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Chapter Seven

There had to be a way out of this. There was always a way out of things like this. Divine intervention if nothing else. Except that the powerful, all knowing universe seemed to be on Karofsky's side. What's the worst that they could do? Beat them up and leave them. There was no way it would go beyond that. Kurt couldn't let himself think about anything worse than that, because his eyes kept filling with tears and his mind went white with panic. He needed to think clearly and forget about his own safety for now. Finn was in seriously deep shit here. He had to have been in this trunk in the dream he had the other night.

So did that mean he wouldn't be coming out of it alive? Would Death skip the people ahead of Kurt on the list and just kill them there together?

He was busy trying to come up with any idea as to what they should do as the car drove along to who knew where, when Finn shifted subtly beside him. It was a medium sized trunk but a very tight fit with both of them crammed inside of it. Claustrophobia would have been an issue without Finn's large body shoved up against him.

Finn stiffened. "Kurt?" He croaked out weakly.

Relief flooded through him. Finn hadn't responded at all when Kurt tried to yell and jostle him awake five minutes ago. He leaned closer awkwardly, his shoulders beginning to burn from having his arms stuck behind him, and he pressed a kiss against Finn's cheek, missing his mouth in the dark. He kissed his way over to his lips. After a moment, Finn kissed him back and reached blindly for his hand, grunting when he met with resistance and was unable to get his arm in front of him. Realizing he was restrained, he stopped squirming.

"Where are we?" He whispered.

Kurt gulped. There was no use denying it. "I think we're in your coffin. The trunk of Travis Burrows' car." If the situation wasn't bad enough, it smelled like gym socks in there.

"Fuck." Finn groaned. "My head hurts."

"They knocked you out." Kurt supplied.

"Fuck."

Apparently, Finn's vernacular shrunk even more when faced with a crisis.

"Yes." Kurt agreed. "Fuck indeed."

Finn hesitated, and Kurt wished he could see his face. Even that much would have calmed him a little. Finn wiggled minutely closer so that their chests were pressed against each other.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked quietly, sounding fearful of the answer. It brought a lump to Kurt's throat. No. But they were going to.

Kurt blinked away his tears. "No." He promised instead of giving him another dose of reality. He leaned into him and kissed him, missing his lips again and clipping his nose. "Listen," he whispered even though he thought that maybe they should have been screaming. It hadn't helped the first ten minutes they had been driving, but Karofsky and company hadn't pulled over to gag him so he had to think they weren't in danger of being overheard by helpful ears. Finn laid his forehead against his, as comforting as he could be without the use of his arms. "When they open the trunk, you need to try to run for it. Don't worry about me."

It was a strange if not selfless request, so he expected the lack of immediate agreement from Finn. "Did they hit you in the head too?"

"Finn, you're next on the list."

"So?"

He groaned. He really wished there was even a sliver of light in there so he could try to plead with him with his eyes. Taking a moment, he tried to phrase his response in a way that would convince him. "I don't think I can die. Not before you and the others ahead of me on the list. It's not how it works. There's a pattern. A design, and if I died now it wouldn't fit with the design. So if you get an opening, you take it. Just leave and get help and come back for me. But go."

That was assuming that they got out of the trunk at all. Kurt was trying hard not to think about that, because if they didn't get out of the trunk then they didn't have a chance. They could get in an accident and Finn could die right next to him, stuck in the trunk, and he would be left there beside his body. He had to choke back against his gag reflex; the thought was so sickening. This could not be it. They couldn't be helpless. Otherwise, why would he even have the dream? If he could do nothing about the signs, then why get them in the first place?

He decided to take a page out of Finn's book and think about how seeing the signs did help Mercedes and Mr. Schuester. He just had to get Finn out of there so nothing the boys did could get out of hand. He didn't think they were capable of dragging them somewhere to kill them, but then again he didn't think they had it in them to tie them up and kidnap them either. Accidents happened. Finn had to get away if he could.

"Just leave me." Kurt willed him to see the logic in it. The idea of being left alone with five overexcited steroid addicts was terrifying, but the possibility of losing Finn to a prank gone wrong was far worse.

