[Location: Fell's Church Ruins – The Entrance] [Time: 10:50 PM]
The air pressure around the tomb entrance was immense. Magic crackled like static electricity, making the hair on my arms stand up.
Sheila Bennett (Grams) was sweating, her hands trembling as she held the invisible door open. Bonnie was beside her, eyes closed, chanting a counter-spell to keep the seal permeable.
"They're taking too long," Sheila grit out through clenched teeth. "We can't hold this forever."
I stood near the entrance, checking my watch.
Inside the darkness, I could hear echoes. Stone grinding. Water dripping. And then, a scream.
"KATHERINE!"
It was Damon. A raw, agonizing roar of denial. He had found the empty pedestal. He had realized the joke was on him for 145 years.
Elena flinched. "Damon... I have to go to him."
"No," I said, stepping in front of her. "You don't. He's a vampire having a tantrum in a crypt full of other starving vampires. You stay here."
"He sounds hurt!" Elena argued, trying to push past me.
"He's heartbroken, Elena, not dying," I snapped. "There's a difference."
I looked at Stefan. "Go get him. Drag him out if you have to. But make it fast. The witches are fading."
Stefan nodded. He flashed into the darkness.
I turned to Bonnie. "Hold it, Bon. Just two more minutes."
"It feels heavy," Bonnie gasped, sweat beading on her forehead. "Like the whole world is pushing down on us."
"That's the spirits," I said. "They hate us right now. Just push back."
I looked into the black maw of the tomb.
I wasn't waiting for Damon. I was waiting for Anna.
Then, I saw movement.
A figure stumbled out of the shadows. It was Anna, supporting a woman who looked like a desiccated corpse. Grey skin, skeletal features, wearing a tattered 1864 dress.
Pearl.
Anna's eyes were wild with panic. She was struggling under her mother's weight.
"Help me!" Anna hissed at me.
I didn't hesitate. I reached into my jacket and pulled out a blood bag (stolen from the hospital stash).
I tossed it to her.
"Feed her," I ordered. "Now. She needs to walk."
Anna caught the bag. She ripped it open with her teeth and forced the plastic to Pearl's dried lips.
Pearl drank. It was grotesque—the sound of dry sponge soaking up water. But the effect was instant. Color flushed into her cheeks. Her muscles knit back together. Her eyes snapped open—sharp, intelligent, and predatory.
Pearl stood up, pushing Anna away gently. She looked at me. She wiped a drop of blood from her chin.
"Who are you?" Pearl asked, her voice raspy but commanding.
"I'm the guy who kept the door open," I said. "Go. Before the Salvatores come out."
Pearl nodded—a queen acknowledging a servant. She grabbed Anna's hand.
"Wait," I said, stepping closer to Anna.
I slipped a piece of paper into Anna's hand.
"My number," I whispered. "We have business."
Anna looked at me, surprised, then pocketed the note.
They blurred away into the night, vanishing into the woods.
Asset Secured. Pearl was out. The map to the werewolf packs was in play.
"Who was that?" Elena asked, squinting into the dark.
"Just shadows, Elena," I lied. "Focus on Damon."
Suddenly, Stefan and Damon emerged.
Damon looked shattered. He wasn't angry anymore; he was hollow. He held a glass bottle of blood he must have found inside—or maybe just his own despair.
"She's not there," Damon whispered, staring at the ground. "She was never there."
"We have to go," Stefan said, shoving Damon toward the exit. "Move!"
They stepped across the threshold.
"Close it!" I shouted to Bonnie.
Bonnie and Sheila let out a simultaneous gasp. They dropped their hands.
BOOM.
The heavy stone door didn't move physically, but the air slammed shut. The seal was back. The twenty-some other vampires inside—the ones Anna didn't save—were trapped again.
Sheila stumbled. Bonnie caught her.
"Grams!"
"I'm okay," Sheila wheezed, clutching her chest. "Just... drained. It took a lot."
I looked at Sheila. She looked grey. In the show, she dies later tonight from the strain.
