Chloe's in a Cult?
Pitch Perfect Horror Week 2021 - Day One
#HW2101
Stacie and the rest of the Bellas paced around the Emergency Room, waiting for word on Beca.
"I hate waiting," CR said as she paced behind Stacie. "I just want someone to tell us she's okay."
"I just want to know what the hell happened while we were gone," Stacie said.
"And, I want to know where the hell Chloe is," Jessica said. "She's not answering her phone or texts."
"She's probably with Tom," Fat Amy said. "She's been spending a lot of time with him and his friends."
"Friends?" Ashley scoffed. "More like cult followers."
"What?" Stacie asked.
"Beca has been trying to get Chloe to see that she's in a cult," Ashley said. "To see that Tom is the cult leader. Haven't any of you noticed how different Chloe's been acting? Her being part of a cult makes sense."
"No way," CR said. "Chloe's one of the most level-headed people I know. She'd never get caught up in something like that."
"No, CR, I think Ashley's right," Stacie said, stopping her pacing to look at the other girls. "Something has been off about Chloe." Stacie chuckled before adding, "Leave it to Beca to be the first one to see it. And we claim she's so oblivious to what is right in front of her."
"Come to think of it, Chloe does seem to be more into Tom now than she ever was," Jessica said. "And she snaps at Beca and the rest of us all the time over nothing. I've read that a person's personality changes when they get caught up in a cult. Tom always was charismatic and I think he knows Chloe well enough to know she'd bow to his will. I mean, she's become overly obsessed with him. I know they dated in the past, but now she's so into him that she's not participating in our group activities, she's blowing off classes and rehearsals because Tom needs her help with something. I'm really worried about her."
"I'm more worried about Beca right now," Stacie said. "What the hell happened to her? We were only gone for like two hours and came back to find her at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious."
"Anyone here for Beca Mitchell?" a voice called out, causing all the girls to turn toward the voice.
"We are," Stacie said, as they walked over to the man who they all assumed was a doctor.
"Are any of you family?" the doctor asked.
"I'm her cousin," Stacie blurted out before anyone could say anything.
"Okay then. I'm Dr. Marshall," the doctor said. "I've examined Miss Mitchell and she has a slight concussion and a sprain to her right wrist and ankle. I'm surprised those are her only injuries after falling down a flight of stairs. We want to keep her overnight for observation."
"Is she awake?" Stacie asked. "Did she tell you exactly what happened to her?"
"She is awake and coherent," Dr. Marshall said. "She said she was rushing to answer the door and slipped on the top step, causing her to fall down the stairs. She said that's all she remembers."
The girls all looked at each other, not saying anything, but none of them believed the story Beca told the doctor. Something else happened that left Beca laying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Beca looked at the girls as they all quietly filed into her room. Once all the girls were in the door, Beca glanced over expecting to see Chloe, but Chloe wasn't there.
Beca frowned and asked, "Where's Chloe?"
CR looked at the girls and then back at Beca.
"Um, we don't know," CR said. "We think she's with Tom, but she's not answering any calls or texts."
Beca sighed and laid back on the bed. "We need to get her away from him."
"We all agree with you on that," Jessica said. "We just don't know how to go about actually doing it."
"What happened to you, Beca?" Fat Amy asked. "We found you lying at the bottom of the stairs, out like a light."
"I tripped and fell down the stairs," Beca said, staring down at her hands.
"Bullshit!" Lily blurted out, causing all heads to turn toward her. "You were pushed."
"How do-? Um, no, I, uh, I tripped," Beca stammered. "Why would I lie about it?"
"You would lie about it if Chloe was the one who pushed you."
The Bellas gasped and looked from Lily to Beca. Tears fell from Beca's eyes and she shook her head.
"No, no, no," Beca repeated over and over. "That's not what happened."
"Oh, my God," Stacie said, staring at Beca. "Did Chloe push you? Tell us what really happened, Beca."
"It was an accident," Beca said, practically sobbing now. "She didn't do it on purpose. I have to believe it wasn't done on purpose."
"Just tell us what happened, Beca," Emily said softly, sitting on the side of the bed and taking Beca's hand.
"You girls had only been gone a few minutes when Chloe came in," Beca said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The Bellas moved closer so they could hear what Beca was saying. Beca sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks before continuing.
I was just coming down the stairs when she came through the door. She brushed past me without saying anything. I followed her upstairs and just as I got to her door, she slammed it in my face.
I knocked on the door, saying, "Chlo, can we please talk?"
"I can't right now," she said through the door. "I'm meeting Tom and I need to change."
