Mae Borowski winced as the bright rays of the rising winter sun burned through her eyelids. She raised a shaky arm in a vain attempt to shield her groggy eyes. Cracking an eye open, she glanced at her laptop and flipped the screen to see the time.

11:47

Probably time to get up. Mae thought to herself as she forced herself to sit up. Grabbing her shoes and slipping on a fresh shirt and some jeans, she was ready to start the day. Taking another look at her laptop, Mae saw she had a message from Gregg.

Bea and Angus have been really quiet lately... I wonder if they're okay. Mae thought to herself. It had been nearly two months since their run-in with the strange murder-cult in the woods. To Mae and her friends' relief, no one found out about the incident. Angus dealt with it in his own way, not talking about it or acknowledging it happened. Bea claimed their actions were in self-defense and didn't talk about it much anyway. Gregg was the only person who was willing to talk about it, and even then it didn't come up in conversation much.

Mae shook the thoughts from her head and clicked on Gregg's icon. A small text box popped up beside it.

"Hey Mae! Today has been a slow day so far, so I thought some band practice would spice it up! Drop by the Snalcon when you're ready to jam. Sincerely, Greggory :)"

Mae couldn't stop the small smile that spread across her face. Things were finally getting back to normal. She hoped so. She wanted the old Bea back, and the old Angus as well. Gregg always managed to keep his spirits high. His unbridled joy seemed to be contagious, which Mae was thankful for.

Mae slumped down the stairs to the ground floor of her small-town home. She had always loved this house. It seemed to be the perfect size for their... semi-perfect family.

"Hey dear, off to see your friends?" Mae heard her mother call from the kitchen table behind her.

"Yep, we're also having band practice later." Mae half-yelled back. Mae turned and gave a wave to her mom. "I'll see you later, love you."

"Alright, just be safe. I'll be heading to the church in a bit, so if you need me, go there." She said in her motherly tone.

"Okay, see ya." Mae opened the door and stepped out into the brisk winter air.

Mae always liked the cold. Unlike her friend Bea, though that was probably because she had scales rather than fur. However, it was the wind that she didn't like. One strong gust of frigid winter air was enough to chill most anyone to the bone, regardless of the amount of fur they have.

Thankfully, there was nothing more than the occasional gentle breeze. Mae stepped onto the sidewalk and began her trek to the Snack Falcon.

Everything was normal, and Mae was happy. Her friends were safe, those hooded people in the woods were gone, and she finally told her parents why she dropped out of college. She had told them a few weeks after the night in the mine. It was a load off of her shoulders, but it wasn't easy. Her parents were very understanding and kind when she told them. Everything was falling into place. Maybe she could finally be happy.

But something was... off.

On the porch of the three-story striped blue house that Mae passes everyday was... no one.

Where's Selmers? Mae asked herself. Selmers sat on her front porch every day. Every single day. Even on the days she was sick or tired, she would be there. She would normally tell Mae if she were going somewhere, but Mae couldn't recall a single thing.

"Awww... I was really looking forward to that poem." Mae moped as she continued her journey up the hill that lead to the rest of town. As Mae looked around, she noticed how many people she wasn't seeing. Normally the streets and roads were bustling with life, but today... it was like most of them had just vanished.

Not wanting to dwell on the thought any longer, she quickened her pace. Her walk now seeming more like a run as she darted past the empty alleys and quiet streets of Possum Springs. Maybe it was just a slow day for, well, everyone.

"Finally!" Mae panted as she rested her hands on her knees. She was standing in front the Snack Falcon, Gregg's kingdom. "Crap, forgot to drop by and see the others." Mae kicked herself for forgetting to drop by Angus and Bea's place of work. "I'll see them at band practice, I guess."

Mae stepped through the single glass door, instantly feeling the change in atmosphere. Mae closed her eyes in bliss as she absorbed the warmth.

"MAAAAAAAE!" A high pitched, somewhat screechy voice screamed from the front counter. Mae opened her eyes to see Gregg waving his arms in a spastic manner while wearing a grin that stretched ear to ear.

"GREEEEEEEEEEGG!" Mae yelled back in a desperate attempt to match his own level of excitement, sadly falling short. Mae held her arms out wide to add some extra flair.

"What is the ups, dude?" He asked in a calmer tone.

"Not much. Though it seems like everyone else in town is pretty busy, or tired, or... something." Mae answered.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty slow day here at the Snalcon." Gregg turned from Mae and stepped out of a small half-door. He walked over so he was beside Mae. "I've only had a handful of customers come in today."

"That's strange. The Snack Falcon is like, the BEST place to get your munchies." Mae found it all strange. The Snack Falcon usually got pretty good business. Maybe it's the weather... but that never stopped many people from going out in the past. "Anyway, are you up for band practice now?"

"Sure am! If we leave now I think we'll meet 'em there." Gregg grabbed Mae's hand and led her towards the front door.

The sudden blaring of sirens stopped them in their tracks. The sirens sounded close, maybe a few blocks down. The noise was slowly growing louder until bright flashing red and blue lights of a police cruiser sped by the thin glass door. And as quickly as they came, they were gone.

