A/N: Here's the first chapter for you guys! Let me know if I should keep going or not. I hope you like where I'm going with this! And I still don't own anything from Glee.
Some things you should know: Finn and Rachel are engaged but not married yet. Quinn hasn't had a car accident. Kurt and Blaine are together; so are Santana and Brittany. This is taking place during their Spring Break. Since it's their last year together, they decided to take a trip. And now the mayhem begins…
Weaknesses
Chapter One: Welcome to the Peterson Inn
"Someone explain to me how the hell we decided to go up to the damn mountains instead of to the beach for Spring Break!" Santana yelled from the back of the family size van.
They were in the middle of what looked like a blizzard on the way to the hotel they would be staying at. The hotel was right by the ski resort. Sure, they weren't going to any real mountains or anything, but it was all a bunch of high school students could afford.
"It was cheaper and faster than going to the beach, Santana," Sam said, rolling his eyes from the seat in front of hers.
"Whatever," Santana snapped. "This makes me wish I would have just stayed home or something." She laid her head on Brittany's shoulder. Brittany was staring out of the window, seeming to be entranced by the sour weather around them. Mercedes and Quinn joined them in the backseat; Sam, Puck, Kurt, and Blaine were sitting in front of them. Finn was at the wheel and Rachel was sitting in the passenger's seat.
"C'mon, guys," Finn said cheerily. "This is gonna be fun. They've got snowboarding, skiing, tubing, and tons of other stuff."
"He's right," Rachel said brightly. She reached across and grabbed Finn's hand. "We'll have tons of fun."
"Gross," Brittany said from the backseat, making Santana smirk.
"I really appreciate your enthusiasm, but maybe we should pull over until the storm passes," Kurt suggested uneasily. He was also staring out the window like Brittany was, but he was more concerned than entertained. They could barely see a few feet in front of them. The snow was falling so thickly that it resembled a blanket rather than a nice snow flurry. Finn was only able to drive twenty miles an hour due to the storm.
"I second that," Blaine said a moment later.
"We can make it, guys. It'll just take us a couple more hours than we planned…" Finn said quietly.
"Dude, we can just find a little motel or something and go in the morning," Puck said. "The snow's not going anywhere at the resort. It'll still be there tomorrow."
Finn didn't say anything, but Puck knew who could change his mind.
"Berry," Puck said. Rachel turned to him questioningly. "Convince that dumb fiancé of yours to find somewhere for us to stay tonight. He does everything you tell him to."
"Shut it, Puckerman," Finn said warningly as Rachel glared at him.
"While he was very rude, I think Noah's right," Rachel said, turning to Finn. "My dads gave me their credit card in case of an emergency. I think a blizzard qualifies as an emergency."
Finn peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had the you should listen to me since I'm right facial expression plastered on her face.
"Fine," Finn huffed. "Tell me when you see a sign for a motel and I'll pull over."
"You're so whipped," Puck said, chuckling. Finn saw Rachel reach for an empty pop can. He then heard it bounce off of Puck's head after Rachel threw it at him. The van was filled with laughter.
"Hey!" Puck said. He picked it up and threw it back at her, but she was able to hide her tiny body pretty effectively using her seat, so the can hit the dashboard and fell to the floor of the van.
"There's a sign!" Kurt called out more than twenty minutes later. "In five miles, take exit twelve and we'll arrive at the Peterson Inn."
"Oh, thank you, Jesus," Mercedes said, still sounding slightly worried.
-glee-glee-glee-
The snow almost made Finn miss the exit, but there were nine other overly-vigilant teens in the car that practically shouted at him when the exit approached. Finn took the turn off and continued to slowly follow the signs along the long road to the Peterson Inn.
"If that's not one creepy place, I don't know what is," Quinn said, looking out her window. There were multiple murmurs of agreement. The Peterson Inn was to their right. The Victorian building was dark except for a couple of lights on the bottom of three floors. The rest of the windows were incredibly dark, almost like dozens of dark eyes staring at them. The Inn was white, but the paint was obviously peeling in a multiple places.
The house also had a wraparound porch, which Rachel was sure would look quite pretty during a nice summer's day. But here in the dark, she was getting goosebumps just looking at the place. There was a little parking area to the left of the building that only had one other car occupying a spot.
