He's on his way back, Mystic Falls residents. You may wanna run and hide.

At the conclusion of last night's Vampire Diaries episode - which introduced viewers to the concept of Travelers; took us to The Other Side; and made like Fifty Shades of Grey at one point - Damon, Elena and Sheriff Forbes stumbled upon Stefan's safe. Stefan's EMPTY safe, that is.

How did he get out? That remains to be discovered. But just how hungry is this blood-sucker, following three months without feeding? That much was hinted at by the corpse that took his place inside the chamber.

And also by the following promo for next Thursday's "Original Sin." Yes, the Ripper has returned, giving Paul Wesley two juicy roles into which he can literally sink his teeth. Watch the official CW teaser now:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.