Chapter fourteen

I own nothing but the plot line.

Thanks to all who follow, favorite and read.

Thank you to Klaroline-teenwolf for reviewing. Jeremy was bitten in the chest so the poison went directly to his heart, there was no time to turn him into a vampire. Rebekah being an Original was more susceptible to the zombie venom as she herself is more powerful than an average vampire. Her strength eventually became a weakness. In The Walking Dead people cut off limbs as soon as they are bitten because the poison spreads that fast. The transition to a zombie is faster than that of a human to vampire.

Thank you to Mel023 for reviewing. Thanks for your support. Team Jerbekah all the way!

Thank you to WeasleysGroupie for reviewing. Here's the next installment.

Thank you to LitLover for reviewing. Not going to spoil it for you : )

I am so glad that you guys are invested in the story. It kind of took a dark turn but that's the influence of the Walking Dead. That show will do that to you.

I promise you this, we have a dark road ahead of us. There will be more tears and sadness. All that you love will be lost and all that you know will come to an end. But it will be worth it.

Katherine breathed deeply as Elijah drove down the streets of Mystic Falls. It was deserted as Blondie had said. "It's just so quiet." Her voice sounded too loud to her own ears, the silence was deafening. The stillness about them was like a blanket. There were no everyday human sounds.

Elijah's hand clenched on the steering wheel, "Much too quiet if you ask me." He stared straight ahead, unable to shake the feeling of dread that was overtaking him. It felt as if the world had ended and it had not even gone out with a loud bang. The silence was worse, it felt so very wrong.

"Let's see if the radio still works." She felt anxiety flow through her and it was a very unfamiliar sensation for the doppelganger. She leaned into her seatbelt as she reached for the radio console. Katherine frowned as she turned the knobs. There was nothing but static. There wasn't even a hint of a faded voice or the familiar annoyance of the campus music station that always maintained full reception. She turned the volume up but the buzz of static stayed constant.

Elijah frowned. He could feel the tension rolling off her in thick waves. "Play a CD my love?" He was trying to take her mind off her fear. The trip to the Salvatore home was the first hurdle and the original did not know what awaited them but his brother and sister had paired off with Caroline Forbes and the Gilbert boy, so he had to do his part and warn the Salvatores. Elijah was not afraid for himself but his need to protect Katherine was causing his primal instincts to rear up. She did that to him. After a thousand years, Katerina brought out the man in him and he knew that he was the only one who could keep her darkness at bay.

"Good idea." She opened the glove box and went through his collection. "Classical, classical," she rejected them with a scowl and earning a smile from Elijah. "Justin Timberlake?" She looked at the CD case. "Suit and tie. That makes sense." She left the CD on her lap and flipped to the last cover.

"Elijah I will not judge," Katherine had to bite her lip, "Is this your Justin Bieber?" She could not help the giggles that erupted.

The original almost drove the car off the road, "No that isn't mine."

"Then whose is it?" her eyes were wide as the possibilities raced through her mind. The only people who were allowed to drive Elijah's car, were members of his family.

"I cannot," Elijah would not confess. He could not.

"Is it Rebekah's?" Katherine wondered. She saw how his face did not falter. "So not Bekah's CD then." She tapped her fingers against the cover. "Is it Kol?" she tried.

Elijah could not help the tilt of his lip.

Katherine's eyes lit up, "Kol is a Belieber?"

"You cannot tell him that I told you this," Elijah grinned. He could not help it. He had done his best to hide his brother's guilty pleasure. He had hidden Kol's much used CD at the very bottom of the glove box but this was Katherine. Elijah could never lie to her because after all these years they had both learnt to read each other so well.

She put the CD away, giving it one final glance. "My lips are sealed."

"That's a lie," the original replied. "I know that you are just waiting for an oppertunity to get back at Kol for calling you a minion."

Katherine sighed, "You know me too well." She shook her head. "Fine I promise to only use this information in an emergency." This was a treasure, falling literally into her lap to be used. She wasn't going to waste this information. No, she would use it when Kol least expected it. Her insides were all fuzzy and warm at the thought.

The car slowed as they approached the boarding house. There was an over turned car with what seemed like a zombie pinned underneath the wheel.

