A/N-Sorry about the late update everyone. I was watching the Walking Dead marathon all weekend. On the bright side, watching it all again got me working on the bones of the plot, and that's what I got done all weekend. Updates should be fairly frequent now.
"You've got to be kidding me." Rachel said.
The fourteen other glee club students sat in a rough semi-circle around Kurt, Dave, and Blaine. All wore a look of seriousness on their faces as they stared at Kurt's former tormentor.
"He'll just be here for a couple of weeks. Figgins is making him shadow me to make sure he's changed-which he has." Kurt said. "In the meantime, you all need to get on your happy faces and learn to like him because he's seriously a nice guy now."
Quinn pursed her lips before saying "Look, Kurt, we're not saying that we don't believe you-if he was going to hurt you he would've done it by now. We're just not as… Forgiving as you are."
Blaine furrowed his brow at the blonde. "Why would it be so hard for you to forgive him? Kurt and I should be the ones that should be the least forgiving, but he and I are the only ones that are doing that."
Finn raised his hand dopily, before realizing that he didn't have to. Looking sheepish, Finn said "No offense, dude, but if it weren't for him, you and Kurt would have never even met. If anything, you should be thanking him for bullying the hell out of him. Cause otherwise he would've never wound up at the pearly gates of Dalton."
Santana, in them middle of glossing her lips, added "Plus we've gone through nearly the same stuff you did. We got slushies thrown on us, we got pushed into lockers, we got taunted…. We're just more careful than you Kurt."
"Enough." Will said from the whiteboard. "He's here for now, and I have my faith in Kurt that David has changed. Now we need to quit the whining and get to work.
With a very red face, David walked over to the corner and pulled up a chair. Unabashed, Kurt and Blaine took seats as far away from the team and as close to Dave as possible while the Troubletones practiced "What Doesn't Kill You."
"Sorry about that Dave." Blaine said.
"No, it's fine, I can't waltz in here expecting red carpet treatment after all the stuff I did to you guys." Dave said.
Kurt pulled a mirror out of his satchel and began to fix his hair. "What he means to say is that he's angry that everyone couldn't get over their pissy selves and seek a little forgiveness.
Dave shifted uncomfortably in his seat before saying "No Kurt, it's fine. It'll take them a while, but they'll get there. Look at Mr. Schue."
~~~End of Rehersal~~~
The New Directions had finished rehearsing, and with a little spare time they turned on the radio to do a quick jam session. It was passing 5:30, and most of the staff had left, save for Emma (who was waiting for Will), Roz (trying to find a new medal case online before heading home), and Sue (probably drinking another placenta milkshake). The team also had to wait for Carole to arrive and get fitted for the outfits at Regionals.
The entire team, even Dave, circled around while Santana sang "Wonderland" by Natalia Kills, then Artie got "Payphone" buy Maroon 5. Everything seemed to be coming together, and most people seemed to have forgotten Dave was there.
Carole arrived with Burt in tow, and the fitting began. The girls got their dresses fitted, and were gossiping about their love lives while Carole began fitting Sam for his clothes. Her tape measure was halfway around the blond before the music stopped and something else crackled into life on the old radio.
Mercedes protested loudly. "Aww man, what gives?"
A few shushed her as the news cast finally crackled to life. "We appreciate your cooperation as we come to bring you an urgent message. An unknown pathogen has spread its way into the population. The virus is at first virtually nonexistent, but over time its effects become truly known. A high number of patients have been admitted into hospitals nationwide with feelings akin to the common flu. As time wore on, most began to notice minor changes, such as deadened and yellow nails, or sunken in eyes. It is unknown how this virus came to be, but extreme caution is advised to anyone who ventures outside, and it is highly recommended for anyone to stay inside while the full cause and effects are revealed." There was a crackle, then the line went dead. "Someone Like You," halfway through its second verse, came back to life.
For the better part of a dozen seconds, the room was silent, then all at once, everyone's voices were found as many began talking about the news announcement. It was not until Sue's figure emerged in the doorway that the room quieted down.
"I'm assuming you heard the news, Grease Locks?" Sue asked Will.
"Umm, yeah we did." Will said. "They advised not to go outside; what should we do about the kids?"
"Well that's pretty obvious-keep 'em inside!" Sue said. She stalked into the room. "I may not like you kids, but I can not have this disease floating around the halls while I am with child. I need each and every one of you under watch for any signs of the disease, and if there are, then they are to be sent to the infirmary at once. There is food in the lunchroom, and extra sheets in the infirmary closet." Stunned looks crossed over the face of all in attendance. Sue chuckled. "You think I care about you? Well I don't. I do care about my bun in the oven, and I will do anything it takes to protect it."
