Hi Everyone!
It's been a month but I'm finally back! Thanks to my long holiday, I had a lot of time to work on the details in my head (and yes, new stories, too), so I finished all the chapters in progress and now I'm proofreading them. Which means I'm updating half of my stories now, the other half later today, and then I will get back to my usual posting schedule.
I would like to thank you all for your patience and kind words, you have no idea how much you helped me. You're amazing, guys!
So this is the last chapter, there's only an epilogue left that I will post within the next few days. Hopefully this chapter answers all the remaining questions but if you still have one, leave me a comment.
Enjoy!
Kurt looked around nervously, glad that Cooper was standing right beside him, with a supportive hand on his shoulder. The whole town gathered together in front of the sheriff's office and from the looks they were giving him, Kurt knew that the news traveled fast and most of them knew what was going on. Or at least they had a theory of what could have happened and Kurt didn't like it at all.
"Silence!" the sheriff said as he stepped out of the building. "I guess you all know why we're here. Two weeks ago, when Kurt came back home, I talked to him. From that conversation, I found out that Kurt didn't remember what happened to him back at the manor, so I let him go home and take care of his injured father. Luckily, Burt Hummel is back and his injuries're healing fast. My dear friend asked for my help today because he found out that Kurt didn't tell me the truth the last time. I think I speak for everybody when I say we want to know everything, without lies this time."
He sent Kurt a hateful look and the boy gulped nervously, taking a step back.
"You know how dangerous that monster is, Kurt" the sheriff continued. "He killed so many people and it's time to fight back. You have to tell us everything you know about him, so we can kill him."
"What?" Kurt asked desperately. "No, you can't do that."
"Why not?" Burt asked. Kurt's eyes met his briefly but it hurt too much to look at his father. From all the people, he should have trusted and believed him. He was his father after all.
"You don't know anything about the manor" Kurt said.
"Really?" the sheriff asked, stepping closer. "Let's see what we know. For some reason – which I hope you will tell us – Blaine Anderson got powers that makes him faster and stronger than any other human. And he stopped aging, he still looks like fifty years ago, so I guess he became immortal. In return for his powers, he has to take the lives of innocent people."
"No, that's not how it happened" Kurt shook his head.
"He turned his black magic against us" the sheriff said.
"No, you have to let me explain!" Kurt said. "It's... It's not Blaine' fault, okay? Something bad happened to him but he didn't want it. There's something more dangerous in that house that caught him and held him prisoner for fifty years. I... We helped him get free of that monster but now he's alone in the house and he might be in danger. Please, just let us go. We have to get to him."
"Are you saying that Blaine Anderson is not the monster?" the sheriff asked.
"Exactly" Kurt nodded. "Cooper, tell them, please."
"Kurt's right" Cooper said as he stepped forward. "I don't know much about that thing but I was there when Blaine was turned. He was a kind, innocent boy before it happened and I'm sure it was against his will. Blaine would never hurt anyone."
"And who are you in this story, old man?" the sheriff asked.
"Cooper Anderson" Cooper said, stepping forward bravely.
There was a soft murmur running through the crowd as people started whispering, pointing and nodding towards Cooper. Some of them seemed afraid of him, others didn't seem to believe him.
"Cooper Anderson is dead" Jack Puckerman said. "When they brought Karofsky back, he was dying but before he left, he told us that everyone from the Anderson family and their servants were killed."
"Oh, yes. And we all believed for fifty years that Blaine was dead, too. Now we know that he's alive. Why is it so hard to believe that Cooper survived, too?" Kurt asked angrily. They didn't have time for this. Whatever happened to Blaine, he was in danger and he had to go back to help him.
"Look at me, Jack" Cooper said, smiling at the old man. "Yes, I remember you. I was so jealous back then because you could have any girl you wanted, more than me."
"Cooper" Kurt hissed.
"What?" Cooper shrugged. "That's true! He went through every maid in the house before he got married."
Kurt buried his face into his hands. Cooper wasn't helping at all and they weren't going anywhere with this pointless conversation.
"Cooper?" Jack asked in disbelief.
"Great, right? I never thought I would see you again" Cooper smiled.
"Okay, this is sweet and all, but we should get back to the original topic" the sheriff said. "Mr Anderson, I'm sure you can help us with this case. You were there, tell us what happened."