"Maybe we'll get to pick the rooms we want," Finn said, trying to find something positive about the place that was giving him the creeps. Finn pulled in two spaces from the other car and put the van in park. It was silent as he turned the key and the engine quieted.
"Am I the only one who would rather keep driving in the blizzard than stay at this place?" Santana asked.
"I'd rather sleep in the car," Rachel said from the passenger seat.
"I'll share a blanket with you," Kurt said from directly behind her.
"Quit being chicken shits, guys," Puck said. "It's a damn Inn, not a haunted house." He reached out and unlocked the sliding door before pulling it open. The cold shocked all of them as they felt how hard the wind was blowing. "Let's go!" Puck shouted.
Finn and Blaine opened their doors and climbed out without protest; everyone else climbed out more apprehensively.
"Do you know how long it took to fit all the bags back here?" Finn complained after opening the back of the van. The bags were all placed in there with precision. It took half an hour.
"Blame Berry for packing her entire room," Puck replied, staring at the gigantic pink suitcase with disdain. He and Finn were the ones that had to make everything fit.
"Always be prepared, Noah," Rachel explained with a smile.
"Whatever. Everyone grab your shit," Puck said. One by one, they grabbed their suitcases out. Rachel was last and she struggled with hers a bit until Finn grabbed the handle with her. They lifted it together and placed it on the ground.
"Thank you," Rachel said with a smile. She reached up and kissed Finn on the cheek, making him smile.
"Sorry to break up this love fest, but it's freaking cold outside!" Santana snapped. Rachel rolled her eyes before pulling up the handle to her rolling suitcase.
"Let's go then," she said. Rachel walked more quickly than everyone else. When she got to the stairs of the Inn, she paused. Everyone walked past her and went into the Inn. She huffed before attempting to lift the suitcase by the handle.
"Babe, you're gonna hurt yourself," Finn said, walking up to her. "You carry my bag and I've got yours."
"Okay. Thank you," she said. Finn handed over his duffel bag, which was much lighter than her bag.
"Don't mention it," Finn said with a smirk. They walked into the Inn side by side. Finn closed the door behind them and turned to the room. The rest of the glee club was standing there, looking around. It looked like they were in an old house. There were black and white photos on the walls of random people that no one recognized. The walls were covered in white wallpaper that was littered with small red roses. The dark brown couches located around the lobby were very outdated; the whole place made them feel like they were stuck in the late 1800s.
"Usually I appreciate antiquity, but this is just too much," Kurt said to Blaine. Rachel stood close to Finn, still by the front door. She had the distinct feeling that she should grab everyone and walk back out the door. She ignored these thoughts; a place that looked as lovely as this on the inside couldn't be that bad. So, she walked up to the desk in the room and spotted a little bell. She rang it three times as they all waited for a person to show up.
"Do we really have to stay here?" Quinn asked quietly. "This place still gives me the creeps."
"I don't think it's that bad," Sam said. "It kind of reminds me of my grandma's house."
"Of course it does, country boy," Santana commented.
They all turned quickly as they heard a door open. An older looking man walked into the room. His outfit was dated like the décor, making Kurt wonder if this place was themed or something.
"Hello," the man said in a gravelly voice. The hair that he still had was white; his skin was remarkably pale, like he was wearing makeup that was too pale for him. Rachel stepped away from the desk as he took a seat; she didn't know why, but she didn't trust the man.
"How many rooms?" he asked.
"Um…" Rachel said. She looked around and coupled people together in her mind. "Five."
"How many nights?" he asked, writing this in a notebook with a pencil.
"Just tonight," Rachel said. She had to quietly clear her throat; for some reason, he was making her nervous.
"We'll let you pay in the morning before you check out," he said, closing the notebook.
"Do you take credit cards?" Rachel asked.
"Nope," he said, making a plopping sound on the p.
"Um, okay…" she said uneasily. "How about a check?"
"That'll work," he said. The turned around to the wall behind him where there were tons of nails with keys on them. He grabbed five of the keys before turning back to the group. "Follow me." He walked back around the desk and toward the staircase. Rachel subconsciously stepped away from him again.
None of the girls really wanted to follow him, so Sam was the first to follow the older man up the stairs. Puck was behind him and the rest of the group followed behind. Rachel and Finn brought up the rear.
