"Those Who Arrive Survive"
Summary: In which Kurt was separated from the group when the prison was overrun, and he found Terminus. He only survived because Blaine lied and said he knew him. Now Kurt's group is at Terminus and he doesn't know what to do.
Warnings: Walking Dead Spoilers, blood/gore/pretty much anything you'd find in TWD, references to cannibalism
This is for the Gleekover2014 challenge: Halloween-Walking Dead
Kurt watched in horror as the familiar group of people was thrown into one of the empty train cars. He felt someone grip his hand tightly and turned around, startled, only to find Blaine. He knew he must have looked terrified because Blaine cupped his face gently in both hands in the same way he always did when he was trying to calm Kurt down.
"Kurt, baby, it's okay. It'll be okay," he murmured, and Kurt shook his head.
"No," he muttered. He kept his voice low to avoid any prying ears. "No, it's not okay. That's my family, Blaine. They saved my life. I wouldn't have stood a chance on my own and they took me in. How can I just let them die?"
Blaine's eyes widened sadly and he brushed his thumbs over Kurt's cheeks. "There's nothing we can do."
"You saved me," Kurt reminded him, frowning. "When I got here, you saved me. Why can't I do the same for them?"
"They won't let a group that big go free," Blaine said. "The food supply is low… They won't risk it."
"But I—"
"If you tell them you know these people, they'll kill you, too," Blaine said harshly. Kurt flinched, looking away, and Blaine softened a bit. "I'm sorry. I… I can't lose you. You're the only family I have left."
Kurt nodded. He knew that, of course. For a while, he'd thought Blaine was his last chance at a family. He remembered the day Blaine became his last hope.
Kurt wasn't proud of it, but he couldn't stop crying. He was fifth in the line-up over the edge of the bloody tub, and they'd already finished off the first three. His heart was pounding and he felt like he couldn't breathe. A week ago he'd been at the prison, safe and with his group. Now he was going to die, just when he thought he'd found someplace safe.
The sound of the fourth person being knocked out was right beside him and he choked out a sob. He shut his eyes, steeling himself for the inevitable.
"Wait!"
He heard the sound of a metal bar clattering to the cement and he let out a relieved breath that turned into terrified hyperventilating.
"What is it, Anderson?" The man sounded irritated and Kurt tensed. He didn't dare open his eyes.
"Please," Anderson gasped. "I know him. We were separated when our hide-out burned down. Please, I'm begging you. We have plenty of food. You can spare one innocent, can't you?"
"Garrett won't be happy," said a rough voice. Kurt was still shaking with his ragged, terrified breathing, but he almost dared to let hope swell in his chest.
"I'll talk to him," Anderson promised. "Please, just give him a chance." His voice cracked with emotion and the other men seemed to give in. Kurt felt the zip tie around his wrists being cut and he let out a relieved sob as he crumpled to the ground, cradling his left arm to his chest. It was broken and throbbing and it hurt.
"Pathetic, Anderson," one of the guys muttered as they left the room. Kurt paid them no attention as the smell of blood filled his nostrils and he whimpered.
"Shh, shh, it's okay," murmured a soothing voice. Kurt felt a cool hand cup the side of his neck and he leaned into the comforting touch. "You're safe now. I've got you."
Kurt managed to open his eyes and he was met with the kindest face he'd ever encountered. "I'm Kurt," he whispered, throat raw from crying.
"I'm Blaine," said the man, smiling softly. "Come on. Let me show you your new home."
"Wait," Kurt stopped him, gripping his dirty t-shirt. "Why… Why did you save me?"
"You were alone," Blaine answered. "You were terrified and I knew you didn't have anyone else to help you. I figured you deserved a chance."
Kurt had learned since then that Blaine never ate the meat that they others did. He always found a way to hunt when no one was paying him any attention, and he'd grown to love the taste of venison and squirrel. Kurt had only gone outside with him a few times in the month he'd been there, but it was always the highlight of his days.
