Aftermath

Kurt never thought he would find himself sitting in a freezing cold police station, answering questions. Nor did he ever believe he'd be attacked and almost murdered in his own home. It is like out of a bad horror film.

To Kurt, it seems like he has been answering questions all night. When will they just stop? Kurt has told them everything he knows.

"You said that the call came from your friend's phone, right?"

"Yes. Noah Puckerman, but that wasn't his voice I heard on the phone."

"He could have disguised his voice. But we have officers going to his house to bring him in for questioning right now."

"Can I go now?" Kurt asks. He can't take being inside this station any longer. He may just about lose his mind.

"Do you have anywhere you can stay tonight, Mr. Hummel?" the male officer from earlier tonight asks him.

"I can call a friend. My parents are on their honeymoon."

The officer looks at Kurt with a kind expression. He really feels bad for the kid. He's been having a few days of hell. He is home alone, his brother was murdered, and now he was attacked. He just can't catch a break.

"Do you have their number?"

Kurt slightly nods his head, as the officer leads him to a phone he can use. He knows Mercedes's numbers off the top of his head. His iPhone is still lying somewhere on the floor back home. He'll have her drive him to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey…"

"Kurt! What's up? Are you okay? The caller I.D. says you're calling from the police station!"

"That's because I am…um, could you pick me up. I need a place to stay…"

"Kurt, what's wrong?"

"Please just pick me up. It's Lima Police Station."

"Sure thing, Boo. I'll be right there. Don't go anywhere."

He hangs the phone up and turns to the officer, "She is coming to get me now. She said I could stay the night."

"Good, Kid…just stay safe!"

At that moment the doors are burst open as they bring in a loud, tough-looking, tall, muscular young man with a mohawk.

"Hey! I'm innocent! I told you I lost my phone last night," he continues to scream. Noah Puckerman, also known as Puck, eyes Kurt.

"Kurt! What is going on?"

Before he can answer, Puck is lead away. He turns back to watch Kurt confused.

Did he attack me? He's my friend…but the calls came from his phone. He couldn't be the one who attacked me tonight, could he?

Kurt goes over in his head, wondering if his own friend could have tried to kill him tonight. What kind of world is it today, where people blame their own friends for murder?

Puck is sat down in an office as the older officer leaves Kurt alone and walks towards the other officer where Puck is handcuffed to the chair. The kid tries to act tough, but Officer Pynchon can see right through his act. He is nothing more than a scared little punk. He deals with these little shits all the time.

"Where were you tonight?"

"I was at home! What is this all about?"

"Can anyone attest that you were home?" the tall policeman asks, ignoring Puck's question.

"I was home alone."

"Okay. Did you get bored and decide to drive past Kurt Hummel's house tonight or Rachel Berry's last night?"

"You seriously can't be blaming the murders on me! What does Kurt have to do with this?"

Officer Pynchon becomes confused, as Puck seems to be genuinely surprised. Could the kid actually be innocent and telling the truth…or is he just a better actor than he gave him credit for. Officer Pynchon eyes the confused youth, letting these questions roll around in his head.

Kurt watches from his chair through the window. He can see what is going on, but can't hear a word that is being said. A young black woman walks into the station wearing a colorful zebra-print hoodie. She looks around before finally spotting the teary-eyed Kurt.

"Oh my God, Babe! What happened to you? Your covered in blood!"

Kurt brings a hand to his cheek to feel the dried up crusty blood stuck to his cheek and notices how red his hands are.

"Let's just go. I can't be in here anymore."

She nods her head and leads him out of the police station and to her car, a black SUV. He pulls himself up into the passenger seat as Mercedes starts the car. He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the freezing cold window.

Please just let me wake up from this nightmare.

"Kurt?"

He opens his eyes and turns towards his best friend. She notices how glazed over his eyes look. It's like right now, he isn't the best friend she has known since the beginning of glee club.

"What happened?"

"The killer came after me tonight."

Mercedes doesn't need to ask anymore. She knows that Kurt doesn't want to say more than he already has.

"You can't stay home alone, so you're staying with me. I know my parents will say yes. They love you."

"Thank you," he replies in a meek voice, "but can we stop at my house first so I can other changes of clothes and I don't know where my phone is. I dropped it somewhere when he…"

"He what?"