I walked over.
"Let me drive you home," I offered. "My Jeep is right here."
"I can take them," Stefan said, stepping forward.
"No," I said, looking Stefan in the eye. "You need to handle your brother. Look at him."
Damon was sitting on a rock, staring at nothing. He looked ready to burn the world down or kill himself.
"Stefan, take Damon and Elena home," I instructed. "I've got the Bennetts. I'll make sure they get tea and rest."
Stefan hesitated, then nodded. "Thank you, Adrian."
[Location: The Bennett Residence] [Time: 11:30 PM]
I helped Sheila onto the sofa. She was weak, her breathing shallow.
"I'll make some tea," Bonnie said, rushing to the kitchen.
I sat in the armchair opposite Sheila.
She watched me. Her eyes were tired, but they still held that witchy knowing.
"You're not just a student, are you?" Sheila whispered.
"I'm a concerned citizen," I said.
"You smell like trouble," she murmured. "You treat magic like a tool. Like a hammer."
"It is a tool, isn't it?" I asked gently. "A hammer can build a house or crack a skull. Depends on the hand holding it."
Bonnie came back with mugs. "Here, Grams. Drink this."
Sheila took a sip. Her hand shook.
"I'm going to head out," I said, standing up. "Bonnie, stay with her tonight. Don't let her exert herself. Magic has a cost."
"I know," Bonnie said. "Thanks for driving us, Adrian."
I walked to the door.
I paused.
If I left now, Sheila would die. It was her destiny. Her heart gave out.
Could I save her?
I looked back at the old woman.
If she lived, she would be a powerful ally against Klaus. But she would also be a strict moral compass. She would stop Bonnie from doing the dark magic I needed later. She would stop me from creating the Upgraded Serum.
The Calculus of Survival.
If Sheila lived, I lost control of Bonnie. If Sheila died, Bonnie became traumatized, desperate, and malleable.
I hated myself for the thought. But I was the Salaryman. I managed assets.
"Goodnight, Sheila," I said softly.
"Goodnight, boy," she whispered.
I walked out.
I sat in my Jeep for ten minutes, staring at the house.
I waited until the lights went out downstairs.
I didn't call 911.
I drove away.
[Location: The Cross Residence – Bedroom] [Time: 1:00 AM]
I poured myself a glass of water. My hands were shaking.
That was the coldest thing I had done. Letting Vicki die was one thing—she was a vampire. Letting Sheila Bennett die... she was a hero.
"It's for the serum," I told the empty room. "It's for the Upgrade."
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
I answered. "Cross speaking."
"You have a lot of nerve," a female voice said. Anna.
"I assume your mother is settling in?" I asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.
"She's weak," Anna said. "She needs blood. Real blood. Not bags."
"I can't help you with bodies," I said. "But I can give you a safe house. There's an old farmhouse off Route 9. Foreclosed. No neighbors."
"Why are you helping us?" Anna asked. "What do you want?"
"Your mother lived here in 1864," I said. "She knew the Founding Families. She knew the Lockwoods. And she knew about the other packs."
Silence on the other end.
"Werewolves?" Anna asked, sounding skeptical. "They're a myth."
"So are vampires," I countered. "I need to know where the other bloodlines are. Your mother traveled. She has a map, or a diary, or a memory."
"I'll ask her," Anna said. "But she won't talk for free."
"I have the Gilbert Device," I lied. (Well, partially lied. I had the modified one). "If you want to stay in this town without the Council frying your brains, you might want to be on my good side."
"You're threatening a 500-year-old vampire?" Anna sounded amused.
"I'm negotiating with a refugee," I said. "Get her settled. I'll come by tomorrow."
I hung up.
I lay back on my bed.
Damon was broken. Bonnie was about to be broken. Pearl was free. And I was one step closer to the Venoms.
I closed my eyes.
Objective 1 Complete: The Tomb is Open. Objective 2: Recruit Pearl.
The game was getting harder. And I was getting colder.
[End of Chapter 19]