They all climbed the stairs onto the second floor and noticed that the Inn was decorated the same up there as it was downstairs. The older man continued to lead the way down the hallway, turning right at the corner.
Rachel was the last in line now, and she was growing increasingly frightened. As she walked, she had the feeling that someone was walking behind her. Her heart was pounding and she walked quickly, almost running into Finn. As they turned the corner, she glanced behind her and could have sworn that she saw a dark figure dart into one of the doorways.
She gasped before grabbing Finn's hand in a panic. He looked down at her, realizing that she looked scared.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Rachel controlled her expression and nodded frantically.
The man stopped at the end of the hallway.
"You'll get these five rooms. Two thirteen through two seventeen," he said. He held his hand out with the keys; Sam opened his hand and the man dropped them onto his palm. "See you in the morning," he said gloomily. The group then separated like the Red Sea as he walked back down the hallway. As he turned the corner, they could hear him start to whistle.
"That guy scares me a little bit," Mercedes admitted.
"Same here," Kurt agreed quietly.
"Alright," Sam said clearly. "Who's sleeping with who?"
"Me and Rachel are together," Finn said quickly, squeezing Rachel's hand.
"So are Kurt and I," Blaine said, looking at Kurt with a smile.
"Me and Brits share a room," Santana said.
"Alright," Sam said, handing out keys. "Us single people will split by gender." He glanced at Mercedes longingly for a moment before anyone could notice.
Sam handed Finn a key. "We got room two fifteen," Finn said to Rachel. Rachel nodded and adjusted Finn's duffel bag over her shoulder. Everyone then split up into pairs and entered their rooms.
Finn flipped the light switch on the wall as soon as he got the door open. They room was decorated like the rest of the Inn; the white wallpaper with the roses still covered the walls. The tan carpet was the same as throughout the rest of the Inn that they had seen. There were two beds, both covered with cream and white quilts. This place was definitely built in the late 1800s; it seemed like they hadn't even changed the blankets since then.
"Which bed do you want?" Finn asked, setting Rachel's suitcase down.
"Can we share?" Rachel asked in a small voice. "I don't want to sleep alone."
Finn smiled widely. "Sure," he said excitedly. "And these beds look bigger than yours, so I'll be comfortable." Rachel giggled a little. She set Finn's duffel bag down in a chair before plopping on the bed.
"You okay?" Finn asked, sitting next to her. Rachel nodded before she started twisting her engagement ring around her finger.
"This place just makes me feel… uneasy," she said quietly.
"You're probably just worried about being stuck here," Finn rationalized. "The radio said the storm should pass by morning and we'll be out of here. It's just for one night."
"Right. You're right," Rachel said. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the nervous thoughts. "It's pretty late. Should we get to bed?"
"Totally," Finn said with another bright smile.
Rachel could very clearly remember the first time they attempted to sleep in the same bed; it started out a little rough, but they kissed and made up and everything was fine. Since then, they hadn't had another chance to, but they were more comfortable around each other now.
Rachel was totally cool with Finn coming into the bathroom and peeing when she was doing her hair or something. She still closed the door any time she went to the bathroom, but they were both pretty excited and thought that they were definitely growing more mature enough for the whole marriage thing.
Once Rachel was finished with her whole crazy town night routine and Finn's bladder was empty, they both laid in bed together. Rachel was practically molded into Finn, who was lying behind her and had his arms wrapped around her midsection. She still felt a little nervous in this place, but he always made her feel safe and protected.
-glee-glee-glee-
Rachel could tell it was still early in the morning when she woke up from a nightmare. In her dream, they were all locked in the Inn with something chasing them. Rachel could never see what it was, but it was terrifying nonetheless.
She wrenched her eyes open.
And then she screamed.
There was a man standing in the corner across from the bed.
"Finn! Get up!" she shouted. She didn't take her eyes off the man, who was just standing there. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed Finn's shoulder and shook it vigorously. "Please! Get up!"
"Babe?" Finn said, opening his eyes. "What is it?" Rachel looked down at Finn with panic in her eyes before looking back to the corner.
The man was gone. Rachel dropped her face into her still shaking hands and cried.
"Rachel?" Finn asked, sounding alarmed. He sat up and turned the lamp on that was next to him on the table. Then he pulled Rachel into his arms. "Baby, what is it?"
