CHAPTER 3
In the elevator, Artie, Becky, and Ray were attempting to find a way out.
"This is just great. We're late for class and we're stuck in an elevator", Artie grumbled.
"We'll be okay", said Becky.
"Guys, I don't want to alarm you, but I've suffered from claustrophobia for a long time, and this is not helping", said Ray, who was beginning to hyperventilate.
"Dude, don't panic. We'll be out soon. I promise", said Artie.
"Hey, you're lucky that you can see where you're going. I'm blind, so that makes this thing I have that much harder to deal with."
"Oh, get over it", said Becky.
"Becky, don't. Ray, you'll be all right. Just hum a little tune, keep your mind occupied. I'll get us out", said Artie.
"How are you going to get us out? Huh? I mean, one little glitch could leave us trapped in here forever", Ray panted, slumping into a corner. Artie sighed heavily and turned to Becky.
"Look, I know you're not very strong, so you can't lift me up, which is why I have another task for you."
"Anything you want, Artie."
"I'm going to lift you to the top of the elevator so that you can push through the escape hatch."
"I don't know where that is."
"I do. I've been using the elevator for most of my life. I'll talk you through it."
"Guys, please hurry up. I'm starting to feel very hot", Ray groaned, curling up in the corner.
"Okay, here we go", said Artie, and he crouched in position, allowing Becky to put her feet into his hands, and he lifted her up slowly so that she could reach the top.
INTERLUDE
In the teachers' lounge, Will, Emma, and several other teachers were ready to provide help for Sue as she prepared to birth her child.
"Okay, Sue, with each contraction, I want you to breathe slowly and steadily", said Will.
"You're already at ten centimeters. That's pretty fast", said Mrs. Hodges, an Anatomy teacher.
"Well, I've always been a fast…", Sue started, but her scream of pain interrupted her boasting.
"Okay, let's lay her down gently. Can someone bring the First Aid kit over here?" said Will, and Emma helped the others lie Sue down on a table, while another teacher brought over the kit.
"That's all we have? Seriously?" Sue demanded.
"We know this isn't the ideal setting, but we've already sent out the word for the paramedics. They're just fighting the snow to get here, but they'll be here soon", said Emma.
"Soon isn't soon enough. I need them here now!" Sue shouted, groaning loudly as her contractions kicked in again.
"Sue, just relax. Everything's going to be okay", said Will, as he slipped on gloves and a face-mask, "Emma, there are some towels over next to the sink. Run them through warm water so that we can keep Sue's temperature normal."
"Okay, I'll be right back", said Emma, and she hurried over to the sink.
"Geez, Schuester, it's like you've been through this before", said Sue.
"Well, I learned a lot from when Terri was faking her pregnancy and my sister gave birth to her child."
"Will, I trust you right now. Please do not go wrong here", said Sue.
"I promise you, I won't. Now, just relax, and we'll try to get through this as fast as possible. Remember, breathe through your contractions", said Will, and Sue started to breathe heavily as she prepared to start.
INTERLUDE
In the locker room, the boys were arguing about what was to be done, while Coach Beiste was trying to keep them calm.
"Guys, we're not going anywhere for a while, but we need to maintain a positive attitude", said Beiste.
"Why the heck did Principal Cooper have this school installed with those stupid keycard doors?" Xavier shouted.
"We had some burglaries a while back, so we're just keeping things in check. The blackout short-circuited them, and the snow as blocked the exits, so we're stuck in here."
"This is garbage! We can't just be kept in here like this! Some of us have things to do!" Scott shouted.
"Complaining about it isn't going to help matters. By now, someone has already phoned for help, and they should be here anytime now. So just relax", said Blaine.
"I've got to get to Sugar. She's in the auditorium and she's afraid of the dark", said Rory.
"Worry about your girlfriend later. She's with three Glee girls, so she'll be fine", said Xavier.
"Oh, and to top it all off, we're stuck in this room with these two", Matt groaned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott demanded.
"Guys, don't start this now", said Joe.
"It means that you can go and…", Matt started, but Blaine stopped him.
"Let's not go there, guys. We'll be okay", he said.
"Oh, look the gay kid is once again taking over. Just another unpleasant surprise", said one of the football players.
"Plenty of other people in the world have it worse than we do. Trust me, I don't feel comfortable sharing this room with haters like you, but for now, it's something that we're all going to have to live with", Blaine growled at him.
"Should we start counting to a hundred?" Joe whispered to Beiste.
"It's getting pretty cold in here", said Rory.
"The heating system's off because there's no power", said Matt.
"Great, so now we're going to freeze to death", said Scott.
"No, we won't. Everybody sit down and take a breather. We'll be out of this in no time", said Coach Beiste, and the boys reluctantly sat on the benches.
"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" asked Joe.
"I have an activity for you. It involves talking", said Beiste.
"Oh, does it have to be talking?" Scott groaned.
"Would you rather have your teeth knocked out? I didn't think so. Until we're able to leave, we're going to be having a little powwow."
INTERLUDE
In the auditorium, Sugar was panicking loudly in the darkness, and nobody could see a thing.
"Guys, where are you? I can't see you!" Hannah called.
"Hannah, I'm next to you. Reach out", said Amanda.
"Hang on, I have a light", said Brittany, and she brought out a match and lit it.
"Okay, I see that. I'm coming over", said Hannah.
"I see it, too. Don't let it go out", said Amanda.
"Sugar, where are you?" Hannah called.
