Cold Hearted | Damon Salvatore

twelve

12. Postcards From The Edge

Damon laid in the middle of the road, staring up at the dark sky, when a car speeded his way, the person behind the wheel started honking, telling Damon to get out of the way, but Damon ignored him and slowly sat up but didn't move.

"What's the problem?" the panicked driver asked, coming out of his car, thinking there was something wrong with Damon, "You okay, man?".

Damon looked at the stranger, he then held his hand, "You mind giving me a hand?".

The stranger grabbed Damon's hand and helped him stand up, "What are you doing out here?".

Damon sighed, "I don't know" he admitted, "I thought it would make me feel better".

"Okay, should I call someone or--".

"What's your name?" Damon interrupted.

"It's Cooper".

Damon placed his hand on Cooper's shoulder, "Cooper, you ever done something so unspeakably horrific, you couldn't even look at yourself in the mirror? Like it literally makes you ill to see your own reflection?", Damon grabbed Cooper by his shoulders and started compelling him, "Be honest, now".

"I ran over my girlfriend's cat a couple months ago, didn't tell her even though it was an accident" Cooper admitted, "I threw the body in a supermarket dumpster".

"I'm about to break the love of my life's heart and if that wasn't enough, I'm about to break my promise to her, I'm once again walking away from her and our family that we built together" a devasted Damon said, "But you know what? I'd rather her hate me then her die because of me, I'd rather my kids grow up without me, then their lives be put into danger because of me".

Cooper let out a small chuckle, slightly weirded out by Damon, "I think I'm just gonna go" he finally said, but before he could walk away, Damon grabbed him.

"Actually, I could use a ride" Damon compelled, Cooper and Damon then sat in the car and Cooper started driving, "I thought Aria had changed me, I thought she made me a better man, but I was wrong, I was so wrong, it was always gonna end up this way, me destroying her, breaking her heart, in my defense, it's way better then her dying, this world still needs her, but she doesn't need me, that's what my whole tour of duty in phoenix stone taught me that I am permanently damaged goods, you ever feel that way, Cooper?".

"Not really" Cooper replied, shaking his head.

"Well, you're lucky, Coop, I'm gonna kill you now" Damon informed.

Cooper looked at Damon in both shock and fear, "Excuse me?".

"Oh, it's nothing personal" Damon assured, "I'm hungry, you're food, think of it as a stop at a drive-through window, you'll be afraid, I won't care, honestly, I'm losing the love of my life, I'm losing my kids, I can't imagine caring about anyone ever again, not a single, solitary soul".

Before Cooper could react, Damon bit into his neck and started drinking his blood, ignoring his screams, after Cooper was dead, Damon pushed his body out of the car and after getting into the drivers seat, drove away.

***

Aria and Nora sat on the floor of Nora's dorm room, both holding on to different sides of the phoenix stone, a map was placed in between them, with candles spread all around the room.