Author's Note: Woah. It has been quite a few... months... I really have no excuse for why this chapter took so long to make. To those who have been waiting, I give to you my apologies. There have been a few life problems that slowed me down, but mostly just a lack of interest here and there prevented me from working with full potential. Either way, here's the awaited chapter eleven. I hope it is good, just like how I hope all the other chapters are. This chapter might get a bit weird so be on the lookout for weirdness. Enjoy.

Drain was hard at work trying to penetrate through the barrier. It appears as though the barrier is still fully intact, but perhaps Drain had made a crack or a few? The fact that the barrier was invisible made it nearly impossible to tell if any damage was done. Drain had already tried using all the tools in the toolbox. The wrench, screwdriver, hammer, the box itself. He's even thrown his whole body against the barrier. "What if maybe I were to use something heavier… a car possibly? Nah, too dangerous..." he kept mumbling quietly to himself, figuring out how to gain access to a possible escape route. Castro approached him while he was in deep thought.

"Heyyo Draino!" Castro waved to Drain.

Drain put down the tool he was currently holding, the hammer, into the toolbox. With a slight smile, he asked, "I thought you were going to relax with Mae? Why are you back so soon?"

"I am not as tired as I thought I was. I wanted to help you with the barrier too."

"Well, it's strange that you walked all the way back to base, just to come back here."

"I mostly wanted to walk Mae back."

"Alright then."

"Thank you for finally trusting Mae" Castro smiled to Drain.

"Actually, Castro, I'm having... 'doubts'. I trust her enough to work with her, but not enough to be buddies with her."

"And that's fine. You don't have to be her friend. I just want us all to be allies. But you should at least try to protect her if a moment of danger does happen."

"I'm not going to risk my life for her. If it becomes a life or death situation I'm defending either you or me." Drain became all flustered talking about it.

Castro could tell by the sweat and frustration that Drain was too worked up. "How about you take a break. You've been working really hard on the barrier." Castro walks over to a patch of green grass and lays down upon it. He pats the area next to him. "Join me. Take a break."

Drain didn't object to the offer like Castro thought he would, instead he fell right onto the area of grass next to Castro. "This grass feels more comfortable than I have I assumed."

"Yeah! You should just lay and relax. Let's just have some silence for a bit." Castro closed his eyes, only wanting to hear the wind. A light breeze blew over his fur. The feeling was nice.

Drain had his eyes open, looking at the sky. The sky was a nice calming blue with few clouds. Although, knowing the fact the sky was false unnerved Drain. He decided to put his mind on something else. "Screw silence!" taking a moment to think, "Remember when we first met?"

"Woah, it's weird to think that was only about a month ago! Here in false world of all places too!"

"You act like it was a good first meetup?"

"It kind of was…"

"I thought you kidnapped me! And I remember when I began to think you were becoming one of them!"

"Oh… yeah, the full memory is coming back to me… heh…" Castro kept his eyes closed, going into deep thought as he tried recalling when he and Drain first met.

Castro felt cold and was laying on a carpeted floor. All he remember last was going to sleep in his bedroom, but, as he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that the room around him was one of which he had never seen before. Castro sat up, then put his hand against his forehead. A huge headache immediately occurred in his head, making it tough for him to think properly. The only light came from a front door and two windows from both sides of it. Since not much light came through, most of the room was dark. Castro himself was barely in the light. I… need… to know where I'm… at… He stood up from the floor, slowly moved towards the door, and as he put his hand on the doorknob, a shuffling sound was heard from within the darkness. Castro turned to gaze into the darkness behind him, and out came a man who he would soon know to be Drain. "Who…"

"Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here? And what did you plan to do with me?" Drain asked, agitated. He was just as confused as Castro was, and even had his hand upon the side of his head as if he had a headache like Castro. "Answer me now, kidnapper!"

"I…" Castro could not speak with such a headache bothering him. He felt as though his mouth wouldn't move for him. I'm not… a kidnapper… Castro shook his head no, for that was all he could think to do.

Drain raised a fist, feigning strength. He faked a face of anger and acted as if he would hurt the grey feline. Castro fell to the ground in overwhelming fear, his headache too much to bear. "Huh… I guess he's not a kidnapper. Too much of a scaredy cat." Drain chuckled at his pitiful pun. He reached out his hand to Castro before saying "Get off the ground." He was afraid to touch Drain's hand, but, unable to think properly, did so anyway. Drain hoisted him up. "Are you fine? You seem to be in a bad state." All Castro could do was point as his head, but Drain knew what he meant. "I have a strange headache too. But it seems like yours is much worse."

"Y-Yes," Castro could barely mutter.

