[ BOOK ONE ]
Erin Gilbert believed the worst thing that could ever happen to her was the death of her parents. But when the Salvatore brothers waltz into town, she finds herself longing for the sorrow-filled days of the past.
All too soon, Erin's n...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AS IF ERIN'S NIGHT couldn't have gotten any stranger, she found herself back within the halls of the Mystic Falls Hospital. When she returned home from what she would consider a fairly successful dinner, thanks to Elijah and his angered siblings, she discovered a horrific sight.
Alaric laid across the couch in the living room, covered in blood and temporarily gone from the world. Elena quickly explained that she came home from Caroline's and found him nearly dead with a knife in his stomach. She didn't know who had attacked him or what they were. So to make sure he remained alive, Elena, being the supernaturally reoccurring doppelgänger, killed him herself.
It took quite a while for Alaric to wake, but Erin was just happy he came back to life. And when he did, she and Elena didn't hesitate to rush him to the hospital. The last time he died, his wounds failed to heal like they had in the past and almost led to him bleeding out. They were not about to let that happen a second time.
"How's Mr. Saltzman?" Matt asked, meeting them just outside of Alaric's hospital room. He had been with Elena when she found Alaric and stayed until they brought him to the hospital.
Elena released a short breath, adjusting the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. "Resigned to spending the night in observation, so long as we promise to change the lock in the house," she replied as they started down the quiet hallway.
Erin shoved her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and added, "Bonnie and her mom are also fine. Whatever popped out of that coffin only knocked them out for a little bit."
Earlier that night, Bonnie and her mother, Abby, were inside the caverns beneath the old Lockwood property with the spell coffin. They managed to somehow break the thing open, but they were unable to see what actually emerged when they were rendered unconscious.
Damon and Stefan found them shortly after it happened, and the mystery object inside was long gone.
"Have you talked to Caroline?" Elena questioned, looking from Erin to Matt.
"Yeah," Matt answered, continuing with them down the hall for the nearest exit. "She's holding it together, considering how close she and her dad used to be."
Erin felt terrible for Caroline. As she suspected, Bill Forbes decided to not complete his transition into a vampire. The lack of action led to him passing away, leaving Caroline behind to process his loss.
"Any word on who's behind these attacks?" Matt asked, glancing between them.
Erin sighed and shook her head. "No. Sheriff Forbes said they don't have any real suspects. Meredith Fell has an alibi, so we're back to square one."
