A Beauty and the Beast inspired, Halloween style story. Not my usual type but I couldn't get it out of my head, so I started working on it.
It contains a lot of violence, blood, torture, character deaths, non-conish elements and dark Blaine. I still hope you will like it.
Please, let me know what you think.
There were stories of the manor. Dark, horroristic stories, the kind of what you tell your friends at the fire to make them scared of the darkness. Kurt had heard them all. The 'true story' of the Anderson manor was the most popular one from all the myths around Lima, and there were dozens of variations you could hear in the tavern or from the old women on the market. Because in the reality, nobody really knew what had happened to the Andersons and their home.
The Anderson family had been the richest around Lima, living in a large house outside of the town. John Anderson had inherited the estate from his father who had gotten it during the great war, after he had saved the king from a deadly shoot. The king had been so grateful that he had given Samuel Anderson the whole estate he had taken away from his enemies around the village. So the Andersons had become the richest, most influental family in the region.
John's wife, a dark haired beauty from a northern state, had been kind and generous, helping the folks living in the town. She had founded the church and the school, making sure children got the best education they could have in a small place like Lima. She had convinced well-known teachers, like Abraham Schuester, the father of William Schuester, to move in here and work with children around the town. She had organized charity balls, gathering money for orphans and old people who had been too sick to continue their work.
John and Pamela Anderson had had two sons, Cooper and Blaine. Cooper had been the older, a handsome, young man with too many gunplays and broken hearted women behind him. He hadn't been a clever man but he had had bright blue eyes and fine manners that had been enough to get any woman he had wanted. Unfortunately, he had used them only once and thrown them away, causing conflicts every now and then. The other boy, though, he had been something else. He hadn't been as attractive as his older brother, but with his golden eyes and dark hair, features he had gotten from his mother, Blaine was a good looking boy. He had been kind and clever, ready to help everybody in need. And that's what had made him popular in the small town.
But it was the past, it had all ended almost fifty years earlier but the folks still didn't know how. One day, the Anderson boys hadn't arrived at school. It hadn't been that uncommon, people had thought that they had been sick. But Mr Anderson hadn't been there for an important meeting either. That's when the sheriff had sent his people to the manor.
It had been two men first, the grandfather's of Karofsky and Azimio. The last time they had been seen was when they had stepped onto the path leading to the manor. But they hadn't gotten back. The sheriff had sent others, five men that time. They had gone missing, too. The people had started getting worried, and the sheriff had called every available armed men together to go and find out what had been going on at the manor. They had been ready to leave when they had heard the screams from the house near to the woods.
Karofsky had been back but not as they had expected. The man had been seriously injured, barely breathing, and he had lost too much blood. They had brought him to the sheriff who had asked him about what had happened. Karofsky had been weak but he had had enough time to tell them about the fate of the Andersons and the other men. He had told the sheriff about the dead bodies all around the manor and a mysterious creature that had been unnaturally fast and strong, with sharp teeth and black eyes, drinking blood. Karofsky had died after that, leaving the people scared and confused.
None of them had wanted to go to the manor after that, and it had remained that way in the past fifty years. The path leading to the manor had been avoided by the folks and nobody had known the truth about the Andersons.
There were rumors, of course. Dark stories people told each other and their children by the fire, using them to scare the younglings away from that path. Sometimes people disappeared in the woods and they never came back. It made people even more careful and they only went into the forest if they didn't have another option. Because there was something around the manor, a strange creature that never seemed to leave the house and its neighbourhood, not after all these years.
~ o ~
Kurt Hummel knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life when he had let Karofsky and his friends pursue him into the woods. But he had had no other option. He had been tired of bullying and when he had called Karofsky out, the boy had done something new, forcing his back to the wall and touching him private places, he had freaked out. He had kicked the bigger boy's balls and pushed him away, but Karofsky had been on his feet in no time, shouting for Azimio and the others to catch Kurt. Kurt had run through the town but there had been no place to hide. Except for the woods. Kurt had hesitated for a moment but then he had run forward.
It had been hours ago and now Kurt was all alone in the middle of the forest, watching the sun getting under. He was breathing heavily, knowing very well that he couldn't get out before the darkness settled down. He was lost in the middle of the forest and it was all his fault.
He knew he shouldn't be in here. He heard the stories about the manor and he knew what that creature was capable of. He had been eight years old when he and his mother had come into the forest to collect herbs and he had gotten lost. It had been in the middle of the day, with the sun shining brightly above him, but he had been so scared. He had shouted for his mother several times but he hadn't gotten answers. Then, suddenly, he had heard his mother's scream. He hadn't hesitate as he had started running towards her but he had been late. The creature had caught his mother and the only thing he had seen was the pair of black eyes.
He hadn't told about it anyone. His mother had never come home, of course, just like the other people missing around the town. The creature had killed her, he had been sure, and he had been too scared to tell anyone about the black eyes he had seen in the forest.
But now as he was standing between two large trees, he couldn't help but look around desperately, expecting the back eyes to appear. He knew it would be his fate, he had no chance to get out of the woods in one piece. It didn't mean he couldn't try to get out. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. The town must have been somewhere on his right side, if he kept walking towards that directon, he would find it sooner or later.
If something didn't find him first.
He decided to run. It wasn't the most quiet option but the fastest. And he had to get out as fast as he could. He ran through the forest, not caring to find a path or stop to catch his breath. He had run to get into the forest, now he had to run to get out.
It was almost dark around him when he found an old path between the trees. He knew what it was, the path that led straight to the manor. But on the other end of it, he would find the town. After considering his options, he decided to take that way. It wasn't safe at all but it would lead him out of the woods.
The sun disappeard completely and he was surrounded by darkness, only the light of the moon helped him see the path in front of him. He had to slow down because it wasn't enough to avoid roots and branches. The forest around him was unnaturally quiet. There were no birds or other animals making noise and it made his heart beat faster.
Suddenly, he heard a cracking noise behind him and he turned around sharply. He almost screamed but he knew he had to stay silent. There was somebody – or something – else there and he couldn't alert them. He had to be quiet.
He heard the noise again, right in front of him this time but he couldn't see anything.
"Who-who's there?" he whispered. It was pointless to hide any longer. He knew he had been seen.
There was a low growl as response and Kurt screamed, unable to stop himself. He felt the presence right beside him and he turned to run without thinking. He made his legs move as fast as they could, needing to get away. He had to get away...
But his arms were grabbed and he was pulled back in the next second, landing on the ground with a quiet thud. He felt pain radiating through his back but he jumped up without hesitation. He knew he was fighting for his life.
He only managed to take two steps when the hands grabbed him again, pushing him back to the ground. And there was a cold body over him, pressing him down into the dirt and leaves.
"No!" he screamed, trashing desperately.
He caught a glimpse of black eyes before he felt sharp pain in his head and everything went black.