"Uhm..." Cooper looked at Kurt for help.
"Just tell them what you know" Kurt said impatiently.
"Okay... So there was this girl, Evelyn. My parents wanted Blaine to marry her but he didn't want it. I talked to her and asked her to go away but she promised that she would talk to our parents and take care of everything."
"What did that girl do with all of this?" the sheriff asked in confusion.
"I don't know what she did but when we woke up the next morning, Blaine went completely crazy and started killing everyone. She has to be the one responsible for the happenings" Cooper said.
Kurt looked around desperately. They others didn't seem to agree with Cooper and Kurt couldn't blame them. They had no proof that Evelyn had done anything against Blaine.
"So Blaine killed his parents because they wanted him to marry that girl?" the sheriff asked.
"No" Kurt said, deciding that it was the best if he told them what he knew. "She was a witch. Or demon, I don't really know. She broke into Blaine's room that night and turned him into a monster against his will."
"How do you know that?" Cooper whispered.
"This is insane!" David Karofsky said. "They're lying, defending the monster."
"Monster?" Kurt asked. "That's rich coming from you. You chased me into the woods when you knew very well that I could die and left me there. Who's the real monster, Dave?"
People started whispering again, eyeing both Kurt and Karofsky cautiously. Karofsky, to save himself, started talking again.
"Don't you see what's going on?" he asked. "They're controlled by the beast, both of them. He's gotten into their minds and they can't think straight. I say we should lock them up."
"Excuse me?" Kurt gasped.
"David might be correct" Paul Karofsky nodded. "You're blaming him but he isn't the person who's been terrorizing our town for fifty years. Blaine Anderson is the true enemy and we have to stop him, for once and for all."
The crowd roared in agreement and Kurt took a step back, shaking his head. They couldn't honestly think that Blaine was evil.
"Find the monster!"
"Kill him!"
"Save our children!"
"Kurt, we have to get out of here, fast" Cooper whispered, afraid of what was coming.
"True. Let's go" Kurt nodded. He grabbed Cooper's hand and turned around, ready to run but they were stopped by two guards blocking their way.
"You're not going anywhere" the sheriff said. "Lock them up and keep them there until this is over. We can't risk anything."
Kurt's arms were grabbed and twisted behind his back and from the corner of eyes he could see that Cooper was restrained as well. He struggled but couldn't free himself and soon he was dragged inside of the sheriff's office and then into the basement where the cells were.
"You're making a huge mistake!" he shouted.
But nobody was listening to him. He could hear the faint voices from outside as the sheriff ordered every available man to grab weapons and get back as soon as possible. He knew what it meant. They were going to try to kill Blaine and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
~ o ~
Blaine pressed his eyes closed, desperately trying to shut the horrible noises out of his head. He was sitting in the corner of the cage, curled up in a ball, pressing his hands to his ears. He had been alone in the room for God knew how long, with only his fears and the darkness around him. He was still crying but he didn't care. Nobody could see him and it felt better, even if just slightly.
He was so horribly scared of the basement. It was the scene of the most terrifying moments of his childhood, the place of desperation and fear, where there was no light or hope. No wonder the demon inside him had chosen this place to torture its victims. Nobody was able to stay sane too long down here, even if they weren't scared of darkness. But Blaine was. Since the first time his father had locked him into this room, he was so scared of darkness. And then there were the noises. If they came from somewhere else or just existed in his head, he wasn't sure. He heard screams, desperate calls for help, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He had been living his whole life as somebody's prisoner and it looked like he had to spend the rest of his days in a cage as well. It was driving him crazy. He felt as he was falling apart and there was nobody to help him get through this.
He wished he could see Kurt one more time... Since he had been freed from the demon, his real memories and the ones the demon had created started to seperate. There was still a huge mess in his head and he was certain that it would stay that way forever but the major things became clear for him. Thanks to whatever force up there, his feelings for Kurt remained just as strong as they had been. It was real. Kurt was real and everything that happened between them. He still loved Kurt and he knew that the boy loved him, too. Not the demon, the real Blaine. It was the only thing keeping him from insanity. Even if it only lasted for a few months, Kurt loved him.
"Ah, here you are. I need your help" Evelyn said as she strolled inside.
