Mercedes whimpered as Santana tightly knotted the piece of cloth around her palm. It's been two hours since the attack. Two hours since they almost died.

They still couldn't believe how close they had been to it. Especially Santana and Maggie.

"You okay?" Santana asked.

"Y-Yeah. It just hurts a lot."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. You'd do it for any us." Santana said as she gestured to the sleeping form of Maggie and a still unconscious Mike who also had a cloth tied around his head to help slow down the bleeding. He looked practically dead but the slow rise and fall of his chest proved otherwise.

They were in another hollow tree. Santana had to drag Mike to it while a crying Mercedes held a equally crying Maggie's hand while she bled from her injured hand.

The two were too paranoid to sleep. Especially now that Mike was out cold. They had endured a lot and both wondering the same thing.

What was that thing that saved them and why did it?


"I can't believe you're both alive." Blaine said with a shake of his head.

"Honestly me either." Sam replied.

He and Blaine were hidden from view at the lip of the tree watching guard as Finn, Emma, and Tina slept.

Finn needed the most sleep after saving Emma's life, every time they had to run he carried her. Then he did the same for Blaine when they found him.

Blaine didn't wake up until two days later thankfully they hadn't run into any of those things during that time other wise they would have been screwed.

"Same but honestly I don't think I would have survived another day had Tina not found me. She had enough supplies to help keep me going."

"Yeah. I would have been dead if it weren't for Finn and Emma."

"What happened?" Sam said as he gestured to Blaine's forehead where the gash was still healing.

"I was alone obviously. I couldn't find any oaks near by that had enough rot to give me space to sleep. When the evening came I had no where to hide. I heard some rustling a few feet away and ran. Sure enough it was one of those things. I ran as fast as I could, I didn't see that there was a small hill because it was practically pitch black, so I unintentionally ran straight off. I tumbled all the way to the bottom. I don't remember exactly what happened or how I hit my head. I just remember the moment I realized I ran off a cliff."

"That must have been scary. I'm sorry."

"It was.. but it doesn't matter now. Now we've found each other. It gives me hope that Kurt's still out there some where waiting for me to find him."

Sam smiled as his eyes filled with tears. "Yeah, I feel the same way. Mercedes has to be alive Blaine. There's no way she isn't and I have to believe that."

"Definitely. I believe it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah.."


Mr. Shuester, Santana's parents, and Kurt trudged through the snow. The group could barely see in front of them. The snow was falling thicker that particular day. The thickness reaching six inches higher.

"W-We should find a spot. It's too dangerous to keep going." Santos said.

"I agree." Followed Maribelle.

"Alright." Mr. Shue agreed.

Kurt still wasn't talking. Though he was more responsive with a nod here and there. He just didn't feel like interacting.

"H-How about over there." Maribelle pointed.

The group looked in the direction. In the distance they saw a massive oak on it's side. They could see just barely enough that it had rot and may be had enough way in.

"Let's go." Mr. Shue nodded.


Beth thrashed wildly as Caspian and Quinn fought to hold her down still.

"Rachel you must hurry!" Caspian gritted.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Rachel replied from her place near the fire.

The brunette had peeled and mesh all the herbs she needed. She cooked it than cooled it than meshed it again. She repeated the action two more time and was now at the final stage since she cooked it down to a base liquid. The brunette dug through the medical bag and pulled out a syringe.

She then filled it with the liquid. She took her knife to the fire and burned it's tip before rushing over to the group.

"Alright, Bailey calm her." Rachel ordered.

Bailey nodded finally having gotten enough rest to be of some help. The little girl climbed on to a thrashing, deathly looking Beth. Her eyes shined brightly as the light lit her up instantly. Beth's thrashing began to slow and Quinn was barely holding it together because how the hell was any of this happening?!

"Caspian take hold of Quinn."

"What?! No!" Quinn began.

Caspian already walking over to pull her away.

"Rachel! No! Caspian let go!"

"Quinn!" Rachel said appearing in the blonde's face instantly causing her to halt in her fight. "When you were practically dead your daughter trusted me to save your life and now here you are alive and well. It was a brave decision for her to make in trusting a stranger but we are not strangers now so please trust me, we're running out time."

"Please Rachel.. She's my baby." Quinn whimpered.

"I know and I'm going to make sure she stays with you always."

Quinn whimpered but nodded her consent. Rachel walked over to Beth, she lifted the arm the arrow nipped.

She brought the knife up and cut into the skin causing Quinn's eyes to bulge. The brunette used the knife to cut around the tissue that was already dead thanks to the poison.

She than embedded the syringe into the wound releasing it's contents into the heated flesh.

The brunette than lifted her hand to her lips, pushing her fangs forward to nip her skin. Then held her fist above the wound dripping her own blood into it, confusing the hell out of Quinn.