"Save your breath. Just stand against that wall or something. I'll go get help," Drain told him quickly. Castro nodded and put his back against the yellow wall. Drain didn't want to have to take care of some stranger, so he was hoping somebody else would help instead. Opening the door revealed that it was night time, which was already evident enough by the little illumination that came into the house. The area was a part of Possum Springs Drain had been a few times, yet mostly unfamiliar to him. In the street, a man was standing, back facing Drain, which surprised Drain because he wasn't expecting to see anybody out this late at night. "Hey, I need some help! Can you call an… ambulance?" he wasn't sure if an ambulance was really needed for a headache, but better safe than sorry. When the man didn't answer, Drain approached him. "Uh, do you have a phone I could borr-" The man swiftly rotated to Drain, slashing a knife at him. The man managed to cut deep into his abdomen. Drain pressed his arm against the wound to stop the blood, which was soaking through his shirt. "Mother effer! Why did you effing do that?!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" the man chanted. His face had a huge smile and scars all over, which creeped Drain.

"What is wrong with your face!?" he backed away, "You're insane!"

"Drain must die! Kill Drain! Kill Drain!" the man swung his weapon again, missing.

"How do you know my name?!" Then Drain noticed somebody else, a woman, walking towards him. She was unarmed, and seemed safe. "Hey! I need help!" The woman, silent, readied her fist. Drain knew she wasn't going to help. He also knew that punching or kicking them wouldn't work, he would just get overpowered and stabbed in his weak state.

"Your pocket! A gun!" came Castro's voice from the doorway of the house. Castro was leaning against the doorframe pointing at Drain's pocket. He instinctively reached for his pocket taking out a pistol. He wondered how it got there; he didn't remember ever putting a gun in his pocket, but then again somebody could have slipped it onto him. Didn't matter. He pointed the gun at the man with a knife. It seemed as though, even with a gun, the man wasn't intimidated. He was ready to swing his knife when Drain finally shot the gun. The body of the man fell to the ground, directly in front of Drain, a pool of blood forming around him. At sight of this, the woman grew overly hostile. She dashed towards Drain, but before making any contact, the gun was shot again, and her fate ended alike the man.

"Oh shit! I-I-I just killed two people! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Drain tried calming himself with deep breaths. He turned to Castro to say, "S-Something's wrong here! These people are- er- were insane!"

"T-That's… weird…..." Castro weakly spoke, giving Drain a thumbs down. He then immediately fell to the ground, barely conscious. Drain came over to the currently weak stranger. He had his hand on his forehead, so Drain decided to feel there too.

"Woah, you must have a fever! Your forehead is very hot!" Drain exclaimed. Castro only blinked as a response. Drain still was not wanting to have to help this stranger, but between the three people he's met tonight, Castro's the only surely safe one. "Ok, c'mon, in we go." Drain was able to pick up Castro, which was tough, but since he's a tad underweight it wasn't too straining. Inside, somehow, while holding Castro, he found and flipped the light switch to the house. There was a couch in the middle of the living room. He gently placed Castro onto the comfy couch, and went into the kitchen. A minute later, he came back with a wet rag. "I am not too sure how to help a fever, but this should do something at least." He carefully placed the moistened rag upon Castro's forehead. "Hmm, now get some rest… I'll stay near that door to make sure no insane people will try to break in," he reassured Castro. Castro smiled to Drain. "Th… anks."

Drain shyly looked away. "Yeah yeah, just rest already." He walked over to the front door to keep watch.

"I heard a voice…"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"I can't explain it… but it fills me with fear."

"What does...?" Drain questioned, not hearing Castro the first time.

"I heard this strange feminine voice… frightening and… scratchy like a record..."

Drain looked at him as if he was insane. He was kind of afraid the feline would turn crazy like one of those people just killed. "Just go to sleep." When he looked over at him, Castro was already passed out. "I have a gun. I can use it if I have to." Drain mumbled, holding it in front of him.

Castro opened his eyes, flashback over, and turned his head to Drain, who was staring back at him. "Um… how long were you staring at me?"

"Oh- uh- well, you were mumbling about when we first met…"

"I-I was? Oops, sorry!"

"No no, it's alright. It was nice going through the memory again… sorta…"

"Yeah-" Castro coughs, "Ooooogh. That was one bad cough"

"Heh, you better not be getting sick again."

"Pfft, I'm fine!"

"I do have one question for you." Castro looked attentively at Drain ready for his question. "I definitely remember you hearing a voice, or well you said you did anyway. What did it tell you?"

"Voice…? Yeah, I told you I heard it, but I definitely don't remember what it told me."

"Anyway," Drain stands up, "This was a nice break. We should get back to the barrier though."