Blaine didn't even look up at her. He didn't care. But the demon stepped to the cage, reached through the bars and grabbed Blaine's jaw, forcing him to look up. When she saw the tears streaming down Blaine's cheeks, she smiled.
"Don't be so sad, my darling. This is a beautiful day" Evelyn said.
"Leave me alone" Blaine replied and tried to pull away but Evelyn kept him in a tight grip.
"Don't be rude, Blaine. I'm sharing the most important moments of my life with you, the least you can do is be happy for me" Evelyn said.
"Go to hell" Blaine said heatedly.
Evelyn smiled, showing her sharp fangs, and pulled Blaine closer. The boy's eyes widened with fear and struggled in the demon's grip to break free.
"I like this smell" Evelyn said, taking a deep breath. "Fear. The most powerful thing in you, humans."
"What do you want from me?" Blaine asked tiredly. "Haven't you taken everything away from me already?"
"Not everything" Evelyn smiled. "But don't talk about business. I don't have much time left, those pumpkins are on their way here. I have to be ready to greet them."
She let go of Blaine and took a step back.
"What do you think... Should it be the red dress?" she asked, turning around. Suddenly, her clothes turned into a beautiful, long red dress, but it only lasted for a second. She turned around again and her dress changed into a blue one. "Or the blue?"
Blaine turned his head away.
"Answer me!" Evelyn shouted angrily.
"Does it matter?" Blaine asked.
"You're right" Evelyn nodded slowly. "What does it matter when I will kill them all anyway?"
Blaine watched in horror as she threw back her head and laughed. He couldn't believe she was so heartless.
"I think the red one will be good" Evelyn said in the end. "Now that we have it out of the way... We have to take care of something else."
"What do you mean?" Blaine asked in fear, pressing his back to the cage.
Evelyn snapped her fingers, opening the cage's door. She took a few steps back, motioning for Blaine to step out but the boy didn't move.
"Oh, come on. I don't have the whole day" Evelyn said impatiently.
"What do you want from me?" Blaine asked in a small voice.
Evelyn ran her eyes up and down Blaine's body.
"I can practically taste your fear" she said, her eyes turning black. "I know I said that I would spare your life until this is over... But why should we wait when I would kill you anyway?"
Blaine's eyes widened with fear and backed away from the demon as far as he could.
"Get out" Evelyn said.
Blaine shook his head and didn't move. No, he couldn't give up without fight. If there was the slightest chance that he would see Kurt again, he had to fight.
"Stubborn child... And I thought you learnt your lesson from the last fifty years" Evelyn sighed, snapping her fingers again.
Invisible hands grabbed Blaine's arms and dragged him out of the cage. He was pulled through the whole room and then slammed to the wall, unable to move.
"Don't fight, Blaine. It will be over soon" Evelyn said as she took a few steps closer.
Blaine closed his eyes and turned his head away. He knew how it worked. Evelyn would try to kiss him and drain the life from his body. He had seen it so many times.
"Look at me."
Blaine's eyes snapped open at the new, unexpected voice. He should have known that it was just a trick but for a brief second, he truly believed that he could believe his eyes and he wasn't in the basement anymore, Evelyn disappeared and he was safe... with Kurt. He smiled as he reached out to touch the boy's cheek, he needed a proof that he wasn't dreaming.
"Kiss me, Blaine" he heard Kurt's angelic voice.
He leaned closer and almost let Kurt kiss him but then suddenly, Kurt's eyes turned black. Blaine gasped and pulled away, berating himself for being so stupid. It was Evelyn playing games with him. Kurt wasn't here and he wasn't saved. He was going to die.
"Damn it" Evelyn hissed, realising that her magic didn't last as long as she wanted to. "I have to work on it, right?"
She grabbed Blaine's hair and pressed her lips to the boy's. Blaine's eyes became impossibly wide as he felt the pain inside and the first wave of light left his body.
"That's it. Give me more" Evelyn said and leant back to feed from Blaine again.
Blaine mind became clouded and the pain seemed to lessen soon. He was still forced to see what was happening to him but it didn't feel so horrible anymore. As the energy was slowly drained from his body, his eyes closed and for a second, he could pretend that he wasn't here and this was just a nightmare.
"Damn" Evelyn said again and suddenly, she let go of Blaine and let him fell to the ground. "Can't I even feed in peace?"