After that the brunette gripped Beth's arm to shut and hold the wound close as she used gauze than an ace bandage to wrap it.

That was it.

Bailey held her place flowing the light all around Beth. Waiting for the medicine to kick in so her body would no longer thrash.


Puck sat high in the tree. He had decided to take shelter a top for a bit to really take in his surroundings. What he hadn't expected was to have cross his path was a pale looking, shivering Britney with her son Brandon in her arms as she struggled against the cold to find shelter.

Puck noticed the sack sagging on her back, looking practically empty. He shook his head as he watched her stumble and whimper in need of help. He watched and he watched until she struggled in a stumble further away. He took out the binoculars he had found in the sack he stole and zeroed in on her.

"They're as good as dead.." He whispered.

Than the whirring sound erupted. He could see Britney become alert instantly and begin to run the best she could with how weak she felt with her son in her arms. Puck saw in the distance a hell dog a good distance from Britney. Enough to give her time to hide but with the slow exhausted pace she was going her chance at get away looked slim to none as the beast gained ground.


Rachel, Caspian, Bailey and Quinn sat around the fire. They were quiet for the better part of an hour. Beth finally released Beth 15 minutes prior and was now completely exhausted.

Quinn has been fighting with herself to hold in her questions. She didn't know what was happening or if Beth would live or not. These three people or animals?.. She wasn't sure what they were but they came back for them. They saved them again!

Why? She didn't know but dammit she had so many questions and wanted them answered but was kind of scared to ask not wanting to come off as ungrateful. She didn't know what to do but she felt like she was bursting at the seams.

The three looked so calm about everything. Like they didn't just show up looking like a fictional character from a fantasy book! Quinn grit her teeth. She didn't know how much longer she could take of this.


Kurt, Mr. Shue, Maribelle and Santos where twenty or so feet from the oak. It was dark out, only the light of the moon giving them what they needed.

They approached the oak slowly with caution. Then halted when they heard a shuffle within the tree. Santos held his hand up in signal for the group to stop where they were as he himself edge closer. Maribelle bit her lip and shut her eyes knowing her husband was doing what he always does, protect.

Santos stepped closer putting distance between the group and him self by about ten feet. He felt his insides quake with fear but knew they needed a place to hide and since he was the one ahead of them he knew he had to check it just to buy the group time if they needed to run.

"P-Papi?.." Was whispered breathless and broken from within the tree.

Santos' eyes bulged as his heart fill with hope. Another shuffle was heard. Than out of the shadows emerged one out of the to people he never thought he'd see again.

"Dios mio, Santana?!"

Santana rushed forward and leaped into her fathers arms as the two cried.

"Gloria dios, mi nina!" Maribelle cried out in Spanish at the sight of her daughter, tripping over herself to get to her. Santana whimpered as she engulfed her mom in a hug.

"Oh my god!" Mr. Shue chuckled in wonderment as tears filled his eyes.

"No way! You're really here?!" Another voiced called out in shock.

The groups eyes widened some more when Mercedes walked out into the open. The moment Kurt saw her. His best friend.

His mouth trembled and for the first time in weeks his lips parted and a whimper escaped him. "Mer-Merce" He couldn't get her name to fall from his lips.

The moment she pulled him in to a hug his tears fell uncontrollably as he gripped her tightly. His chest filling with happiness and hope. This being the second time they've found members of their group. So maybe just maybe his husband was still out there.

"Come on we can't stay out in the open." Santana whispered in a paranoid rush.

The group realizing their mistake being so caught in the moment. When they entered Santana used the tiny piece of crap flash light she found in her sack that's suppose to be on a keychain to barely illuminate where they stepped because Maggie and Mike were still sleeping and out cold.


Quinn has had enough. She couldn't take the silence anymore shocking the three with her outburst. "Okay you know what? I can't do this. I know this is going to come off as ungrateful but I can't sit here and stay quiet any longer after everything that just happened! My daughter looks like she's minutes away from dying! You three can turn in to animals that fly! and your just sitting there like nothing has changed! So will anyone-some one please tell me what hell is going on here! Please!"

Rachel looks at a disheveled, terrified Quinn. The woman looks like she's going crazy and Rachel for the life of her couldn't let her continue to feel that way. She sighs sadly.

"If you really want to know than I'll tell you a few things. I can't tell you everything right-"

"What ever you can tell is more than I have right now. So I'll take what I can get."

"Okay. So I'll start with what you were running from before you were caught in the bear trap. The thing that has the beak for a mouth and the body of a-"

Quinn nodded. "I get it. You don't have to describe it."

She was doing her best not to have that image put in her head again.

"Sorry."

"It's fine please continue."

"Right, they're called Hunters. Hunters can't actually see or here you. Hell they can't even smell you."

