Than you for waiting. I was feeling a little discouraged but have been inspired again. I don't want my moods to get in the way of writing for you so I'll do my best to post more often.

Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters in any way.

Chapter 3

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Survive

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A beaker full of amber liquid shattered on the tile causing a brunette in her late 30's to hiss in reply. "Damn. My hands normally aren't this shaky..." "Is everything ok?" Bonnie asked as she grabbed a broom to help sweep up the mess. Jo and Bonnie had gotten along in a matter of minutes after meeting. Stefan suggested Bonnie talk to the witch with dormant magic the night of the cookout. Caroline volunteered to help hand write newsletters & survival pamphlets that were handed out regularly to keep herself occupied. The blonde found it easier to write to people than open up. It was a stepping stone to socializing while staying at a safe distance.

What Bonnie liked about Jo was that she didn't ask too many questions, she was polite, and extemely passionate about her work as a doctor. She was currently showing Bonnie how to make a potion without much luck. "Okay? No, not really. Alaric, he proposed to me yesterday and it's just really inconvenient. I love him but- really really freaking inconvenient." Grabbing a worn rag, she wiped the syrupy goo from her hands before continuing. "I have to tell Gloria and 'Rick we're running low on supplies. I can't- We can't afford to have anything go to waste. Not with nearly ten to twenty residents coming in every week."

Bonnie crouched down and dipped her finger into the mixture on the floor of the clinic back room they occupied. Bringing it back up to her nose, she could smell sweet honey and... "Every week? There's only about sixty humans here. I get they can leave when they want but that's just- turmeric? What is this potion for again?" Beginning to sweat in the summer heat, Jo took off her long brown sweater that seconded as a labcoat. "It's for vitality, it keeps them energized and full. We mix it in the nut and granola we sun bake into bars, they're handed to the workers here. We're almost out of honey but that's not a priority apparently." Bonnie nodded in response and licked her fingertip, a sour face followed soon after. Jo took the broom from Bonnie and helped her stand. "Yea I haven't added any sugar yet, it helps mask the blind-worm's sting."

Hearing that made the potion taste worse. "Thanks for taking time to talk to me anyway. I know the other two witches Gloria and Vivian couldn't step away from their patients. So, you aren't the part of the council... what's up with Lily and her brood? How do they uphold a no compulsion policy?" Jo's eyebrows rose into her hairline as her eyes bulged for a brief second as a thought came to mind. Briskly walking around her lab table, she grabbed a notebook to jot something down before answering. "Lily doesn't always seem 'down to earth' but her efforts are logical. She thinks ahead for the well being of our future as a society. As for the humans, we add vervain to the well water regularly. The blood we draw is then purified for consumption."

Folding the piece of paper, she handed it to Bonnie. "I have to finish this mix and send it in to the food department before noon. When I have some free time I'll come by and give you a larger list of potions for you to look into. It's very useful in case you somehow lose your magic..." Bonnie slowly took the note and stuffed it into her pocket before being rushed out by the doctor who seemed to be in a panic.

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x

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Bonnie pushed back a loose curl that whipped against her face. Gripping the side of the rusty truck bed she sat on the edge of as it sped up, she stared back at the community as she exited its gates. She finally gave in and agreed to help clear an area while supervised. They gave her a gun and Stefan volunteered to shadow her on the first few trips though the job had been appointed to his brother. The whistle necklace around Bonnie's throat rattled in the breeze. The people at the gate reminded her everything supplied had to be returned after they came back from the wall. Items were extremely limited and everyone shared nearly everything down to whistles, flags, and guns. Everyone but members of the council. The guns rarely had any ammo in it. It was just a cover to appear human around the residents within the community.

The truck stopped a few miles out and Stefan signaled Bonnie to leave with him. Climbing out, she stayed a couple feet behind him. The screeching roar of the old vehicle caused a ringing in her ears as a cloud of sand flew into her clothes and hair.

"Where are they going?" Bonnie coughed while brushing the dirt from her french braid. "Further out. We only go in groups of two or three per area. Makes it less intimidating if we come across any survivors. Or..." He paused, reluctant to finish his sentence, "if something bad happens, we don't lose too many of our own."

"What about the day you found us all by yourself?" Bonnie checked her right back pocket to make sure the emergency clip provided did not fall out. Stefan walked towards the woods away from the main road. "Damon was supposed to be there but when Katherine calls..."

Letting out a sigh, he wiped the sweat from his brow. Bonnie was grateful they started work at sunset to avoid the worst of the summer sun. Maybe a little more grateful she was able to work with Stefan instead of his brother.