No one knew that they weren't crazy like the rest of them. The only reason they stayed was because they didn't have anywhere else to go.
Kurt had been worried for some time now that his group would reach Terminus, but now his nightmares were coming true. There was no way they could escape this. He only hoped that they would fight back. Then, maybe they'd stand a chance.
But it was out of Kurt's hands. He hated it, but that was the truth. So he followed Blaine back to their apartment and settled down beside him on their small bed. He tried to block out the images his mind kept conjuring up.
They stayed there until they lost track of time, and even longer. Neither of them knew how long it was before they heard something; it sounded like an explosion, but how was that possible? Kurt sat up instantly, panicked. He looked at Blaine with wide eyes as Blaine sat up and held his face gently. "I'm sure it's nothing."
Just then, they heard gunshots. That's when they knew something was wrong. Terminus never used guns to slaughter. It was all very calculated. They wouldn't risk attracting a hoard of Walkers.
They each grabbed a gun from the closet; Blaine had a scoped rifle and Kurt had a handgun. They carefully moved to either side of the window. Suddenly, the glass shattered as if someone had seen them and fired. Are you okay? Kurt mouthed to Blaine. Blaine nodded, wincing as he did. He looked down and saw a piece of glass lodged in his shoulder. He carefully removed it, grunting in pain before flicking the glass to the floor. Kurt watched him in concern, not wanting to move for fear of being seen by… whoever was out there.
Blaine nodded towards the main door in their apartment before making a run for it. Kurt followed, gasping when another bullet made it through their window. Blaine tumbled to the ground and Kurt quickly pulled him away from the window. "Blaine? Blaine, what's wrong?"
"It skimmed my back," he said through gritted teeth, wincing when he sat up and his shirt shifted. Kurt gently pulled the back of his shirt up and grimaced when he saw the bloodied line across his lower back. But they didn't have the time or the supplies to help him now. They would have to run. It wasn't safe there anymore.
Terminus was no longer their safe haven.
Kurt helped Blaine to his feet and Blaine whined softly before deciding that he couldn't afford to let this slow them down. He had to stay with Kurt and he had to protect Kurt. He wasn't going to let them be separated.
They ran down the two flights of stairs that it took to get to the ground. They cautiously opened the door and saw that the coast was mostly clear. They ran as fast as they could towards the exit, and they heard gunshots from somewhere nearby. They ran faster.
Once they cleared the main gate, they were surrounded. Kurt actually breathed a sigh of relief that they were surrounded by Walkers. He'd learned from experience that it was people you had to worry about.
They made quick work of killing the Walkers. Kurt felt safer than he had in months, to be honest. He was okay with this. He was good at this. He knew how to kill Walkers. It was the living that he no longer knew how to deal with.
Once the hoard was gone, they kept running, quickly finding a line of train tracks to follow.
Once they felt they were far enough away from Terminus, they stopped running. Blaine nearly collapsed, putting most of his weight on Kurt as the taller man wrapped an arm around his upper back. "You okay?" Kurt asked softly, stabilizing Blaine. He looked paler than Kurt had ever seen him and he felt something clench painfully in his chest. "Blaine?"
Blaine didn't answer at first, catching his breath as he clutched desperately to Kurt's shoulders. Then, almost inaudible, he murmured, "I love you."
"Blaine?" Kurt asked more urgently. "Blaine, honey, you're scaring me."
Blaine blinked a few times before whispering, "We have to go. They'll realize we're gone soon enough."
Still worried, Kurt nodded reluctantly. He helped Blaine walk along the train tracks, unsure of how long they'd been walking. After a while, though, he saw a little house off to the side. "Blaine," he said softly, shaking him out of his stupor. "Blaine. Come on, we have to go."
Blaine groaned in protest, weakly following alongside Kurt. They carefully inspected the house, looking through the window to see that there was just a man with a baby inside. Kurt thought he might have recognized him but his back was turned so he couldn't tell. Kurt also noticed the Walkers that the man had probably killed earlier, scattered on the other side of the house.
