So here's the next chapter! Right now Brittany is definitely the most suspected!
When the girls and Blaine were joined by the rest of the guys, they found they had nothing to do. They were used to a constant cycle of death, mourning, suspicions, and then death again. It was weird to have free time in between. And they – some more than others – hated free time because it gave them time to dwell on everything that was going wrong. Blaine was asleep in his corner, and some envied him for being able to escape a while.
"I know!" Artie said after a few moments of awkward silence and listless wondering from those who hadn't sat down. "Let's watch a movie."
"There's no tv." Finn said.
"No, that cabinet has the tv inside." Artie said, pointing to the cabinet on the wall opposite one of the sofas. "Mr Schue mentioned it on the bus ride over."
"How does a tv fit in that?" Brittany whispered, as Puck reached up, unhooked the latch, and opened it.
The tv was fairly old and set back into the wall on a shelf, but it had a vcr player underneath.
"Wow it still uses videos." Quinn said.
"Do we have any videos?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, Mr Schue said that too. They have a supply in that other cupboard with the board games inside." Artie jabbed a thumb at another cupboard. "Weren't any of you listening?"
"No," Quinn said.
Puck and Finn had pulled open the cupboard doors and they sighed. "All there is are a bunch of old Disney films."
"Oh I love Disney!" Brittany squealed, leaping up to join them. As they sat back down, she thumbed through them happily. "We'll watch one of the Disney princess movies or something."
"Lion King; too sad, Bambi; also too sad, Robin Hood; I've seen this too much it's boring, Aladdin! Oh let's watch this!" Brittany pulled it out and threw it across into Santana's waiting hands.
Santana took it out of the box and sighed with annoyance. The reel of film was pulled out and crumpled into tangles.
"Britt sorry, it's all messed up." She said, putting it back.
"That's okay, they have Sleeping Beauty too!" Brittany said, waving the dvd in the air. "It's one of my favourites."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Artie was eyeing the lump of blanket where Blaine's fuzzy mop of hair could be seen.
"It'll be fine." Finn said. He still had that weird off smile on his face. "Let Brittany watch what she wants. It's not like it's actually him. It's not Kurt. This one's a girl and everything. I'll be fine."
So the put the movie on and settled down to watch it. Blaine remained where he was. They weren't even sure if he was awake, let alone aware of what was going on. Soon they were absorbed in the movie, even though it wasn't one they would all have chosen. They were glad to have an escape for a little while.
"Why didn't we think of this sooner?" Puck said happily as Quinn, sitting on a pillow on the floor in front of him, leaned back against his knees.
On screen the Prince arrived and joined in the 'Once Upon a Dream' song as he met Aurora properly. Puck reached out a hand and gently touched Quinn's hair. Quinn, occupied by the movie, leaned naturally back into his touch. He smirked a little to himself and he carefully wound a lock of hair around his finger and then started to comb his fingers through. Quinn hummed happily and shifted a little closer. Puck glanced sideways in time to see Santana spot them and roll her eyes in Quinn's direction before winking at Puck. 'Well done," she mouthed, and then focused on the movie again.
The song finished and the movie continued, becoming darker as Aurora was taken up to the palace. No one noticed that Blaine was waking up. He rubbed his eyes in confusion and looked up at the tv. The sight of Aurora crying by herself made him freeze. He knew immediately what the film was yet he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away as an eerie light appeared and Aurora started following it. Blaine pulled his pillow onto his lap. He was tucked into a tiny ball as he watched her reach a finger out and prick herself on the spindle.
He was vaguely aware to the tears beginning to spill over as the movie continued. He could feel the emotion inside him ripping its way out in the form of gasping breaths. All he could imagine was Kurt, dying.
Over and over again he saw Kurt's blood staining the sheet.
His eyes were glued to the screen, until finally Prince Phillip went to kiss the sleeping princess and then Blaine realised his crazed whimpering was getting louder and louder. And then Phillip kissed Sleeping Beauty and she woke up and his breathing had become screaming intakes of breath. His joints were locked in place and he just let loose these strangled sobbing shrieks.
The glee club launched themselves up from their seats and it didn't take Quinn very long to tip Blaine down, head between his knees, and start breathing with him. He could sort of hear her voice telling him what to do and he managed to focus on her face. Santana was there too, and it felt like Brittany and Rachel rubbing his back. Rachel's hair was tickling his shoulder. It was definitely Puck and Artie yelling to Finn to 'Get him some water.'
"Where's Kurt?" He asked. He was dizzy… he couldn't breathe. Why weren't his lungs working? Was that whimpering noise coming from him?
