saw them leaving. There's six of them."

"So they know."

"Of course, they do. Bonnie Bennett is a witch, Sheila Bennett used to be one. It's not difficult for them to figure things out."

"I think, they are going to fight back."

"I'm good with that. Let Bonnie have her fun."

"Her only?"

"For now, yes."

"But Damon Salvatore is with her. What about him?"

"Is he now? That's interesting."

"Here you go, crybaby."

Damon handed Bonnie a hot dog and a paper coffee cup. They were sitting in his car, watching the crowd. Many people gathered in the street, but, according to Damon, there were no zombies among them.

"They don't look frightened," Damon said.

"They don't understand what's going on. And this fog is confusing them. They probably think that it's some kind of natural phenomenon."

"Uh-huh. You just wait for 'The End Is Near!' guys."

"Caroline keeps checking the news, but everything seems quiet now. Don't you want blood?"

Damon choked.

"Excuse me?'

"I mean, um... When was the last time you fed?"

He stared at her incredulously.

"You're kidding me, little witch! Or... are you offering?"

Bonnie's cheeks were hot with embarrassment.

"Stop using these silly nicknames," she said, defensively. "No more little witches."

Damon sipped his coffee and said, mildly, "And how the hell am I supposed to express my affection?"

"I don't want you to express anything. We fight the zombies, we get rid of the witch and that's it."

"You are no fun."

"'Cause it's not funny," Bonnie said, sternly.

"Come on, there's a bright side."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Now I feel almost alive. Really, all is known by comparison."

Bonnie gave him her darkest glare and he sighed.

"Oh, don't pout. Maybe we don't have to worry."

"We have to worry."

"Nah, it's not that bad. A little bit crowdy, I must admit; kinda like Comic-Con or Halloween.

The skeletons are out tonight,
They march about the street..."

"Oh, stop it," she said, trying not to smile. "Halloween rhymes, really?"

"It's not my favorite, though. Want to hear one I really like?"

"No."

"The smallest witch you ever did see
just peeked through the window and looked at me
I waved once or twice but very soon,
she jumped three times and flew to the moon."

"Damon, I'll send you to the moon."

"No more fires and blood vessels popping. You're getting creative."

"You're right."

Damon looked down at her hands clutching the coffee cup. He and the witch spent an hour alone in the car and Damon tried to distract Bonnie (he suddenly felt generous) but it only worked for a few minutes.

To lose someone twice... That sucks, he should know. Though he was never as loyal as Bonnie was. Damon tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

"You wanna talk?" he offered, trying to sound concerned.

"Puh-lease."

"I can talk, you know."

"I believe you. All you do is talk."

"Be nice, Bonnie," Damon said, dignified. "Take me as an example. I'm trying to be your friend."

His voice sounded so sincere. Bonnie immediately got suspicious.

"Why do you care?" she asked, eyeing him doubtfully.

"I don't really care. I just think that we can kill some time discussing your gran's visit."

Bonnie furrowed her brow.

"You want the truth?" she said, choosing her words carefully. "I thought it would be so much worse. It was supposed to be worse... But now I feel... I feel..."

"Relieved," Damon finished the sentence for her. "Good for you."

Bonnie looked up at him through her lashes. Damon's blue eyes were twinkling in the dark but it was hard to tell what he was thinking about.

"It's not the only thing that surprises me."

"Spill it out."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always nice to you."

"Uh-huh. When you need something."

"Right, bad-bad-bad Damon."

"Very funny."

"Oh, come on, we were talking! Let's keep doing it."

Bonnie considered his words and decided to take her chance.

"Damon, I didn't want to bring this up with Stefan being there..."

As soon as she said that she saw him stiffen and stopped.

"Um..."

"What about him?" he said, heavily.

"Well, I was wondering if Klaus is behind all this."

"What makes you think that?"

"The spell. It's really powerful."

"Klaus is a freaky hybrid, not a warlock. "

"But there's such thing as a power source. I've read a lot about it. And I can't get that bastard out of my mind."

"Forget him. He will not touch you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Please, don't. We both know that he's not keen on forgiving. Katherine was a great example. Sooner or later he will come back. I just hope —"

'... he won't hurt anyone else,' was on the tip of her tongue.

"Why don't you ever listen? He won't touch you."

Bonnie was caught by surprise — Damon almost snapped at her. But for once she chose not to ask questions, for her own good. Damon had changed. Bonnie was nearly sure now that something had happened between Damon and Elena. There should be a reason why he couldn't spend five minutes alone in the same room with Elena or Stefan.

And now she must add Klaus' name to the list of 'never-mention-in-Damon's-presence' things. Honestly. Damon used to be a really socializing vampire. Now he only spoke to Rick and her.

