It was nearly impossible to see anything in the darkness as everyone ran towards different directions in a frenzy. Puck had instinctively grabbed Rachel's hand as they headed up one of the back stairs finding safety in one of the small rooms. They locked the door behind them trying to stay as quiet as possible when they heard Tina and Mike banging on the door to let them in. Puck opened the door as Mike and Tina came rushing in their hands shaking as they collapsed on the floor, Mike was holding Tina as she cried.
Puck let out a groan as he rubbed the back of his head in frustration, "What are we gonna do? There's someone out there trying to kill us, we cant just stay in here waiting, we have to find him first."
Rachel put a comforting hand on Puck's chest as she looked up at him admiring his bravery, "I think we need to find the others first, Noah."
Mike rose from the ground as Tina's sobs began to grow quiet, "I have to agree with Rachel, we cant just go out there alone, we're stronger together." Puck nodded assuring them he wouldn't try to go by himself to find whoever was trying to kill them.
"Let's get out here are find everyone else before he does then" Puck said opening the door and quietly walking out into the dark hallway. Everyone followed close behind him.
Blaine, Kurt, and Quinn ran through the narrow hallway downstairs, they didn't know where they were going, the house was so big and they were just running out to fear. They finally stopped at the end of one of the corridors where they tried to catch their breath. Quinn clutched Kurt's hand as her lip quivered, "I'm scared, Kurt" She said in a low whisper as Kurt stood there nodding as if to tell her he was just as terrified if not more. Blaine tried his best to put on a tough face but when Kurt looked towards him he could see he was just as scared as the rest of them. Blaine pulled out his cell phone as he tried to find a signal, "of course there would be no reception, damn it" He said in frustration as he put his cell phone back in his pocket.
When the lights turned off Santana gripped Brittany's hand so tightly the blonde let out a small grunt. Santana refused to be separated from the blonde as she screamed and ran towards the kitchen. Unlike everyone else Santana wasn't just running in any direction, she knew if there was someone out there she would need to defend herself and Brittany. The kitchen had all the knives. When they entered through the swing door Santana began fumbling through the drawers looking for anything sharp. She quietly told Brittany to find anything she could use to hurt someone. Santana found a small pistol in one of the liquor cabinets and put it in her front pocket with a satisfied look on her face as Brittany plopped up from one of the drawers with a spoon.
Santana grabbed it from Brittany's hand, "Britt you cant protect yourself with that, it wont even cut anything."
Brittany sighed as she looked down at her shoes, "i poked my eye with a spoon once and it hurt, i just thought it would work, sorry" She said as she pulled out a fork from the drawer behind her, "is this any better?"
Santana didn't feel like arguing so she nodded her head grabbing Brittany's hand as they crept down sitting on the floor just listening to see if anyone else was around.
"San, do you think Artie's okay?" Brittany said in a whisper.
"Britt, right now he really isn't my top priority, okay" She said with a harsh tone that was never used with the blonde.
"But he's my boyfriend" Brittany said as she filched with the sound of thunder that echoed throughout the kitchen.
"Yeah and Sam's my boyfriend… listen right now no one else matters okay, you're mine and i'm yours so that's all we're going to worry about" Santana said with a softer tone as she squeezed Brittany's hand in reassurance. She let out a deep sigh as she began to think about Sam, he never came downstairs. Her mind began to think the worst as she tried to keep herself together for Brittany's sake.
Puck, Mike, Tina, and Rachel had made it to the other side of the second floor with no altercations as they began checking each room calling out for the others in a low whisper. Puck was growing frustrated as he opened another door only to see it was empty.
"No one's up here guys, we need to try downstairs" He said as he turned around when suddenly Rachel let out a small scream as Sam stood in the hallway with a cut on the side of his head.
"Sa-Sam… have you been up here this whole time, you're bleeding" Rachel said trying hard not to accuse him of anything but she could already tell they were all thinking it. They suspected him of the murders, all the signs were there, he wasn't downstairs when Mr. Shue and Finn went outside, he had blood on his face as if someone tried to fight back.
Sam stepped closer to them as he grunted rubbing his head, "What's going on? I woke up like half an hour ago and Finn left the remote to the T.V. on the floor and i tripped over it and hit my head on the cabinet. The lights are out and i heard screaming"
Puck stepped in front of Rachel with his chest puffed out, "people are dying… and you're the only one who wasn't there… don't you think that's a bit suspicious Evans"
"what? Look you guys, it's not me, i'm telling the truth…" He didn't even get to finish his argument as Puck's hands formed into fists. "Who are you Sam, I mean you move here in the middle of the year, join glee club knowing it was just a group of loser, for what?"