"Honey, just hold my hand and breathe." Quinn said, her eyes darting sideways to Santana. She looked scared.
"Tell Kurt…" Blaine saw the world tilt as he gasped for more oxygen. "Tell him…"
But he passed out in a dead faint there in front of Quinn.
"Oh gosh what do I do?" Quinn gasped, checking his pulse and then carefully moving him so he didn't snap his neck the way he was lying on Rachel's lap.
"He just passed out." Artie said. He was holding the remote, having turned off the tv the second the screams had started. "I don't think he's dying. It must have been stress finally making him snap. Poor guy."
Santana nudged Quinn aside to cover Blaine with his blanket and shove a pillow under his head.
"Maybe we should all get into our pyjamas and just relax a bit. I know it's early but it'll be so much more comfortable." She said after a few moments of stunned silence. "Then we can go to sleep whenever we want after we've have dinner. I think some of us might be as tired as our little Curly-topped angel here."
She ruffled Blaine's hair and stood smoothly. The rest of the Club followed to their bags and began pulling out pyjamas and toiletries. They went down to the toilets together, deciding they could leave Blaine alone so long as he was entirely alone, with whoever the killer was in the bathroom with the rest of them.
…
Most people were in the showers and toilets when it happened. It was only Puck by the mirrors with a towel wrapped around his waist. He reached down and pulled on his pyjamas, and then dug inside his sponge bad. His fingers touched cool metal. Glancing around, Puck made sure he was alone, and then reached right into the bag and pulled out the object inside. It was just what he'd though it was… but why was there a gun in his toiletries bag?
He balanced the gun in the palm of his hand.
Brittany's cubicle door swinging open made him squeal, but not nearly as loudly as Brittany's scream at the sight of the gun. Almost right away, other doors were crashing open and wet people in towels leaning out. The rest, who were still in the showers or toilets, were calling out 'what's wrong?'
"Put it down!" Santana yelled at Puck, so loudly he almost dropped the gun. He managed to dump it quickly in the sink.
"It's not mine!" He said.
"Guys seriously you're freaking me out. What's happening?" Rachel's voice carried out over the top of her cubicle. All the showers had turned off.
"Puck has just been discovered with a gun." Santana said.
"It was in my bag, okay? I don't know how it got there." Puck yelled in his defensive.
"Why is it always us?" Santana grumbled to Brittany, before shouting to the room at large. "Finish your showers, and we'll all go back and talk about this in the dining room."
Tentatively, someone shuffled in the shower and then two streams of water turned back on. Finn, who'd popped out of his toilet cubicle holding his fly shut, went back inside. A toilet flushed and after another moment Artie wheeled out to join them.
"Puck is safety on?" he asked, nodding to the gun.
Puck peered into the sink and nodded. "Yes, it's fine." Santana's eyes narrowed.
"So you know how to use it?" She asked, finding this suspicious.
"It's not like it makes me guilty to be able to tell if safety is on." Puck growled.
"Stay calm Puck." Artie said warningly. He started washing his hands and everyone watched him. The room was dead silent, apart from the hurried splashing from the showers. As Artie turned the tap off they heard Quinn's shower flick off as well. She didn't take long to dry off and get dressed. She joined them in her pale blue pyjamas and her chest was heaving as she stared at Puck. He took in her red eyes and realised she had been crying in the shower. She must have been stunned to hear he had a gun on him.
"Quinn I-" He began.
"Oh save it for later." Santana said. "There's no way you're talking to anyone until we've worked this out."
"Why do you immediately believe Kurt and Blaine when they say they're framed, yet not me?" Puck spluttered.
"Oh come on I did not believe them right away!" Santana scoffed. "Did you see me when Brittany found Blaine? I did not believe he was framed."
"Two people have been framed before. Why would this be any different?" Puck demanded.
Finn finished in the toilet and walked out. No one had responded to Puck yet, so Finn did.
"It's not different, man. We know you could have been framed." He said.
"A gun's a little scarier than an axe or a bunch of pills." Quinn said, and her voice shook a little. She was still staring at Puck as if she didn't know what to do.
"Why?" Asked Puck. "Quinn you don't have to be scared of me I would never…"
"Hurry up Rachel!" Quinn yelled over the top of Puck. There was one last rush of water and then Rachel's shower ended as well. She dressed hurriedly and came out to join them.
"Before we go, can I use the toilet?" Rachel asked as if she was expecting rebuff. But Santana didn't tell her off, because Brittany quickly added. "Yeah I need to go too!" and then she realised she was still in her towel after bursting out of the shower.
"Be quick because this is sort of an emergency." Quinn asked of them as they shut themselves into the toilets and Santana in her shower to get dressed.