She groaned and without sparing one more look for Blaine, she left. Blaine opened his eyes, looking around in disbelief. Was he... Was it really possible that... Was he still alive? He looked down at his body and although he could barely feel anything and he was so weak that he couldn't even sit up, it looked like he wasn't killed. Without hesitating for a second, he gathered his remaining strength and turned to his stomach, slowly dragging himself towards the door. He knew how he could end this for once and for all but he had to get to his roses first.
~ o ~
"Open the door!" Kurt shouted angrily, hitting the bars uselessly. They had been locked up and left alone a few hours ago. The place had gone awfully quiet as the men had left but it didn't mean Kurt would give up. He would get out of here and he didn't care how long he had to shout to get someone hear him.
"They can't hear us" Cooper said quietly from where he was sitting in the corner of the cell. He was too old for this, even if he had felt better in the few weeks.
"I don't care. We have to get out of here" Kurt said, shaking the bars. "This is a mistake! You have to let us out of here!"
"I think they're gone" Cooper said.
Kurt kicked the bars in frustration and turned around to face the older man.
"Don't you want to help me?" he asked. "They're gonna kill Blaine. We have to do something!"
"What do you want to do? Can you magically open the door or what?" Cooper snapped.
Kurt closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. They shouldn't fight, not when they didn't have anyone but each other.
"I'm sorry" he said. "I just... This is unbelievable. We didn't do anything wrong, they shouldn't keep us here."
"They're scared of the unknown" Cooper shrugged. "It's not their fault. We would do the same in their place."
"I don't think so" Kurt replied stubbornly.
"Maybe it's the best for everyone. We couldn't have saved Blaine on our own but maybe the others will be able to stop that demon and save Blaine" Cooper said.
"I don't think so. From what Blaine told me about Evelyn, she's dangerous. And I'm sure there's more than what he knows about her. Something didn't seem right in his story" Kurt said.
"What do you mean?" Cooper asked.
Kurt decided that he shouldn't mention that most of his assumptions came from his dreams.
"Blaine told me that Evelyn sneaked into his room that night and tried to force the change on him. Blaine said that he agreed in the end but I don't think it's true. He tried so hard to get free of his demon. I think Evelyn forced him into this and controlled his memories, so Blaine didn't know what he was doing" Kurt said.
"You think that it wasn't Blaine doing those things?" Cooper asked hopefully. "It would make sense. Blaine had never been aggressive before, he was a nice kid."
"The roses" Kurt said. "Something's wrong with the roses. When I touched them, I saw a pair of eyes between them. And then Blaine got angry and his eyes turned black. But when I kept him away from them, he was completely fine."
"He started acting strangely after you left" Cooper nodded. "He spent days in the garden..."
"Let me guess... With his roses?" Kurt asked.
"Damn" Cooper muttered.
"We have to get out of here, Cooper" Kurt said seriously. "I think we can stop this if we destroy those roses."
"Do you think it would stop the monster?"
Kurt turned around with wide eyes, not expecting this familiar voice from behind him. His father stepped out of the shadows where he had been hidden who knew how long and made his way to the cell.
"Dad..." Kurt whispered.
"I wanted to know the truth" Burt said. "I knew you didn't tell me everything."
"I'm sorry, Dad, but... this is complicated" Kurt said.
"I see" Burt nodded.
"You have to let us out of here" Kurt begged. "Please. We can stop this. We can kill the demon and save people. They don't know what they're dealing with, they aren't prepared. We have to go after them."
"What's going on between you and... him?" Burt asked carefully.
Kurt looked down, taking a deep breath. He knew that he had to tell his father everything if he wanted to get out of the cell.
"I love him" he admitted.
Burt sighed, shaking his head.
"I know what you're thinking but you don't know him" Kurt said.
"He killed people, Kurt. A lot of people" Burt said.
"He was forced to do that! Blaine was under the control of that demon for fifty years..."
"I get that" Burt interrupted. "I heard a lot about that boy and I believe you. But there's a possibility that you can't change him back. What if you stop this Evelyn but can't change Blaine back? What if he attacks you? Can you defend yourself against him?"
"Blaine would never hurt me" Kurt said.
"You can't be so sure, Kurt" Burt said, leaning closer to his son. "If that demon forced him to kill his own parents, do you honestly think that she wouldn't do that again?"
