Fourth.
After a quick hunt the following morning I decided to go in search of a Laundromat and a motel where I could get a shower. Laundry had started to pile up and I hadn't wanted to stop on my way into town, besides, it would be hours before The Grille opened and now that I'd had a few days to sort out my emotions I was hoping to catch site of Damon again. I drove to Oak Grove and was back in Mystic falls just a few hours later showered and with a pile of clean clothes. It was still before noon so I elected to explore the woods a little more. This time I took my backpack with two bottles of witch hazel, some water, a fleece vest, some granola bars I had picked up that morning and one of the three bottles of blood I had procured from the deer I had hunted that morning.
I chose to go in the opposite direction today to see if there was anything else of interest hidden among the trees in these woods. I walked for about 15 minutes before I saw another partial wall of stones. The closer that I got to it the more clearly I could see a large sinkhole that had opened up in from of it. I didn't want to get too close to the edge in case the ground wasn't stable, so instead I walked around the perimeter. To my surprise as I came around from the back of the ruins I found a staircase leading down into the hole. Maybe it wasn't a sinkhole after all.
I cautiously took the steps down into what had probably been a cellar at one time. The ground was littered with leaves and branches, but the packed dirt floor indicated that this wasn't a natural hole in the ground. To my left was a wall of earth, dirt and roots from the ground up, and much the same on the wall across from me. As I looked to the right I was shocked. There was a large stone, about eight feet tall resting next to the mouth of a cave. The stone had a large pentagram carved into it, a symbol used mostly by witches in spells. I hadn't seen one of these in a century or more.
I walked slowly towards the stone. As I got closer I started to hear a low hum that stopped me for a moment. I looked all around thinking someone might be coming. When I was only a few feet away from the stone slab I called into the cave to see if anyone was there, my voice echoed off of some of the rocks, but I heard no response. I had left my flashlight in the car, so I had to use the one on my phone to peer in, but it wasn't as strong and only gave me another foot or two of visibility. I would have to remember to bring my light next time.
I turned my attention back to the large slab. The symbol had been carved into the stone roughly, indicating that it was probably quite old. I reached my hand out and touched the surface. The stone felt warm which was strange since there was a chill in the air. I felt a very slight vibration and again heard the low hum; it was coming from the rock. This rock had been spelled at some point and there was still a hint of magic flowing within it. I placed my other palm up to the stone and I felt the vibration course through me. I closed my eyes, but when I did something happened. I heard voices screaming, wailing, and banging on the stone and the walls. People were trapped, they were in pain, starving, dying. I opened my eyes and the screaming stopped. I took my hands off of the rock and stared for a moment. I grabbed my pack, slung it over my shoulder and ascended the stairs, only looking back once over my shoulder. This place had some significance and something told me that it was going to be important that I know what that significance was.