"It's chewing at it's leg," Katherine gagged.

"No doubt trying to get away." Elijah watched with clinical detachment. The creature was gnawing away at the useless limb without any indication of pain on it's grey face.

The two vampires sat in the car as they watched the zombies. They were in shock, Caroline had told them what to expect but to see it for themselves was an entirely different experience. There was a small group surrounding the boarding house, no doubt after the Donovan boy and the Young girl.

"They want fresh meat?" Katherine mused. Her face was pale as she looked at the zombies. She could smell them and that was worse. They lurched uselessly against the side of the house.

"We need to move now while they are distracted," Elijah opened his door.

Katherine got out and shut her door. "They won't attack us Elijah but remember."

"Don't let them bite us," he finished for her. He looked at her with concern. He would never let harm come to her.

"I'll be careful," her smile was understanding as she stood next to him and held his hand. Katherine felt at peace at his side. He was the only man who had broken through her hard exterior. He was the only one who understood her.

They walked past the mob who ignored them. Katherine opened the front door and looked around.

"Oh hell no," April Young shouted. She clung to her boyfriend's arm. "I'm not staying up here with all these wierd people." She was terrified of Katherine.

"There's the cellar that locks?" Matt offered. He was exhausted. Looking after April was hard work.

April did not hesitate and she grabbed his hand ran downstairs.

Katherine laughed, "Good luck to her when she finds the blood bags."

"They will be safe there at least," the original shrugged. "We need to find Stefan and Damon."

"They are no doubt still at Elena's side." The slim vampire headed upstairs and Elijah followed.

Katherine opened the door to find Damon on his knees at Elena's side. He held the hair off her face. Stefan stood by the window with his arms folded.

"What do you want Katherine?" Elena's voice was raspy. She lifted her ashen face up. "Come to gloat?"

"We came because Caroline asked us to." Elijah replied.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked.

"There is no easy way to say this," the original said, "there are zombies. Kol found my mother's spell book and he cast a dark spell. Bonnie and Kol are working on a solution. The others have gone to look for Caroline's mother."

"Kol did this?" Damon stood up.

"He did not mean to," the original lifted up a hand. "You can work with us. We need to stay together and we will be safe."

"It sounds like you are all working together," Stefan was a little surprised that Bonnie, Jeremy and Caroline seemed to have agreed to this alliance.

"We have to Stefan," Katherine answered. "If a vampire is bitten, then we die. There is no cure. We are weak against the zombies."

The room was silent as her words sunk in.

"You need to come with us. Our house is being used as headquarters," Elijah said.

"We would love to come with you but as you can see we are a little tied up," Damon scoffed as he looked at Elena. She was bound in the chair with her emotions switched off.

"Damon we don't have time for this," Katherine ground out. She kneeled in front off Elena and looked into brown eyes that mirrored her own. "I would love nothing more than to release you. Let you loose to destroy what's left of this town."

Elena smirked at her with cracked lips. "Do it then."

"For once, we all have a single enemy that we need to stand against." Katherine's voice was hard. "I don't pity you. Your hardest choice has been which brother to choose. I had to give up my baby, I was disowned. I have been on the run from Klaus while he hunted me down like an animal." Her eyes were cold. She was calm. Her past had made her who she was and she was stronger for it. "So right now, I do not have time for your teen drama. No one does. But Stefan and Damon will never leave you alone to defend yourself. Even if you are a heartless killer."

"What are you going to do then? Are you going to kill me Katherine?" Elena sneered.

Stefan moved forward but Damon restrained him.

"No," Katherine smiled. She stood back. "Elijah?"

The original stepped forward. He gripped Elena's face. She fought against him but he was stronger and she had not fed in a while. He stared into her eyes. His pupils contracted. "Elena Gilbert turn your emotions back on. Come back. Jeremy needs you."

The compulsion of an original worked. Elena gasped, like a drowning woman gasping for air. "Jeremy?" she whimpered.

"She's back," Stefan said. He rushed to her side.

"No need to thank us," Katherine smirked. "Sometimes the obvious solution makes the most sense. Though your sadistic torture did wonders for her."

Damon glared at her. It was the obvious solution asking an original to compel Elena. He wasn't about to say thank you though.