"Blaine's changed so much in the past few months" Kurt said quietly. "I don't know how he did it but he found a way to be himself again. I know that he can do it but he needs our help. He's in there all alone. Please, Dad."
"I can't watch my only son run into death. I'm sorry, Kurt" Burt said.
Before Kurt could protest, he disappeared from their eyes.
"You can't do that!" Kurt shouted after him.
"Kurt..." Cooper started as he joined him at the door.
"Not now, Coop..."
"Kurt, your father left the keys" Cooper pointed down at the ground.
Kurt followed his gaze and had to admit that Cooper was right. At some point of their conversation, Burt must have dropped the keys and didn't notice it.
"I like him" Cooper smiled as he crouched down to get the keys.
"It was an accident" Kurt sighed.
"Was it?" Cooper asked with a raised eyebrow. "He said that he couldn't watch you get yourself killed but he didn't say that he wouldn't allow you to go after Blaine."
Kurt went through the conversation in his head again and smiled. Cooper must have been right. It could have been too much for his father but he trusted his son enough to help him escape.
"Let's go" Kurt said impatiently. "We don't have much time."
~ o ~
Finn was walking quietly in the crowd of men marching towards the manor, pressing his knife tightly to his chest. He wasn't a soldier, he barely knew how to use his weapon and he was so nervous. Most of the others were excited to finally get rid of the beast but he was so worried. Something didn't seem right and he had a bad feeling that their mission wouldn't be so easy. He couldn't get Kurt's words out of his head. He knew that the world wasn't as simple as it mostly seemed, there were creatures hidden in the shadows, things he and other simple people in the town couldn't understand.
Even the forest seemed wrong. It was too quiet and dark, completely silent and he wanted nothing but turn back, run home and hide until this day was over. Maybe he was weak but he was scared of the manor. So many people had been killed by the beast, why would they be different? And what if Kurt was right and there was a powerful creature behind all of this? What if they would be killed before they could reached the place?
"We're almost there" the sheriff said, pointing at the high walls in front of them.
Finn gulped nervously, eyeing the large walls. He had no idea how they would get through it. From what he had heard earlier, there were no gates anymore, so they had to climb over. It was so wrong. What if that thing waiting for them inside knew that they were coming? If it was strong enough to change the building and the fence, it meant that the monster had powerful magic, something none of them was familiar with.
"Get ready with the ropes. We have to climb over the walls" the sheriff ordered.
Finn stayed back, waiting for the first row of men disappear behind the walls. Then the other. And the next. He didn't hear screams from the other side which had to be good. For now, at least.
He took a deep breath and walked to the rope hanging in front of him. Climbing over the wall was easy, he had practiced it several times through his childhood years. He found himself on the top of the wall in no time and jumped down, landing hard on his feet.
"Look at this" Puck said from beside him, nodding towards the house.
Finn's eyes widened with fear as he looked up at the huge building. He barely recognized the house because of the black material covering every wall, hiding all the windows and doors. Kurt and Cooper had been right. Something was very wrong with this place.
"Alright, everyone" the sheriff said. "Be quick and silent. We have to find Blaine Anderson and kill him. He's behind this."
The men nodded in agreement, some of them taking a few steps forward.
"Are you ready?" the sheriff asked.
"More than ready, sweetheart" a woman's voice came from inside.
Finn watched in horror as the dark material around the house started moving and a woman stepped out where he assumed the door had been. She was a beautiful young woman or she could have been without her long fangs and black eyes.
"I've been waiting for you forever" the woman smiled, snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, the darkness disappeared from around the house and gathered in front of her. She snapped her fingers again and with unnatural speed, the shadows left her, speeding through the garden right towards them.
"God" Finn whispered.
As the shadows got closer to them, Finn was able to take out their faces. They had bright red eyes and sharp teeth, just like that woman and their smiles... Finn was so terrified that he couldn't even move. It wasn't just one demon they had to deal with. There were hundreds of them.
~ o ~
Kurt and Cooper ran as fast as they could which was way too slow for Kurt who had to stop a few times because Cooper couldn't make his legs move any longer. Even with the adrenaline running through his veins, Cooper was too old and completely out of practice, he could barely breath but tried to keep up with the boy. They were way behind the others and if they couldn't get to Blaine in time... That would be horrible.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, they reached the high walls around the manor. Kurt looked up in worry, hearing noises of battle from the other side.