Brittany could hear Artie talking to Puck and wrapping the gun in a towel before deciding Artie would carry it back. Her attention faded, however, when she noticed something on the toilet paper. There was a row of square letters written there.
Brittany reached out hand and pulled the toilet paper off. She read it carefully, making sure she got it all right:
"Brittany, this is a secret message from your unicorn friend, Kurt. You might think I'm dead but I'm not really. I stayed alive and now I need your help. You can't tell anyone else that I'm alive. Just meet me for dinner in the dining room when everyone else has gone to sleep. Eat while you wait. I'll join you to share our secret plans.
Flush this when you're read it. Don't tell anyone. Not even Santana."
Brittany gasped with delight. Kurt was alive! And she could go see him!
She quickly finished and flushed the message, holding her happy secret close to her heart. She felt like everything might finally be okay. When Brittany left the toilet it was impossible to keep the happy smile off her face.
"Brittany?" Santana said questioningly as she watched Brittany wash her hands. Rachel came out of the next toilet over, but she was ignored.
"Yeah?" Brittany asked, smiling at the worried group in the mirror.
"Are you okay?" Santana asked.
"I'm fine Santana." She reached for Santana's hand and squeezed it as Rachel started drying her own. "Everything's going to be okay now."
And then, while they still watched her in shock, Brittany turned and gestured for Puck to follow her "Let's go and do this and then we can have dinner and go to bed."
…
Artie placed the gun on the table in front of Puck, who flinched as it hit the wood with a thud.
"Is this yours?" He asked first, just to start things off.
"No!" Puck said loudly. "I said it's not."
"Why was it in your bag then?" Quinn asked, her chin tilted up proudly, though it was really to stop the tears she could feel building. She didn't want to believe it was Puck. Puck was the last person she wanted it to be. She knew the gun didn't incriminate him, but she felt betrayed.
"I don't know. It's probably because the killer," He glanced at Finn despite himself. "Put it there."
"I think we know that the killer put that gun there, whether the killer was someone else… or you." Santana said.
"It's not me!" Puck said again.
"That's an unfortunate habit of yours." Quinn said slowly. Everyone glanced at her and noticed for the first time just how pale she was. "The way you get so defensive I mean. Every time you get accused of something you seem to get really crazy defensive. It's pretty suspicious, Puck."
Puck took a deep breath. "I'm not defensive." He said.
"Yes. You are." Quinn said, starting to cry. "Stop denying everything Puck! Stop trying to deny everything!"
"I'm not the one denying things Quinn." Puck retorted, gesturing to her. "You're the one in denial."
Quinn gasped and then quickly regained composure. She knew he was referring to the way she kept denying her feelings for him.
"Don't bring that up now." Her voice was dangerously steady. "You've just been discovered with a gun. There's no way you can divert the attention to me."
"Okay so I pulled a gun out of my bag. But like Blaine, I wouldn't have done that out where people could see me if I was really the killer!" Puck said. "If it was really my gun why would I bring it out then? It makes no sense! How it could be mine? I was framed."
"I believe you, Puck." Artie said tiredly, and then smiled slightly, trying to make a joke and ease the tension. "You know, as much as I believe anyone in this situation."
Puck sighed. "Thank you, Artie."
But Quinn still wouldn't make eye-contact, even if the rest of the group seemed to be accepting him.
"Let's just make some dinner." She said as she watched her friends nod in acceptance of Puck's comment. "Who's helping?"
"Take at least two other people." Artie said warily.
"Us girls will go, but you guys are on dishes duty." Santana said
"Fine," Finn said, already standing and taking Artie's chair out with him.
Puck followed, grabbing the gun as he went and saying "I'll lock it in the cupboard with the phone."
"Make sure he does!" Santana called after them. "And don't wake Blaine or I swear to god…"
…
Puck tiptoed over the beds where Blaine's curly mop lay on his pillow. He opened the phone cupboard at the end of the room and tossed the gun inside. Then, with Finn and Artie watching his back, he shut the door and said "How do I lock it?"
"I don't know." Finn said, looking at Artie.
Artie sighed and glanced around the room, wondering if they could shove something in front of the cupboard. But none of the cabinets would reach high enough, so he shrugged.
"We'll leave it for now." He said. "We might find something later."
And so they sat down and flicked on the tv. They tried to find a channel that might have something, but none of them seemed to be connected. Artie realised they hadn't seen any satellite dishes or anything, so they switched it off.
"Puck I don't think it was your gun." Artie said, and Finn nodded.
