Small twigs beat his legs, leaving small stinging marks as Kurt ran. He tripped a few times over the rocks and roots littering the dense forest floor. His lungs were screaming for more air as he ran, each breath burning as it went down. Finn, Finn, his thoughts ran haphazardly. He shook his head, trying to keep the terrible thoughts at bay. The ominous feeling that something was just not right weighed down on him as he ran. The trees and brush grew thicker the deeper he ran into the forest, snagging on his tattered clothes. He kept up this pace as long as possible, until he was able to think clearly. He stopped running suddenly, trying desperately to recall what direction the scream had come from.
He felt the faint sensation of his ears twitching as they picked up on little sounds here and there that he couldn't decipher while stomping through the forest. He had to stop and listen, try to see if he could hear the man, possibly Finn, call out for help again. Panting heavily, he leaned against a particularly thick tree trunk, trying to calm his racing heart. A faint redness spread across his face when he felt the rough texture of the bark. The extremely vivid memory of what he and Blaine had done against the grainy bark not long before worked it's way into his brain. Kurt shook his head suddenly, as if trying to shake out the unwanted thoughts.
He had just started to feel a pang of guilt when his ears twitched again, picking up on a noise in the forest. He tried to swallow, his mouth was uncomfortably dry and sticky. His heart rate that had just begun to slow down spiked back up. He looked around, realizing for the first time just how dark it was this far out in the wooded area of the island. There was little to no sand on the ground any longer, instead replaced with semisoft earth. Vines, roots, and small branches lay in a tangled mat with each other on the ground, an endless battle for dominance to suck the nutrients out of the soil. Kurt noticed his haphazard trail of footprints, leaving behind sunken shoe prints of earth and broken branches.
Kurt looked up and saw the sparse star or two peeking through the highest branches. He had a fleeting thought of how beautiful the stars must be here compared to dreary Lima, Ohio. His ears picked up on a few birds chirping high up in the trees, and the sound of the sea breeze whipping through the dense trees. A small animal scuttered along in the distance. He smelt salt on the air as he breathed in deeply, desperately trying to relax and listen for any noise. It was right when he felt the faint briny taste on his tongue, so faint he hardly even could tell if he was just imagining it that he heard it. The loud, stomping noise seemingly echoing through the brush.
Kurt jumped almost as if he was on fire, every cell in his body that had just been relaxing now suddenly jolting with life. The stomping noise was getting louder, and through Kurt's panicked thoughts he realized the sound was getting louder because whoever, or whatever, was thundering it's way through the forest was getting closer. He let out a small squeak like a mouse as his legs finally responded to his brain's desperate impulse to run.
The bloody and mangled image of what was left of Rachel Berry's body came unwanted into his mind as he desperately tried to slip his way through the thicket, his eyes started to burn with unshed tears. The unnatural angle of her arm. The deep lacerations covering her frame. Possibly most gruesome of all, the deep, bloody dent someone had put into her forehead to finish her off. He whimpered at this thought, hearing the footfalls again. He tried to swallow but couldn't get anything down. Whoever was chasing him was very close, as he could now hear the snapping of twigs and heavy breathing along with the footfalls.
He tried to slip between two trees when his damn skinny jeans got punctured with a sharp branch. His mind went completely blank as he tried to lunge away from the tree only for the clingy fabric of his jeans to tear loudly, a large hole from the pocket to his midthigh. His eyes widened and all of his muscles tensed up. The heavy breathing was right behind him, he knew it, he could practically feel the breath on the back of his neck in his panicked state.
In a desperate attempt to save himself he gave one last fleeting jump, a strangled cry emitting from his lips as he was tackled to the ground. Pain seared through his back as someone's knee dug into the tender flesh as he made contact with the matted forest floor. Odd shaped twigs and roots dug into his skin painfully as he trashed to free himself. Sharp nails scraped his scalp as strong fingers entwined with his once perfect hair, forcing his face down. The person holding him down was panting heavily from the exertion.
"Mmmph!" Kurt cried pitifully, thrashing one last time before his limbs went limp. He laid there pathetically until the person holding him down caught their breath enough to talk. They must have been huge, and strong, because even with him funneling all his strength into thrashing he could not buck them off. He closed his eyes, Blaine's image forming behind his closed lids. Blaine...