"Babe," Finn's breath was hot against Kurt's cheek and though it made the space feel even smaller and his panic rise a little more, he couldn't bring himself to pull back. "I think that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."

He started pressing kisses against his cheek, and Kurt knew it was a lost cause. Snuggling as close as he could, he ducked his head under Finn's chin and breathed into his chest. If Finn wouldn't save himself, then he would just have to figure out how to do it on his own.

He squeezed his eyes shut in the useless darkness and tried to breathe slow and shallow in the tight space. He thought about holding his breath to save air for Finn, but he would just end up gasping for air when he couldn't hold his lungs still anymore and eat up the last of the oxygen. He had to stay calm. He was concentrating so hard on not losing himself over to his nerves that he didn't notice the car stopped until the trunk was pulled open and a blinding pool of sunlight burned through his vision.

"Aw, look, Karofsky, the fruitcakes are cuddling." Azimio sneered, and though he was an awful sight, Kurt rejoiced at the burst of cool wind that blew into the trunk. He inhaled deeply and noticed Finn do the same. "Let's go, Jolly Gay Giant."

Azimio grabbed Finn's closest arm and hauled him up, waiting for Manny to step up and grab his other side before yanking him out and throwing him down before he could get his feet under him. Marcus laughed as Finn fell hard on his side, unable to break his fall with his arms tied behind his back. Azimio pulled Kurt out next. He staggered but didn't fall. Karofsky rounded the car and kicked Finn half-heartedly in the ribs, eliciting a small groan. Kurt's temper flared.

"You're really tough, aren't you? Four guys against one. You had to put your tacky party store handcuffs on him to save yourself from a major ass whooping! Have your stupid fun, but at school on Monday I think I'll shelf my anti-violence speech and watch while he reminds you exactly who's bigger!"

It wasn't smart to rile them up or tempt them toward payback for his back talk, but Kurt couldn't help it. Finn snickered up at him from the ground. There; that was reason enough. Finn needed to keep his spirit up, because there was no telling what they were in for and he was in far worse danger. If they got him down too quickly it might all be over. Kurt's heart pounded, and he waited for one of them to smack him. Nobody did.

Karofsky chuckled. "We'll see about that, won't we." He and Azimio pulled Finn to his feet. "When we're done, Finn will probably fit in a pickle jar. Smaller than us?" He turned to Azimio.

Azimio nodded. "Definitely smaller."

Kurt's stomach dropped. "Pardon?"

They were on a dirt path between a tall chainlink fence and an old abandoned looking building. Karofsky walked over to it and tugged on the bottom of the garage-like door until it began to roll up. The inside was dark and Kurt saw a tall rusted looking black structure situated just inside. Karofsky's smile was disturbingly self-satisfied. "Welcome to my uncle's old crematorium."

Finn squinted in confusion, clearly utterly clueless as to what he was talking about. Kurt, on the other hand, felt like someone sucked all of the air out of the planet and stuck a shot of adrenaline directly into his bloodstream.

"What's wrong with you?" It was barely a whisper.

Kurt had his concerns, of course. It was hard being an openly gay kid in conservative Lima, Ohio. His dad taught him to be vigilant and aware of his surroundings at all times, because bigotry wasn't just ignorant, it was dangerous. But this wasn't an abstract idea of violence, something he could protect himself from. This was a blast of reality that made all his previous fear of hypothetical situations pale in comparison. He couldn't have been more scared if he had taken a nap in the trunk and run into a real life Freddy Krueger in his dream state.

"Kurt?" Finn asked.

Kurt's eyes flicked toward his expectant face, but he didn't have it in him to explain. He had to keep him calm for as long as possible. Looking at Finn, tied up and innocently confused, he had to battle another round of indignant rage. He forced his voice to be firm and strong, keeping the quake in his limbs out of it.