A squeal was heard in the hallway, and a fiery ginger squirreled her way into the room. "Oh Will! Did you hear about the disease? It's just awful! You see, this is why I worry about germs and viruses sickness and disease and cleanliness." All the while she was compulsively fixing Will's collar and tying his shoe while he was trying to fend her off. It brought some much-needed humor and light-heartedness into the room.
Will left the radio on, and the group went to the lunchroom. It was eerily quiet, and everyone found themselves moving towards the kitchen faster than normal. When they got there, they found a whole box of Uncrustables PB&J, salad fixings, and assorted other food items for lunch the next week.
Kurt, Blaine, and Dave sat near the end of one table, and as the group began talking, it felt like a real lunchroom all of a sudden.
"So any guesses on the mystery disease that's got us locked up in here?" Dave asked.
"Maybe it's some harmless disease that the Warblers devised so we'd miss Regionals and they'd win." Kurt said. Blaine snorted as he bit into his sandwich.
"But how long do you think they'll expect us to stay locked up in here?" Blaine quipped. "It's not like we, or even the people stuck in their houses, will have enough food to last that long."
~~~Thirty Minutes Later, in Sue's Office~~~
The six adults in the school were crowded around Sue's desk discussing their plans while the kids were in the Glee Club room.
"Has anyone checked the phone lines?" Burt asked.
"No need to." Sue replied. "They're only connected to other phones in the school. Did anyone bring their cells?" Burt and Carole said that they had left theirs in the car, thinking that they wouldn't be here that long. Emma didn't have one, for fear of some sort of brain dysfunction. Will had left his at home to charge. Sue had put hers in the wrong track suit this morning and Roz had accidentally jumped in the pool with it in her swimsuit earlier that day. The electrocuted remains sat on the desk.
Burt chewed his lip in frustration. "What about the kids? They've got to have one."
Carole shook her head. "They started a strict no-phone policy yesterday. All of them signed this big legal contract thing. I told you about that honey."
"Must have slipped my mind I guess." Burt grumbled.
Will was biting his thumb and looking one of Sue's posters in concentration. "It looks like Carole and Burt's are the only hopes we have."
Emma gasped. "But Will, you can't go out there, you'll get that nasty infection!"
"What other choice do we have?" Will said.
Roz scowled and crossed her arms. "Put a towel over your mouth or somethin'. Or maybe that beehive you call your hair could be used as a gas mask; there's probably enough gel fumes to kill a herd of cows anyway."
The group agreed that could work, with the exception of Emma, who's normally doe-eyed expression became even more doe-y with widened eyes of terror. "Nononononono! Will, you can't do this!" she squeaked five octaves higher than usual.
"Emma," Will said, taking his fiancée's hand. "I have to do this for the Glee Club-and for us, and for the baby we'll be having someday."
"It's always about the Glee Club!" Emma yelled and stood up. "It's always 'for the Glee Club,' but sometimes I just wish it could be about me!" She stormed out of the room, her ginger hair flying everywhere.
Will put his head in his hands. "I'm going to do this."
Carole frowned and glanced at her watch. Always the mother, she said "It's getting close to eight, it'll be dark soon. Why don't we wait till morning?"
"Fine." Will said through his hands. "I've got to go check on Emma." He got up and left as well.
"And then there were four." Burt said somberly.
~~~In the Glee Club Room~~~
The group had raided the infirmary's closet and had found twelve sets of sheets and pillows. With the two sets on the beds, that gave them fourteen sets of sheets, three less than the amount of students there. Couples, it was agreed, would sleep with the same sheets.
Scraps of dinner had been brought into the room. Sugar was devouring an ice cream cone, Mike and Tina were sharing there mashed potatoes, and Joe was eating a half of a fried chicken.
The group had gotten into a circle and had exhausted nearly every game imaginable. The adults were still nowhere to be found, so they decided to work on sleeping arrangements. Rachel had, rather forcefully, dictated that her role as co-captain also gave her the ability to lead the debate.
"Alright, we have the sheets worked out. Blaine and Kurt, Finn and I, Mike and Tina, Santana and Brittany, Mercedes and Sam-all will be sharing sheets." She said
"Excuse me, but nowhere have I said I was dating Sam, and I definitely never said I would be sharing a bed with him!" Mercedes yelled out in protest.
Rachel furrowed her brow. "Oh, I'm sorry Mercedes. I just figured you were. I mean, you're always flirting with each other in the hallways, you've probably kissed a couple of times, and Sam's had to have sung you about five love songs by now." Rachel cocked her head. "Are you sure you're not dating?"
From next to Mercedes, Sam said "Yeah Mercedes-are we dating?" A grin was spreading on Sam's face.