"Finally," a distinctly feminine voice panted out. "I didn't wants to have to go all Lima Heights on you, Porcelain, but your skinny ass is quicker than Brittany in bed." She let go of his hair and rolled off his back. Pain radiated through his body with each strong beat of his heart. Kurt slowly got up.
"Why were you so rough?" Kurt asked, trying to amplify his bitch factor by ten. It was hard when the relief came washing over him first. Santana was a lot of things, but the basic bitch was not a killer.
"Zip it, Lady," Santana snarled, looking off into the distant trees. There was a soft patting of footfalls for a second and then a perky blonde came skipping through the dark thicket.
"Hey, San," Brittany said with a dreamy smile. Santana's Catty-Latino-From-The-Hood persona immediately melted. "You found our dolphin," Brittany mused, looking at Kurt.
"Why did you two follow me?" Kurt asked, looking from Santana to Brittany in the dark forest. They looked to be in the same state as him. Small cuts and bruises littered their bodies, considerably more noticeable on Brittany than Santana. Flyaway hairs and a few small twigs were sticking out from their typically perfect ponytails, and their faces were void of any makeup. The slightest hint of dark circles were beginning to form under the girl's eyes. They had, like Kurt, done what they could to improve their appearance, but little could really be done beyond trying to keep their skin and clothes clean.
"We heard the scream too, and wanted to investigate," Santana began, Brittany holding out a hand to help her up. "You ran off so fast, Pretty Boy, we could hardly keep up with you. Besides," Santana brushed herself off and reached out to Kurt. She grabbed his hand and helped pull him up while his body screamed in protest. "We wouldn't want you to end up like Berry," Santana finished bluntly, her voice devoid of emotion. Kurt swallowed awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
Kurt never did have to come up with a response to that sudden statement. A jolt of pain shot through his head as his ears picked up on another splintering shriek cutting through the previously silent forest.
"C'mon," Santana said, her head jerking towards the direction of the noise. "B, Lady, let's check this shit out." Brittany held out a soft hand and took Kurt's with a smile.
"It will be okay, Dolphin," Brittany said, sensing his fear, as they ran off into the forest following Santana. Unlike before, the shrieking did not stop after once or twice. There was a constant stream of a distinctly masculine voice echoing through the trees. Kurt tripped a few times trying to keep up with the leading lady, but Brittany kept a hold of his hand, and with surprising strength kept pulling him along.
Kurt's heart raced so fast his vision seemed to pulse with each strong beat. A sheen of sweat covered his skin as his breath became ragged. The pain in his back long forgotten as his mind struggled to keep up with the overwhelming sensory information being forced into it. With each step the almost animalistic screams drew nearer. His ears faintly picked up on some voices and footsteps coming up from behind them, still a good distance away. The trees suddenly became thicker and he and Brittany separated. He had to use both hands to push branches away from his path as he struggled through thick trees, not wanting to be left behind. His unconscious sense of self preservation causing his body to just react without thinking about the pain as branches scratched his arms and legs.
With a final push Kurt forced his way through the trees into a clearing. Kurt saw in the distance of the large, secluded clearing grotesquely twisted pieces of metal. The remains of some luggage were scattered along the grass, charred remains of suitcases opened wide, clothes and other personal items flying around the clearing in the wind. There was not enough metal for it to be all of the remaining plane, it instead looked like the midsection.
Unlike the sandy shores and thick forest of the island, this area looked almost peaceful. There was a waterfall in the distance spilling into a pool surrounded by rocks. Beautiful flowers and fruit trees grew around the pool of water for several yards. The grass was green and smelled fresh, like a spring day after the rain. The wind blew again in a gentle gust, causing a positively scandalous lacy thong to drift over to Kurt's feet. Kurt smiled to himself, deciding without a doubt the garment belonged to either Santana or Brittany. His hair ruffled slightly in the wind again and he breathed in and out calmly. What a peaceful place, Kurt began to think before another loud scream echoed out in the night.
The moon was full and high above the clearing, illuminating Kurt's surroundings much better than his eyes had become accustomed to. He saw two figures wrestling on the ground. There were a few muffled screams and Kurt immediately recognized both figures as being male by voice and body shape. The slimmer one straddled the larger one on the ground and there was a dull thud as he landed a punch on the man below him. He held one hand on the man below him's throat as his other reached into his own pocket. The obviously injured larger man below him let out a few strangled screams, holding onto his attacker's arm with one hand, trying to pry it off with all his might. Kurt noticed the man on the bottom's other arm twisted to an odd angle, laying by his side, clearly broken.
