!
Rachel came to slowly. She was aware of being jostled around, her body acted upon by gravity and something else. She was aware of complete and utter silence. There were no sounds, no permeation of this vacuum of quiet. She gradually became aware of the softness beneath her cheek, neither warm nor cool. She opened her eyes slowly, hesitant to be met with the bright light of the day.
Instead she was met with nothing. Pitch black darkness. She bit back panic and blinked her eyes again, trying to force them open. She came to the conclusion that they already were. She couldn't see anything. She raised a hand in front of her slowly, but could not see it. She brought it closer to her face, touching the tip of her nose. Still nothing. She worried she might be blind, that something had happened, but the longer she was awake the more she was remembering. She remembered being thrown into the back of a van and the darkness that came when the doors closed. She hoped that's what it was.
She listened intently around her but could hear no sounds. "Tina?" she called hesitantly.
A quiet voice answered back. "I'm here."
"Where?" Rachel asked, reaching her arm out in the direction of the voice. "I can't see."
Small fingers clasped hers. "Right here," Tina murmured.
Rachel sighed in relief and clung to Tina's hand. "Any idea where we are?"
"None. Did he hurt you? I passed out right away."
"No, but my arm hurts from the needle." Rachel said, rubbing the tender area gently.
"Mine too. What are we going to do?"
Rachel took a deep breath and heard Tina do the same. "We have to stay calm," she said. "We can't panic. We have to survive this."
"But how? We don't know where we are."
"Do you still have your watch?"
There was some shuffling and Tina took her hand out of Rachel's. A small light filled the space. "Yes," Tina said. "And it still works!"
Rachel sighed in relief and the two girls studied each other. Tina gasped suddenly and Rachel jumped. "What?"
Tina reached out and gently touched her face. It stung. "Your cheek. What happened?"
Rachel stared at her for a moment, confused. But when she touched her cheek and winced at the pain, she remembered. "I screamed," she confessed. "When he threw you in the van and came for me. I screamed, hoping someone would hear me. He hit me."
"Maybe someone heard you," Tina said hopefully.
"Maybe," Rachel said. "But we're probably miles away by now. Even if they heard us, they would have had to see the van, follow it. We can't count on that."
"I tried to take stock earlier," Tina said. "Weapons and such. All I have are my keys. Do you have anything?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. I have pepper spray in my purse, but that was in my backpack."
"I wish we had kept those," Tina said wistfully. "I don't even remember dropping mine."
Rachel shook her head. "Me either."
"Do you know any self defense?" Tina asked.
"Very little," Rachel admitted. "Not enough to be successful using it. But I can kick really hard."
Tina smiled slightly. "That's a skill we may be able to use. I know some basic karate but I've never had to really use it before so I don't know how confident I am in its ability to work."
Rachel thought for a moment. "We just have to wait for the right time," she decided. "If we have the element of surprise, anything can happen. We just have to wait for the right moment."
They were quiet for a few minutes before Tina spoke again. "Do you think anyone's looking for us?" she asked quietly.
"Absolutely," Rachel said firmly. "My dads know I am very responsible and when I did not come home last night, I'm sure they jumped right into action. I'm sure your mother did as well."
"I hope they find us."
Rachel took her friend's hand. "I hope so too."
!
The end of glee practice marked 24 hours that the girls had now been missing. The police considered it an official missing persons case now and had stepped up their efforts considerably. Rachel's dads had flyers made of the two girls and the glee kids had volunteered to distribute them.
Puck was currently walking with Quinn and Kurt in the mall, passing out flyers to everyone they passed, sticking them on bulletin boards wherever they could. They had decided to split into groups of three, and tried to keep more guys than girls in the groups. Groups were supposed to be safer, but Rachel and Tina had been together and no one was taking any chances now. Mercedes had gone with Matt and Mike and Artie and Finn went with Santana and Brittany.
"This isn't doing anything," Quinn snapped suddenly. "Everyone knows who Rachel is and no one has seen her. This isn't doing any good."
"It's getting the word out," Kurt pointed out. "If people know that they may have been taken against their will, they'll keep their eyes open and report anything suspicious."
"No, Quinn's right," Puck said darkly. "This isn't doing any good. We should be looking for them, not handing out stupid flyers with their picture on it."
Quinn stopped walking and touched his arm gently. "Hey, are you doing ok?"
He pulled his arm away roughly. "I'm fine."