"Tom's what I want to talk to you about," I said loudly so she could hear me through the door.
The door swung open and Chloe stood there, glaring at me.
"What the fuck is it this time?" Chloe asked. "Are you jealous because I'm not spending time with you? Get over yourself, Beca. I'm with Tom now and he's my number one priority. I can't help it if you can't handle that."
I was so shocked at her outburst that I couldn't find the words to respond. She laughed and slammed the door in my face again.
I threw the door open, causing it to slam against the wall. She jerked around to look at me.
"Tom is just using you," I screamed at her. "And, you are just too dumb to realize it."
I immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. She stalked over to me and slapped me across the face. She then tried to shove me out of the way and leave the room but I grabbed her arm to stop her.
"This isn't you, Chloe," I said.
"Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think you do," Chloe said.
She pushed past me and walked out. I followed her and grabbed her arm to stop her. Chloe jerked her arm from my grasp and shoved me away from her. I stumbled back and fell down the stairs.
"The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a hospital bed," Beca said, crying uncontrollably.
"I can't believe Chloe just left you laying there," Jessica said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm so fucking worried about her," Beca sobbed, putting her hand over her face.
Emily pulled Beca to her and held her while she cried. The Bellas stood with tears in their eyes, not used to seeing Beca so emotional in front of them.
"We're here for you, Beca," Emily whispered. "We'll find Chloe and get her away from Tom."
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Since the doctor wanted Beca to remain overnight for observation, the Bellas decided to leave and see if Chloe had returned to the Bellas House. Lily and Fat Amy opted to stay with Beca while the others left.
"Keep us posted," Fat Amy told them as they were leaving.
Once they were back at the house, Stacie hurried in and rushed upstairs calling out for Chloe. She stopped at Chloe's room and banged on the door.
"Get out here, Chloe," Stacie yelled. "We need to talk."
There was no response. Stacie put her ear to the door. "Chloe?"
Stacie couldn't hear anything, so she opened the door. Stacie gasped as she looked around the room.
"All Chloe's stuff is gone," Stacie murmured. She stepped back and yelled down the stairs, "All Chloe's stuff is gone."
The girls raced up the stairs to stand and stare into the room to see for themselves. All of Chloe's personal belongings were definitely gone.
"Where could she have gone?" Emily asked.
"To Tom most likely," Stacie said.
"This is messed up," CR said. "We need to find her and knock some sense into her head."
"I think she's deeper into Tom and his cult than any of us realized," Jessica said.
"Yeah," Ashley said. "And it's going to be hell to get her out of it."
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
"Tom, why are we doing this?" Chloe asked as she helped mix drinks for Tom's followers. "Is this really the right time to have a party?"
"Trust me, baby," Tom said, stroking Chloe's cheek and staring into her eyes. "I know what's best."
"I do trust you, Tom," Chloe said. "I'm just worried about the cops coming because of the noise from the party."
"We will be quiet," Tom said, smiling. "No one will hear a peep out of us. I guarantee it."
"Okay," Chloe said, smiling up at Tom and accepting his kiss.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
"Does anyone know where Tom's group meets?" Stacie asked. "Where we could find him and Chloe?"
"I heard they have what they call a tent city in the woods on the other side of campus," CR said. "I also heard that they have barbed wire fencing surrounding it to keep people out."
"Let's go," Stacie said, jumping up and heading for the door.
"And do what exactly?" Ashley asked, stopping Stacie in her tracks.
"Get Chloe," Stacie said. "And bring her back here where she belongs."
"How are we going to get Chloe away from there?" Emily asked.
"We need to come up with a plan," Jessica suggested. "We can't just go in there and drag Chloe out. There's no telling what Tom might do to her or to us."
"You're right, you're right," Stacie said, running a hand through her hair. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
Stacie let out a breath and sat down.
"Maybe we can call Aubrey and have her call Chloe," Ashley said. "Chloe always listens to Aubrey."
"If she hasn't been listening to Beca," CR said. "What makes you think she'll listen to Aubrey?"
"Aubrey is meaner than Beca," Ashley said. "She won't sugar coat things. Beca is in love with Chloe and was too nice while trying to get Chloe to see what was happening to her."
CR chuckled. "You got me there," she said. "Let's call Aubrey."
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
An hour later, the drinks were ready and snacks had been placed on tables inside the large group tent. Chloe picked up a tray of drinks and walked around, ensuring that every person got one before moving on to the next.
"Take a drink and hold onto it," Tom said from the front of the group. "We will drink a toast to the Heavenly Father as we give ourselves to Him."