Cicadas sang along with the birds in an uproar as they ventured further into the thick of the woods. The witch wondered why she was appointed with a partner who seemed anything but hard working. The black peacock, a nice view but served no real purpose from what she could tell. Looks now didn't mean much of anything at all, useless in fact. The girl, who shared Elena's face, made her stomach drop at the thought of her. How could someone radiate such cruel energy. With dark eyes that looked straight through her, Bonnie wondered if she had a soul at all.

"We should stop here." Stefan's eyes darted along the clearing of trees, his vampire abilities at work. He noticed her slight limp but she seemed unfazed by it. She wasn't giving her ankle enough time to heal. From the way she made sure they were never closer than an arm's length away from each other, he had a feeling she would deny any mild concern. Taking off his backpack, he tossed her a thermos full of well water. "Here, drink slow. We'll be out here till sun up." His gaze roamed over her tiny arms as they switched the gun from one hand to the other. Most mortal residents didn't return to a normal weight after joining for months from the overworking and low rations.

"If you need to rest. Rest. If you're good, I'm going to circle around. Stay here and practice your magic if you have the extra energy. Gonna try and send any walkers I find your way."

"I'm good." She nodded and began to dig a hole in the dirt with the heel of her boot to stick her thermos in. She couldn't enjoy the beauty of the orange and pink sky as the summer sun settled just above the ground. Having to put down sick people who couldn't get better was all she lived and breathed. Digging into her left back pocket, she opened the note Jo wrote for her. It wouldn't hurt too much to grab a few ingredients for the doctor while she was out. The witch let out a groan as she read the list. Most of the herbs written she had never heard of or seen in her life. "A few sketches would be useful-" At the bottom was a small letter.

'Don't speak of the council unless

it's something they like to hear.

They have eyes and ears

everywhere.'

Where the doctor's signature would be was a rune symbol instead. Her grams once told her it meant unity among other witches. It was also used as a universal code to all witches that represented a truce. Crumbling the paper into a ball, she whispered in latin. The ball immediately burst into flames leaving ashes behind. Closing it in her palm, she put the dust back in the pocket she pulled it from. The transfer spell. It was the only spell from her grandmother's grimoire that she remembered.

Whatever she personally destroyed could be created again. It only worked on small things like reviving a crushed plant, regrowing a flower bulb, or in this case rewriting a secret note into her very own grimoire. She knew now was the best time to have her own since she had supplies though they were not much. Following its completion would be her own Book of Mirrors. It was her grandmother's most prized book full of powerful spells from her blood line.

The gurgle of a throat with gaping holes startled her out of her thoughts. Focusing her power, she burned one walker after the other as a few headed her way. Something about the night made her feel ready, even more so knowing that a witch was on her side. She was finding something more to fight fore. Each one that burned continued to surround her, each one she dodged brought another behind or next to her. Panicking, she started to move deeper into the hoard. The fire burned them but slowly on their soggy flesh.

"Bonnie! Where are you?" The terrified witch, ignored Stefan's shout. She knew if she yelled they'd close in on her even faster. The fire spell began taking longer to cast, the appearance of the fire was more delayed than the last cast. Her shaking hand pushed the emergency clip into her gun and began to shoot. Her experience with guns was minimal meaning very few of the shots got rid of the infected. Panting and feeling claustrophobic, she gripped the barrel to swing at any that got to close. She was stronger than she was a week ago, but not at optimal health. A walker lunged at her and grabbed her shirt tearing her sleeve off.

"Bonnie?!" Stefan's voice sounded more strained than the first time he shouted her name in terror. He meant his promise, to Emily and to the late darling Sheila, how could he betray his last love.

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x

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Damon tossed his head back with a blood glazed grin. His second favorite kind of blood bag was the kind with their memories full intact. It took away a substantial amount of thrill when he had to make them forget. His first favorite kind of blood was the kind that flowed freely on a woman's time of the month. Third was magical blood; hybrids, witches, Dalis, and even other vampires. Crimson liquid slid down either side of his wet lips as he spoke breathlessly. "Two more. Thick ones." Dropping his head, he once again wrapped his lips around the throat of an androgynous young man with long red hair and pouty lips.

The human was Katherine's Dalis, she kept him well fed, entertained, and drugged up most of the time. Damon played with him occasionally, after living so long there wasn't much he hadn't done or tried. Men, women, anything outside or in between. Joined everything from clubs to cults to fraternities. He did just about anything one could do by the end of the 70's from climbing mountains to corrupting nuns. All he could do was live freely when he was nothing but a wicked soul.

