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Nazareth

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Kurt had lost track of how long they'd been walking hours ago. At least, he thought it was hours. With his hands tied at the wrist behind his back and a cloth bag pulled down over his head, he hadn't the slightest clue where he was or how far they'd gone or how long it had been. The strong pair of hands gripping him by the upper arms was the only thing keeping him on course, and the sole indication that he hadn't been led somewhere far away from the girls was the occasional sound of Santana waspishly swearing at their captors as she was dragged along behind Kurt. While he could see light through the mesh of the fabric over his eyes, he couldn't make out any details.

The zip tie cut into the skin on his wrists, and Kurt did his best to tune it out. He didn't have any idea what these people wanted from them, why they hadn't just taken their supplies and weapons and moved on, but it couldn't be good. His heart thudded away in his chest, knocking against his ribs and urging him to make a run for it. He couldn't, though. If he tried, they would probably shoot him. Even if they didn't, he couldn't leave Santana and Dani behind. So he remained quiet, resigning to wait for a better opportunity.

He wished they hadn't found the knife tucked into his sock. He'd had the knife less than a week but already he felt naked without it.

Being so alert but unable to see made Kurt's hearing go into hyperdrive. Mostly what he heard was the heavy, rattly breathing of the man gripping Kurt's biceps, the calling of birds in the trees as they followed the road, and the bag over his head scratching against his cheeks. So when he began to hear different sounds in the distance — voices, mainly — the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Open up!" said the man holding him, making Kurt jump.

The next sound was the undulating grating of metal — a chain link gate being dragged across pavement.

"Fresh meat?" asked a man somewhere to his left.

"We'll see," replied Kurt's captor, giving Kurt a strong push.

Without warning, the bag was ripped from Kurt's head, and he squinted in the suddenly blinding sunlight. He barely had time for his eyes to adjust before the zip tie around his wrists was cut and his arms freed; he rubbed the skin where it had been chafed raw. Glancing behind him, he saw that Santana and Dani were similarly released. They were far from free, however, as the chain link gate swung shut behind them and was quickly locked by an armed guard.

Kurt took in his surroundings with a mix of fear and awe coiled in the pit of his stomach. They were in what appeared to be a town square, with one side cordoned off by a recently-erected fence topped with barbed wire. The fence extended past what Kurt could see, but had cut this part of town off from the outer neighborhoods. Cars that had died in the blackout had been pushed against the fence as a supplementary barricade. Water stations — barrels and troughs — had been set up in various spots around the square, and the green spaces had been tilled into gardens, although it had clearly been recently enough that not much was growing yet. The pavement and sidewalks had been cleared of the brush and trash that had become so commonplace in the past month.

There was a shocking number of people — shocking only because they had seen so few people at a time since the blackout. In his immediate field of vision, Kurt could see at least three dozen men, women, and children (but mostly men). All of them were in the middle of carrying out various tasks: tending to the gardens, hand-washing loads of laundry in barrels, cooking at open-fire grills, or patrolling the fences with guns. These people weren't starving or sick, and though most of them were watching Kurt, Santana, and Dani suspiciously, they didn't appear afraid. Ultimately, it seemed organized.

Kurt was given a shove by the man who'd dragged him through the gate — the oldest of the group that had ambushed them. He was in his late forties, his face covered in scruff and his eyes devoid of sympathy. "Go on, move," he snapped.

Kurt exchanged a glance with Santana, hoping she wouldn't try to fight back until they knew exactly what they were dealing with, then began to walk in the direction his captor had pushed him. Dani and Santana were urged along as well, guarded by the narrow-faced man in the baseball cap who'd first approached them and a short-haired Asian woman in her thirties. The third man, a Latino in his late twenties, walked alongside them, keeping his rifle at the ready.

They were led past the square by a block, to a two-story brick building with a sign on its front reading NAZARETH POLICE DEPARTMENT. At this, Kurt was more than anything surprised. There had been no semblance of police presence since they'd left New York. He was pushed through the front door into a reception area which was entirely lacking in staff and lit only by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Empty desks sat unused, computers and keyboards collecting dust, the linoleum floor tracked with worn muddy shoeprints.