The whole room's gaze was now on Mercedes. She was silent for a long time until she said "One night, Sam Evans." She sat down in her chair and Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulder, eliciting a chorus of catcalls and whistles from the group. She shrugged Sam's arm off of her and said "Oh, shut the hell up! All of you." Nonetheless, she grinned in spite of herself.
With a large smile and an Expo marker in her hand, Rachel turned back to the board, on which a rough sketch of the school's layout was drawn. "Where will we all be sleeping? Obviously, we can't all sleep in here." Indeed, the seventeen of them were crammed in trying to all lie down. "Each couple will get their own classroom." She paused to scribble initials into the five classrooms closest to the Glee Room. "That leaves seven singles. Now, there are more than enough classrooms for each of you all to get one."
"If it's ok with everyone else," Artie said. "I'd prefer if we all slept in here. Sleeping alone in a school with the thought that in the next room over two of you will be sleeping together is a really depressing thought." The other singles nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, the seven singles will all be in the Glee Club room." Rachel scribbled in the seven names. "Now, if it's ok with everyone else, now would be a great time to go to bed." Rachel said, noting the looks of exhaustion on everyone's faces.
~~~Finn and Rachel's Room~~~
"You were great up there, honey." Finn said, trying out the nickname on his fiancée. He was standing at one of the sinks in the room washing his hands, as per Sue's request.
On the adjacent sink, Rachel glowed and smiled in the nonexistent mirror. (In her mind there was one. She had memorized her face backwards and forwards anyways, although being away from her products too long would eventually change that.) "I'd imagine so. I'm a natural-born leader. Why else would I be co-captain?"
Finn nodded, and walked over to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You know, if today was a normal day we'd be getting ready for Regionals right now… And our wedding." He said.
Rachel stopped washing her hands and thought about that. If whatever was happening outside hadn't happened, then they wouldn't all be holed up in school right now, and Rachel would be climbing into bed by herself for the last time in her life. Instead they were washing their hands in bathroom and biology classroom sinks and sleeping in their underclothes on school tables and desks. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Finn's. "Whatever happened and however long that is… We're still married tomorrow. I love you."
His face buried in her hair, Finn replied with a muffled voice. "I luff you too Rachel."
The two then pushed four tables together to make a bed. They stretched the fitted sheet across it and crawled in the makeshift bed then laid the comforter on top of it to make a cushion. Finn began to unbutton his long-sleeved shirt before Rachel stopped him.
"I-if it's ok with you…. I'd like to get dressed in private considering it's my last night before marriage." She said with a pleading smile.
Finn blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah sure…" He thought it an odd request, considering that they'd already seen each other naked plenty of times.
Nonetheless, he padded into the closet and shrugged off his shirt and stepped out of his jeans. He was now only in boxers and a white undershirt, but he figured it'd have to do.
He knocked on the closet door. "Rach? You done out there?" The muffled reply of a yes came through the door. Finn opened the door and stopped dead.
In the middle of the room was Rachel, now only in a bra, panties, and a sheer undershirt that reached slightly above mid-thigh. The dimmed lights and moonlight from outside played with her hair, creating a halo of light and a tan color of her skin that would take any guy's breath away. She was fiddling with the clasp of her necklace, with rather unsuccessful results.
As silently as a klutz like he could, Finn walked over to Rachel. "Here, let me help you with that." He said, finally unclipping the chain from the loop.
"Thanks." Rachel said, before she was wrapped up in a long passionate kiss.
Finn pulled away after awhile and said "You're the most beautiful I've ever seen you."
Rachel smiled in his arms. "You don't look too bad yourself."
Finn rolled his eyes. "You don't mean it, but thanks anyways."
"C'mon." Rachel said, and pulled away. "Let's get to sleep."
At once it became obvious (well, more obvious than it already was) that school tables were not made for sleeping on. Even on top of the comforter and fitted sheet, it was still extremely hard.
"Not the most ideal place for someone's last night as an unmarried person, is it?" Finna asked rather rhetorically.
Rachel snuggled even closer to Finn's warm body, her recently wrapped ponytail splaying across Finn's chest. "Just let me stay in your arms, and I'll be the most comfortable woman in the world."
It wasn't an untruth.
~~~Sam and Mercedes' Room~~~
"Well… Here we are." Mercedes said, she and Sam standing in the doorway of the small math room.
Sam sighed. "Yeah, I guess we are…" He was determined to make this night worth it, and a reluctant Mercedes wasn't a problem wasn't an obstacle by any means.
"Well, let's get the tables together first." They did that and stood awkwardly by the makeshift bed.
Sam started to shrug off his t-shirt, before Mercedes threw her hands out and yelled "Stop Sam! We're not there yet."
Sam narrowed his eyes at his quasi-girlfriend. "Come on Mercedes. You've seen me shirtless at swim meets before."
"You weren't in your underwear then." She countered.