"What should we do now?" Cooper asked when he was able to catch his breath.
"We have to climb over the wall and get inside, preferably without being noticed" Kurt said.
"I thought you had a better plan" Cooper said.
"Since none of us has magical powers, that's the only way" Kurt sighed.
"Alright. Let's go" Cooper said as he walked to the wall.
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Kurt asked.
"My brother's in there" Cooper said. "Besides, I can't let you go alone. Blaine would kill me if I let you die."
Kurt smiled, glad that at least Cooper was with him. They walked to the wall and with Kurt's help, Cooper climbed up first. The others had left some ropes for them but the older man wasn't strong enough to climb up alone. Once Cooper reached the top of the wall, Kurt grabbed the rope and climbed up beside him.
"Dear God" Cooper whispered as he took in his surroundings.
There were dozens of men fighting against dark shadows all over the garden and some others lying on the ground, unmoving. Kurt gulped nervously as he saw the injured people and what seemed like hundreds of shadows over them. As his eyes wandered up to the house, he gasped. There was that horrible woman from his nightmares, standing at the front door, watching the scene in front of her in delight.
"Evelyn" Cooper said, confirming Kurt's worrisome thoughts.
"Let's find Blaine first. We have to get him out of here safely before dealing with her" Kurt said and jumped down from the wall.
With his help, Cooper landed on the ground as well and they started running towards the house. If they were lucky, they could make it to the kitchen's door without being noticed or killed. They slowly made their way through the fighting humans and shadows whose shapes were too human-like but none of them stopped to have a better look of them and let the shadows scare them. They almost reached the door when Cooper screamed and suddenly, he disappeared from beside Kurt.
"Cooper!" Kurt shouted as he turned around.
Apparently, one of their enemies noticed them and now that creature had Cooper on the ground, squeezing the man's neck.
"Let him go!" Kurt said, hitting that thing with his bare hands.
"Go" Cooper tried to say but it was hard with the hands on his neck.
Out of nowhere, a knife appeared and went through the creature's neck. It let out a horrible scream and disappeared from their sight. Kurt looked up at the owner of the knife and almost laughed in relief when he saw that it was Finn.
"They only die if you stab them on their necks" Finn shrugged.
"Finn" Kurt cried out, hugging his stepbrother.
"What are you doing here?" Finn asked. He didn't seem angry anymore, more like he was glad to see his stepbrother alive.
"We know how to end this" Kurt said.
"But we have to find Blaine first" Cooper continued.
"Have you seen him?" Kurt asked hastily.
"No" Finn said. "You were right, Kurt. That woman..."
"I know. We have to find Blaine" Kurt said impatiently.
"He must be inside. If he is still... you know" Finn said.
"We will find him. We have to" Kurt said.
"I'm coming with you" Finn said.
They didn't have time to discuss it, so Kurt simply nodded and walked inside, shutting the door once the others were in the kitchen, too.
"Let's go separated ways, it will be faster. Finn, go upstairs. Cooper..." Kurt stopped as he looked at the older man. Cooper could barely stand on his feet, it would be wrong to leave him alone. "You're coming with me."
"Where?" Cooper asked.
"The basement. Blaine should be locked up somewhere and our best options are his room and the cages down there" Kurt said.
"Alright. Let's go" Finn said.
They made their way together into the hall, exchanging worried looks as the horrible sounds from outside became louder. Kurt gulped again, forcing himself not to peek inside to see the battle, grabbed Cooper's arms and ran through the hall towards the basement. They slowly walked down the stairs, afraid of what they would find there. From all the shadows outside, they expected some of those creatures inside of the house as well. They were only halfway when Kurt grabbed Cooper's arm and stopped him, pointing at the ceiling. They had to get weapons. Cooper nodded and they silently walked back upstairs.
The dining room was their best option, it was close and there were a few old daggers on the wall. It was just decoration but Kurt hoped they could be useful. Blaine surely had other weapons in the house but they had no time to find them. He grabbed one dagger and handed Cooper the other, then they walked back to the stairs together.
"Can you hear that?" Cooper whispered.