"Move," said the oldest man again, jabbing Kurt's shoulder with his fist.

Kurt clenched his teeth, wanting nothing more than to punch the man in the groin, and did as he was told.

They were herded toward the back of the building to an office door with a frosted glass window that read CHIEF OF POLICE. Kurt's captor rapped quickly on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer, pushing Kurt ahead of him into the office. The office, like the reception area, was lit only by the sunlight coming through the windows. A large desk occupied a good portion of the room, and behind it sat a bearded man scribbling notes onto a legal pad. His computer sat pushed off to the side where it wouldn't be in the way, and he was not wearing any kind of uniform. Instead, he was dressed in flannel and jeans, like an average farm worker.

"What do you got for me, Ennis?" he asked without looking up, continuing to write.

"Picked up these three on the road outside of Easton," said the man holding Kurt's arm.

The bearded man put down his pen, tore off a couple pages of notes, and handed them to the Latino. "Javi, take these over to Bruce, tell him that we need to double our garden spaces if we want to produce anywhere near what we need by the end of the summer," he ordered. "Tell him to just find whatever he can."

Javi nodded and swiftly left the room, shutting the office door behind him.

"Ennis, stop manhandling the kid, would you?"

Ennis immediately lifted his hand away from Kurt's arm and stood back. The bearded man stood and came around the end of the desk to stand closer to Kurt, Dani, and Santana. He was much taller than Kurt, with his beard trimmed and his hair and clothes reasonably clean (if a bit wrinkled). His eyes and hair were dark, and his face had the slightest hint of a tan, with a deep-set frown line between his eyebrows. He didn't look like he smiled much.

"My name is Nick," he said. "You want some water?"

Kurt swallowed, his mouth dry. "I'm fine."

"Where did you walk from? Anywhere nearby?"

Kurt could feel Dani and Santana on either side of him, heat coming off their skin in waves. They were just as afraid as he was. He could almost hear their hearts pounding. The Asian woman and the man in the baseball hat had both stepped back, giving them space but blocking the path to the door.

"New York," Kurt answered. He kept his gaze as level as he could, refusing to let on how much he wanted to run.

Nick only probed further. "Anyone else with you?"

Kurt shook his head. "No."

"Mack?"

The man in the baseball cap, who had been carrying their packs from the gate, presented them to Nick without a word. Nick took the packs and set them on the desk, unzipping them and examining the contents.

"This all you've been eating? Fruit preserves?" he asked, holding up a jar of Edna McCready's blueberry jam. He didn't seem like he expected an answer, so Kurt remained quiet, watching as their clothes, blankets, and knives were all methodically removed and neatly placed on the desk like they were being inventoried.

"Okay, well," Nick said once he was finished, leaning back against his desk and crossing his arms. "Welcome to Nazareth."

"What are we doing here?" Santana demanded, her voice shaking.

Nick thankfully didn't seem annoyed that Santana had spoken out of turn. He quietly studied the three of them, as though he were estimating how much trouble they were likely to cause. "We're offering you a rare opportunity," he said after a moment. "You can stay here if you like. Nazareth has a lot to offer."

Kurt's eyebrows snapped together at that, alarm bells ringing in the back of his head. Nick's choice of words sounded as though he were just pitching an idea, but his tone suggested that there wasn't another option. Kurt felt as though he was backed into a very, very tight corner.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked, more than a little unnerved.

"You saw on your way in that we've got crops started, we have a steady supply of clean water, not to mention walls and guards for protection. The crops are small now, but we're expanding. And I know the walls are just fences at the moment, but we'll be building those up too. We have systems in place — systems that will guarantee survival."

Santana stared at him, incredulous. "Okay, but we can't stay here," she said, as though she couldn't believe she had to explain this. "We don't know you. We have to go home. So let us go."

Nick returned her stare evenly, evaluating her. "Here in Nazareth, we have a very simple philosophy," he said. "You can be part of this community — you work, you contribute, and you receive all the protection and supplies you need. Or, you can be competition. If you're competition, then you're taking potential resources away from our community, and you become a threat. And if you're a threat, then…" Nick tilted his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth.

Kurt's blood ran cold, and he suddenly wondered if he'd ever see his dad again.