"I was in a skintight pair of swim trunks!" Sam said. "There's nothing more revealing than that. Besides, we've already slept together."
"We fell asleep while we were watching TV in your room and we were fully clothed." Mercedes said. "Look, Sam, it's not too much to ask if you looked away."
Sam was about to protest but bit his tongue and looked away while Mercedes shed her clothes and crawled into bed. "Ready." She said.
Sam turned around and stripped down to his boxers then climbed into bed, tripping over a chair leg on the way, falling across Mercedes n the process. "Sorry!" He said quickly, and then finally got under the sheet with his whole face a dark red while Mercedes grumbled about clumsiness.
He stretched his leg out and scratched his big toenail across her leg. "Ow! That was my leg!" Mercedes said in protest.
"Sorry!" Sam said. Mercedes rolled over to try and get in his arms but wound up rolling on top of Sam instead. Instantly she said sorry in return.
The two found a comfortable position and were finally situated, when-
"The lights are still on." Sam said and Mercedes groaned.
"Go turn them out then." She said, her face buried in the pillow.
Still red-faced, Sam rolled off the tables and turned off the lights, then crawled back in bed. He hurt her only once, when he reached his arms out and slapped her in the face on accident.
With no more obstacles in the way, there was no way either of them were getting up, or even moving again for that matter.
"M?" Sam asked, using his old nickname for her.
A shiver went down Mercedes' back, but she ignored it and said "Yeah?"
"Does this… Does this mean we're dating?" Sam asked, his voice hardly more than a whisper when he said the word dating,
Mercedes thought hard about that. She was way past Shane, who she had broken up wih over a month ago, but there was just some reason she was hesitant to get back with Sam. Still, laying here in his arms, she felt at ease, as if the unknown virus outside was no more threatening than an ant on a large picnic table. Despite his awkwardness when he was with her, she knew he only had good things at heart and that he wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt her. Eventually she put all the pros and cons on a scale in her mind and eventually found that the pros outweighed the goods, and figured that her answer was yes. Not ignoring the voice that said it was a bad idea, she said "Why don't we try it out and see how it goes? Not dating exactly, but having a trial run."
Sam figured that was good enough and agreed. He put his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck. "Just remember Mercedes… I'll always love you."
She gasped and squeaked an incomprehensible amount of words before scrambling off the tables and snatching her clothes off the floor. " I knew this was a mistake. I should've never agreed to this." She dressed at lighting speed and she was halfway to the door before Sam said "Wait, Mercedes! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you, I was just telling you the truth-"
"Yeah?" Mercedes asked, turning on the balls of her bare feet. "Shane told me that, and was that the truth?" She bit back her tears, opting instead to glare at the blonde teenager sitting up in the sad excuse for a bed.
Sam looked down. "Oh… I'm sorry about that. I didn't think about that. I just… I haven't dated anyone since you. You're all I've thought of since we broke up. Every time I was taking my clothes off at that strip club-I was thinking about an audience full of you. And every lap dance I gave-I thought of you." He paused for a second and thought about what he had just said. "Sorry if that sounded weird or creepy. What I meant was that I was always thinking about you whenever we were away. And there's nothing in the world I'd give for you to give me a chance-just one more-tonight. That's all I ask. If I overstep any boundaries, just tell me and I'll back off."
Mercedes sighed. "You're all I've thought about too-even when I was with Shane. I only started dating him to rebound off of you. As the year went on, and the months passed, I thought less and less of you, and that scared me. When he told me he loved me before Valentine's Day, that's what did it. I couldn't say the same thing back because... Because of you Sam." She burst into tears and put her face in her hands.
She didn't hear Sam get out of bed and make his way over to her, but she felt him put her in his embrace. "Please calm down Mercedes. I can't stand to see you like this. I hate it even more 'cause I did it." He said.
Mercedes hiccupped in his arms. "No you didn't! Oh God Sam, you didn't do anything, I put myself into this mess. If I hadn't stuck with you, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. I'm so sorry for everything I did." Sam was nine inches taller than her, but Mercedes pulled him down, with a grunt of surprise from him, into a kiss.
This kiss was different from all of the others they had shared. This was full of the most intense of passions, but more importantly it was full of longing for each other. She eventually pulled away and looked in another direction, chewing her bottom lip. In her peripheral vision, she saw Sam with a smile that was especially pronounced due to his large mouth. "Wow. Taking it a little fast for a trial run, aren't we?"
She smirked and punched him playfully on the arm. "Please. We're still on a trial run. And don't you dare think differently." She said, pointing her finger at Sam. "Now get back in bed.
This time, neither were injured the other. They both just got in bed, with no hindrances along the way. Sam smiled in the dark. "We're getting somewhere."
Mercedes' smile was, unbelievably, larger than Sam's. "Yeah. I guess we are."