"You listen to me, David Karofsky." He looked him straight in the eyes. "You did what you came here to do. You scared us. We're scared. You kicked us around, and we'll have bruises to remember this by. Now you get back in the car, you drive away and leave us here. We won't tell anyone, because it wouldn't matter anyway. It's done." It was a struggle to keep himself from shouting or weeping or shaking or anything besides keeping his voice calm. "You win. Okay."

Karofsky tilted his head to the side like he was considering his words, but Azimio chuckled behind them and Karofsky slowly grinned. "Nah. I say we roast 'em."

"I'll get the marshmallows." Travis elbowed his fellow hockey players and got the laughs he aimed for.

Finn might not have understood what a crematorium was, but he understood 'roasting' something just fine. He looked wildly from Kurt to Karofsky to the oven-like structure inside the building with wide eyes, getting it.

"What? Fuck! Dude! What the-," Azimio slapped a hand around his mouth, shutting him up, and he and the other three hockey players began pushing and shoving Finn forward. To Finn's credit, he was resisting pound for pound.

There was no way Kurt was going to be able to throw off all four boys and get Finn out of there. His only hope was getting to help before they could do any serious damage. Turning on his heel he started at a run in the opposite direction toward the road, catching them by surprise. He could shout, but he could whistle louder. Adjusting his lips, he released a long high-pitched sharp whistle as he ran. Anyone who heard it would at least look his way, and if someone in a passing car noticed him and didn't stop they would still notice something was really off and maybe call the police.

He whistled and ran, too desperate and scared to care how completely insane he looked. It was hard to keep his balance with his arms tied behind his back, and he tripped over a rock. It was enough of a stall for Karofsky to reach and tackle him to the ground.

"Not so fast, Hummel. The fun's just starting. You don't wanna miss your boyfriend's bonfire, do you?"

"Please, don't do this. We're fixing to graduate-you never have to see us again! You're a stupid bully, Karofsky, you're not a murderer!"

Karofsky just laughed and pulled him to his feet, successfully covering his mouth with his big palm and dragging him back toward the others. They were already inside the building, holding Finn against the specially built furnace. Travis pulled it open with a loud, old creak. The square door had a small rectangular window at the top and a black shutter covering it. Travis pulled it out of the way of the glass as the twins began forcing Finn inside. The opening was about five feet off the ground, making them lift Finn to shove him in.

"No!" Finn yelled.

"Stop it! STOP!" Kurt screamed, struggling forward and trying to free his arms from the grip Karofsky had on him from behind.

"No! Don't!" They picked Finn up and shoved his legs in first to avoid the wild kicks he was firing off. Finn pressed his feet down against the metal bed inside and pushed hard, managing to push back out some. "Kurt!" Tears pricked at Finn's eyes as he fought back.

Karofsky clamped a hand back over Kurt's mouth, muffling his screams, and Azimio stepped forward to help the twins shove Finn all the way in. Travis was waiting and slammed the door shut the second he was out of the way. Azimio popped the deadbolt into place, and they all stepped back and laughed. Uproarious hearty laughter billowed between them as they looked at Finn pound on the rectangular window, muffled shouts frenzied with increasing panic.

Kurt threw his foot down hard on Karofsky's sneaker and almost managed to yank himself free.

"Ow!" Karofsky jerked him back against him angrily, but Kurt twisted and writhed, shouting and biting his hand when he tried to silence him. "Fuck! Chill, Hummel!" Karofsky barked in his ear. "The damn thing's broken. My uncle hasn't used this place in years. We're just going to scare the shit out of him. You fucking assholes deserve it after all your psychic bullshit."

"Psychic!" Azimio repeated, shaking his head. "Ya'll are crazy, and you need some of that crazy shit scared out of you. Am I right? I'm right."

"He's right." Travis shrugged, sharing a faux intellectual glance and nod with the twins.

A chill ran through Kurt as he recalled the burst of flames he saw out of the corner of his eye in the student parking lot. The ones that weren't there. The ones that were coming.

"It's not broken!"

"We didn't even push the button." Karofsky said disgustedly, as though Kurt was getting on his nerves by not getting as much amusement out of the whole thing as he was. "You don't barbeque people with motion sensors. Relax."