The man on top pulled out a pocketknife and swung it open with his one free hand. The man on the bottom stopped struggling, his head lulling to the side, knocked out or dead, Kurt did not have a way of knowing which. The blade of the knife glistened brightly in the moonlight, and Kurt licked his dry lips. Before Kurt knew what he was doing, all his fears and emotions suddenly came to a head as he saw the man plunge the knife into the chest of his victim.
"Stop!" Kurt screamed, his eyes wide in fear. He took a few shaky steps forward before falling on his knees. He caught his fall with a hand in front of him. He was shaking like a leaf, cursing himself inwardly for being so weak. That could be Finn, or Blaine, or any of the other people he loved. He tried to stand but couldn't find the balance. "Stop!" He screamed again, hot tears rolling down his face. The attacker stopped, looking at Kurt in the night. Even with the dim lighting Kurt knew his glaze was murderous. Kurt crawled forward, his arms and legs feeling like jelly. He couldn't have another person he loves die. He couldn't handle the pain, his mind was not even fully wrapped around and comprehended what had happened to Rachel. An impossible to resist urge was bubbling in his chest to protect the victim that laid below this monster.
The attacker, the monster, stood up with a wide smile on his face. The moon glisten against his perfect white teeth. Kurt's eyes bugged out of his head wider than he thought possible as he tried to discern any detail from this man that would make his identity known. The knife he held dripped red onto the pure green grass of the clearing as the monster took a few steps towards Kurt. The man stood a faceless figure, the shadows covering his face. Kurt's eyes were darting wildly across his figure trying to memorize his height, weight, clothes, face, anything that he could tell the others if he ever got the chance to see them again.
"Kurt! Kurt!" Santana screamed, breaking through the thick trees surrounding the clearing. Her eyes went wide as she surveyed the scene there. Brittany was right behind her. Kurt looked terrified, on his hands and knees shaking wildly while a man stood a few feet away from a body holding a... holding a knife?! "Hell no!" Santana screamed, running towards the man at full speed, Brittany following.
The man jumped back and looked from Santana and Brittany to Kurt, seemingly wondering if he could take them all when more voices came through the trees. Teenagers from all choirs who had been following the screams came pushing through the thicket. All was silent for a moment as everyone tried to wrap their head around the shocking scene they had come across. Santana let out a war cry as she tackled the man to the ground. She clawed at him with all her might, but he shoved her off him with surprising strength. She cried out as she hit the ground sharply, her head smacking against the earth and everything went black. He ran off towards the waterfall in the distance and slipped through the thick trees as Brittany ran to her aide.
"Boo! Boo!" Kurt heard Mercedes voice scream desperately. His eyes were vaguely aware of her angelic face and she dropped down to the ground in front of him.
"'Cedes," Kurt mumbled, feeling light headed. Next thing he knew there was shouting and questions coming from all angles as the teenagers investigated who the victim laying on the grass was. Kurt tried to crawl forward, desperate to see who it was.
"Can you stand?" Mercedes asked, trying to help Kurt to his feet. The moment he tried to stand everything became too much and he dropped to the ground unconscious.
"Who is this?" Wes asked, looking to his good friend David as they examined the body.
"I have no idea," David began, feeling sick to his stomach. Who could do such a thing? He thought, looking at the beaten and badly bruised face. The loud blonde woman from New Directions elbowed her way in, sharply hitting a poor Oral Intensity girl in the ribs. She stopped immediately upon looking at the victim's body, her eyes wide. Her mouth gaped open and she let out an indecipherable noise.
"W-W-," Quinn began, unable to form words. David felt a pang of sympathy. He looked to Wes and swallowed sharply. He had no idea what he would do if something like this happened to a member of his choir.
"Do you have any idea who this is?" David asked the blonde, having a sick feeling in his stomach that she knew exactly what this body was named.
"Y-Yes," Quinn stammered out, dropping to her knees. "He was a member of New Directions... His name was D-David Karofsky." She put a shaky hand on his throat, feeling how warm his body still was. A shock went through her body when she felt a weak but steady beating. "He is still alive!" She screamed, her eyes wide.