Rachel gripped Puck's arm as if to hold him back. She began to think more about the situation, what if Sam was telling the truth, what if the thump they heard earlier was Sam tripping on the remote. He was their friend but they couldn't be too sure with anyone at this point.
"Look man, i'm just as scared as you guys, i just want to get out of here…" Before Sam could finish his sentence blood began dripping from his mouth as everyone could now see the metal rod that was lodged through his right shoulder. He was choking on his own blood as he looked at his shoulder and before he could even attempt to remove it he fell to his knees and then to the floor.
Tina let out a loud scream that echoed throughout the entire house as they all ran downstairs in a panic.
Quinn looked down the hall of the corridor hearing the scream, "You guys, i think that was Tina… she must be with the others, we should go find them." Kurt squeezed her hand as Blaine led them down the hallway where they found Puck, Rachel, Tina, and Mike with the same look of fear that had probably mirrored their own.
"What happened?" Blaine says as he tried to calm Tina's sobbing.
"They got him" She says as Mike pulls her closer hoping to make her feel safe.
"Who did they get?" Kurt asks as he steps closer to them with worried eyes.
"…Sam" Puck finally says as his eyes turn to Quinn knowing she would be devastated.
Quinn stood there in silence as her eyes began to water. She was trying to process what they were telling her but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't even get a chance to tell Sam how sorry she was and how much she loved him. Now she never would.
Rachel walked towards Quinn pulling her into a tight hug as the blonde let the tears pour from her eyes.
Santana and Brittany could now hear the others, they rose from the ground slowly gripping their weapons firmly just in case. Santana led the way out of the kitchen where she saw the others.
"Santana, Brittany, thank god" Kurt said in relief, he had began to think they were goners.
"What happened" Brittany said not completely understanding why Quinn and Tina were crying.
"They found Sam… he's dead" Blaine said once more as his eyes drifted to Santana who said nothing but he could tell she was hurting inside. Even though she didn't love Sam she did care about him. She didn't let her emotions get the best of her, she didn't want to be a sprinkler like Tina and Quinn, someone had to be brave around here and she had volunteered herself.
"Where did Mercedes go?" Brittany asks as everyone looks at her as if her stupidity was really not going to be tolerated right now.
"She's dead Brittany" Mike says looking down at the floor trying hard not to show the fear in his eyes.
"I know, but where is she? Wasn't her body hanging from up there?" Brittany said pointing at the chandelier that swung back and forth without a body. Everyone looked at each other unable to understand what happened, her body was gone when just a while ago it was hanging.
"the killer must have taken her body… sick bastard" Puck said as his hands formed into fists once more.
"I think we have a lot more to worry about guys" Kurt said as he looked down at the coffee table where words seemed to be carved into the wood.
"What does it say Kurt?" Rachel said in a low voice debating whether or not she truly wanted to know.
Kurt cleared his throat as he began to read, "All of us are being cracked open, each of us starts out as a watertight vessel, then things happen, people leave us, or don't love us, or don't get us, or we don't get them, and we lose and fail and hurt one another. And then the vessel begins to crack open in places, the end becomes inevitable, but the time between when the crack starts to open up and when we finally fall apart we can see one another, because we see ourselves through our cracks and into others through theirs. But once the vessel cracks, the light can get in, the light can get out."
"Okay, but what the hell does that mean?" Puck said growing impatient.
Rachel rested her hand on Puck's shoulder as if to reassure him things would be okay, "Don't you see, it is obviously addressing our individual struggles. We all have faced obstacles in our life and according to whoever wrote this we will all reach our end" She gulped down after realizing what she said or interpreted.
"Look I don't want to play these little games so how about we find a way out of here, I saw an old garage in the back earlier, I bet there's a car in there, we can start it up and kiss this nightmare goodbye" Puck said as he headed towards the back door.
"No, we don't even know if the car will work, our best choice is to find an old radio or phone down in the attic and call for help" Blaine said trying to find some sort of solution.
"Well I'm going to the garage to find the car, whoever wants a fast ride out of here follow me" he said staring at the rest of them. It seemed as if they were already being divided.
Santana walked over next to Puck dragging Brittany along with her, "I'm sorry but I don't do attics and I just want to get out of this hell hole."
Mike and Tina followed Puck trying not to make eye contact with Blaine and Kurt who seemed hurt that they would choose to find something that might not even be there.
Puck stared at Quinn with a look of concern almost begging her to come with him but she broke the gaze by clutching Kurt's hand. Rachel didn't move an inch as she looked to the others standing in front of the back door, "Please, don't go out there, we should stick together and finding a phone or radio seems like the only rational decision… please, Puck" She said pleading for them to stay but they were already out the door.
Kurt, Blaine, Quinn, and Rachel walked the other way to the side door that led down to the attic where there was sure to be a radio or phone for emergencies.