Shoot, Mercedes thinks to herself. She mentally berates herself, not wanting to force him to relive the event.

"Sorry, it slipped out. You don't need to say!"

"He slammed me to the ground and cut open my cheek. That is when I dropped my cell phone. He wore a ghost mask, Mercedes and he called me before he attacked me."

"Strange. That's just like that horror film."

That grabs Kurt's interest. He turns towards Mercedes.

"What horror film?"

"You know, the Scream films?"

Kurt's eyes grow wide. She is right. Why did he not think of that before? The killer even wore the same costume as the one from the movies. But…why would someone copy a horror film series?

Kurt can't think of an answer to this question, but before he knows it they're in front of his house. Mercedes unbuckles her seatbelt, but Kurt tells her to just wait outside. Before she can say anything, he jumps out and walks into the house. He finds his cell phone under the kitchen table, thankfully still in good condition. He races upstairs and grabs a bag and carefully folds changes of clothes and other items into the bag. He looks around his room, the house feeling emptier than ever. In all his life, Kurt has never felt more alone.

As he stands there in his bedroom folding his clothes, his thoughts return to what Mercedes said before. Could someone really be trying to emulate a horror film? But who would do that...that's even crazier than I thought...but someone is psycho enough to make a real-life Scream film...

Kurt finishes packing and returns outside, trying to escape his own mind.

He meets Mercedes back at her car and she drives off, making sure to drive slow and careful so not to freak out the still-shocked boy in the passenger seat. As they pull to her house, her parents meet them with shocked expressions when they see the bloody and quiet Kurt. They aren't used to this. They know the young, vibrant, and loud (in a good way) Kurt! This boy though…is not him. He is quiet, scared, and sad. He looks as if he is about to break any moment.

Mercedes lets Kurt take a shower. Once they hear the water running, Mrs. Jones asks, "What happened to the poor boy?"

Her husband adds, "Did someone beat him up?"

Mercedes looks back, making sure Kurt isn't standing around over her shoulder. "The killer attacked him tonight in his own home. Kurt almost died…but he got away."

"Did they catch the culprit?"

"Sadly no, Dad. The killer got away. But they left behind a cell phone, which they used to call Kurt from earlier."

"That poor boy…" Mrs. Jones lets every maternal instinct take over her body. She wants to hug the kid so badly and to let him know he'll be okay. She knows Kurt and she knows that he is stronger. He is stronger than any other boy she has met. He has faced so much and has always prevailed. The entire Jones family knows that he'll prevail again.

The water is hot as it touches Kurt's bloody skin. He winces at the pain, but he needs it right now. He needs to feel something other than the numbness inside. He knows they're talking about him right now, but at this moment he just wants to forget everything. He closes his eyes and he washes the blood off of his skin.

The hot water stings the large gash on his face, feeling as if someone just threw salt into his opened wound. The blood washes down the drain like a whirlpool disappearing forever. If Kurt never sees the color again, he'll be satisfied.

He dries himself off after his shower, wrapping a towel around his narrow waist. He trudges up to the foggy mirror and runs his hand over it. Kurt nearly jumps at his reflection. The wound disgusts him as it sits there in plain sight mocking him. He knows right now it'll leave a bad scar. Kurt turns away, not wanting to see anymore and quickly pulls on a pair of navy silk pajamas.

Kurt meets Mercedes in her bedroom. She sits on her bed in a pair of purple pajamas. Mercedes holds out her arms. She doesn't need to say anything; Kurt just goes to her and she wraps her arms around him as he hugs her back tightly.

"Mercedes, can we please just go to bed? I don't feel like talking anymore."

"Of course, Love. Anything."

Kurt says no more, as Mercedes turns the light off. Kurt snuggles up to her as she falls asleep, but he can't. Images of the attack won't leave his mind. He brings his thin fingers to the cut on his cheek and runs them down the long smooth cut, now clotted with dried blood. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. He tries to force himself to sleep, but his mind won't stop working in hyper drive.

