Chapter Text
Graduation day was supposed to be a bittersweet day. High school graduates would cry, smile, and celebrate the closing of a chapter in their lives. They would reminisce about the past four years, grieve their childhood, and celebrate their future.
Elena Gilbert had planned to do so. She climbed up the stairs to the large stage, grinning wildly and blushing as her friends and family—and even some strangers—cheered loudly for her. She looked over when she heard her name being chanted, finding Jeremy, her parents, Jenna and John, along with the Mikaelsons (all except Klaus) cheering for her.
More than a little embarrassed, Elena threw them a smile, knowing full well Kol would be the next to suffer their loud praise. With her scroll in hand, she sat down on her assigned chair and screamed when Kol came up. Her friend dramatically bowed, preening at the cheers howled at him throughout the crowd.
The principal had to pull him forwards so the next student could receive the limelight.
Completely ignoring the assigned seats, Kol bribed the student next to her to switch with him. The kid was more than happy to take the hundred dollars and sit where the M's were located.
"We're skipping Lockwood's party tonight." Kol started, pulling out a pack of Whoppers from underneath his graduation gown and offering her some. He popped one into his mouth. "We're going to Salvatore's instead. I heard his brother bought enough booze to get the entire town drunk."
She raised an eyebrow, taking a Whopper. "Right. 'Cause, what I need today is for my parents to yell at me for getting pissed drunk."
Another wave of cheers surrounded them. Kol ignored it, practically shouting at her. "I apologized last time, didn't I? Besides, I took the blame for it. We'll be more careful this time."
Elena rolled her eyes, throwing the candy at his face. Reflexively, he caught it with his mouth, chewing it. "I'll go ... as long as you promise to not try the Heimlich me again."
He held up his pinky, almost mockingly. "I pinky swear I won't try to unchoke you."
She wrapped her finger around his, smiling when he grinned at her. Most would fear when the duo smiled at each other, knowing it was only a matter of time before something reckless was to happen. (Like accidentally burning a section of the graveyard.)
After the valedictorian speech, Caroline and Bonnie ran up to the two, hugging the girl and ignoring the Mikaelson until he was audibly pouting. He was then included in the group hug.
The group disbanded as their parents came running to them. Caroline and Bonnie were squashed between their parents, while Elena and Kol were surrounded by the Gilberts and Mikaelsons. Elena, who had been next to Kol, moved away from the warm hug, groaning when no one would let go.
Inadvertently, she got stuck in front of Klaus, the blond glaring at her. She glared back, squirming away and out of the hug. The two families finally got the hint, separating.
Mikael gave his son a hug, which surprised Elena. He was strict and pushed his kids to do better, almost to the point where they came off as unwanted or unwelcome. But today, he was smiling—it was tense, but a smile nonetheless—down at his son.
From behind, Jeremy engulfed her in another hug as her parents took a picture of their children. Kol made sure to photobomb a few.
The Mikaelsons expressed their congratulations to both graduates, as did the Gilberts. The former had experiences with graduations seeing as how Finn, Elijah, and Klaus managed to grab their degree. However, the Gilberts had fawned over Elena to the point where she was tempted to get into trouble or drag Jeremy with her.
Elena was stolen by Stefan Salvatore before she could talk to the group individually. They let her go reluctantly before diverting their attention to Kol who was more than happy to receive it.
She turned to the football player, grinning ear to ear. "Hey, I heard you got offered a football scholarship!"
He nodded, his serious mood lightened by her smile. Elena Gilbert had the talent to do that. "Yeah, Cornell."
"So, what'd you need to talk to me about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Elena glanced around them, finding no blonde cheerleader in sight. She staged a whisper. "Is Caroline nagging you again?"
Stefan laughed, shaking his head. He had taken off the black graduation gown along with his cap, leaving him in a white button-down and black jeans. "No, I took your advice and told her we would never, ever happen."