Chloe smiled as each person took the drink that she offered to them. After a few minutes, Tom looked around to make sure everyone had a drink in their hand.
"Chloe, please come stand by me," Tom said, smiling at Chloe.
Chloe had a big smile on her face as she took her place next to Tom. Tom picked up two drinks from the table in front of him and handed one to Chloe. Chloe took it with a smile and gazed up at Tom.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Stacie had called Aubrey and filled her in on what was going on with Chloe. Aubrey jumped in her car and drove to the Bellas House. She made the hour drive in forty-five minutes. Stacie went out to greet Aubrey as soon as she saw Aubrey's car pull up to the curb.
"Come inside," Stacie said, holding the car door for Aubrey. "The girls are all waiting for you."
Aubrey followed Stacie inside and the girls greeted her.
"Sorry for dragging you into this," Jessica said. "But we didn't know what else to do."
"I'm glad you did," Aubrey said. "I've known Chloe a lot longer than you guys have. This whole cult thing doesn't surprise me. I know she hasn't shown it to you guys, but Chloe has always been someone who is easily manipulated. Tom had that effect on her when they were dating. At least until Beca got here. She took a liking to Beca and ended things with Tom. He didn't take it well, and I had hoped that was the end of it. I guess he came back and caught her when she was vulnerable. That's what cult leaders do. They prey on the weak and vulnerable."
"If we get her back, will she be the Chloe we all know and love?" CR asked.
"I don't know," Aubrey said. "The only saving grace at this point is that there are places she can go that can deprogram her. She'll fight us on it, so we need to be prepared to follow through with whatever we plan to do."
Aubrey paced back and forth for a bit.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Aubrey said. "I tried to call Chloe several times on my way here. The calls went straight to voicemail."
"She must have her phone turned off," Jessica said. "Try again and see what happens."
Aubrey placed the call and listened for a moment.
"It went straight to voicemail again," Aubrey said as she ended the call and threw her phone onto the table. She sat and put her head in her hands. "God, this is so frustrating."
"I think we should go to the tent city," Stacie said, rubbing Aubrey's back to calm her. "See if we can find Chloe. She can't avoid us if we're standing right in front of her."
"I agree," Aubrey said, standing. "Let's go."
"It's almost eleven," CR said. "And it's dark outside. I don't know about any of you, but I don't want to be out in the dark woods looking for them. I don't trust Tom and his followers not to have some kind of traps set up. Maybe we should wait until daylight."
Aubrey breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. "As much as I hate to admit it, CR is right. Let's get some rest and we'll go looking for them at first light."
"Someone should call Beca and let her know what we're doing," Emily said.
"I'll do it," Aubrey said.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Beca was sleeping when her phone rang. Lily grabbed it and answered so it would not wake Beca.
"Hello," Lily said.
"Lily?" Aubrey asked. "I was looking to speak with Beca."
Aubrey looked around at the girls and mouthed, "Lily answered Beca's phone."
"She's sleeping," Lily said. "I can have her-"
"I'm awake," Beca said, moving to sit up in her bed.
"Hold on," Lily said into the phone and held the phone out to Beca. "It's Aubrey."
"What's up, Aubrey?"
"Hold on, I'm with the girls," Aubrey said. "I'm going to put you on speaker."
"Okay."
Aubrey puts her phone on speaker and asks "How are you feeling? I heard about your accident."
"I guess Stacie told you what happened? That Chloe was involved."
"That's actually why I'm calling," Aubrey said. "We're going to go to the camp where Tom and his, for lack of a better word, followers are staying. We're hoping to find Chloe and talk her into coming back here with us."
"I want to go, too," Beca said. "I should be getting out of here around nine in the morning. Can you wait for me? Or Amy, Lily, and I can meet you girls at the camp."
"Let me ask the girls what they want to do," Aubrey said.
Aubrey looked at the girls with raised eyebrows.
"Meet us there, Beca," Stacie said. "We'll get there around nine and wait for you."
"Okay," Beca said. "Lily and Amy are in, too. We'll see you all at the camp tomorrow morning as soon as I'm out of here."
"Just be careful, Beca," Aubrey said. "You need to heal so you can help us with Chloe once we get her away from Tom."
"I will," Beca said. "Thanks."
Aubrey ended the call and looked around the room.
"I guess now we wait," Aubrey said. "Let's go to bed and be ready to leave by eight-thirty. We can take the Bellas bus to the woods to meet Beca, Amy, and Lily."
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
"Chloe, wake up," Tom said as he shook the redhead.