It took a few moments before Rachel could speak.
"There was a man standing there," she said, pointing to the corner of the room.
"Rach, no one's there," Finn said confusedly.
"Finn, he was there! I swear I saw him!" she cried into his chest. Finn made comforting noises as he rubbed Rachel's back.
Minutes later, Rachel was quiet, but Finn was still rubbing her back.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Finn asked, trying to find out what would make her freak out like this.
"Yes," Rachel said. "But that's not the point! I woke up and then I saw him." She looked up at Finn with pleading in her eyes. "Please tell me that you believe me."
Finn thought through his answer for a second. "I believe that you think you saw something," he said quietly.
"I'm not some lunatic, Finn," Rachel snapped.
"I didn't say you were!" Finn said quickly. "But you just woke up from a scary dream, you know. And the room was dark. There could have been a shadow and you could have thought it was a person or something…"
"I'm not hallucinating," Rachel insisted.
"Whatever you say, Rach," Finn said comfortingly.
Rachel was pretty damn sure that she wasn't just seeing things. Ever since they got here, she had been feeling like something was off. She saw a dark figure in the hallway and now something was standing in their room? If everyone wasn't up by six in the morning, she was going to go room to room and demand that they leave immediately.
"Are you okay?" Finn asked.
"Not really," Rachel said quietly.
"Well I'm right here. I'd never let anything happen to you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about," Finn said.
"That's very sweet of you to say," Rachel said. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
"I mean it," Finn said firmly.
"I know," Rachel said with a warm smile.
"Let's try and get back to sleep, okay?" Finn said. Rachel nodded before laying back down. Finn went to reach to turn the lamp off.
"Wait. Can you keep it on?" Rachel asked. Finn turned and looked at Rachel and realized that she still looked scared.
"Yeah," he said softly. He turned onto his side and pulled Rachel into his arms again. Rachel started rubbing his arm affectionately.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too, Rach," Finn said. He kissed her on the head before settling back into his pillow. Finn was asleep minutes later, but Rachel couldn't get the image of that man out of her mind. The sun had started rising hours later and Rachel still laid there, wide awake.
-glee-glee-glee-
Rachel stood in the dining room, jaw wide open in shock. In a picture on the wall was the man that was standing in her and Finn's room last night.
"What, Berry?" Puck said, walking up to her, eating a muffin. "You look like you finally realized Finn's an idiot." Rachel turned and smacked Puck's arm.
"Finn's not an idiot," she said sharply before turning back to the picture.
"No need to get violent," Puck said with a frown. "What the hell's your problem then?"
Rachel reached up and pointed to the picture. "I saw that man last night," she said.
"No you didn't. That picture's like a hundred years old," Puck said, rolling his eyes.
Rachel turned to Puck and leaned in more closely. "I saw him in our room last night. I had just woken up and he was standing in the corner. I woke Finn up and then he was gone," Rachel whispered.
"It was probably just a shadow or something," Puck said.
"That's what Finn said, but I know what I saw," Rachel insisted. "I have an impeccable memory and I know it was him!" She pointed to the picture again.
Puck looked at the picture and then back to Rachel. She wasn't kidding. "This place is pretty creepy, but ghosts aren't real, Berry," Puck said.
"Rachel's finally lost her marbles," Santana said, walking up to them after hearing what Puck said.
"No I haven't," Rachel insisted. "Even you were nervous about staying here. I'm not the only one that feels it."
"Feels what?" Puck asked, looking amused.
"Nervous. Almost like you know something bad is going to happen and you're just waiting for it," Santana said, surprising Rachel. "Do you really think you saw something?"
"Yes," Rachel said firmly.
"I was hearing stuff last night. Footsteps, I mean. Up and down the hallway and even in the room above us," Santana said.
"But we're the only ones here," Rachel said uneasily.
"Exactly," Santana said.
"Okay, I'm gonna walk away. Your crazy's probably contagious," Puck said, rolling his eyes.
"Good thing we're getting out of here," Santana said. Rachel nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I don't think we are," Kurt said, walking into the room. "Look outside."
Rachel's stomach dropped as she followed Santana over to the window.
Snow was somehow falling heavier than before. And they could see the wind blowing the snow around. The blizzard hadn't passed at all.