"Let him out!" Kurt screamed. "You don't have to believe me! Just please do it! You scared him enough, okay? He's scared-let him out!"

Karofsky groaned but nodded at Travis. The other guy chuckled but walked back over to the furnace where Finn was pounding and fogging up the glass with his shouts. He grabbed the thick rusted deadbolt and tried to slide it up so he could pull it loose, but it didn't budge. He frowned and tugged again, looking back over and shrugging.

"It's stuck."

"What?" Karofsky said annoyed.

"No," Kurt whispered and when he jerked his arms forcefully away from Karofsky, the jock didn't immediately grab him again, distractedly looking at Travis try to wiggle the lock free. "Let me out of these!" Kurt shoved his hands back toward Karofsky. His deathly pale complexion got through to him like his shouting hadn't, and Karofsky began fumbling for the keys in his pocket.

"Come on, dude, open it." Marcus said, sounding a little more subdued.

"Man, move outta the way." Azimio clipped Travis with his shoulder and took his place, grabbing the deadbolt and pushing on it. He made a face at Finn's loud shouts. "Yeah, yeah, we hear you. Just chill, quarterback, we'll let you and the little queen go in a minute. I'm getting hungry anyway. Anyone wanna hit McDonald's after this? Queers not included." Azimio groaned with effort as he tried to force the lock open. He tried again and frowned. "It's fucking rusted shut or something."

"You just locked it!" Karofsky called back, dropping the keys to the handcuffs on the hood of the car and leaving Kurt to walk over to his friends. Kurt scratched the hood as he scooped the little silver keys up.

"Dude!" Manny was looking in the little window. Finn's shouts increased and the pounding grew harder and more frantic. "I just saw a flame! It's gone, but I saw a flame!"

"What?" Marcus stepped up next to his brother.

"No way." Karofsky dismissed him immediately but there was an edge of fear in his voice as he turned back to Azimio. "Dude, get him out!"

"This thing is jammed!" Azimio barked back, still tugging at it.

Kurt fumbled with the keys behind his back and stepped up to the window. He locked eyes with Finn, crouched and awkward in the oven. His banging stopped, and Kurt continued to blindly poke the key behind him, hurriedly twisting his wrist to get it to go toward the little hole.

"Kurt." A horrible look of knowing flashed in Finn's eyes, locked in the small, dark chamber. The chamber from Kurt's dream. He was going to die in there.

The key slipped in at last, clicking the restraints loose. Kurt shook his wrists free and the handcuffs fell to the floor.

Behind Finn, at the back of the furnace, a line of fire shot up from the burners below, shooting light through the body length sized tunnel. It crackled at the back and steadily grew higher, not yet expanding forward.

"Oh shit!" Manny or Marcus or Travis shouted and the three of them jumped back.

"No!" Kurt shouted.

"Oh fuck me! Fuck!" Azimio instantly stopped trying to work the lock backward and stumbled back. Kurt lurched forward and took over, but it felt like trying to push a steel door with broken hinges.

"Kurt!" Finn's shout was loud and thin with fright, a half-sob catching in his throat.

"Finn!" He screamed back, heart and mind racing a million miles a minute. "Kick it! Finn, kick it!"

"Forget this! I'm out of here!" Azimio's eyes were wide on the furnace, and he tripped backward running into Travis and pushing back toward the car. The twins rammed into them from behind as they all scrambled back for the car.

Kurt's eyes grew in horror. They were going to leave. He kept tugging at the lock as Finn twisted around with difficulty in the crematorium to get his feet in front of him. He threw his legs out in unison, kicking out against the door like a battering ram.

"Wait!" Kurt shouted after the fleeing boys.

Azimio already had the engine started and was shouting for Karofsky to get in the car. Karofsky looked torn, head flying between the car and the furnace where the flame at the back was growing higher and began to slowly spread forward. His chest rose and collapsed with short, heavy breaths.

"Hudson's stuck!" He shouted.