"Heartbreaker." Elena teased. She took off her cap, a little annoyed with the tassel. "So, what did you need?"
He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. Someone called out his name in the crowd, probably his brother but he ignored it. "Are you going to the boarding house tonight?"
She nodded, pointing behind her at Kol. "Yeah, I've been convinced to come. A nosy bird told me your brother had purchased the good stuff."
"Damon is going to get into trouble one of these days," Stefan muttered, shaking his head.
The older Salvatore appeared from behind his brother, clapping his shoulder so loud that Elena wondered if it'd bruise. Damon gave her a smirk and winked. "Not anytime soon if I have any say."
"Speak of the devil." Stefan chuckled, pushing his brother's hand off of him. He pushed Damon away from Elena, backtracking. "I'll see you at the party tonight."
She waved at them, turning back, still confused about what Stefan had wanted. His serious demeanor couldn't have been from asking her if she was going to attend this party, was it? She shook her head, heading back to where her family stood.
Transferring to Mystic Falls sophomore year had made Stefan the shiny new toy everyone wanted to play with. Much to the girls' dismay, he kept to himself. Even when he joined the football team, he was reserved, not really making any friends with the guys on the team. Caroline had pursued him, and just like the like rest, he rejected her.
He had sat next to Elena in history second term, and it was only when she had asked for a pencil did Stefan finally make a new friend. They had come close to dating, but Elena called it off when Damon made a few remarks about Stefan's ex-girlfriend. So, Stefan remained a close friend, though not as close as Bonnie and Caroline, and nowhere close as Kol.
Caroline was persistent Stefan liked Elena, but she waved it away. After the whole ordeal with Matt, and then Tom, she wanted to stay single for a little while.
Miranda Gilbert wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulder, steering her towards the parking lot. Grayson stepped on the other side of his daughter, placing the cap back on her head.
"We're heading to the Grill, get some lunch, open some presents, and celebrate back at home," Miranda informed, giving her daughter a quick squeeze.
Elena glanced back at Kol, still talking to his family, before turning back to her mom with the sweetest eyes. "Mom ..."
Grayson laughed, knowing what was coming next. Miranda gave her daughter a pointed look, waiting for the begging.
"Kol and I are going to Stefan's party tonight." Elena began, smiling apologetically at her mom. "I promised to come, and you've always said if you make a promise, you have to keep it."
Miranda groaned, her sister coming up beside her to chuckle. Jenna peeked over at Elena. "You can go, but please be back before the sun rises. We wouldn't want another incident, okay?"
Elena agreed, deciding not to look too eager. She didn't plan on doing anything too extensive at the party, but if she looked overexcited, her generous parents might rein her back. After the senior year they had, they needed to cool off.
They walked to their cars, Jeremy jingling his keys the whole way to show off the new truck their parents had recently gotten him. The boy was practically rushing to his truck but kept pace with his family.
The parking lot was crowded, and on a May day, it was extremely hot. Elena took off her graduation gown, draping it on her arm as she listened to her family talk. For a warm day, she had chosen well with her summer dress, the cream-white dress reflecting the sun's rays.
Glancing over, she noticed John was smiling, but he stayed quiet. Usually, when he came to visit, it was the opposite.
Uncle John was a sour man, no one particularly liked him, and many showed their disdain towards him, mostly to his face. Elena didn't like him, didn't like the way he thought he had any authority over her when he barely came to visit, sometimes flaking during Christmas.
He had a closer relationship with Jeremy than he did with her, but she didn't mind. Just because Jeremy didn't feel irritated at him every time he spoke didn't mean they were thick as thieves. Elena didn't like John Gilbert, but she cared for him. She didn't love him, but he was family.
So when she saw his neck painted with blood, his eyes draining of life, she stared in horror. She nearly threw up at the sight of her uncle's head tipping off his neck, dropping on the cement, his eyes still open.
Jenna, who had been beside him, screamed.