Quinn eyebrows hit her hairline. "Than how do they know where we're running?"

"Because they're attracted to vibrations."

Quinn's eyes widened in shock. "So all we had to do to stay safe this whole time was walk slow?"

"Not necessarily. You know the whirring sound you here?"

"Yeah?"

"Well that whirring sound sends out large vibrations. I'm sure you've noticed that it cuts off every twenty seconds?"

Quinn nodded.

"Okay so when it cuts off all vibration ceases except from you. The whirring sound is meant to give you a warning that they're coming so that you'll run. So when you do, your steps cause vibrations which the hunters follow."

Quinn's jaw dropped as her eyes bulged. They were being manipulated in to a trap the entire time and didn't know it. How fucked up is that? They were like the mice in the maze searching for a piece of cheese.

"When you yell, scream, anything that can cause a high volume vibration that they can get a read on will do just fine in helping them track you."

"Oh my god.."

"That's not all. The whirring sound you hear is controlled by trappers."

"Trappers?"

"Yes, they give off the sound and just like hunters they can't hear but they can see. Although not sharply. They can only see in blurred or distorted motion. So if they see a blurred figure running about they'll send off the vibration in that direction so they will have help catching you with the hunters. Which is how you're still here actually. Quinn you're the reason you and Beth are even alive. By grabbing her, laying her down and staying completely still and quiet is what saved you. If you had not done that you'd both would've been caught." Rachel says seriously.

Quinn's hit with the reality of just what could have happened if she hadn't. She honestly didn't think it'd actually work. She just saw the hell dog coming and hoped it would run pass them. Thankfully she was obviously right.

"What you did was very brave Quinn. It must have hurt so much letting that bear trap go but you did it and Beth is here today because of you."

Quinn eyes welled with tears and she fought to keep her emotions at bay. She didn't want to break down now. She wanted-no needed to know the rest. So she cleared her throat and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

Rachel could tell she was trying to keep it together. "Okay I'll move on. Let's see um.. Next are the chambers. They keep intake of count, in other words bodies collected-"

"Collected? What you mean collected?" Quinn asked in confusion.

"Have you ever noticed how there's never a body left behind. Limbs? Blood?"

"Yes."

"Well that's because when you're captured by a hunter and it swallows you whole. You're not chewed alive. You're basically in a belly style holding cell."

Quinn gasped in shock. "W-What?"

"Yes. You're body carried around by the hunters than when they return to drop of their catches for the day they basically regurgitate you but you're still alive. In fact, you're alive for days in their bellies until like I said the drop you off then your body is sorted by the chambers."

Quinn felt nausea hit her hard. They were captured alive and lived in the belly of beast for god knows how long and then what? Become it's puke? It sounded horrible and disgusting.

"It could like a family of three who are caught for example: We'll person A's DNA may show the quality that of a slave that can be kept or sold. Person B's DNA can show that their genetics are strong enough to with stand scientific study. While person C's DNA may be completely worthless and is then chosen to be harvested for food."

Quinn shook her head as her insides knotted up.

"It all boils down to your genetic code. There is a list of things that in your DNA that can guide your fate but either way if you're caught death is the greatest pleasure you could ask for because you don't want to stay alive after they catch you.." Rachel said seriously.

Quinn felt her stomach bottom out and fear take hold of her. "T-Then I don't understand.. What's the point of even trying to run if there's no hope of this passing and us surviving?"

"I never said there was no hope Quinn."

The blonde's eyes snapped up to the brunette's in need to hear what that meant. "Please don't toy with my feelings just to make me feel better Rachel."

"I'm not."

"Than please.. Tell me."

At the top of command is Helious of Groidia. He's ruthless and cruel. He has many followers but most are only following out of fear of their demise. There is word going about that there are other chains of command from other worlds thinking of over throwing him and taking over his empire. He has already conquered twelve worlds, all are under his thumb with no mercy. Some being the same hunters and trappers chasing you and your people. He's had his eye on this world for centuries and now he's come to collect."

"Okay, I'm not hearing any hope in this story." Quinn said seriously.

Rachel chuckled. "The truth is, I'm not allowed to tell you more than that but know that before he can conquer this world he has six more months to wait before he can."

"Six months? Why specifically six months?"

"Because the first has yet to give up the next position of title."

"I'm confused."

"Don't worry in time you'll see."

"Still doesn't sound like hope Rachel."

Rachel just laughed and Quinn could do nothing but smile. Just then Caspian gasped as he froze in place as a premonition hit of a blonde woman appeared before his eyes.


Deep in the woods covered by darkness laid a blonde woman faced down in the snow. Next to her was a little boy crying trying to wake her up but to no avail. His cries echoing across the expanse of trees but falling on deaf ears.