"We can't stay here," Rachel said, shaking her head.
"Why?" Kurt asked, sounding confused.
"We just can't," Rachel said. She stormed into the lobby and walked up to the front door with Santana and Kurt at her heels.
"Where the hell are you going, munchkin?" Santana asked.
"I'll sleep in the car. I'm not staying in here," she said. She reached out and grabbed the handle, turning it sharply to the side. She pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open. Confused, she twisted the lock and tried again. The door still wouldn't budge.
"Move over," Santana demanded. Rachel let go of the handle and walked over to the window. She unlocked the lock and pulled up on the window. It was sealed shut. She looked over at Santana and Kurt and saw that they were having no luck with the door, either. She took a deep breath before she pulled her strength and tired to pull the window up again. She pulled upwards with every ounce of strength she had. The window still wouldn't open.
"This is impossible," she said. She stepped away from the window in a daze before running into the desk. She jumped before turning around and forming a new plan.
"Rachel! What the hell are you doing?" Kurt shouted. Rachel had the desk chair over her head. She was obviously struggling with it.
"I'm getting us out of here," she huffed before tossing the wooden chair at the window. They all watched as the chair came into contact with the glass window. They all flinched, waiting for the sound of shattered glass to fill the air.
They weren't expecting the chair to break into pieces against the window.
"What?" Rachel said quietly, huffing and puffing. She looked over to Santana and Kurt, who both had similar looks of shock and worry on their faces.
Ten seconds later, Finn, Puck, and Sam came running into the room. They all looked from Rachel to the chair broken in pieces on the floor.
"What the hell happened?" Finn asked.
"We can't get out," Kurt said in a flat voice.
"What are you talking about?" Puck demanded.
"The doors and the window are sealed shut," Santana explained.
"Oh, please," Puck said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are just too weak to get it open." He walked up to the door and tried to pull it open. It wouldn't open. Puck looked at the door in confusion before turning the lock. He pulled again.
"What the hell?" he asked. He pulled on the door again and again, twisting the lock every which way. Growing concerned, Finn walked over to the window. He tried to pull it open, but was met with so much resistance that he was caught off guard. He checked the lock and saw that it was unlocked. He tried pulling the window open again with no success.
Sam walked over to the other windows in the room and tried to open them, too. They remained sealed shut even after he used all of his strength trying to open them.
"This has to be some kind of joke or something," Puck said.
"Yeah, I'm sure that old dude glued all the doors and windows shut just to freak us out," Santana snapped.
"Let's find him and ask," Puck said. Him, Sam, Santana, and Kurt all left the lobby at the same time. Santana and Kurt went up the stairs; Puck and Sam went back toward the dining room.
Feeling hopeless, Rachel leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. Finn walked over to her and crouched down beside her.
"We'll get out of here," Finn said. "Don't worry. We'll find that old dude and everything will be okay."
"We won't get out, Finn," Rachel said. "Something's keeping us here."
Finn shut his eyes and groaned. "Will you please stop talking like that? This place isn't haunted, Rach. This isn't some scary movie," he insisted.
"You're right. This is real," Rachel said bleakly. "But you're also wrong, Finn. Something is here."
He let out another deep breath. "No more scary movies for you," he said, trying to make a joke out of it.
Rachel was going to argue, but she knew that nothing she said would change his mind. He'll just have to see for himself, she thought. But then another part of her wished no one would ever see what she saw last night. She had never been more terrified in her life.
She let Finn help her back to her feet. They walked back into the kitchen together with the rest of the Glee club. Puck and Sam were already in there.
"He wasn't in the basement or anywhere on the first floor," Puck said. "He's probably upstairs somewhere."
Minutes later, Santana and Kurt came into the kitchen with worried looks on their faces.
"Did you find him?" Sam asked.
Santana shook her head.
"We tried to check every single room. They're all locked except for ours," Kurt said.
"He wasn't in the basement," Puck told them.
Rachel, who had been sitting at the table staring straight ahead, suddenly spoke up.
"He's gone," she said in a flat voice.
-glee-glee-glee-
A/N: Okay, so I'm creeping myself out a little with this! I don't handle scary stuff very well, but I still want to write it. I'm probably going to make myself need therapy. But that's okay as long as you guys like it! Tell me what you think!