"Get in the car, Karofsky!" Travis shouted back, hanging his arm out and pounding on the passenger door.

"No way, man! We have to help him!" He yelled back, but that was the final second he had because Azimio slammed on the gas and tore down the dirt path at the back of the building in a particularly slow part of town. The car disappeared around the corner, and Kurt's wide eyes stung with tears of shock and disbelief.

His head flew around toward the open field beyond the chainlink fence and the quiet surroundings desperately. "Help!" He screamed as high and loud as he could, fear tearing his throat raw. "Someone help me!"

The fire hissed forward, crackling and sparking in bright orange and yellow. Finn gripped the side of the metal bed, quickly warming from the heat generating at the back and a horrible scream tore out of him as the fire cut over his hand. He withdrew it quickly but his shouts were an endless stream after that, legs repeatedly pounding into the thick furnace door.

"Move!" Karofsky shoved Kurt aside and took over at the lock. His arms were thicker and his muscles were at least twice as strong as Kurt's, so he didn't protest. He went to the window and thought his knees might go out from under him.

About a third of the furnace was full of fire. Finn was bunched up as close to the door as possible, keeping himself out of it, but his kicks were short and ineffective without being able to spread out and gain momentum.

"Kurt!" Finn cried desperately. "Can't…" He gasped harshly. "Can't breathe!" He coughed and choked, kicks growing lethargic as he struggled for air.

"Open it!" Kurt screamed at Karofsky whose brow was sparkly with sweat as he tightened his grip on the lock and twisted as hard as he could to no avail. Kurt grabbed the top of the door, growing warm from the fire within it. He couldn't imagine the heat suffocating and threatening to swallow Finn inside. He tugged at the door uselessly, his palms pink as he drew back.

He stumbled backward, hands shaking and body vibrating with fear and adrenaline. Karofsky groaned and hollered as his efforts continued to do nothing. Kurt's eyes flew everywhere, scanning the shadowy building for anything to help them break the door in or smash the window or-

His eyes caught on a small pile of debris beside a desk with a broken leg pressed against the wall. Almost covered by long splintered pieces of wood, a thick red brick stuck out. His mind flashed on Karofsky standing over Finn in the student parking lot, holding a flashlight that he used to knock him out with. Except when he first looked, he hadn't seen a flashlight in his hands. He had seen a thick red brick. The same brick poking out of the dusty pile of trash at the wall.

Kurt crossed to it on heavy, numb legs and tossed the wood off of it. He ran back-the frantic screams of someone he loved searing into his mind-and shoved Karofsky hard out of the way. Raising the brick high over his head, he brought it down on the lock. It didn't budge and he raised it again, slamming it down and making the bolt scrape against the door, scratchy and metallic. Kurt brought it down again and it busted, breaking away from the door and clanging loudly against the concrete floor.

Karofsky grabbed the top of the black door and swung it outward. Kurt was already reaching inside before he had it fully back. His fists dug into Finn's waistband and t-shirt and he pulled with thoughtless roughness, hauling Finn out of the furnace as quickly as possible. He collapsed onto the ground and Karofsky shoved the door closed. It was hardly in place before the fire swarmed the rest of the furnace, blazing against the window as though staring out at its lost prey.

Finn panted and shook on the floor, holding his burned hand against him and shivering despite the warmth of his skin and the sweat soaking his hair. Kurt sat on his knees and clung to him, squeezing hard enough to hurt but physically unable to loosen the arms encircling him. He pressed his cheek against his hair, eyes thick and cheeks soaked with instantaneous sobs.

"I got you, sweetie. I got you." He whispered through his cries, rocking him gently and rubbing his arm soothingly. Finn's good hand shot up and gripped one of the arms Kurt had secured around him, breathing deeply and jittering in his embrace.

Kurt stared up at Karofsky standing a few feet away, white and tense in a state of shock. His eyes rolled down and he absorbed them there silently. He opened his mouth soundlessly but only sputtered in a speechless stupor.

Kurt looked away and closed his eyes as he leaned into Finn. Behind them, the fire howled.