~~~Glee Club Choir Room~~~
"What'd you do that irritates everyone else so much?" Rory asked Dave, who was setting up his bed in the far corner of the room.
Stunned that someone besides Kurt or Blaine was talking to him, Dave realized that half of the room (Rory, Joe, and Sugar) was made up of students who had not attended West McKinley while he was the big bully on campus. "Oh, um… Well there were these slushies that we had here, and I threw them in people's (mostly the Glee Club's) faces a lot."
Quinn, who was setting down here pillow, muttered "There are also these things called death threats. You threw those around quite a bit, too."
Dave winced and said "Yeah I threw those around once or twice."
Artie's bed was made up for him already, and he was sitting in his wheelchair next to it. "And somehow we're all supposed to forgive him and let everything be chill as Vanilla Ice." He said.
"Kurt did." Dave said back. "And he's the one I did the most to."
Puck, next to Quinn, said "Yeah, but you're also the guy who showered Kurt with love and attention after that."
Dave ground his teeth in frustration, but said nothing, and instead turned to finish making his bed. He was a senior; there would only be three months more that they all had to see him. How did it affect them?
No one spoke after that, and the lights were turned off with an air of tension. Despite the hard floor, all of them fell asleep quickly, Dave included.
He dreamt of him being on a stage with a microphone in his hand. He was singing, and the entire audience was booing him and calling him names like fag, queer, and an abomination. He sang louder, but the crowd only became more vociferous in their taunting. All of the Glee Club was in the audience, even Kurt and Blaine. Things were being thrown at him, most prominent of which were slushies and slushy machines.
He awoke with a start, bolting straight up into a sitting position. It was still night outside and a quick glance of his watch told him the time was 3:30. He grumbled and got up, shoved on his jeans, and started shuffling to the bathroom. On his way he passed Kurt and Blaine's room. A lamp was on, and curiosity took the better of him, and Dave peered inside.
Blaine was asleep on the tables, curled into a ball. Kurt was awake on a counter, legs bent in front of him, propping up a book. He was in a tank top and his velvet pants he wore the previous day. His face was more loose when he read, his mind looking like it was drifting away, a balloon caught in the maelstrom of a literary thunderstorm. It looked ageless, and simply put, he was beautiful.
Against his better instincts, Dave found his shoulder nudging the door open. Kurt looked up to see the hulking football player standing awkwardly in the doorway. "May I help you?" Kurt asked.
"Couldn't sleep." Dave replied. "I was going to get some water, but I saw your light on."
Kurt stuck a strip of paper in his book and closed it. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep either. I checked out a book though."
Dave laughed. "What do you mean 'checked it out?'" he asked.
Kurt blushed. "Well, I got the book from the library, and I kind o… Checked it out. Like on the system."
Dave grinned and went over to sit with Kurt. "You know, some things about you will never change."
Kurt snorted. "Yeah, well if checking out books properly from the library is one of those things, I'm not complaining."
They sat in silence for a while before Kurt asked "How did the others handle being in a room with you?"
Dave winced, but chuckled a little. "How do you think it went? The old members are pissed at me and the newer ones seem to be caught in the middle."
Kurt swallowed loudly and looked up at the wall on the other side of the room. "I'm sorry I brought you into all of this."
Dave cocked his head at Kurt. What could he possibly be sorry about? "Sorry for what? If you hadn't worked so hard to get me here, I wouldn't be here with you; I might even be dead… You know, if I had killed myself."
Kurt closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them, he said "I'm glad you didn't commit suicide, David. And somewhere inside all of them, they would be too. If you had, it'd be partially they're fault after all. But it would mostly be mine."
"That's not true!" Dave said, his voice dripping with vehemence. "You're the rock that kept me here." He finished rather meekly.
With a start, Blaine woke up. His normally styled hair was beginning to come undone as the gel lost its touch. "Is everything ok Blaine?" He yelled rather loudly. The room came into focus and he saw Dave sitting there with his boyfriend. "Oh hi Dave."
Kurt laughed at his boyfriend's disheveled appearance. Dave noticed how his laugh changed when he was around Blaine. There was an extra note or a different pitch of the laugh that truly gave the impression that Kurt was happy. "It's alright, hun." He silently jumped off the counter he was sitting on and stalked over to him. "Everything's ok. Go back to sleep now."
An impish little grin spread over Blaine's face. "Not until you've kissed me good night."
Kurt rolled his eyes, but smiled as he leaned in and pecked Blaine on the lips. "Good night Blaine."
Clearly not satisfied (and now more thoroughly awake), Blaine pulled Kurt just millimeters from his face. "Not good enough for me." With force, Blaine pulled Kurt in for a longer make out session.