Kurt nodded. There was somebody in the basement. They could hear the slow footsteps heading towards the stairs.
"On three" Kurt said, raising his dagger. "One... Two... Three!"
He jumped down the last few stairs and was ready to stab his opponent. He prepared himself for the sight of another horrible creature but to his surprise, he knew the person in front of him perfectly.
"Blaine!" Kurt shouted, throwing his arms around the man.
Blaine groaned and fell back, unable to support his and Kurt's weight at the same time. He could barely stand on his feet and the impact sent him back down onto the ground. He winced in pain as Kurt landed on him but his grimance immediately turned into a smile as he put his arms around the boy.
"You're here" he said.
"Of course. I couldn't leave you here" Kurt said. "What happened?"
"Evelyn. She's back" Blaine said.
"We figured out" Cooper snorted. "There's kind of a party out there."
"What?" Blaine asked in confusion.
"We don't have time for this" Kurt said impatiently.
"She did that to me" Blaine said quietly. "It was her to whole time. She forced me to do those things."
"I know" Kurt said, running his fingers through Blaine's hair.
"I was imprisoned in my own body for fifty years" Blaine continued. "I fought against it. I swear, Kurt, I tried to..."
"I know, honey" Kurt interrupted him. Blaine was too weak and they didn't have time for this anyway.
"I have to get to the roses. The dark red ones... She sold them to my mother. Her power comes from them. I have to destroy the roses, that's the only way to defeat her" Blaine explained.
"I thought so" Kurt muttered. "Alright. Cooper will help you get out of here. I will take care of the roses."
"I can't let you do it, it's too dangerous!" Blaine said.
"Blaine, you can barely stand on your feet. There's no way you can do it" Kurt sighed and pressed his lips to Blaine's, pulling him close. "I will be careful, I promise."
"Kurt..."
Blaine tried to grab his arms to stop him but Kurt got up in no time and took a few steps back.
"I can't lose you. Not now" Kurt shook his head. "We will survive this. We have to."
"Kurt!" Blaine reached out towards him but the boy turned around and ran back to the stairs.
"Alright, little brother, let's..."
"We have to go after him" Blaine said.
"Blaine, you heard him..."
"Evelyn will kill him! We can't let it happen!" Blaine said, fighting to get back to his feet.
"Fine" Cooper sighed. "But if you die, I will kill you."
"Deal" Blaine smiled and let his brother help him back to a standing position.
~ o ~
The battle outside seemed to come to the end. A few humans were still fighting but most of them was either on the ground or restrained by the shadows. Kurt had little chance to get to the roses without being noticed but he had to take the risk. It was their only chance to survive.
He stayed beside the wall as he walked forward carefully. He couldn't see Evelyn anywhere and it seemed like her creatures didn't follow him either which didn't seem right but Kurt had no time to think about it. He passed the last row of bushes and walked into the rose garden when he finally realised that he was in great trouble. As he passed through the first rose bushes and looked at the one he was searching for, he found himself face to face with the woman he wanted to avoid the most.
"When I thought you wouldn't come..." Evelyn shook her head.
"I'm gonna kill you" Kurt said confidently, raising the dagger in his hand.
Evelyn threw back her head and laughed.
"You want to kill me with that?" she smiled. "Cute."
"Don't underestimate me" Kurt said, his voice a lot more confident than how he felt.
"You're just a simple boy from the town. You might have touched Blaine's heart but it's too little to defeat me" Evelyn said.
"Is that so? Then why didn't you kill me? I know you were here the whole time" Kurt said, trying to win time to figure out how to get to the roses before Evelyn could stop him.
"I was" Evelyn nodded. "I wanted to kill you first but Blaine didn't let me. You know, he had to kill those people to feed me. I was too weak to hunt on my own, couldn't hold my body together long enough, but thanks to Blaine I slowly got my power back. And then you came into the picture."
"And Blaine tried to get rid of you" Kurt said, taking a careful step forward.
"Oh, he alway tried to, I was used to it" Evelyn shrugged. "But as you two got closer to each other, I noticed something interesting. Blaine barely hunted anymore but still, his energy was stronger than before. He fell in love with you and you made him happy, which made me happy, too. I was cursed to live without my whole powers for fifty years. It's a long time, even for someone as old as I am. But after a while, I couldn't get anything out of Blaine. Believe me, I tried but it seemed like he blocked his powers from me. I was impatient, I saw how strong he became and I had to get that energy. I was planning how to kill you when your father came into my woods and I got a better idea. I only needed you to break Blaine's heart, one way or another, it wasn't important for me. So I made sure your father met my dear furry friends."