"So what, it's join or die?" Santana exclaimed. "That's barbaric! You're insane!"

If Nick was insulted, he didn't let on. "The world is barbaric," he said, like it was some kind of justification. "It's survival of the fittest now. I'd rather be a little barbaric than dead."

"But you don't know that the power's not coming back," insisted Dani desperately.

"I do know that, actually," replied Nick. "At least, not for a very long time. What happened, whatever it was, it's the kind of thing that takes years — maybe even decades — to come back from. We have bigger things to worry about now than charging our iPhones."

"You seriously think we'd want to join your little apocalypse posse?" Santana seethed.

Nick's mouth twitched. "You clearly haven't thought about this much."

Santana glared at him, angry and scared but unsure of how to respond.

"Has it even occurred to any of you what you'll do in the long term?"

All three of them stared at Nick blankly, at a loss.

"You all are just trying to get home, right? What about once you get there? What then?" Nick asked, straightening back up to his full impressive height. He towered over Kurt as he spoke. "Let's say you make it home and by some miracle all your families are still alive and well and surviving just like you are. What do you do at that point? Do you have a way to make it long-term? Because the long-term is important. It's more important than the short-term."

"That's debatable," muttered Santana through her teeth.

Nick leaned down slightly, speaking directly to Santana now. "What are you going to do this winter? After everything you can steal has been used up?"

Santana clenched her jaw, her fists curled at her sides.

"Millions of people died in the blackout, but millions more are dying now," Nick continued. "People are starving. They're getting sick. They're going to freeze to death when winter hits. They'll get hurt and not have a doctor to help them, or they're going to be killed by someone else. The only way to weather all of that is to have a group of people to defend and support each other. A division of labor. There are people with necessary skills here, and the ones that have none are learning from the ones that do. That's the way society works — has always worked." Nick paused for a breath, carding his fingers through his beard for a moment. "People unite in order to withstand hardship. Work together, or you die alone."

Kurt had a feeling that Nick liked to hear himself talk.

"Look," Nick started again. "We're not unreasonable. We know you're not idiots, and that you wouldn't accept a deal without knowing what you were getting. That's why we took your hoods off at the gates — so you can see what we're building here. And you can have some time to think about it if you need to."

Kurt finally interjected again, wanting to keep Santana from saying something rash. "Yeah, if we could have some time to think about it, that'd be good," he said. He thought bitterly that he sounded like he was asking a waiter for another minute to look over a menu.

Nick nodded agreeably. "One piece of advice, though," he replied sagely. "In this... let's call it the new world order, you either have to be strong, or be smart. Better yet, be both."

"That's very philosophical of you," Santana sneered.

Nick looked at her pointedly, glancing down over her skinny frame. "Be smart."

Santana closed her mouth.

Nick turned his attention to his cronies. "We're finished here. You can take them."

Before Kurt could react, Ennis seized his arm again, dragging him back towards the door. Dani and Santana were pushed along with him by Mack and the Asian woman.

"Wait, where are—?" Dani tried to ask, but the door swung shut before she could finish her question.

"Ow!" Santana snarled as the Asian woman stepped on her foot.

"If you just walk, we won't have a problem," snapped the woman.

"Ease up, Julie," Mack said with a roll of his eyes, gripping Dani's arm. "You don't have to be such a dick."

Julie only sent him an icy glare as a retort.

For a second, Kurt saw the front door of the building, with its sunlight spilling through the windows, and thought that they were about to be led back out into the fresh air where they might have a slight chance of escape. Instead, they were guided down a long, dim corridor that extended past Nick's office to a room that was only slightly better lit.

Kurt's heart dropped into his stomach. The only things in this room were jail cells.

"Oh, hell no!" Santana argued loudly, already struggling to get away from Julie's vicelike grip. But, having lost an unhealthy amount muscle in the past month, she wasn't strong enough to break Julie's hold.

Dani didn't fight and she didn't beg, but she did look as though she might cry.

All Kurt could think about was not doing anything that would get them killed sooner.

Santana and Dani were shoved into one cell, Ennis locking the door after them, while Kurt was shut into the opposite one. He wasn't the cell's only occupant — there was another man sitting on the cot. Kurt's cellmate didn't immediately acknowledge him; instead, he lurched to his feet and lunged at Ennis. Kurt quickly jumped out of the way, his back slamming into the bars.