Feeling very awkward and out of place, Dave creeped out of the room and stood in the hallway, not remembering why he got up for a second. Water he thought, then started to go to the bathroom. He didn't make it ten paces before he heard the door he's just left open and close again. Kurt dashed to meet up with Dave. "Sorry about that. Blaine can get very out of it at times."
Dave grinned. "And clearly very horny." He said.
Kurt's face went scarlet and mumbled something along the line of "Yeah, I'll deal with that when I get back" before looking up and asking with a perky cheerfulness where they were going.
"We're going on a magical journey across the Atlantic to save the mystic treasure from the evil king." Dave said in badly-done British accent. Kurt giggled then Dave said "Nah, I'm just getting some water."
"I wouldn't mind some myself." Kurt said. "If you mind me tagging along then I'll still be here."
Dave laughed as they approached the bathroom doors which he shoved open. Instantly the smell of death hit them like a brick wall and the sound of someone retching became startlingly in focus.
A hand covered his nose as Dave said "What the hell happened in here?"
"Something died and was left to rot apparently." Kurt replied. The sound of someone vomiting came again and they saw that the second door down was filled by a sandal-wearing occupant.
"Joe." Kurt mumbled as he walked up to the door and politely pulled it open. Indeed, the dreadlocked teen was keeled over the toilet bowl, arms wrapped around his abdomen as he threw up what was apparently his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unsure of what to do, Kurt grabbed a couple of stray dreadlocks as the boy hacked up a large amount of phlegm. Finally the retching stopped and Joe flushed the toilet with heavy breathing. The smell of the vomit slowly receded with the flushed waste, but there was a lingering stench that permeated the air.
When he finally caught his breath, Kurt said "What happened here, Joe?"
He took a few final gulps of air before saying "I have no clue. One moment I was feeling fine in my sleep. The next I was nearly puking in the hall before I got here. I barely managed to get it all in the toilet."
"Well I appreciate the effort." Kurt said dryly, imagining the sanitary horror of vomit spewed down a hallway.
"Do you know where or what it came from?" Dave asked from outside the stall.
"You might want to check the trash for the answer on that one." Joe replied.
Afraid of what they would find, Kurt and Dave approached the trash can with caution. Laying on top of all of the paper towels were the remains of he chicken Joe ate for dinner. "Look closer." Joe called from the stalls.
They did. At first it looked like an ordinary fried chicken wing. But upon closer investigation, there was a light green color along the edges of the meat, hardly noticeable due to the small color difference. When you saw the green, it was utterly revolting, Dave thought. It came straight out of a horror movie.
"So you had some bad meat?" Kurt guessed.
Joe was about to reply when he leaned in and let slip another round of vomiting. It was bizarre how much he was getting up. When it finally passed Joe said "Yeah I guess so. I don't know why I didn't notice it while I was eating it. I wish I had." Joe said bitterly.
"We all do." Dave said, nauseated by the amount of sick and death in the air. He remembered Sue mentioning being sick. "You know that we'll have to tell the teachers, right?"
Joe hacked up phlegm one last time. "Yeah." He said when he was done. "Ugh. Every bone in my body aches. And nearly every other organ is hacking something up."
"I'll go get Schuster or my dad." Kurt said. "We'll se what we have in the infirmary." With that, Kurt was gone, leaving Dave with a boy he hardly knew.
He walked over to the stall. Joe's vomiting seemed to have calmed down a bit, and he was now sitting on the floor with his arms across his stomach. His grey long-sleeved shirt was unbuttoned as much as it could and he was fanning himself, clearly overheated with the night's events. Dave had no clue what to say, so he settled for small talk. "The name's Joe, right?"
He simply nodded in reply. "Do you believe them? That I'm some horrible monster?" Dave pursued.
"I don't know. You seem like a nice guy. You did admit to doing all that stuff to them though. And you can't exactly take it back without putting yourself on the cross or asking fro forgiveness from Him." Joe replied.
Dave remembered Kurt mentioning that there was a Jesus nut that joined the Glee Club. He was unsurprised to find out it was Dreadlocks Guy. Kurt also mentioned he had issues sending a telegram to Brittany from Santana. "Yeah, I guess so." He replied lamely.
"How'd you make nice with Kurt so easily?" Joe asked abruptly.
Dave exhaled. He was unsure if he wanted to spill all his personal information with someone who might criticize it. Eventually he figured he could and told him the whole story. The whole thing, from beginning to end, starting with him bullying everyone, especially Kurt. He talked about the look on Kurt's face and the pang it would send through his heart. Only now did he realize they were feelings for the boy. Dave enven told him of when he kissed Kurt in the locker room, frustrated and confused about everything, and the following months that were free of Kurt. There was Santana, with her idea to make each other their beards to cover up their true sexuality. Kurt returned with Dave feeling much more certain of himself and his wants. It all culminated with him being outted at school this week, and his decision not to kill himself because of Kurt.