"Let's check it out," Kurt said, moving to turn the door knob. They walked inside slowly, closing the door quietly behind them. Kurt cleared his throat and the man turned around, startled. His eyes widened when he saw Kurt.
"Kurt! You're alive…"
Now Kurt knew he recognized him. "Tyreese," he said with a relieved laugh. "And Judith." He looked around, frowning. "Where are the others?"
Tyreese's face turned sad. "I'm not sure. We were all separated. I was with Carole and the girls…" he trailed off, shaking his head and standing to come closer. "Carole went to check out that Terminus place."
Kurt's heart skipped a beat in his sudden terror. "Terminus? I… Terminus is gone. It's overrun."
They were both silent, not wanting to say what they both knew was most likely the case.
Tyreese changed the subject. "Who's this?"
"Blaine," Kurt answered, as if remembering that he needed to find medical help for his boyfriend. "He… he was shot. He needs help."
Tyreese nodded and carefully set Judith in a basket that was filled with blankets. He grabbed the small first aid kid from the corner and found some antiseptic and bandage wrap. Kurt eased Blaine to the floor as the man continued to cling to him, lifting his shirt to reveal the wound. Tyreese started to clean the injury and Blaine let out a strained sob through gritted teeth.
"Hurts," he muttered.
"I know, honey," Kurt sighed, holding him tightly. "I know. Just a little bit more, I promise."
Once the wound was cleaned, Tyreese covered it in cotton squares and wrapped Blaine's waist in an ACE bandage. Blaine sagged against Kurt's chest, but he was still trembling. "Hurts."
"What hurts, Blaine?" Kurt asked, feeling helpless.
Blaine tugged weakly at his shirt until he had the clothing entirely off of his skin. That's when Kurt saw the bullet wound in his right shoulder. It looked like it'd just managed to clip the edge of it, but the skin was undoubtedly torn up and bloodied.
"They shot the window," Blaine muttered. "I thought it was just the glass that got me, but I didn't move in time."
"Don't worry," Kurt said softly, kissing the corner of his lips in an attempt to calm him. "We'll fix you up. You'll be okay."
And they did. Blaine screamed, muffled, into Kurt's shoulder as Tyreese cleaned the tender area. Then they wrapped his shoulder in some more cotton and ACE bandage as tears streamed down Blaine's face, which was scrunched up in pain.
"Shh, you're okay," Kurt whispered in his ear. "It's over. You're okay."
"Thank you," Blaine whimpered, huddling close to Kurt's chest. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Kurt said soothingly. "Just relax."
Kurt carefully slipped Blaine's shirt over his head when he started shivering, and Blaine mumbled another soft 'thank you.' Shortly after, he fell asleep in Kurt's arms.
Kurt would have guessed that another ten minutes passed before they heard anything outside. Tyreese stood to investigate, and he gasped when he looked out the window. He grabbed Judith before leaving the house. Curious, Kurt woke Blaine and followed, supporting Blaine's weight as they walked outside and saw why Tyreese had gasped.
"Carol," Kurt said, grinning and making his way over to her. She hugged them all and smiled lovingly at Kurt. Ever since Kurt had found the group, Carol had been like a mother to him. He loved her more than anything. "Where is everyone?"
"They're right behind me," Carol said softly, turning around. Sure enough, there they were. Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Michonne; everyone was there. Except…
"Where's Beth?" Kurt asked, glancing around. He saw Daryl's face harden and Kurt's heart clenched.
"She's gone," Daryl said. "She's just gone."
"Who's this?" Rick asked, nodding towards Blaine.
Kurt hugged him tighter, protectively. "His name is Blaine. We can trust him. He saved my life."
Rick nodded, stepping forward and putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Welcome back."
Kurt smiled. "Thank you."
He would tell them all later about his time at Terminus. For now, though, he was content to hold Blaine close—he was starting to come back to himself at last—and be with his family.
He would never leave them again.