"It was you?" Kurt gasped. "You... you almost killed my father!"
"That was the plan" Evelyn shrugged, not really caring.
Kurt knew that he should have stayed calm but he just couldn't. He was so angry. This woman had hurt the two most important people in his life and she tried to destroy their chance for a better life. He had to stop her, immediately.
He wasn't thinking as he surged forward, slamming the dagger down towards the woman's chest. Evelyn's eyes turned black and she growled as she grabbed Kurt's wrist, squeezing it tighly. Kurt screamed when he heard a crack and pain shot through his arm. He was pretty sure that the demon broke his wrist.
"Idiot! You thought you could stop me?" Evelyn smiled, tightening her grip on Kurt's wrist. "I will kill you right in front of him. I will make him watch..."
Suddenly, she screamed and let go of Kurt's wrist, pressing her hands to her chest instead. Kurt fell to the ground and watch with wide eyes as two blades cut through the demon's body.
"Kurt, the roses!" Blaine shouted from behind her.
"Blaine, what..."
He finally understood and knew what he had to do. It was Blaine and Cooper holding up the demon to win him enough time to get to the roses since he was the only person close enough to them. Kurt pressed his lips together, avoiding the sharp pain in his wrist and stood up, getting the dagger from the ground. He didn't hesitate for a second, put all of his strength into the movement and stabbed the dagger deep into the rosebush.
"No!" Evelyn screamed and pushed Blaine and Cooper away, sending them flying back.
Kurt raised his arm and stabbed again and again, completely terrified from the demon's voice getting closer to him. He could see from the corner of his eyes that the garden became lighter as the shadows slowly disappeared and a strange light appeared around Evelyn. But she was still on her feet, heading towards him.
Kurt stabbed the dagger into the rosebush again, just as Blaine got back to his feet and jumped onto the back of Evelyn to stop her. She reached up to grab Blaine's arm and push him away again when the light around her became so strong that it blinded them all for a second. She screamed again and Kurt fell to the ground, losing his senses for a brief moment.
Then, suddenly, everything was quiet. Kurt opened his eyes and got back to his feet when he saw that Blaine was on the ground, not moving, and Evelyn was nowhere to be seen.
"Blaine! Blaine!" he shouted, shaking the man.
"Kurt, stop" Blaine groaned, hissing in pain.
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked in concern.
"I'm not sure" Blaine said. "God, why does it hurt so much?"
"What hurts?" Kurt asked.
"Everything" Blaine answered.
"Is she gone?" Cooper asked as he slowly made his way towards them. He seemed fine or at least he didn't have any injuries but his legs were shaking.
"Yes" Blaine smiled weakly.
"Great" Cooper said and to their surprise, he sat down beside Blaine and then lay down, closing his eyes.
"Cooper, what are you doing?" Kurt frowned.
"I'm dead tired" Cooper said, yawning.
"And you want to sleep here?" Kurt laughed.
"Why not?" Cooper shrugged. "It's not like we can go inside."
Kurt and Blaine slowly turned around, their eyes widening when they took in the sight in front of them. The slightly uncared but still beautiful house was nowhere to be found, only the remainings of a few walls confirmed that someday, there really had been a building.
"Where's our house?" Blaine practically shrieked.
"Evelyn's gone and so is her magic" Cooper explained. "Or she was so angry with us for killing her that she destroyed the house. I'm not sure."
"How can you be so calm? This place is our home!" Blaine said.
"Not anymore, little brother" Cooper said. "And it wasn't for a long time. To be honest, I don't care at all. We are finally free, that's all what matters."
Blaine looked at Kurt, a huge smile spreading on his face.
"Free" he whispered. "I'm free."
"You are" Kurt nodded, smiling.
Blaine slowly pushed himself up enough to grab Kurt's uninjured hand and pull him down onto the ground beside him, so he could pull him into his arms and kiss him. He had been waiting for this moment for so long and now that he had it, there was no human or demon in the world who could destroy it.