"If anything I think it's a lot less likely that you're the killer now that you've been found with a weapon. Unless you knew that and so you planted the weapon on yourself so that we thought you'd been framed." Artie pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It's complicated. But the point is I don't think you are the killer."
"Who do you think it is?" Finn asked him.
Artie held Finn's gaze for a long time and then glanced at Puck. After he and Puck had talked about their suspicions together, he really was starting to suspect Finn. But he wasn't about to tell Finn that.
"I don't really know." Artie said. "I haven't been able to narrow it down."
"Oh right," Finn said. He looked over at where Blaine was sleeping and his fists clenched as Blaine mumbled something in his sleep.
The silence stretched and they became lost in their thoughts. No one spoke.
…
The girls didn't take too long to get dinner ready. They just made some lasagne, singing "Once Upon a Dream" softly as they went because it was stuck in their heads. They talked about nothing important, except for Santana expressing her worry over Blaine's condition. Then they called the guys through.
"Blaine's asleep." Finn grunted as he arrived, walking right up to the steaming meal and scooping himself a huge helping.
Puck and Artie followed, murmuring appreciatively. But the girls exchanged looks.
"Good." Santana said. "We'll let him sleep. He needs a rest."
"But he also needs to eat." Quinn added. "I'll go and wake him."
"I'll have to come with." Santana said. "Can't leave you two alone,"
So they made their way out and gently shook Blaine awake. He woke slowly, pushing his fringe back and peering at them.
"Had such a vivid dream." He mumbled at the sight of their faces and the sound of their gentle words.
Then he seemed to wake up a little more. He saw how worried even Santana looked and the event of his fainting came back to him in a blur. Crying too hard so he couldn't breathe and not remembering how or why he should. Gulping in air with loud gasping shrieks. Fainting as everyone surrounded him.
"Oh no. I'm so sorry guys." Blaine mumbled, ducking his head. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."
"It's fine," Quinn smiled. "I'm used to looking after hysterical cheerleaders anyway."
"Yeah because Blaine's a hysterical teenage girl." Santana said sarcastically, pleased as it made Blaine crack a smile. She helped him up and they went off for dinner.
…
Dinner was a very quiet affair. Most of the talking was meaningless again. The couples couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Quinn determinedly didn't look at Puck, whose face was oddly pinched. He seemed like he might cry. Brittany was happy and smiling and though Santana was glad she was feeling better, she was worried that the reason might be Brittany putting hope in the pact. She didn't know a thing about Brittany's mysterious note.
When they were finished that, they all went and brushed their teeth. The guys did the dishes and then the pyjama-clad group went back and settled into bed. They talked about book and movies they liked to avoid the horror this time. They ended up falling asleep in the middle of Brittany's long talk about the deep and meaningful nature of Winnie the Pooh.
When Brittany realised everyone was asleep, she held her breath a moment, listening carefully. Then she crept out of bed, grinning. She got to meet Kurt. She got to talk to him and hear his plan of how to get out. She couldn't wait to save everyone and get out.
Brittany silently slipped into the dining room and was greeted with the sight of three steaming bowls of porridge. A piece of paper lying in front said "Start supper without me. I'll be there soon."
So Brittany sat down with a little sigh of happiness and started to eat. Spooning up the warm porridge, she wondered how quickly her and Kurt would be able to save everyone. She was so glad she got to be a part of the rescue.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open quietly, and it wasn't until the last second that she saw the shadow against the opposite wall. Someone was standing behind her.
But they yanked her down with a fistful of hair before she could cry out, and a very familiar voice whispered in her ear "Goodbye Goldilocks."
And then she realised. She realised she had been tricked and she was going to die. A hand clamped down over her mouth before she could scream and as she tried to lift a heavy arm she found she couldn't. Had there been something in the food? Her body was so heavy and she couldn't feel her limbs.
"Wait," Her voice was slurred as she spoke around the loosening fingers. The killer wanted to hear her, so they loosened their grip. "I can't die I promised."
There was a faint clatter and though her drooping eyelids she saw their silhouette of the killer highlighted by the moon streaming through the window. She thought they looked unfairly beautiful considering the fact they were killing her right that moment.
"I promised. I made a pact. Santana-" The sleepy words ended in a gargle as sharp pain ripped across her throat. She tried to breathe but a fog danced quickly across her head. Her thoughts were muddled. This was all her fault. Why had she believed that note. "Wh-why am I so stupid?"
There was blood coming up through her throat and gargling in her mouth. She choked a little again. There was another slash of cold metal, tearing at her skin.
And then her body hit the floor with a dull thud and the figure was gone.
Aww that part was sad to write. Please review and continue with the wonderful feedback!