"Wha-," Chloe mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's going on, Tom?"
"We have to go," Tom said, stuffing clothes into a duffel bag.
"Where are we going?" Chloe asked. "It's still dark outside."
"We're moving to a new camp about three hours from here," Tom said. "And we need to go so we can get there by the time the sun comes up."
"Okay," Chloe said, gathering her clothes and stuffing them into a duffel bag of her own. "What about the others?"
"Don't worry about them," Tom said. "They're already gone. Seth and Mary are waiting for us so they can ride with us."
"Will we be coming back?"
"No, so make sure you have everything. Don't leave anything behind."
"Okay," Chloe said. She stumbled slightly and shook her head, trying to shake the cobwebs from her brain. "What was in that drink last night? I feel hungover."
"Just some wine," Tom said. "Wine hangovers are the worst, right?"
"I guess so," Chloe said. "I don't usually get drunk on wine. I must have had more than I thought."
"Yeah, you did," Tom said, grabbing their duffel bags. "Let's go."
Chloe looked around one more time before following Tom out of their tent. She climbed into the passenger seat of Tom's truck. Seth and Mary greeted her from the back seat as Tom drove out of the camp.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Later that morning, Dr. Marshall discharged Beca from the hospital and she, Amy, and Lily were out the door by eight-thirty. Amy drove them to the area they had agreed to meet the Bellas.
"We found the camp," CR told them as they got out of the car. "It's only about a hundred yards through those trees over there."
Beca and Lily looked to where CR was pointing.
"Any signs of anyone?" Beca asked, placing her crutches under her arm.
CR shook her head. "We haven't seen or heard anything, yet."
Aubrey walked over and pulled Beca into a hug. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore, but determined," Beca said. "Let's go find Chloe."
"Follow CR," Stacie said. "She's the one who found the entrance to the camp."
"What's the plan?" Amy asked. "Are we just going to go in and ask for Chloe?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Jessica said as she walked next to Amy.
"This way," CR said and headed into the woods.
It only took a few minutes to make it to the camp. Beca stood next to Aubrey as they looked at the entrance.
"I figured they'd have somebody watching it," Beca said, looking around. "I don't see anyone. Or hear anything."
"Maybe they're still sleeping," Ashley suggested. "Who knows what goes on here at night."
"Let's check the tents," Aubrey said. "See if we can rouse anyone."
"Stay in small groups and work from the front back to the big one," Stacie said.
"Good idea," Beca said as she started to move towards the tents on the left.
"Slow down, Beca," Jessica said. "You're going to wear yourself out before we get to the first set of tents."
"Sorry," Beca said, stopping to lean on her crutches. "I'm just anxious to find Chloe."
"We're all anxious to find Chloe," Aubrey said.
"Does anyone else feel as if it's too quiet?" Ashley said. "No one is moving about. I don't even hear any snoring."
"Ashley's right," Jessica said, hurrying to the first tent and looking in. "There's no one here."
The girls rushed to different tents and looked inside.
"Nothing here," Emily called out.
"Nothing here, either," Amy said.
"CR, Lily," Stacie said. "You two come with me. We'll check the big tent, while the rest of you check the rest of the smaller ones.
CR, Lily, and Stacie made their way to the bigger tent. CR was first and opened the makeshift door to the tent. She gasped and rushed back out, leaning over to the side and emptying the contents of her stomach.
"You don't want to go in there," CR told Stacie and Lily.
The other girls saw something was happening and made their way over.
"What's going on?" Aubrey asked as she reached Stacie.
"Don't let her go in there," CR told Stacie. "Don't let anyone go in there. We have to call the police."
The girls started freaking out and Stacie looked through the door. The blood drained from her face and she turned and started pushing the girls back.
"Get back," Stacie said. "Go back to the entrance while we wait for the police."
"What did you guys see?" Emily asked, her voice breaking.
"Bodies," CR said. "About twenty or thirty of them. Is someone calling the police?"
"Chloe!" Beca and Aubrey both scream.
Beca drops her crutches and starts limping to the tent's door with Aubrey on her heels.
Stacie and CR jumped in front of them and held them back. Both struggled to get free until Emily, Amy, and Lily joined in holding them back.
"We have to see if Chloe's in there," Beca screamed.
"Beca, if she's in there," Emily said, holding onto Beca. "You won't want to see her like that."
Beca struggled to free herself from Emily's hold.
"Beca," CR said, taking her by the shoulders and looking her in the eye. "If she's in there, there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry but they are all gone."
Beca let out a sob and fell to her knees. Stacie caught Aubrey as she too started crying and went limp.