"Look, I know you and Rachel are…close," Kurt said. "You can talk to us."
"Rachel and I aren't anything," he said harshly. "Just let it go."
Kurt opened his mouth again but a swift headshake from Quinn kept him from saying anything.
Puck sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Let's just keep going, ok?"
They nodded silently and followed after him.
!
Rachel and Tina sat huddled in the back of the van for what seemed like hours before the vehicle slowed, then rumbled to a stop. They glanced at each other uncertainly. What now?
Several minutes later the doors opened and the man was silhouetted in the opening, the night sky dark behind him. Rachel was immediately disheartened. They'd been travelling all night and day. They had to be very far from home.
"Get out." Again, the command was spoken in a soft tone, but the power behind it was undeniable. The girls glanced at each other, unwilling and unable to move. "Now."
Rachel scooted forward slowly, wincing at the stiffness of her unused muscles. She crawled out of the van and the man seized her arm instantly. She could see he had the knife out again. He nodded to Tina to come out and Rachel watched her friend crawl slowly out behind her. Rachel turned her head slowly, studying her surroundings. They were in a wooded area, not unlike where he had taken them. No lights could be seen in the darkness, so signs of a city nearby. A glance to her right revealed a small shack. It was so rundown it looked like a good wind would knock it over. Nothing else was visible in the darkness.
Once Tina was out of the van, the man gestured for her to walk toward the shack. He followed behind her, still gripping Rachel's arm. There was a padlock on the door and he handed Tina a small key, instructing her to open it. It took several tries for Tina to get the lock open and when she did, the man gestured for her to step inside, following behind with Rachel.
The shack was smaller than it looked from the outside, though Rachel hadn't been sure it was possible. It consisted of one main room. A second room was created with a curtain hanging from the ceiling. Rachel squinted in the darkness but couldn't see what it was.
"Go sit in the corner. On the floor." The man gestured to the spot with his knife, giving Rachel a slight shove in that direction. She huddled on the floor with Tina, watching the man's every move. He was digging in the black bag again and Rachel was afraid they were going to be drugged again. Instead, he came out with two granola bars, flinging one at each of them. "Eat. It's not much but it's all you're getting right now."
Rachel's stomach rumbled as she tore the wrapper open. She was starving and was reminded that it had been over 24 hours since she'd eaten last. Beside her, Tina was devouring her granola bar.
After they had eaten, Rachel watched the man nervously. It was hard to see in the darkness of the shack, but he appeared to be focused on something. She could see that he had the bag again, though she couldn't see what he was doing.
"What are you going to do with us?" she asked. He ignored her and she felt her frustration grow. "Why did you take us? Where are we?"
"Quiet," was his only response.
Tina squeezed Rachel's hand. Rachel squeezed back but continued her questioning. "What do you want with us? You could have had our money. People are looking for us, you know. They're going to find us."
He turned around and crossed the room and she felt the stinging sensation in her face before she knew what was happening. "I said be quiet."
She cradled her aching face, shocked that the attack had come so fast. That's twice he had struck her now. He obviously wasn't opposed to violence, though it seemed not to be his first option. Tina whimpered beside her and Rachel squeezed her hand tighter as she flexed her jaw. She winced. He had hit her on the same side, the same place, as the night before. There was definitely going to be a bruise.
Time seemed to drag on forever. The man could be heard moving behind the partition but they couldn't see him. Tina jingled the keys quietly in her pocket, reminding Rachel she had a potential weapon on her. Rachel shook her head slightly. She didn't think it was the right time. Not yet.
The man came back into the room and Rachel could see immediately that he was holding something in his hand. He approached them quietly and, lightening fast, grabbed her arm and she felt the sharp pain again. She had been drugged again. As she fought the haziness that instantly invaded her mind, she felt him move to Tina and she knew the other girl was being drugged as well. She fought to stay conscious, tried to think of something, anything, but her brain refused to focus. The world went black once more.
!
Puck lay in bed that night, knowing that sleep would not come. How could he sleep, knowing two of his friends were out there somewhere and no one knew where?
He had finished handing out the flyers with Quinn and Kurt, though no one knew anything helpful. It felt like such a waste of time, but he knew it was the only thing he could do right now. Mr. Schue had said the police were still combing the woods and the site where the backpacks were found, looking for any evidence or sign of the girls. So far there had been none.