"You would know about thick ones." Katherine wiped any remnants of white powder under her nose with her thumb before taking a jeweled blade to create two more lines of cocaine from a small pile. All three were completely naked and covered in dried blood, loud rock music blared in the background of Kat's flat. This was regular occurrence for the trio, they did this at least once a week. Katherine had fun only calling on Damon when she knew he had tasks at hand. Submerging herself in turmoil and difficult choice making was a favorite pastime. There was little to no entertainment in the world so she had to make due with what she had. Standing, Katherine swallowed the bitter tasting drips in the back of her throat while Damon swallowed his last mouthful.

Her breast jiggled as she strutted towards her Dalis cooing at him. "Andre, how are you feelin' baby?" The vampires stood on either side of the willing blood bag, Katherine gripped Andre's hips reminding him who he was devoted to. Katherine knew Damon's desires more than anyone else in his life. He had an addictive personality, obsessive and compulsive with an unquenchable thirst. If he liked something enough, he never stopped doing it. She found it enticing but laughable, like someone falling on their face repeatedly.

"As long as there is a little snow left, I'm going to play in it." Damon removed himself from the nearly drained soft pile of flesh. Quickly snorting the two lines of coke, he tilted his head back and inhaled loudly to make sure it hit didn't get settle within his nostrils. Katherine's Dias laughed out loud as she tickled him mercilessly. The tenderness of it all left him instantly uninterested.

"I don't wanna leave but mother's been extra testy these few last days, duty calls..." Damon looked around for his clothes, the last thing he wanted was to feel anything other than nothing. He knew Katherine didn't care for him but she stayed and played and he clutched onto it.

Later that evening, Damon parked his baby blue camaro at Stephan's drop off point. Following his nose to the area where Stefan hunted, he picked up on the usual rancid stench of rotting flesh, ripe figs, and fear. He picked up speed the moment he heard was yells and shouts between his brother and that little witch. The hoard that could eat him alife if there was enough of them made it hard to pinpoint where the witch was. They couldn't kill him right away and he was immune to them being dead and all but if the numbers were against him they would eat him alive all the same. The night air tickled his skin faintly, his sensitivity dimmed by the drugs in his system.

There he saw that little woman, fighting with all her might and with purpose, his brother far from where he could save her. His mother would kick him out for sure if he let her die. Any non-vampire outside the community was fair game to what lurked outside, he personally knew a few vampire hunters that were counting on him to fuck up. Rushing to her form, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt dragging her from the crowd.

"You can thank me later Bennett."

She didn't answer right away, instead Bonnie panted trying desperately to push the blood back into the wound that poured out of her exposed shoulder. When she realized that the blood would not stop she looked up at him breathlessly against the tree he leaned them both against. Bonnie's face crumpled and let out a frustrated groan. She had trouble registering what was happening and that she was probably going to die.

"Hey! Hey witch! You're fucking bit... shit. Shit!" He noticed the bite, he knew what it meant. He also knew if he stopped it it would piss off his mother and damage him even further. "Listen, this is going to hurt but it's the only way to keep you alive." Gripping her upper arm, black veins appeared around his eyes. She swatted at him in a daze but he smacked her hand out of the way. "Stop witch! If you wanna live we gotta do this my way." The way her skin prickled under his fingertips was hauntingly surreal. As his fangs elongated, she clamped her eyes shut only to be greeted with excruciating pain as his bit down hard directly over her infected bite. The witch screamed long and hard through gritted teeth.

First was the infected blood, it was slimy and sour. Rotten. He gaged but hurriedly pulled the blood digging his teeth deeper. Barely able to stand, Bonnie was so weak she didn't make much noise. The infected blood stopped flowing, instead there was the sweetness of her own. He could hear faint violins ring in the depths of his ears as the blood flowed past his lips. She felt like summer on the sun, like winter on pluto, incommunicable far beyond his worldly experience.

The soul and blood within her burst in his throat like an imploding star. It wasn't bad but it was far from good. Magic blood at an extreme amount. Every defining moment and memory that haunted her would forever be imbedded in his mind. It was a price he was far from being prepared for. She would have collapsed in his arms but instead fell to the ground as his mind was flooded. What a short life yet overwhelming, violent, and terrifying. Visions so intense he could feel his body experiencing everything. "...Jesus C-Christ." Letting out a pained groan, he doubled over. To make matters worse, in addition to the effects of her blood, the virus would make him ill for days.

An exhausted Stefan crouched down next to Bonnie's side and checked her heartbeat. Relieved at the faint pulse, he bit into his wrist and held it to her lips while petting the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't find you." Stefan had single handedly cleared the area. The small witch's teary eyes fluttered open, finding Stefan's gaping wrist pressed against her mouth. Bonnie stopped drinking immediately, she didn't want vampire's blood in her mouth. Before she could protest, Stefan picked her up and called out to his whining brother to hurry up and follow.

Andre, Katherine's pet looks like model Andrej Pejic for those wanting to match a face. Forgive me for the late post.

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