damon| another reason to bleed hidden up my sleeve

[Lee Turner]

Lee Turner had spent most of his life living for no one but himself. What pushed him forward was the hope that one day he would be able to look back on his life and be proud of what he accomplished. He wanted what any other American wanted. A reliable and relatively easy job and a comfortably sized house in a middle-class suburban district of a large city with a doting wife and beautiful children danced on the stage of his nighttime dreams. What he wanted was the American dream. What he wanted was what lured thousands of immigrants to this great country; a country that had a history entrenched with and fueled by the desire of the individual. Growing up he was an ordinary child that was surrounded with ordinary amenities and ordinary life struggles. He was the kid that nobody noticed or paid attention to simply because there was nothing wrong with him. And he hated it.

Now things were much different of course. So different, in fact, that he couldn't have even fathomed the world he was now a part of back then. So different that, even now, he finds himself confused by his surroundings. It hasn't been long enough for him to grow used to living this way. Thirty years seemed to be enough time for him to adjust to the lifestyle of a vampire. But it wasn't, and finding prey to satiate his thirst, letting go of his precious humanity, tore him apart internally. Despite this, Lee counted himself among the lucky few to have come close to his dream. There was someone he loved and even though she was gone now, he knew she remained in his heart. He knew that her memory would never fade and that her face was a stronger motivation to move on than any other memory had ever inspired. The loss of a loved one was a powerful tool and a deadly weapon, especially for a man like Lee who had never met nor loved anyone quite like Lexi.

News in the supernatural world spread quickly and it wasn't long before he found out what happened to her. They had gotten into a stupid fight just when Lee thought things were going right. At first he pinned all the judgment on himself for what happened. “If I had just bought the stupid lava lamp for her” or “If I had just put that stupid toilet seat down.” Those weren't the exact reasons for their arguments of course, but they were just as petty. At least that was what he thought had caused her to leave. In all honesty, he had no idea what her reasons were, what was going on in that silly female head of hers. Regardless, he regretted it all so much. He regretted not being able to say goodbye, not being able to pour her one last drink, not being able to give her one last kiss, one last touch. Worst of all, he wanted the blood of whoever had done this to him and he didn't care how he got it.

His name was Damon Salvatore, apparently, and that wasn't the first time Lee heard that name. Lexi had mentioned the Salvatore brothers a couple of times on those rare occasions she told stories of her past. They were mostly stories of other vampires she had met in an attempt to help him get through the transformation cycle. They were about how others had dealt with the hunger pains and her continuing struggle. It wasn't an easy life and to be quite honest, Lee preferred living as an ignorant human. But he wanted Lexi more and pushed him to adapt. With that said, Lee had a vague impression of Damon's reputation; he knew what he was getting himself into. However, his anger was too strong to let that frighten him away. Lee may not have been in the business for as long, but he knew one thing for sure: if he was smart he had a chance. Even if there wasn't a chance to get revenge right away, he could at least send the right message with the right tactics.

He sat against a tree with his black hood up over his head and his eyes shut tight, listening to the sounds of the wildlife rustle through the shrubs and the distant hum of the highway nearby. It was the middle of the day and Lee couldn't risk going out into the open; the forest was so thick that he was safe from the harmful rays of the sun. His head pulsed and his whole body quivered, his blood shivered. He opened his flask of whiskey and took a quick swig. It burned his mouth and throat but once it settled it his stomach, it sent comforting warmth everywhere and he felt the pain subside a bit. Lee thought being a vampire would make life easier, but he was just as angry and just as much of a drunk as he ever was as a human. If anything, he was worse.

There was nothing that he could do to get what he wanted now. Nobody would accept him and he knew that he would never be able to change. As far as he knew, there was no way to turn back into a human. There was no reset button, there was no antidote, and if he died that was it. He saw the truth; there was no afterlife for a vampire even if you called the world he was in now life. In the town it was late and dark enough for him to venture without risking the searing pain that the sun brought with it. Though he had grown used to staying inside for most of his life, every once in a while he would look out at a ray of sunshine longingly. He would remember his childhood and the days he spent running around with a toy airplane or zooming around on his bicycle. That was a long time ago. The Mystic Grill was open late as always and so, having failed to find sufficient food for himself the previous couple of nights, he wandered in thirsty. A pretty lady stood behind the bar and poured him a beer from the tap. It would do for now.