He almost died tonight. That is the only thing Kurt Hummel can think about on this night. He would have died without seeing his father or Carol again. To think that he may never see his father again…he couldn't do that to him. His father already lost his wife and Kurt's mother, Elizabeth Hummel, so Kurt must not let Burt lose someone else. His father may act tough, but Kurt knows he is much more soft on the inside. Kurt would hate to have his father hurt so much again. At his mother's funeral, that was enough for Kurt. Recently Burt Hummel suffered from a heart attack and Kurt was so afraid he was about to lose his other parent as well. The day he woke up, Kurt tells people, is the happiest moment of his life. Kurt needs to stay strong for his father.

He closes his eyes and snuggles up to Mercedes trying to find some way to get to sleep. He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm down his nerves.

~~~

Kurt wakes up in the middle of the night to see Mercedes's clock blinking in bright neon green numbers: 3:47 a.m. Kurt wipes the sleep from his eyes and sneaks away from the bed, carefully prying Mercedes's arm from around his skinny waist. He looks back at her as she immediately turns around cuddling up to a pillow. She may be a diva by day, but when is asleep she looks absolutely harmless.

Kurt quietly tiptoes out of the bedroom. The hallway is long and seems intimidating in the dark. Anything could pop out at any moment. Kurt hugs himself, as a chill runs up his spine. He walks slowly down the hall, each one of his steps making a light creak along the hardwood floor. Kurt enters the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

The light is blinding white as he turns on the switch. He covers his eyes with his arm and lets his eyes focus. He turns on the sink, letting the water run at its coldest setting. He cups the water in his thin soft hands and splashes his face.

"You're okay, Kurt. You're okay…"

Kurt splashes his face once again with the freezing cold water and when he looks back up in the mirror, the ghost mask is right behind him. Kurt screams as his attacker launches himself at Kurt, forcing him to the ground as flesh meets tile.

"HELP!"

"Kurt?" Mercedes screams from the other side of the door, "What is going on?"

The killer throws Kurt against the wall, hitting his head with such force; he can feel blood streaming down the back of his neck.

"Mercedes, open the door!"

"Kurt, what is going on? Why is the door locked?"

"Please help me!" is the last thing Kurt can scream before the killer wraps his gloved fingers around his pale neck. Kurt can feel his breathing stop as he chokes for any bit of air he can get. All he can do is sputter and moan, not even a scream can escape. Everything goes silent in the world around him, as his vision begins to turn black.

~~~

Kurt wakes up in Mercedes's bed alone, gasping for air. His heart beats many miles per minute, as a cold sweat runs down his body. He looks around checking his neck.

I am okay. It was only a nightmare.

The sunlight shines through the window, letting Kurt know it is a brand new day. All he wants to do is escape from yesterday. He pushes the blanket off of him and strides to the bathroom, turning the water on. He undresses and steps under the spray, letting the cold water mix with his sweat and his new batch of tears.

Kurt finishes up and dresses and meets Mercedes and her mother in the kitchen. Mrs. Jones is cooking as Mercedes sits at the table eating her breakfast.

"Good morning, Darling."

"Good morning, Mrs. Jones," Kurt greets her.

"How did you sleep, Boo?" his friend asks worried.

"Fine," he quickly lies, not wanting to let her know the truth. He could only take so much pity in one day. He knows that he'll be getting much more throughout school today between the students and the faculty.

She smiles and grabs his hand reassuringly, "Everything will be fine. I'm here for you any moment of the day, okay?"

Kurt smiles at her as Mrs. Jones puts a plate of eggs before him. Kurt looks down at the yellow mush and is disgusted by the sight. He has no appetite for anything.

"I'm not very hungry, but thank you."

"You have to eat. At least take a few bites, okay?" Mrs. Jones is letting her maternal instincts take over. Kurt can't say no to her sweet nature, so he smiles and forces a few bites into his mouth. He swallows, his face grimacing as if he is being forced to eat bugs.

Mercedes turns on the television, only to find that every news channel is about Kurt's attack from the previous night. She continues flipping through channels, growing nervous before deciding to just turn the television off.

"Sorry…"

"Why are they talking about me?"

"I'm sorry, Love, but just ignore the news stations and everyone, okay? I told you I'm here for you. Let's go. I'll give you a ride to school."

Kurt doesn't say a word. He just grabs his bag and Mercedes drives them both to school. Kurt is dreading this oncoming day. He knows how people are going to just stare at him all day.

Why can't I just fast forward my life to when this is all over? Oh right, then that means life would be somewhat fair.