"Please! Please let me go! You have to let me go!"

Julie cocked her gun, ready to shoot, but Ennis didn't need any help. He scowled and easily knocked the man back into the cell, telling him to shut up. "If you'd just make your decision, this whole ordeal would be over already, you moron. You know your options."

Kurt's cellmate's eyes were wide and panicked — almost delirious, really. "Let me go! " he cried again, and promptly fainted. His body hit the concrete floor with a deflated thud.

Ennis rolled his eyes. "Mack, check that he's not dead, would you?"

Mack entered the cell, kneeling down while Ennis kept his eye on Kurt to make sure he wasn't about to be attacked again. Santana and Dani watched the whole ordeal through the bars of the opposite cell. Mack felt the side of the unconscious man's neck in silence for a moment.

"He's alive," he said.

Ennis nodded, neither relieved nor disappointed. "Alright, leave him there."

Mack hesitated. "I'm going to get him some water at least."

Ennis' upper lip curled. "What did I just say?"

"Seriously?" Mack said, annoyed.

Ennis only raised his eyebrows, challenging Mack to argue further.

"Fine," Mack huffed. "But I'm not going to leave him on the floor." He hooked his arms under the unconscious man's shoulders. "You," Mack said to Kurt, "help me get him onto the cot."

Kurt didn't protest, helping Mack heft the prisoner onto the small platform bolted to the wall. The unconscious man's head lolled to the side — there was no pillow and it looked uncomfortable at best, but at least it wasn't the floor.

Mack stood, exchanging a quick (possibly sympathetic) glance with Kurt before brushing past Ennis and stepping out of the cell. Ennis swung the door shut and locked it, pocketing the keys.

"How long are we supposed to stay in here?" asked Dani.

"I wouldn't take too long to decide," was all Ennis said before walking back into the corridor. Mack and Julie followed without so much as a word.

It was quiet, apart from the breathing of Kurt's sleeping cellmate.

Santana kicked the bars in frustration. "Well, they didn't wait very long before going all Lord of the Flies."

Dani sank onto the cot in their cell. "How the hell are we going to get out of here?"

Kurt sat on the floor, his back against the only solid wall. There was a toilet and a sink in each of their cells, but without plumbing they'd instead been given buckets to relieve themselves in. Kurt knew that's what the buckets were for; he could smell them. There was a camera in the corner of the cell's ceiling, and even though Kurt knew it wasn't working at the moment, he still felt as though he was still being watched closely.

"I say the next time they come back, we grab one of their guns and start shooting," Santana growled, already pacing back and forth like a tiger at the zoo.

Kurt knew that wouldn't work, but he didn't offer an alternative. He didn't have one. A blitz attack would never end in their favor, but rather than debate it he resolved to let Santana pace until she was calm enough to think clearly.

They needed a plan.

Before they knew it, night fell. The cells, which were already poorly lit, plunged into near total darkness. The only windows in the room were small and close to the ceiling, allowing only the slightest shadow of moonlight inside. It was quiet and cold, and while Santana and Dani squeezed together on their single shared cot, Kurt lay on the concrete floor, his arm folded under his head. His anonymous cellmate was still passed out on the cot, now snoring slightly. Kurt didn't know for sure if they were alone in the building or if there might have been an armed guard standing outside, but he couldn't hear any signs of movement. He had a feeling that their captors trusted the cell bars and manual, non-electric locks to keep them contained.

"Kurt?" came a whisper from the other cell. "Are you still awake?"

Kurt rolled onto his back, his hips and shoulders aching. "Yeah."

"Do you think they're going to kill us?" asked Dani.

"I don't know," Kurt said with a sigh. He didn't know why Dani would think he had a clear answer to that question. These people didn't seem like they wanted to hurt them exactly, but Kurt didn't think they'd have any qualms about it either.

"They're crazy, right?" Dani pressed, her voice wavering in the dark as she sought reassurance. "I mean… they can't really expect us to stay here. Can they?"

