The Hunger Came in WavesNot like an empty stomach. Not even thirst.
It was deeper — primal. Like something had been carved out of Malik and filled with fire. It made his fangs ache. His breath catch. His vision blur. He could hear the blood in Emily's veins from the other side of the cottage.
He hadn't fed.
Not yet.
Emily stood near the hearth, arms crossed, watching him with a calmness she didn't feel.
"You're going to break something," she said as he paced.
"I'm trying not to break you," Malik snapped.
"You need to feed, Malik."
"I'm not drinking from an innocent."
"There are other ways."
"Stefan said—"
"Stefan," Emily interrupted, "can barely keep himself from tearing out the throat of every person he passes. He is not in control."
Malik froze. "He told me he was."
Emily's voice softened. "He told you what you needed to hear."
Wickery Bridge – That NightThe moon lit the water in cold silver streaks.
Malik found Stefan standing on the bridge's edge, head down, hair soaked with sweat. His shirt was stained — not dirt. Blood.
"How many?" Malik asked.
Stefan didn't look up. "Just one."
Malik stepped closer. "Who?"
Stefan's knuckles were white around the railing. "Some man. I didn't ask his name."
Malik sighed. "You said you were handling it."
"I am."
"You're covered in blood, Stefan."
"I didn't drain him," Stefan growled. "I stopped."
Malik's voice stayed low. "Did you stop because you wanted to, or because someone saw you?"
Silence.
"I blacked out," Stefan admitted. "And when I came to… he was still breathing. So I left."
"You're spiraling."
"I'm trying," Stefan said, and for the first time, his voice cracked. "I really am."
Malik grabbed his shoulder. "Then let me help you."
Stefan finally looked at him — eyes red-rimmed, jaw trembling. "You shouldn't have to."
"Then don't make me regret it."
Salvatore Manor – The ParlorDamon sprawled in an armchair, sipping bourbon straight from the bottle. "Well, if it isn't my favorite recently dead friend."
Malik shut the door behind him and stayed standing.
Damon raised a brow. "You fed yet?"
"No."
"You should. Stefan sure has."
Malik's expression didn't change.
"I'm serious," Damon said, setting the bottle down. "He's leaving a trail."
"Emily told me."
"She's worried."
"She should be."
Damon stood, crossing the room. "Look. We're all in over our heads. Katherine's gone. Emily's done saving us. The town's hunting anything that breathes too long in the shadows."
Malik didn't speak.
"You're stronger than us," Damon said quietly. "I knew it the first day we met."
"That doesn't make me better."
"No," Damon said, offering the bottle, "but it makes you responsible."
Malik didn't take it.
Bennett Cottage – MidnightEmily poured blood from a vial into a glass. Malik stood at the window, trembling, jaw clenched.
"You keep waiting for it to go away," she said, "but it won't."
"I don't want to need this."
"You don't have to want it. You just have to survive."
He turned around. "Why didn't you stop her?"
"I tried."
"I died."
"You chose to save her," Emily said, stepping forward. "You chose to put their lives above your own. That was your heart, Malik. You think vampirism erased that?"
Malik stared at the glass.
He took it.
Drank.
And hated it.
But he didn't stop.
The Woods – The Next DayMalik and Stefan walked side by side through the trees.
Stefan's sleeves were rolled up, skin scratched, teeth clenched.
"Every time I feed," he said, "it's like something in me wakes up. Something hungry."
Malik kept his gaze forward. "I know the feeling."
"I want to stop."
"Then stop."
"It's not that simple!"
Stefan's voice echoed through the forest.
Malik grabbed him by the collar, shoving him against a tree.
"I haven't fed on a person yet," he growled. "I'm holding on by threads. And I came to you because I thought you could help me stay human."
Stefan's face fell. "I'm sorry."
Malik let go. "Just stop lying to yourself."
Cemetery – DuskDamon stood over a fresh grave, tossing a single red rose into the soil.
"She wasn't a saint," he said as Malik approached. "But she was ours."
"Katherine?"
"No," Damon muttered. "Mother. Our real mother."
Malik nodded. "I didn't know."
"She died too early," Damon said. "Before we became this."
"Do you think she'd be proud of who you are now?"
Damon shrugged. "I think she'd slap me for half the things I've done."
"Then maybe you should stop."
"I'm not Stefan," Damon said. "I don't feel guilt the same way."
"No," Malik replied. "You just hide it better."
Damon smiled faintly. "Is that why you stay around? Because you think you can fix us?"
"No," Malik said. "I stay because I refuse to abandon you."