Three months earlier...

"In a gruesome discovery, the body of forth victim 8-year-old Jennifer Bean was found in the woods off of interstate..." Will shuts off the radio as he pulls into an empty parking spot at Target. There is only a month left to school and he can't afford to slack off anymore. It's time to start writing lesson plans, thinking of Glee set lists, and grading summer school work. Maybe if he doesn't sleep he can get it all done in three or four days. Then he can go back to pining over Emma and...well, really that's all he has been doing over the break.

He steps out of his car and then reaches back in for his jacket. It's unusually cold for late July. A voice from across the parking lot calls out his name drawing his attention in that direction. Two blonde haired girls smile and wave as they head in his direction, "Hey Brittany, Quinn. How are you guys?"

"Hey, Mr. Schue. It's my mom's birthday next week so I'm picking up a gift. She didn't want me going out alone though because of the stories on the news so Brittany and I have been hanging out a lot. Buddy system, you know?" She flips her blonde hair back and smiles. She lost the pregnancy weight quickly and a small stab of remorse sticks in Will's stomach as he thinks about the baby and how his crazy ex-wife almost made it his. He still feels an uneasy emptiness deep in his soul when he thinks about how a few months ago he thought he was going to be a daddy at this time.

"Did you hear about the sewers?" Brittany asks and Will smiles as he narrows his eyes in confusion like he usually does when she speaks.

"Well, I was chasing Lord Tubbington..." There is a pop and then all hell breaks loose. Brittany hits the ground with a sickening thud, blood pooling around her instantly on the pavement. Quinn screams and tries to drop to her knees next to her friend but Mr. Schuester grabs her arm and yanks her behind the car. He peers around the side to where Brittany is laying but it is obvious nothing can be done. Her eyes are open but unseeing. Blood is trickling from a small wound on the center of her forehead. Logically, he knows she's been shot but he doesn't understand where the shot came from or who would do such a thing. He crawls back and puts himself between Quinn and the car next to them, effectively shielding her body with his own. It's so early in the morning that not many people are in the parking lot but the few present are shouting and running around in panic.

It's pandemonium.

He knows he won't be able to get her in the car and drive away without putting her at more risk. He needs to hide her...hide himself...

"Mr. Schuester?" Quinn hides her face against his back. "Brittany..."

He ignores her unspoken question. It's not the time. "Quinn, slide under the car. Get your phone out..."

The screaming is getting closer.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are!" A menacing voice is drawing nearer.

"Quinn, get under the car!" He whispers quietly but there is a panic in his voice. Quinn can't move. She's rooted to the spot, crouched down with her face buried in his jacket. His hands are on her upper arms, pushing her, and then she's crawling under the car just in time to see an ugly pair of boots appear near the front of the car.

"Where is mom?" The voice angrily demands. Will slides backwards trying to put distance between Quinn and the man. Trying to lead him away. Quinn watches him uses his hands and heels to scoot himself backwards. She can't see his face but after a moment he stops moving and his hands go up slightly in a placating gesture.

"Where is mom?!" The boots are getting closer. Quinn knows she should slide out the other side and run but she can't. Her eyes stay focused on Mr. Schuester's hands.

"I don't...I don't know your mom." Although he sounds calm, Quinn can hear a slight edge in his voice.

"Don't lie to me, Dad! I'm tired of you lying to me all the time!"

There is a thump and Mr. Schuester whimpers and falls back on his elbows before pulling himself back up. Quinn watches, terrified. She still can't see his face.

"Where is mom! She was standing with you!" There is silence for a moment and then Mr. Schuester starts dragging himself backwards again. "I know! It's a game! Come out..."

The boots turn towards her.

"Come out..."

"Don't..." Mr. Schuester scrambles upwards towards the man. There is another thump and then his body crumples to the ground in a heap. Quinn screams.

"Where ever you are!" She sees knees first and then the most terrifying face she has ever laid eyes on and then nothing else as something hard strikes her head and the world fades to black.

Author's Notes: Oh...cliff hanger! Thank you for all the reviews and messages! They truly do motivate me to update more quickly and occasionally change the plot up a bit. :)

annnnd...Sorry, Brittany fans. :(