Kurt felt a lump work its way into his throat from his stomach, a ripple of fear prickling at the corners of his skull. Pressure built in his chest, and he had to strain to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "I don't know," he reiterated. He had no solutions. No ideas, no clue how to make it out of here unscathed.

Thankfully, Dani didn't ask any more questions. A little while later, Kurt thought he heard her crying.

Lulled by the quiet, Kurt had nearly fallen asleep when there was a sound from the cot. Kurt's cellmate groaned under his breath as he sat up, his neck cracking. Kurt propped himself up on his elbows to see a bit better, and could barely make out the man's shadow as he sat on the edge of the cot with his head in his hands.

"Are you okay?" Kurt whispered.

The man's head jerked up. "Who's there?" he hissed.

"My name is Kurt."

"When did they put you in here?"

"Earlier today."

"...I don't remember."

Kurt pushed himself up to sit cross-legged, his back aching. "You were pretty out of it."

"Tomorrow's my last day."

Kurt frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man didn't answer, and Kurt could hear him picking at his fingernails.

"What's your name?" asked Kurt instead.

For a long, silent moment, Kurt thought his cellmate was refusing to answer or perhaps had fallen asleep sitting up. But finally the man said, "My name is Caleb."

"Caleb, when's the last time you ate something?"

"I don't remember."

"Are they going to feed us while we're in here?"

"No. Yes. Sort of." Caleb shook his head like he was clearing cobwebs from his ears.

Kurt had no idea what that meant, and he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. He didn't think Caleb could provide clarification even if he did ask.

"How long have you been in here?"

Caleb let out a slow breath. "Five days," he said. "I think. Maybe longer. They already killed my brother."

The hairs on the back of Kurt's neck immediately stood on end. It was seeming less and less likely by the minute that they'd ever get out of here. There was no chance they would just be let go. Kurt felt like his lungs were full of concrete, the blood draining from his head and pounding into his fingertips. For the first time since leaving New York, home felt unreachable.

The next day, Kurt was startled awake by an earsplitting BANG BANG BANG! He bolted upright from the floor, his stiff neck and back screaming in protest. Ennis was standing outside the cell walls holding a baseball bat. He rapped the bars with the bat again, gruffly barking "Rise and shine, kids!"

Kurt's stomach twisted in his gut. The baseball bat was flecked with dried blood.

"You," Ennis said, pointing to Kurt with the speckled end of the bat. "Back against the wall."

Kurt did as instructed, pressing his spine to the wall as Ennis unlocked the door. Santana and Dani watched closely from the opposite cell — Dani sitting on the cot with her knees pulled to her chest and Santana standing, her hands white-knuckled around the bars. Caleb was already sitting up on his cot, his shoulders slouched. He looked exhausted.

"Feel like joining the rest of the class?" Ennis asked, looming over Caleb. "Last chance." He tapped the tip of the bat on the floor at Caleb's feet.

"Fuck you," Caleb said tiredly.

Ennis nodded. "I'll take that as a no, then." He seized Caleb's arm and dragged him to his feet.

For a brief moment, the thought occurred to Kurt that he should help Caleb, attack and somehow fight Ennis off, but fear was draped over his shoulders and he remained back against the wall with his feet rooted in place.

"What are you doing?!" demanded Santana as Ennis locked Kurt's cell again.

"You've got some thinking to do, sweetheart, so I'd shut up and get to it if I were you," Ennis said levelly without even bothering to look over his shoulder at her. He was already pulling Caleb towards the door.

Caleb cast one last look at Kurt, then disappeared down the corridor.

Half an hour later, Ennis returned. Caleb wasn't with him, and this time the bat was decorated with a fresh layer of blood. Kurt wanted to vomit, his palms sweating as he sat on the cot.

"You've got two days," said Ennis, resting the bat idly on his shoulder.

"Before you kill us?" spat Santana.

"No. Just one of you."

Two days passed in an alternating cycle of boredom and terror. Kurt felt time passing too slowly and too quickly all at once. By the second morning all three of them were pacing in circles, but having been given nothing to eat, they couldn't move around for very long before they'd exhausted themselves and had to sit. They slept at odd times, only a few hours here and a few hours there. There wasn't anything to talk about, and they found the days entirely lacking in conversation.