Castro, still laying in the grass, asked Drain, "How much progress have you made on the barrier?"

Drain had a long sigh, "None at all…"

"I-I have an idea."

"Yeah?"

"A barrier is made to not be crossed. This barrier is no different. It's obvious that it is unbreakable, so maybe there's no way through it?"

"Castro, there could be our escape on the other side!" Drain grabs a hammer and smashes it against the invisible barrier, no dents or cracks to be made.

"Drain, just give it up for now. We can always come back to this, but it's just tiring you. The barrier isn't moving anywhere anytime soon anyway."

"It's only been less than a day and you're already going to give up so easily? You got any better ideas?!"

"A-Actually, yeah I do…"

"Then tell me it."

"Gregg, the person that Mae told us about, the leader, he might be our way out of here. If not, then we return to finding a breakthrough on the barrier."

"Oh, that's actually an alright idea. The most likely person to know of an escape route is the one running this whole world."

"Yes, we should get back to Mae and see if we can get more information about Gregg."

"Ok, I'm ready."

Castro threw his hands up in excitement. "Then let's hurry up and go back! The sooner we can discuss this the better!"

"No need to rush. I want to get out fast too, but I'm exhausted. Let's just walk back." Drain was fanning himself with his hand.

Castro grabs the toolbox. "Yes, let's." The two began making their way back to base.

Mae lifts up her head. The room she resides in was none other than her own bedroom. Still drowsy, she mumbles, "The tacos go with the bacon, mom." She realizes her own drowsiness and groans, "Uugh… I need some water." Getting out of her bed, she stretches and yawns. She heads downstairs to the kitchen of her home. Fetching a cup from a cabinet, she fills it up with water from the nearby sink tap. She instinctively turns over to the small kitchen table. The chair that her mother would usually sit in is empty. No saying hello to her this morning. Mae wants to watch some television with her dad. Maybe Garbo and Malloy will be playing? She dawdles over and onto the couch. Nothing like the couch over at Gregg's place. She gets grumpy from the thought. "Hey dadders, could we watch some television?" Nobody is sitting next to her. The spot her dad usually sits is soaked with blood and has a single familiar finger on it. Mae continues as if her dad is there. "Don't worry, I'll change it to the right channel." The cup of water that was in her hand is now a remote control. Her finger moves over to the "next channel" button. Skimming through the channels, each one only showing static. Every press of the button moving on to the next channel, which becomes blacker than the rest until the TV becomes pitch black. That was a good episode, Mae thinks, enjoying the amazing, hilarious comedy she just watched. Without thinking, she throws the remote to the floor. It makes a glass shattering sound that echoes throughout the entire house. When she checks the floor, all that is there is a broken glass cup and a wet stain. "Mom! The carpet is wet again!" Mae shouts to the upstairs section of the house. I wonder what Bea is up to? She says her thought to her mother, "And I'm also heading out to Pickaxe Ol'! See you tonight, Mom!"

Mae, now at the front, opens the door. The Pickaxe Ol's music begins to play it's usual music (a reversed them of the Ol' Pickaxe's theme) as Mae enters. She waves her hand to Bea, remarking, "That episode today was hella good!" Bea shakes her head no.

"Since when have you started to say 'Hella'?" Bea asks as seriously as possible.

Mae begins to laugh uncontrollably at Bea's question. "When did I ever say that?!" Tears stream from Mae's eyes, the humor overwhelming her.

Bea's face becomes as sour as lemon juice. "I still haven't forgiven you."

"Now you bring that up?!" Mae's eyebrows slanting, her face looks angry. "I was under stress! Ok?!" Mae throws out yells at Bea.

Bea returns with more shouting, "That chair hurt, Mae! I am injured. So injured, actually, that I might as well be dead right now!"

"Yeah, go ahead! Kill yourself! See if I care!" Mae didn't put a lick of thought into what she was saying."

Mae instantly feels extremely terrible. Immense guilt filled within her. "What? I don't know? A chair can't kill you! And shouldn't you have been able to dodge it anyway?" Mae shrugged unable to comprehend death by chair. Bea just chuckles as if what Mae said was blatantly wrong.

A sudden flicker, then the lights switched off momentarily. A loud sound could be heard along with screeching against the floor. When the lighting turned back on, Bea was on the counter with multiple streams of blood flowing down her head, from the multitude of glass shards. Mae screamed in horror, not able to withstand this horrific sight.