Or maybe, he made some new acquaintances.

"What?" Damon said, impatiently. Bonnie choked on her coffee.

"What?"

"You're smiling to yourself. Geez, I almost can hear the wheels turning in your head. I bet you're making fun of me."

"Of course not."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously but there was a smile on his lips.

"You are a terrible liar."

She shook her head and then became serious once more.

"Damon. Um... The fog. Do you feel its influence?"

"Bad thoughts? Loneliness?" he snorted. "What exactly must surprise me?"

Bonnie felt uneasy hearing that, as if she'd offended him.

"Right... You know what? I wanna get out. I'll be right back."

"You want more coffee? You can have mine."

"No, I just wanna take a closer look."

She opened the car door and Damon grabbed her elbow.

"Just don't play the hero, okay?"

"I have no idea what are you talking about."

She smiled at him and got out of the car.

"Great," Damon whispered, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel again. "I miss you already."

Bonnie heard the whispering as she made her way through the crowd. People around her were worried but strangely quiet. She felt like she was at someone's funeral.

'What a depressing mood.'

No surprise if she would hate this town, sooner or later. It just drew evil. Home scary home...

She finally reached the place where the blue fog was laying, behind the local music store. Luckily for her no one was around. Bonnie was going to try using the wind on the fog, when her cell phone buzzed. The caller ID said Elena.

"Hey, what's up?"

"We are at the cemetery. Nothing weird here."

"Nice to hear. What about Ty?"

"Well... Mayor Lockwood is gone. Gone gone."

Bonnie sighed.

"I see."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Damon seems to be okay too."

"Good."

Bonnie suddenly felt a strong gust of wind.

"Elena, I have to go. Be careful, ok?"

"You too. Bye."

"Bye."

A gentle breeze touched her hair. It was that moment when she felt them. Not the creepy feeling of the death coming, as it was supposed to be. She just felt someone standing behind her.

Bonnie reached for the vial inside her pocket and turned around. Her senses didn't fool her; there were two people standing in front of her, a woman and a man. Both were pale and very still. Geez, it would be so much easier if she saw some rotten bodies. Destroying someone who looked so human wouldn't really raise her fighting spirit.

'I hate this,' she thought. 'I really hate this, I never wanted this.'

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the clouds of the blue fog getting darker.

"We came to stop you," a man said.

'It's easy. It's gonna be easy, I have the potion.'

"I'm flattered. Who sent you?"

"I don't know," a women said.

"I don't know," a man echoed.

"Do you hear the voice?" Bonnie said louder.

"No. But we know what we must do."

"The same goes for me. I'm sorry." Bonnie opened the vial quickly and threw it at the man.

This time she saw the effect: it was the instant flash of white light. The man disappeared within a second. Bonnie turned to the woman when she felt it; the same feeling of invisible pressure she experienced before. She could barely move her fingers.

'No... I can fight it. I can fight it! It's just the fog affecting me, I need to fight it!'

But it wasn't about the bad thoughts or loneliness, as her Grams said. She felt her magic gone and it was very real. Bonnie lost her concentration. She fell to the ground unable to fight crushing waves of the dark energy. She was completely helpless.

Then she got a familiar feeling that someone was channeling her. Now, that was just rude. She shut her eyes fiercely and sent a mental call.

WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU?

"Look out!"

Her eyelashes flew up and she saw a zombie woman right above her. But Damon was by her side in a heartbeat.

Bonnie dropped her head, trying to catch her breath. The white light flashed again but Bonnie didn't move. Only when she saw Damon's livid face close to her own she did her best to get a grip on herself.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "I told you not to... Hey, look at me!"

"I can't..."

His face softened.

"It's okay now, I got you."

She was scared to death and unexpected words slipped past her lips, "Damon... help..."

"This witch is annoying, I hate her, I hate her!"

"Calm down, Elsa."

"And I hate this vampire too!"

"Should we leave the witch alone for now?"

"No, I don't think so, Raymond. The witch is vulnerable when she sleeps. Send Mara after her."

"Bonnie!"

"She won't wake up! Elena, what's wrong with her?"

"Calm down, Caroline, she's gonna be okay. Bonnie!"

"Oh, stop shouting," Bonnie whispered, barely moving her lips.

"Then open your eyes already!" Elena exclaimed, half-amused, half-relieved.

Bonnie opened her eyes and found herself lying on her own bed. Caroline and Elena were sitting on each side of her.

"My head is spinning," Bonnie complained, trying to sit down.

Elena helped her and said, worriedly, "We were scared to death. Damon brought you here unconscious and I... You know, for a moment I thought..."