While Kurt desperately tried to think of an escape plan, his mind kept circling back to Ennis' threat and attempting to determine who was most likely to be chosen. This was partly for fear that he himself would be selected, and partly so he could try to prepare. Although what exactly he would do when the time came was a mystery. He hated to even think it, but he predicted that Santana would be the first. She was volatile and rude (not that she didn't have reason to be) and Kurt knew there was absolutely no chance she'd ever agree to Nick's so-called offer.

The morning of the second day was torture for all three of them. Being too exhausted to move and too wired to sit still made them all feel like they were stuck in limbo. Personally, Dani was convinced that if Hell truly existed, it consisted solely of boredom. The morning dragged on, any sound from outside (people talking, laughing, or the occasional nail being hammered in the distance) making them jump. Ennis hadn't specified when he was going to come back, and so they were left to speculate and sweat.

Dani fidgeted, as though she was only seconds away from gnawing on the cell bars with her teeth. Ever since Ennis had promised to kill one of them, a sole terrible thought had been whirling around in her head, but she'd been too afraid to say it aloud. Until now. She was out of time.

"Hey, guys?" she started. Her voice squeaked in her throat. Her hands shook.

Santana stopped pacing, raising her eyebrows at Dani expectantly. Kurt looked up from chewing the skin from his cuticles.

Dani took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "When he comes back, I want you to let him take me."

Kurt stared at her from where he sat on his cot.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" spat Santana.

Dani blinked back tears. "Think about it."

"Shut up ." Santana turned away in an attempt to dismiss her, but Dani pressed forward.

"Santana, you have your brothers and your mom to go home to," Dani insisted. "Kurt, you have your dad and stepmom. I don't have a family anymore — not one that wants me back, anyways."

Santana shook her head, crossing her arms and refusing to look Dani in the eye.

"It's okay. I was just along for the ride," Dani said softly.

At that, Kurt looked guiltily at his feet, pulling at his hair. "Dani, you know I didn't mean that when I said it."

"Santana, think of your grandmother," Dani pleaded.

"My abuelita is already dead!" Santana cried, her fists dropping to her sides. She met Dani's gaze with fury and hurt, tears leaving tracks down her face. "She had a pacemaker! She died the second the blackout hit!"

Dani blinked. Santana hadn't said anything about her grandmother since before the blackout, not even that she missed her. "Santana, I… I didn't know."

"You can't ask me to just let you sacrifice yourself," Santana said, her fingernails cutting into her palms. "I can't lose you too."

"And what happens to the rest of your family if you die here?" Dani asked solemnly. "Of the three of us, me dying is the smallest loss. Other than the two of you, nobody cares."

Dani hated all of this, but it didn't make it any less true. It was just math. She looked past Santana to meet Kurt's gaze; he seemed in pain but she could tell he knew she was right.

"It's going to be okay," was the only thing Dani could think of to say.

"No, it's not," Santana seethed. "Don't lie to me."

Outside, the sunlight shifted from late morning to mid-afternoon, and the beam of light coming in through the tiny window swung across the floor. Adrenaline continuously pumped through Dani's veins with nowhere to go as she tried to prepare for what was coming, making her entire frame vibrate. There was no preparing for this, though. Not really.

By the time Ennis came in with the baseball bat, Dani was actually relieved.

"Alright," said Ennis cheerfully, swinging the bat idly at his side. He looked at Santana and Dani. "How you ladies doing today?"

"You're still insane," snarled Santana, edging close to the bars like she was daring him to unlock the door. To further make her point, she spat at his feet.

"Well, that's definitely a shame for one of you." Ennis shrugged, but he didn't look all that disappointed.

Dani swallowed and stepped forward before she could change her mind. "Me," she said with as much strength as she could muster. "You can take me."

Ennis stared at her for a moment, his cold eyes calculating, and then he broke into a chuckle. "Oh, that's funny. You think you get to choose?"

Dani froze at that, her blood roaring in her ears. Even Santana went pale.

Ennis shook his head. "No, you stay where you are, sweetheart," he said to Dani. "I'm taking this one."

A breath whooshed from Santana's body, and Dani's hands covered her mouth.

With the blood-flecked tip of the bat, Ennis was pointing at Kurt.