Mercedes pulls into the parking lot, pulling Kurt away from his thoughts. He gets out and mindlessly follows her into the school. Kurt mentally prepares himself for the daunting day.

The moment he enters the doors, all eyes are on him. Each pair of eyes inspects him, scrutinizing him. He closes his eyes and mentally hopes for everyone to just look away. He puts all his attention on his locker and tries to ignore the stares and the gossip around him. They don't think he notices, or they just don't care, but he can hear all their whispers about him. They aren't exactly quiet about any of it.

At this moment, Kurt wishes that he were one of those badasses who could just flip everyone off and wish them all to go to Hell, but alas he is not. Kurt stays quiet and walks towards his first class, keeping his head up to give the false illusion that he is stronger than they believe.

No fuckin' way will I let them see me broken down today.

As the day wears on, he regrets coming to school today. With all the stares, the pity, the gossip…he just can't take it anymore. He wishes he had stayed at Mercedes's home in her bed all day. But he can't do that. He can't just hide forever. He needs to show the world: No one can take down Kurt Hummel, No one!

As he walks through the empty busy hallways, pushing himself through the thick herd he is pushed into something hard. No. Not something. Someone. Kurt sees the flash of red and white – a varsity football jacket. Kurt looks up slowly, his eyes narrowing on the one person he really never wanted to see again, David Karofsky. Kurt instantly flinches and backs away, clutching his text books close to his chest like some kind of protective shield from the man who has made his life a living hell at this school.

"Watch it, Faggot!"

Kurt's eyes widen as he continues to back away. Even the screeching of the bell, sounding the beginning of class doesn't faze him. He just continues to stare at Karofsky.

"What are you looking at?"

"You…"

"What about me, Homo?"

"It was you!"

All of a sudden everything connects in Kurt's head. It all makes sense. Karofsky has been bullying Kurt for years. Karofsky has always hated the Glee club. Karofsky has a secret that only Kurt knows. Karofsky once threatened to kill Kurt.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why didn't I think of it before?"

The chubby, but unnerving none-the-less, jock stares down at the shorter young man.

"You killed Finn and Rachel! You're the one that tried to kill me last night," Kurt accuses, trying to keep his voice calm. But he has no luck. He can hear the quivering of his own voice as he tries to hold his own ground.

"What?" the athlete asks, genuinely surprised.

"You threatened to kill me, Karofsky," Kurt spits out with as much venom as he can muster, "Someone attacked me last night."

Karofsky looks down at Kurt dumbfounded, "I-I…no…but…"

"Don't try to pretend! After you kissed me, you said you'd kill me!"

"Shut it, Fag," he screams, gaining the stares of a few slow-moving students. He lowers his voice, "I never meant it. I was just trying to scare you. I'm a bully and an asshole, but I'm no killer, Hummel. I'm no fucking killer!"

Kurt doesn't listen anymore. He backs away and starts to run down the hall, leaving Karofsky standing in his place confused.

"Kurt! Wait up!"

Kurt stops to see Puck. Kurt keeps his distance from him, since it was his phone found at his house.

"Hold up, are you okay? Was Karofsky bothering you?"

Kurt shakes his head, "No…I'm okay."

Puck goes to step towards him, but Kurt immediately flinches away.

"Hey. The police let me go. I had an alibi. Someone stole my phone the other night, I swear Kurt. I never attacked you."

"Yeah, but someone did Puck. Someone tried to kill me, the same someone who murdered my stepbrother and our friend."

"Well the police let me go, because they don't think it was me. I wasn't even near your house last night."

Kurt looks up at Puck as he pleads his case. He sounds so sincere, but so did Karofsky. The truth is, Kurt has no idea who the killer was. It could be anyone.

"I'm sorry…"

Kurt is only able to get out the meek apology before running for the doors. He finds himself at his locker grabbing his jacket and running away from the school that has given him so much hell over the years. He runs down the sidewalks, only stopping to put his pea coat on. He has never cut school before, but he just couldn't do it anymore.

Could Puck or Karofsky have killed Finn or Rachel? But Puck, he's my friend. This is all just too much for me right now. I need to find out the truth.

Could his bully be the murderer, or even his friend? The truth is, Kurt has no idea and he is frightened of the fact. He knows only one thing for sure: he needs to figure out who the killer is, before he finds him again.