"I see the light. I'm coming over now. Guys, I'm so scared!"
"You're in your Senior year of high school, and you're scared of the dark?" Amanda sneered.
"Now is not the time! Where are you?" Brittany called, and she gasped as the fire burnt out the match on her fingers, and she lit another one.
"Britt, I can see you", said Hannah, and she came into view next to her.
"Amanda, I can see you", said Brittany.
"Guys, I'm seriously freaking out!" Sugar shouted.
"Just follow the light. You sound very close", said Amanda.
"Okay, I'm here now", said Sugar, as she appeared behind Hannah. Brittany gasped again as the match burned out on her fingers.
"Don't light another one. It's not worth losing your fingers over", said Hannah.
"No, please light another one. I can't stand the dark!" Sugar cried.
"What is it with you and the dark?" asked Brittany.
"I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but I'm a firm believer in the Boogeyman", said Sugar, and Amanda groaned in disgust.
"What? It's not unusual", said Hannah.
"I only had to watch the movie once to be this way", said Sugar.
"The Boogeyman doesn't exist. You'll be okay", said Amanda, and as she moved away, she tripped over the trapdoor lever, lowering the girls beneath the stage.
"What's going on?! What's happening?!" Sugar shouted.
"I accidentally activated the trapdoor", said Amanda.
"Oh, smooth move, Mandy", said Hannah.
"Never call me that again", Amanda snarled.
"Well, find the lever and bring us back up", said Brittany.
"The other switch is on the floor level. Once we're there, I can do that", said Amanda, but the trapdoor gears caught, stranding the girls midway.
"You were saying?" said Hannah.
INTERLUDE
Back in the classroom, Mr. Bryce was grading the quizzes, but Sam and Abigail were watching Tina closely to see if she would start acting up.
"I think she'll be okay. She's made it this long", said Abigail.
"I'm still worried about her. She hasn't spoken since she finished, not even to ask to go to the restroom", said Sam.
"It's really cold, Mr. Bryce. Can we please turn up the heat a little?" asked Tina.
"The heating system is offline because of the power outage. If you want, you can use one of the candles", said Mr. Bryce without looking up, and Tina quickly grabbed a candle from a bookshelf and cupped her hands around the flame.
"Tina, be careful", said Sam.
"I'll be all right, Sam", said Tina, and she focused on the flame, staring into its orange and yellow halo. Sam shook his head and turned to Abigail.
"So, did you really want to do this caroling thing that Mr. Schue told us about?"
"No, not really. I mean, I don't mind paying my dues to society, even when it involves singing. But every year, my parents and I participate in monster truck rallies. It's kind of my folks' way of spending Christmas."
"Sounds like fun. It's weird, because you never struck me as the kind of person who likes monster trucks."
"Well, a girl's got to have a little excitement in her life, doesn't she?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"But what?"
"It's nothing. Forget it."
"Sam, just because I'm a dwarf doesn't mean I'm not human. What do you have in mind?"
"I just would really like to see how you handle one of those trucks."
"You want to see me drive one?"
"I just think that's really cool stuff. You don't mind, do you?"
"No, I don't mind. You're more than welcome to come along as my guest", said Abigail, and they shook hands. Tina was watching their interaction suspiciously, becoming more and more worried that Sam may not take being the father of her child seriously.
INTERLUDE
Alexander and Emily were waiting out in the hall for the power to come back on, and Alexander had already signaled to the teacher that they were outside.
"I guess the power works both ways on these doors now", said Emily.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense", said Alexander, slumping back against the lockers.
"You know what else doesn't make sense?"
"What?"
"You left the Glee club. Why?"
"I have my reasons."
"I always take that to mean that you don't have an actual reason."
"No, I do, and it's a good one. It's just something I'd prefer not to discuss."
"You can trust me with the truth. Have I ever lied to you?"
"No, you haven't. But my truth is too big to talk about."
"Oh, come on, it's not like you're dying or anything", said Emily, and Alexander hung his head in shame.
"Well…"
"Oh, my God, are you?"
"I may be, I may not be. It's nothing to be concerned about."
"What are you talking about? It's definitely something to be concerned about!"
"Will you keep your voice down? I don't need everybody in this school to know about it."
"Well, who else knows?"
"Only Principal Cooper does. He told me about it after he told that he was my father."
"Alexander, I can't believe that you're…"
"It's not something that you can just wish away. Besides, it might not turn out that way anyway."
"Is that why you've been acting so weird lately, behaving like you don't know who I am or anybody else is?"
"I don't remember that."
"Alexander, this is serious. You have to get in touch with a doctor."
"See, this is exactly the kind of concern I didn't want you or anybody else in the Glee club to show. I'm distancing myself from you guys so that you don't have to worry about me. If that makes me the bad guy, it's something I'll have to live with."
"We care about you. I care about you. You can't just brush this off like a mosquito, pretending like it's nothing."
"I care about you as well, which is why I didn't want you to know, because I knew that it would make you worry."
"I have to say that I'm hurt that you didn't trust me. What if you actually do die, like today? What if you're trapped out here in these halls and there's no one to help you? What then?"
"C'est la vie, Emily. As I'm sure Mr. Schuester has said at one point, life only has one beginning and one end, with a whole lot of middle. And a lot of the time, people spend their entire lives regretting the choices they made. If I die today, I will have had no regrets", said Alexander, and he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Emily to perform the Eagles' "Please Come Home For Christmas".