The man who had committed John's murder barely looked like a man, his eyes bloodshot red, blood dripping down his chin, lips snarling, teeth biting at the air. His shirt was torn and covered in blood, and a huge, bloody bite mark on his wrist was prominent. A huge chunk of his cheek had been torn, blood spurting from the skin.
Elena didn't have time to get to Jenna before the man did. His dirty, crimson hands found her shoulder, pulling her in as he bit her neck, pulling back his head to reveal the huge hunk of flesh he had bit out of Jenna.
Jenna wailed, reaching behind her for help. But Miranda stood frozen, shock and fear stopping her from helping her sister.
Screams could be heard around the parking lot, a large group running towards their cars. Grayson reached out for his wife as Jeremy prevented Elena from getting trampled by the crowd. People passed them, and unwillingly, they moved with the crowd.
Looking around her, Elena found a group of people who resembled the man's appearance terrorizing the crowd. She saw a crazed woman jumping at Mayor Lockwood, making the Mayor fall before she bit his arm. Elena couldn't hear his scream through the chaos.
Grayson grabbed his family, leaving an injured Jenna behind. He kicked the wild man with his foot when the man tried to come crawling after them, pushing his wife and children in front.
"Come on, we have to go!" Grayson shouted, determination overtaking his expression, eyes quickly searching over the hysterical crowd, trying to find their car. "Jeremy, Elena, we parked in uppers. Jeremy, take your sister and get the hell out of here!"
Elena shook her head, but before she could argue, another manic woman rammed Miranda to the concrete. She screamed, arms trying to push the woman away as Grayson tried to pull the woman off his wife. They struggled, and it wasn't until a particular anguished cry that escaped Miranda's lips informed Elena and Jeremy she had been bitten.
Zombies. Elena thought, terror freezing her veins as she stared in dread as the woman turned her back on Miranda and tackled Grayson to the ground.
Grayson's hands went around the woman's neck, pushing her away. Jeremy came from behind her, rushing to their father but Grayson shook his head violently. "No! Get the hell out of here! Now!"
Jeremy kicked the zombie's head, its neck tilting oddly to the side. It screeched at him, getting off Grayson to run towards Jeremy. It took Elena half a second to realize the scream that rang in her ears was her own. Jeremy stood tall, prepared to fight but Grayson threw himself on top of the woman.
Her neck bent at an angle, Grayson's wrist terribly close to her teeth, but he didn't notice, trying to catch his children's attention. The woman broke her neck and leaned in to sink her teeth into his palm. Grayson grunted, lips curling in pain. "Fuck! Jeremy get you and Elena to safety! Run!"
A hand grabbed Elena's wrist and she panicked, shrieking. Jeremy turned his back on Grayson, ready to protect his sister, only to find Kol, Elijah, Finn, and Klaus standing around her. Elijah didn't allow her to turn back when she heard her father's torment shout fill her ears. Elena was thankful for him, she didn't want to see her father become a monster.
Elijah pulled Elena with him, and Kol shoved Jeremy out of his shock, pushing past the hundreds of people, trying to ignore their cries for help. Klaus stayed in the back, fighting off any stragglers that tried to come their way. Finn took the lead, a gun in his hand as his eyes dart around their surrounding, scrambling for a safe spot.
The parking lot was hell, too many people were running, too many bloody and crazed, too many screeching as those manic tore their flesh. Those who escaped in cars were driving fast in the lot, hitting innocents and those who turned.
"Finn, the school!" Elijah shouted, pulling her in his chest when a car nearly hit them. The lawyer pointed to the building, only a few people running towards it.
The eldest brother agreed, absentmindedly shooting at a zombie who came at him. Finn gestured to the group, his military training keeping him calm during the chaos. "We're blocked from this side, we have to turn back to the field and go through the back!"
Klaus picked up a fallen crowbar, smacking a zombie in the head, the metal sticking to its cranium. He kicked it off, disgust crawling his face. "We can't go back, there's too many coming from the woods! The school is going to be overrun, we can't go there!"
