Into The Wild (1st revised version)
Summary: Set in the last scene of the S4 episode "Into the Wild." What if Damon hadn't seen the tattoo and had killed him? Will they get the cure in time for Damon? Read to find out.
It was a dark night in the woods, as Damon Salvatore, hurt emotionally by not wanting the cure because of not wanting to lose Elena, as well as not wanting to lose his brother to the cure, walked through the woods.
He stopped, senses alert, senses telling him someone was there. And not very far away, he could hear a heartbeat. Then, a moment later, he was stabbed in the side with an arrow. He groaned in pain and took it out, tossing it to the ground.
"Really?" he said, groaning in pain.
Suddenly, someone tackled him to the ground from behind. That someone put an arm around Damon's neck. Damon grabbed the arm and twisted it to that someone's side. Then he let go and rolled on top of that person, before grabbing the stranger's throat, getting them both to their feet. Then, without question, he killed him by snapping his neck.
After his body fell to the ground, he saw the tattoo on his hand.
"Oh, great," he said. "Just what I need."
He knew he had to get back to the others. He had killed one of The Five and he knew what would happen soon. The hallucinations would start like they had when Elena had killed Conner.
He started towards the direction of the camp. He wasn't feeling that great, so he didn't use his vampire speed.
Elena was worried sick, wondering where Jeremy, Bonnie, and Shane were at. So, she headed towards the trees to go in search of them.
As she walked through the trees, almost to the heart of the forest of trees, she heard something and followed the sound. Someone was close by, but it wasn't human. That meant it was a vampire. She could tell, since she couldn't hear a heartbeat.
When she entered the heart of the forest of trees, she saw which vampire it was; the only vampire that she was in love with. He was leaning against the bark of a tree, eyes closed. She saw blood on the side of his shirt.
"Damon?"
She was instantly in front of him. She could tell something had happened and he wasn't feeling well, as she stood there and looked at him. She rested gentle hands on either side of his face.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I didn't see the tattoo before I killed him. He attacked me first."
"What tattoo?"
"One of The Five."
She realized what he meant and what had to be done about it.
"I'll get Stefan and Rebekah, but right now we have to get back."
He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"It started."
"We have to get back," she told him.
She put an arm around him, and he put an arm around her shoulders. Then they started slowly heading back together.
Half an hour later, Elena had him in her tent on a sleeping back on his back.
He groaned.
"We'll fix this," Elena promised him. "Hang in there."
Elena took her phone out and called his brother.
Rebekah and Stefan were deep in the woods, when Stefan's phone rang.
He sighed, seeing it was Elena.
"Elena."
"Stefan, we have a big problem. Damon went off alone. He was attacked. He killed him before he realized that he was one of The Five. And the hallucinations are starting."
"Where are you?"
"In my tent with Damon."
"Stay there. We'll find a potential and the others."
They hung up.
Stefan and Rebekah looked at one another.
"We best get going," Rebekah said, having overheard the conversation both ways.
Rebekah and Stefan continued walking, searching for them first. They figured they could have Bonnie locate the potential. It would be so much faster.
Not long afterward, they found them. Shane was speaking to some guy whom had Jeremy chained with wrists and ankles chained along with his mouth duct taped.
"He's a witch," Stefan said. "Any suggestions?"
"I take Shane. You do the rest," she replied.
At vampire speed, they both left the shadows of the trees. Rebekah pinned Shane to the bark of a tree, hand tightly around his throat.
"Call them off," she ordered, knowing compulsion wouldn't work.
"I thought you wanted the cure."
"Not at the expense of this," she replied.
"Fine."
He told the guy to go and Stefan and Bonnie helped Jeremy. Then she let go and left Shane alone.
Once at camp, Stefan headed for Elena's tent to see how everything was going. He had Bonnie doing a locater spell, while Jeremy stood at the entrance and Rebekah walked inside.
"I heard," Jeremy told his sister.
Elena looked at him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
She sighed in relief.
Her gaze went to Rebekah.
"Thank you."
"I didn't do much. I just told Shane to stop it."
"Shane?"
"Yeah. He was about to do something. I don't know what."
She watched the Original walk away.
"A macaque. He brought us here to do the third macaque. He told me earlier before you walked in on us. I was going to find out how to stop him," Damon informed Elena.
Jeremy left.
Elena looked down at him.
"A macaque?"
"He said he needs three macaques before he can raise Silas."
Rebekah and Stefan watched Bonnie do a spell to locate the potential.
Soon after, they found the potential close by, had him kill a vampire that would start the mark, and Damon was back to himself.