"What does it feel like?" Joe asked.
Dave looked at the dreadlocked boy. "What do you mean?"
Joe played with his dreadlock awhile before answering. "Well, what does it feel like to be gay?"
"t feels just the same as it does straight people, I'd imagine. But I'm not the best person you should ask for that." Dave replied instantly. He hadn't been gay long, but he knew the answer to that one. "I thought you were over that, with the whole telegram to Brittany thing?"
"I am… I was just wondering." Joe replied simply.
~~~Kurt, in the hallways~~~
Kurt dashed down the halls, not quite sure of where to go. He found himself outside of Sue's office, but before he pushed open the door, he realized Sue would freak out if she found out that one of the students was sick. So he turned around and started making his way to Will's office.
When he got there, he politely knocked on the door. When that didn't work, he shoved it open as quietly as possible, knowing full well that one of the hinges squeaked. Will was apparently a light sleeper as he was roused into consciousness by the door opening. "What is it?" He asked, not unlike Blaine had only a half an hour ago.
"Umm, Mr. Schuester… We kind of have a problem in the bathroom." Kurt said.
Will ran his hand through his unkempt curly hair before saying "What kind of problem?"
"He's kind of throwing up a lot in the bathroom. We think it's food poisoning because the chicken he was eating had a greenish tinge to it." Kurt said.
"Does he need any medicine?" Emma asked from next to Will. Both teacher and student alike jumped up in surprise, unaware that the doe-eyed guidance counselor was awake.
Once his heart rate settled down, Kurt said that medicine would be a good thing, so the two adults and Kurt went to the infirmary in the school to grab some medications. Will clicked on the lights and the three strode over to the cabinet with all of the medicines.
"Now, what kind of symptoms is Joseph having?" Emma asked, picking up bottle after bottle.
"I don't know. Dave and I just walked in and he was throwing up in the toilet. He's with him now." Kurt said. "What about Tums?" He held up the bottle of tablets.
Emma shook her head. "Those are mostly for upset stomachs."
"I don't know that stomach looked pretty upset to me." Kurt muttered.
Emma exhaled loudly in frustration. "Those will have to do. This school doesn't have half the medicines they should have."
The three went to the bathroom where Joe seemed a little better; or at least he wasn't throwing up anymore. He took a few Tums and they all escorted him back to the Glee Club room where he curled back up under the sheets and promptly fell back asleep, even though he still had the shivers. Kurt, Emma, and Will went back to their room andDave took off his jeans and tried going back to sleep himself.
~~~Morning~~~
It was finally morning. Most hadn't slept well and were grateful for the early morning rays of sunshine creeping in through all the windows. Despite the somber mood of the previous day, many seemed to be in higher spirits. The duos of Rachel and Finn as well as Sam and Mercedes seemed to be far more couple-y today; any problems or issues seemed to have been resolved in the sleepless night. Joe's absence was the only thing weighing on all of their shoulders today.
Everyone got their breakfasts, from scrambled eggs off the skillet to French Toast from the freezers. They all sat down and ate it, chatting amicably among each other.
Will finally stood up near the end, bringing the room into silence. "Alright. Now, as many of you know, Joe is laid up in the hospital from what is presumably food poisoning. Do not eat any of the chicken unless you want to throw up for hours." There was a low chuckle from the crowd at this.
Finn raised his hand. Will nodded to him and he stood up. "Umm, well… As you know, this afternoon was when Rachel and I were planning on getting married. But then this came along. Rachel and I still wanted to get a ceremonial marriage here. I mean, most of the people we'd invite are already here anyway."
The population of the lunchroom just accepted this. Most of them were still adamantly against Rachel and Finn getting married, but they were still going to support them, especially if they still wanted to get fake married through all of this. Finn smiled weakly then sat back down.
Will still held the floor and the students all looked at him again. "All of the adults have constantly checked the radio for news, but so far nothing has been said. Which is why after this breakfast I will be going out to get a phone from the Hummel-Hudson car."
Understandably, there was a chorus of protests from the group, but Will eventually settled them all down and told them the plan; after all, if Joe had the disease that they were all hiding from, they were more than likely infected anyway. Much like the news of Finn and Rachel still getting married, they all just accepted it because they couldn't stop it anyway.
Breakfast was then over, and the group slowly dispersed. Carole and Burt's car was out back near the pool, so most everyone headed that way.
Once there, everyone tried halfheartedly to convince Will to not try, knowing full well he'd still do it. They wanted the phone anyway.