Finn pointed his gun towards Klaus, shooting another who came behind his brother. "We can't keep standing here, I have two loads, max!"
"We go left!" Elena suggested, five sets of eyes darting to her. "Jeremy parked in uppers, we can take his truck and go-"
She was going to say home, but was it even still standing? Were her neighbors in the same state as her parents? Were they dead or undead? She didn't want to find out the answer.
"We can get out of here." Kol finished, approving of her plan. It was smart, even in fighting a hungry zombie, Grayson Gilbert was sharp-witted.
No one argued, and they started running. It was logical; the pathway was less crowded, and more people were heading towards the school, more than half of them bleeding. If they had gone to the safety of the building, it wouldn't take long for the zombies outside to track down the humans and break in.
Finn barely slowed to reload his gun, shooting precisely as Klaus was deadly with his crowbar. Elena kept her eyes off those convulsing on the ground, flinching when someone would come close to her, only to be taken down by either Klaus or Finn.
Though the gun had drawbacks, the sound was loud, drawing more zombies to their group. They were almost there when Finn came to the same conclusion as her. He handed Elijah his gun, bending down to reach for a maimed arm, hitting zombies with it.
Elena gagged, letting go of Elijah's arm. Finn had no problem clearing the path to Jeremy's truck with a stranger's torn limb, using it both as a weapon and shield. Blood splattered her white dress, and it was only then that Elena noticed she was still wearing her heels.
She took them off, hobbling with the group as they made the final stretch to the truck. Jeremy unlocked the doors, tossing the keys to Finn while he jumped in the back with Kol.
Elijah practically carried her to the back, dropping her in the seat, right next to her brother before going to the passenger seat. He slammed the door against an upcoming zombie, stomping on its head with his polished black shoes.
Klaus sprinted over to them, crowbar now covered in blood and bits and pieces of organs. Two zombies chased after him, but the blond was determined to make it into the truck.
Elena's heart dropped. Chasing after Klaus was a turned Bonnie and Caroline. Their eyes were wild, focusing on the human in front of them. Their dresses were covered in blood and dirt, their mouths spewing blood until it dripped down their necks.
They still wore their caps, the tassels swinging wildly. Elena spotted her signature on both their caps, her heart clenching at the memory from last night. Caroline had wanted to do something the rest of their classmates wouldn't and the best she had come up with were glitter pens and signing their names on each other's caps.
Elena had thought the idea ridiculous but still did it to make Caroline happy. They had been told to not vandalize their caps and gown, many, many times by their teachers. Yet, the three hadn't gotten in trouble when they showed up with glitter-signed names on their caps. Elena remembered she had dropped her cap in the parking lot, right after seeing John's decapitation.
Klaus made it into the backseat, squeezing next to Elena. Before he could shut the door, an arm stopped it from closing, pulling the door open before it could close.
A few feet away from her stood her best friends, preparing to launch themselves at Klaus.
She loved Caroline and Bonnie since they were little, and while she didn't particularly like Klaus—the feeling was mutual—she couldn't let him die. She's already lost too many people.
Elena threw her heels at them before Finn could shoot them. The heels hit their eyes and they stumbled back far enough for Klaus to grab the door handle and slammed it shut. The door automatically locked, and Finn was speeding out of the parking lot without hesitation.
She looked back, seeing her two best friends running after the truck, but Finn was moving too fast for them to catch up. Her heels lay on the ground, now broken from the power she had put into her throw.
The same heels Bonnie had picked out and Caroline had approved. Their caps finally fell on the ground as they hunted down a passing human. Elena closed her eyes as they pounced on him. She didn't need to see any more.
Klaus was staring at her when she opened her eyes. Something in them told her he knew how much they meant to her. Killing them in front of the brunette would've caused further pain.
She turned away from his burning gaze, trying not to think about her undead family.