"Geez, what was that all about?" Gregg wondered as he pushed the door open to see the car disappear over the large hill Mae had climbed earlier.

"No idea. Nothing seemed too unusual on my way over here. I mean, it's Possum Springs, what's the worst that could happen? Especially with Aunt Mall Cop on the case!" Mae giggled to herself. "So, band practice, yes?"

"Sup Cap'n~! We got some band practice later today if your beautiful voice is up for it! Let me know so I can tell the rest of our merry crew! XOXO, Greggory ;D"

Angus chuckled at Gregg's email. He loved waking up every morning to his boyfriend's messages. He shot back a quick confirmation text telling him band practice was on.

Angus sat up from his bed and stretched with a yawn. He reached for his glasses on the nightstand and set them gently on his face. Gregg must have gone to work early again. Angus was a relatively light sleeper and Gregg always manages to slip out of bed, get showered, get dressed, and make breakfast without him noticing. Angus always found his stealth skills impressive, given his usual rambunctiousness. He looked at the alarm clock beside his bed.

11:03

He had slept a little longer than he had wanted, but it was his off day and he wasn't going to complain. Angus was a tad upset that Gregg had to go to work while he lazed about at home, but Gregg couldn't be happier that his "Cap'n" was given a chance to rest.

Angus made his way to the bathroom to get a shower. He stepped in, immediately feeling the warm refreshing water envelop him. A smile of delight broke through his normally stoic features. Angus finished with his shower and toweled off most of the water.

Breakfast time... Angus envisioned the beautiful plate of scrambled eggs and bacon that would soon be his. He began by turning on the stove and breaking out all of the necessary ingredients that he would use to achieve the perfect breakfast.

Angus skillfully prepared the rest of his breakfast, demonstrating his culinary finesse with elegance. He sat down the finished platter of beauty on the small table that sat in the kitchen. Angus took a seat and prepared the perfect bite. He held it up to the light to see his work.

"Beautiful." Angus remarked with a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to receive the food he had worked so hard to make.

BANG BANG BANG

Angus's ears shot up at the sound of a loud banging at his apartment's door. He cast his gaze to the door. He couldn't hear anything... Was that really his door?

"Hello?" Angus called out. "Is someone out there?"

... ... ...

Angus kept his eyes on the door as he brought the fork up to his mouth once more. He gently set the carefully assembled bite into his mouth, gleefully chomping away at his food.

BANG BANG BANG

Angus's head shot towards the door. He definitely heard it that time, and it was most certainly HIS door that made that sound. Angus stood from the table. He set down his fork and napkin and made his way to the front door. He stood in front of his apartment's door. It didn't have a peephole, which is something Angus really wanted at the moment.

Angus stood up tall, held his head high, and opened up the door.

He came face to face with a horrendous sight. His neighbor from down the hall was slumped over against the wall opposite of his door. His left arm was bent in an odd angle, one that definitely wasn't natural. He had something protruding from his back. It looked like... a butter knife? The hole from the knife left a startling amount of blood pouring down his back.

"M-Mr... Taylor?!" Angus squeaked out. His breathing quickened as he stared at the slumped man. He tried to move, but Angus was frozen in place. "You- you're bleeding! Badly!"

Mr. Taylor instantly responded to Angus's words. But rather than a verbal response, he was met with the cold, dead gaze of the older man.

The mutilated man lunged at Angus with surprising speed for his age. Angus instinctively raised his hands to shield his face. Mr. Taylor's hand closed around his shoulders and sent the both of them falling to the ground. Angus's left hand grabbed the other man's neck, his right closed around the man's wrist. Angus tried his best to push him off.

"MR. TAYLOR! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Angus yelled, desperately hoping to break through to the insane man. Angus struggled to throw the man off of him. Angus managed to lift a leg up to his chest, and with a forceful shove, he threw Mr. Taylor off of him. Angus scrambled to get to his feet, Mr. Taylor doing the same. Angus bolted for the kitchen and grabbed the first thing he saw.

Angus raised the frying pan over his head, ready to strike. Angus's breathing was getting faster. He needed his inhaler, but it was in the bedroom and he'd have to get past Mr. Taylor. Speaking of Mr. Taylor...

The crazed man stepped into the kitchen, his eyes landing on Angus. It let out an inhuman shriek as it charged at him. Angus swung the frying pan with all his might. It connected with the top of his head, immediately sending the old man to the ground. Angus raised the pan and brought it down again, earning a sickening crack.

Mr. Taylor stopped moving. The frying pan cracked his skull and did enough damage to his brain to kill him. Angus was frozen in place once again. His eyes didn't leave the body of his neighbor. He never spoke to him much, just the odd "hello" here and there.

Angus covered his mouth with his hand to contain the vomit that was threatening to come out. Angus turned from the corpse and shuffled to his bedroom. He grabbed his inhaler and picked up his phone.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

Author's Note: I'd like to thank anyone who read this, you have my eternal thanks :) I also welcome any criticisms/suggestions that will help me develop my writing skills.