~~~In the Parking Lot~~~
Will left the school and strode over to the white Camry near the back of the parking lot. He thought he heard a rustle in the bushes, but he chalked it up to the wind blowing in the bushes. He got to the car and unlocked it with the keys Burt had given him. On the passenger seat was an iPhone with the charger in the center console. He grabbed both of them, but dropped the charger on the ground while he was getting out of the car. He picked it up-
And was met with the gaze of another person. Although this person was not a normal person. He wore normal clothing-a suit and pants- but he walked with only one shoe and with a shuffling motion. His skin was severely pale, accentuated by the amount of blood around his mouth. Most frightening of all were the eyes-wide, open, unblinking, but without any depth to them, as if he did not have any emotion.
He was only a few feet away, and when he saw Will he let loose a wet growl, and strode the last few feet to the stunned Glee teacher. He leapt on top of him, prompting Will to yell. Only when the man bit into his wrist did Will scream.
~~~In the hallway~~~
There was a low rumble of noise as they all talked to each other. Brittany was talking to her girlfriend by a locker.
"What do you think it is? The disease, I mean, not the flavor of ice cream I had." Brittany said.
Santana let loose a small laugh. "Obviously it just makes you throw up a lot."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "But doesn't like AIDS do that or something? It's gotta do something else."
Santana pushed the idea away, but it left a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. What is she was right? What came after the vomiting, if anything? It obviously wasn't something people had heard of, least of all AIDS.
The answer came when they all heard Will's first scream come from the parking lot. The room went silent. Then he screamed again.
Roz was the first to go into action, running in and out of the pool room with a speed that made you wonder if she had one a gold medal in the Olympics for running. She had with her a pool net, its long handle slicing through the crowd. Everyone followed her outside, worried for their teachers.
~~~By the Camry~~~
Will screamed again. His arm was on fire and his energy was depleted. He tried shoving the man off of him, but it only made him angrier. He growled and moved from the arm and dug into the abdomen, eliciting another scream from Will as the man bit a chunk of Will's stomach, staining the sweater vest he was wearing.
~~~Roz~~~
Roz saw it before she even got there. She saw the person on top of Will gnawing on Will's arm, and the screams of pain that Will let loose from beneath him. She threw the end of the pool net towards the man.
A pool net is an interesting thing. It is a feature at any pool in the world and its shape is very intriguing. It is a long pole with a net akin to that of a fish tank net. The size of the net can vary greatly, as can the length of the handle. The length and size of both depend on the size of the pool. Roz was holding a sixteen-foot long one, and thrown with the right amount of accuracy and speed it can seriously injure someone, or in the case of the man on top of Will, it could kill him-again.
The end of the net hit the man square in the forehead as he looked up. It went all the way through his head, and about three feet sunk its way into his head. He keeled over backwards onto the ground.
What Roz saw in front of her was not pretty. Will was missing a sizeable chunk out of his arm and stomach. He was convulsing slightly on the ground and both of his wounds were pouring blood.
It was completely revolting.
"HELP!" Roz yelled. Sue was the first to get there.
"Oh my god, what the hell happened here?" She said. Each word got louder as she took in what she was seeing. The rest of the group was racing to meet them. "Get the hell back!"
Emma was in tears near the front. "What happened? Is Will ok?" She peeked out from around Sue and saw her fiancée's bloody body on the ground. Her scream was even louder than Will's. She pushed through Sue and went over to him.
The group was about twenty feet away from the car. They all tried to get a peek at what was happening by the car.
"Coach Sylvester…" Sam asked. "What happened to Mr. Schue?"
Roz and Emma were trying to nurse Will, who was in desperate need of immediate care. "Sue, tell a couple of those boys to throw me their shirt!" Roz yelled to the cheerleading coach. She herself took off her tracksuit and wrapped it around the man's midsection. Almost instantly the blue jacket was tinged with red.
"Sam and Puck, throw me your shirts!" Sue yelled. It shocked all of them that she actually called students by their real name.
With no hesitation, Sam and Puck threw their shirts to Sue who gave them to Roz. Roz wrapped them around Will's arm and like her jacket, they became stained with red.
"Coach Sylvester, what happened to Mr. Schue?" A tearful Rachel asked.
"He was bitten!" Roz yelled from the side of the body.
"Bitten by what?" Finn asked, holding Rachel in his arm.
Suddenly it began to rain. The rain washed with it some of Will's blood and the bloody water spread out quickly. The students saw this and they all ran forward.
Roz pointed to the dead man with a pool net stuck in his forehead. "He was bitten… By the walking dead."
A/N-By popular demand, there you have it. The dead have now begun walking in Lima, Ohio. I wrote an extra long chapter just to include them in the last bit (hooray for eight thousand word update)! Now that the ball has begun rolling (or more aptly, the shit has hit the fan), I would really love it and appreciate it if you would Read and Review. It would mean the world to me thank you all so much! Please read and review :D