His mother had heard about the disappearance, of course, and had already started preparing food for the Berrys and Tina's mom. Puck didn't personally understand the whole tradition of preparing food in situations like this, but his mom said people still had to eat. Puck didn't understand that either. He had no appetite whatsoever and he was sure the girls' parents didn't either. But his mom said he could stay home from school tomorrow and go with her to the Berry house to see Rachel's dads. He had jumped at the chance to miss school. None of the glee kids were going, the rumor mill was a little too much to take.
He wondered how Rachel's dads were taking things. Mr. Schue said that he spoke with one of them consistently, getting updates on the investigation. Puck was willing to bet that was her Dad. Her Daddy tended to be a little more emotional and Puck knew from his study sessions at Rachel's that the petite superstar was the apple of her Daddy's eye.
He rolled over restlessly, wondering not for the first time if she was ok. Was she hurt? Was she scared? Did she know they were looking for them, doing everything they could think of to find them?
Part of him, the selfish part, was glad that she and Tina were together. He was glad Rachel wasn't alone and hoped somehow that having someone with her would help her, help them both. He hoped they could hang on until someone found them.
Tears prickled his eyes unexpectedly and he blinked them away before closing his eyes. He hadn't done this in so long, not since his dad left, but that night Noah Puckerman closed his eyes and began to talk to God, asking Him to watch out for his friends, to keep them safe and bring them home soon.
!
Will Schuester sat at his kitchen table that night, glass of scotch clutched tightly in his hands. He wasn't normally a drinker, not by most people's standards. An occasional beer here and there, usually nothing harder. Tonight was different. It had been over 24 hours and two of his students were still missing. The cops had no suspects, no definite proof that they had been taken against their will, though that seemed to be the theory they were leaning towards.
It had been surreal getting that phone call late Tuesday night from Rachel's frantic father. Had he seen her? Of course, he had seen her at glee. Since then? Well, no. And then the news. The cops were quick to assume they were just parents overreacting to a rebellious teenage moment but Will knew better. Rachel wasn't like that. She was an old soul, one of the most responsible students he knew, albeit a little misguided sometimes. He knew there was no way she had stayed out without telling her fathers something, even if it was a lie. No contact from her meant bad things and they all knew it.
And then he found out Tina's mother had reported her missing as well. He was called into the police station in the early morning hours on Wednesday, asked about the girls, the last time he had seen them, what they had been wearing, if they had mentioned any plans. He had no answers to give and it had frustrated him beyond belief. They wanted to questions his kids and he had insisted on being there when they gave them the news. He knew the kids would take it hard and they did. Tina, quiet and shy as she was, was well-liked within the group. And despite Rachel's sometimes overbearing personality, she had made great strides with the other kids in the last year. They were a unit now and the news that two of their own were missing hadn't sat well with them.
The kids were shocked, to say the least. Some were afraid, some didn't believe it was happening. He had stood behind Principal Figgins and watched the emotions play across the kids' faces as they learned the news. He was briefly encouraged when Puck came forward with new information, but his hope died a little when the girls weren't found. The discovery of Tina's car, exactly where she'd left it the morning before, did little to restore that hope. That meant either the girls were taken before they had reached the car, most likely out of the school, or for some reason had abandoned the car. The discovery of the backpacks, abandoned by the side of the road, was the worst news yet.
Rachel's father, stoic through all of this, had broken a little at that discovery. He said the police wouldn't tell him definitely if the backpacks belonged to the girls, but he said Rachel kept her purse and identification in her bag, so if it was hers, they would have known right away. The fact that they hadn't dismissed the backpacks as evidence made everyone realize the truth: they belonged to Rachel and Tina.
The end of the scent trail next to fresh tire tracks was probably one of the worst things they could have found. It seemed to indicate the girls had been loaded up and driven away, and no one knew where.
Will swallowed hard and took a gulp of his scotch. He knew the odds, had heard the statistics. The first hour was critical in finding someone, and after that, the first 24 hours. The more time that passed, the larger the likelihood that the girls would not be found. At least, not safely. They could be miles away by now and no one had even the slightest clue where to start looking for them.
He shook his head firmly, getting up from the table to rinse his glass. He was going to stay positive, for himself and their families and his students. He had to. It was against the odds, but sometimes miracles happened. Sometimes people were found and brought home. It happened, not often, but it did happen. He would stay positive and believe, with all his heart, that his students would be returned safely home soon.
He had to believe that.