Mae lounged around on her bed, keeping herself occupied with her phone. In just a few hours she would head over to the mine for whatever meeting the group had planned. Mae just hoped there wouldn't be any sacrificing. She didn't like doing that.
Earlier in the day Mae had gone around town and talked with her friends. And she had managed to get a job at the taco place after a spot opened up. This was all working out. She had gotten a job and she hadn't had a single nightmare or headache since she joined the group. It was almost worth celebrating.
"Mae? Are you up here?" someone asked, heading up the stairs to Mae's room.
"Uh, yeah. Hi," Mae waved as the someone made it up. It was Aunt Mall-cop, of all people.
"Oh, good. I've got to talk to you," Aunt Molly explained.
Mae sat up, putting down her phone, "Um, alright."
Aunt Molly sat on Mae's bed. She seemed to be putting on a fake smile.
"So, uh, you're gonna need to come to mine earlier than usual. Like at eight," she said.
Mae checked the time. It was a little after seven-thirty. But there was a bigger issue here. Was Aunt Molly part of the group?
"...Are you…?" Mae asked.
"Yeah, actually," Aunt Molly admitted, almost nonchalantly.
"Huh," Mae said.
"'Huh' what?" Aunt Molly questioned.
"Well, I kinda always thought you were in it. I guess I was right." Mae explained.
"Hmm, well maybe I should try harder to keep it a secret," Aunt Molly chuckled.
Mae asked, "Why do I need to be at the mine so early? It's not even dark out."
"Apparently there's some stuff going on in town or something, and they wanna hold a meeting to resolve it, or something. I don't really know, I'm just the messenger," Aunt Molly explained.
Mae nodded. What kinda "stuff" could be going on in town? Maybe Mae had done something wrong. Aw jeez, Mae hoped she hadn't done anything wrong.
It seemed that with how long it would take to get the the mine, it made sense just to leave then. Aunt Molly apparently had the same idea, as the both of them stood up and began to walk downstairs and out the door. But not before waving bye to Mae's mom, of course.
The two didn't really say much else on their brisk walk to the mine, which was nice, because it let Mae bask in the yellows and oranges of the setting sun. It often didn't look as vibrant, so it was actually pretty great that Mae was outside to observe it.
Bea sat on a stool in her apartment, talking to Germ and sometimes Gregg and Angus. They were waiting until it was dark out before leaving. Or at least, Bea and Germ were, Gregg and Angus seemed only to be flirting on her couch.
"It seems dark enough out for it to be considered night now," Germ said.
"You've said that at least ten times, Germ," Bea said, breathing a puff of smoke from her stub of a cigarette. She put out the remnants in a nearby ashtray.
"But it really does seem like it now. The sun's already set," Germ blankly protested.
Bea checked the time. It was almost eight-thirty. Maybe Germ was right.
Bea sighed, standing up, "Alright, sure. Let's go."
"Oh, are we going?" Gregg asked.
"Yeah," Bea nodded.
It was a nice night out, though it would probably rain the next day. It just seemed like it had to, with how little rain they had gotten, and how cloudy it was.
The streets were pretty much empty, with no cars on the road except the ones that were parked. In fact, the whole town seemed to be, not exactly dead, but rather holding its breath. Sort of like the quiet before the storm. Bea hoped there wouldn't be a storm, but it was bound to rain eventually, wasn't it?
None of them had brought weapons, except for Gregg, who had his knife in his pocket. It probably wouldn't be too useful for protecting themselves, since the entire cult had rifles, but the feeling of "sorta protected" was nice. None of them had brought a flashlight, either. Bea had her phone's flashlight, but it still seemed like they should have nabbed an actual flashlight.
Bea had practically memorized the path to the mine. She had gone there, what, three times? Or would this be the third time? Bea couldn't even remember.
"So, you're sure that they won't attack us, simply because Mae won't let them?" Angus asked, breaking the silence. They were only a couple minutes away from the mine's entrance.
"Yeah, I've talked to some of these people and they wouldn't do it. Besides, my dad's there. He wouldn't let them attack me." Bea explained, "I guess you're on your own, though."
Gregg chuckled, "Thanks for the comforting."
"I aim to please," Bea added, continuing to stare ahead.
The entrance to mine was the same as it was before, dark and damp. But something seemed… off. It was almost too quiet. One of the cultists should have been by the opening, or something like that.
The four stepped into the elevator, ready to descend into what could, just maybe, be their death. The elevator's light flickers. And then again.
This seems all too familiar. Bea's definitely felt this before. She tries to get her phone out and shine the light. She tries to tell everyone to be careful. She tries to get Gregg to pull out his knife.
The light goes out. Everything is silent. Gregg opens his mouth to speak. The light flickers back on. Two cultists stand in front of the elevator, bats in their hands.
Gregg reaches into his pocket. Angus raises his fists. Germ backs behind Bea who tries to pull out her phone. The light goes off again, and Bea hears someone get hit by the bat, followed by the sound of them falling to the ground. And then again. The light flickers back on, just for a split second. Gregg and Angus are on the ground. The light goes out. Bea hears air swoosh by as one of the cultists raises the bat. Bea doesn't hear anything after the bat collides with her skull. She goes unconscious and hits the floor, following her friends.
After Germ also goes down, the assault ends. The light slowly flickers back on. The cultists step over the unconscious four, being careful not to slip on the small blood puddle slowly coalescing on the ground. They send the elevator down. All four of Mae's friends unwillingly follow.