She looked away, trying to suppress shivering. Caroline was very quiet, she kept watching Bonnie with frightened eyes.

"Um... Where's Damon?" Bonnie asked.

"He is still hunting."

"Oh. Nice of him."

Caroline moved closer to Bonnie.

"What in the world could hurt you like that?"

"I wish I knew..."

"Maybe, all this was too hard for you," Elena said. "I mean meeting your Grams again..."

"Yeah... Ty is devastated too," Caroline said, sadly. "He never mentioned it, but I can tell. Of course, his father was kinda abusing jerk, but still... And your Grams... It must be horrible for you, Bonnie."

"Well..."

Bonnie felt a little stupid. Did Care and Elena really mean that? How come Damon could understand her feelings better than her best friends? She didn't think for a second that meeting her grandmother was horrible.

"Are you really ok?" Caroline asked.

"Yep," Bonnie answered quickly. "You can go back to your mom."

"I told her everything," Caroline said, standing up. "I won't keep secrets from her anymore."

"You are the best," Bonnie said, smiling. "Elena, you're going too?"

"I'm staying with you," Elena said, kindly. "Stefan will come soon; it's ok, right?"

"Sure thing," Bonnie laid down comfortably. "But I need some sleep, maybe you can watch TV or something? Just wake me up when Stefan is here."

"Fine. Just call me if you need me."

"Okay."

Bonnie gave a small wave to her friends and they left room. Good, she thought, she could really use some sleep now. Bonnie yawned and closed her eyes, enjoying the silence of her room.

Golden slumber kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep,
pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I'll sing you a lullaby.

Her eyelids were heavy. The sound of the almost forgotten lullaby made her smile in her dream. She heard a woman singing; it was so close. That couldn't be...

Care you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While I o'er you watch do keep.
Sleep,
pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.

"Mom..."

Sleep,
pretty baby,
Do not cry...

Bonnie couldn't tell now if it was a dream or not. It felt so real, but deep inside she knew that it was not possible. Her mother left, she couldn't be here.

"It's okay, baby. Just sleep..."

'No,' Bonnie wanted to say. 'I want to wake up now. I don't like this dream, it makes me sad.'

"You should stay here."

Bonnie opened her eyes but it seemed like she was still dreaming. She didn't recognize her room; she only saw unknown white walls around her. Bonnie made an effort to move but didn't even manage to take a breath. It felt like an invisible palm covered her nose and mouth. Bonnie opened her mouth to cry aloud but no sound came out.

It appeared, she was still dreaming. Bonnie tried to scream again and saw an old grey-haired woman in white clothes above her. The next moment the woman's fingers were on Bonnie's neck. Bonnie gasped in pain. She still couldn't make a sound, she couldn't move; the fear and desperation were paralyzing. All she saw now was a terrible face of a woman choking her.

'It's just a dream. Oh my God, it's just a dream!'

Then why are the pain and the suffocation real?

Bonnie's body went completely numb. Her heart and her eyes now seemed the only parts alive. Bad enough, 'cause Bonnie didn't want to see the woman on top of her and her heart was on the verge of breaking.

"I don't think so!"

It felt like the world was crashing. The white walls shook, revealing for a brief moment her room's familiar interior. This image disappeared quickly but Bonnie could hear human voices, and one of them sounded very angry.

"Ok, now you really pissed me off! Incendia!"

"It doesn't work that way. What the fire has to do with it? Let me try."

There were murmurs all around Bonnie; someone was chanting the spells over and over again. Then she heard small bells ringing; it was a pleasant sound and it made her calm down.

"Kuso ama. She's stronger than I thought."

"Dispel it! Bonnie is getting weaker!"

"I'm trying! Or maybe you want me to step back and let you fight kanashibari?"

The bells ringing increased.

"Come on, you old hag! Come out of her dream and play with us..."

Bonnie flinched strongly. The next second she was shaking like a fish out of water.

"Got you!"

"Okay, my turn. Expelle!"

And in an instant the heaviness was gone. Bonnie bolted awake, gasping for air.

Beside her bed there was standing a man, a very handsome man of Japanese descent. He was wearing the best leather jacket Bonnie ever saw.

"Hey there, beautiful," he said and flashed her a smile. "Oh, beautiful indeed..."

"Sod off, Yuichi," a woman behind him said.

Bonnie lifted her head slowly. The woman stepped closer, brushing her hair from her face in a swift movement. It didn't take long for Bonnie to recognize her.

"Lucy."

Lucy smiled.

"Hey, cuz. Sleep paralysis sucks..."

Bonnie blinked in surprise.

"But... Why are you here?"

"You've called for help. And — here I am."

TBC