"The police are on their way," Ashley said, teary-eyed. "They said to wait at the entrance for them."
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
Twenty minutes later, police were swarming the tent city. Beca was sitting on the ground at the entrance with her arms wrapped around her knees. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Aubrey came over and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"We can't give up hope that Chloe is okay," Aubrey said, wiping her tears from her face.
"Who found the bodies?" An officer asked the group.
"We all did," CR said, stepping forward. "I mean I was the first to step into the tent, but we all were looking around."
"Why exactly are you all here?" A detective asked, looking at the girls. "Were you all a part of this?" He waved his hand around, adding, "Whatever this is?"
"No," Aubrey said quickly, standing to speak. "We came looking for our friend, Chloe, who was involved with this group. We all believe it's a cult and that Tom Henderson is the leader. He's also Chloe's boyfriend. We were worried about her."
Beca visibly flinched on the word boyfriend.
"We want to know if Chloe's in there," Beca said, pointing to the large tent. "We want to know if she's de-." She stopped and swallowed the lump in her throat. "We want to know if she's one of them."
"What does she look like?" The detective asked.
Aubrey sniffled and looked at the detective. "She'll be easy to spot because she has red hair."
"Let me check with the officers," the detective said. "You ladies wait here and I'll come back to you, okay?"
The girls all nodded and watched as the detective went back to the tent. He spoke with an officer and the officer went inside. He came out about fifteen minutes later and spoke to the detective.
The girls got antsy when they saw the officer and the detective look at them and then look away.
"Oh, God!" Beca sobbed, putting her hands to her face.
"Stop it, Beca!" Stacie yelled, causing Beca to look up at her. "Don't fall apart on us now. She could still be alive. Let's wait to hear what the detective has to say."
The detective came back and stopped in front of the girls.
"The officer checked all the bodies and there were no redheads."
Flo made the sign of the cross. Emily let out a sob and fell to her knees.
"Thank you, God," Emily whispered.
~~ Pitch Perfect Horror Week - Day 1 ~~
It was a forlorn group of Bellas that sat around the Bellas House later that afternoon. Beca had entered the house and sat in the chair by the window. She hadn't moved or said anything since they got back.
Aubrey kept a worried eye on her as she sat next to Stacie.
"Do you think Beca's alright?" Aubrey whispered to Stacie. "She hasn't moved or said anything since we got back."
"I don't think any of us are alright," Stacie said sadly.
"Is anyone hungry?" Ashley asked. "I could whip us up a quick snack."
"That would be nice, Ash," Jessica said. "Come on, I'll help."
"I can help, too," Emily said and followed Jessica and Ashley to the kitchen.
"At least we can be thankful that Chloe's still alive out there somewhere," Flo said, looking at the rest of the girls. "And maybe we'll see her again someday."
"Be thankful?" Beca snarled at Flo. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Beca," Aubrey said. "Don't. We know you're hurting. But, we're also hurting and we're going to take comfort wherever we can."
"I get that, Aubrey," Beca said. "But, do any of you realize that if Chloe is still alive, that it also means she's with Tom? And, if she's with Tom, that does not bode well for her to remain among the living for long. He already had a hand in causing thirty deaths, what's one more? So, no, I'm not thankful she's still alive and out there somewhere with Tom."
Beca stood and grabbed her crutches. "I need some air," she said and made her way outside.
After a few minutes, Stacie stood and looked down at Aubrey.
"I'm going to check on Beca," she said. "Make sure she's okay."
Aubrey just nodded and Stacie went to the door. Stacie stopped in the doorway and saw Beca standing at the porch railing, looking up at the night sky.
"Are you okay?" Stacie asked as she moved to stand next to Beca.
Beca continued looking up to the sky. "It's all my fault."
"What is?"
"Chloe being with Tom."
"How is that your fault? As much as I disagree with them, Chloe made her own choices."
Beca turned to look at Stacie. Stacie was struck by the sadness and defeat she saw in Beca's eyes.
"Maybe if I told Chloe how I feel about her," Beca said as the first tear fell. "She wouldn't have gone back to Tom and she'd still be with me. With us."
Stacie pulled Beca into a hug and held her while she cried. After a few minutes, Beca pulled away.
"I'm going to bed," Beca said and went back inside and up to her room.
Once in her room, Beca sat by the window, staring out into the night. She stopped trying to fight the tears that seemed to never want to end.
"I know you're out there somewhere," Beca said into the darkness. "And, I will spend every waking moment trying to find you and bring you back. I love you, Chloe."