She instantly woke up. Her nose was in pain, and so her first instinct was to feel around it. When she peeked at her hand, there was a light blood splotch. Although, what was more important to her at the moment was whatever just happened. That dream… or no... nightmare! That wasn't the usual dream-to-reality type thing. What could it have meant…? It made no sense. Bea… did I… ki- no! It was just a chair to the head. Nothing lethal... right? I just have to hope she recovered! Mae shakes the thoughts out of her head. Let's see where I am now. With a bright light all around her and the odd smell of pine cones, It did not take too long for Mae to notice the strange building she was inside. All four walls and the ceiling were glass, with a soft carpeted flooring. Through the transparent walls showed a forest completely surrounding the building. No doors, any hallways, nor any other rooms were connected, only this one big room Mae was located in. The temperature nice and warm. As for what was inside, Mae herself was tucked into a blue, clean sleeping bag. Next to her was a silver tray with a steaming cup of tea. A plate of food sat next to the hot beverage. With the rumble of her stomach she knew exactly what to do with the food. Mae grabbed the plate and began to consume the food. Some thoroughly cooked salmon along with a side of steaming mashed potatoes. Compared to the snack foods she ate twenty-four/seven, this was heaven. The cup of tea was also good, a nice bit of variety than just water. Although, this dinner made Mae realize something, If I'm able to get full from eating this, then I must not be dreaming anymore. But that just made her question more about the area she was in. This is oddly calming, something must be up. She scratched her chin with her mashed potato-covered finger wondering. Welp, might as well search around… this mostly empty room. Mae removed herself from the sleeping bag. Mae felt a cramp in her leg, so she walked away the pain. Going up to the walls, she pressed her hand against it. The wall was cold and it indeed felt like glass. The outside looked completely real too. Not a hologram, she told herself.

"You've finally arrived."

"Ack!" Mae turned around, shook, reaching for the knife she didn't have with her. "Who are you? Why am I here?" Mae showed her fists to try and intimidate the person.

"Relax Mae. I'm here for you." Mae examined the person closely for any clues to their identity. Their voice was deeply masculine meaning most likely an adult man. He had a large, brown hood over his head and body to block any features from showing. He was taller than Mae, much like many other people. She couldn't pick out any other details with the hood on.

"If you're here for me, then why don't you take off the hood?" she spoke cautiously.

"I'm not the matter here. You've asked for guidance and I am here to deliver."

He's right. I did want some guidance. "If that's your goal, then go ahead and give me some answers! How do I escape? Why is Gregg suddenly evil and the leader? Why am I even here in the first place?! Ho-" The hooded man gave a loud cough and stuck out his arm, mostly covered by sleeve, in order to silence Mae. His hand was a light brown fur, one of the few details Mae could gain on her own. He moved over to the center of the room, and sat down directly on the sleeping bag. Mae was not sure what to do. "What are you doing?" The hooded man remained silent. "Stop being creepy you weirdo, and effing help me!" His silence irritated her. "You!" she shouted to gain his attention.

"Calm." he said extremely quietly, but loud enough for Mae to hear. She realized her desperation for help, how badly she wanted an answer. As quiet and moveless as the hooded man was being, Mae felt like she might have hurt his feelings. I think he wants me to do something. She walked up to him. No movement he gave. Is he… meditating? Am I supposed to join him? She stood there for a good couple of minutes not knowing what to do. The hooded man sighed, and he patted the area of the sleeping bag next to him. Oh, he does want me to join him. He could have told me. She sat next to him.

"Meditate."

"What?"

"Close your eyes, put your hands out, and relax yourself. Like me." The hooded man takes in a deep breath, then relaxes his body. Mae, watching him, inhales extremely deeply and barely exhales, choking herself. The hooded man sighs in pity, "You… You're trying too hard. Just relax."

"Hey! You don't know the stuff I've been through! How do I even know you'll have the information I need?"

"If you truly want to see my knowledge, I shall give some to you. I know everything that has happened to you in false world. I've been watching over you."

"So you've basically been stalking me?"

"No… I can hear all of your thoughts."

"Guess this thought!" Mae thought of a random message that the man would not be able to guess. Peanut butter sandwich with a side of toenail clippings! Mae grinned thinking he would never guess that. Not even a lucky guess can happen!

"Peanut butter sandwich with a side of toenail clippings... Which is a strange thought."

"Lucky guess!" Mae was not too astounded by this. More confused than anything else, but by this point she was used to confusion. Confusion is common in false world.

"How are you able to hear my thoughts? How long have you been able to hear them?!"

"I myself am not sure as to how I can hear them. It's only occurred since about the time you've arrived to what you call 'false world'."

"You know what I'm able to think, but you haven't seen everything for yourself."

"Yes, to an extent."

"What?" Mae scratched her ear.

"I can teleport myself from this room to that world. But only every once in a while. It's a strange ability. One of the many factors of false world that even I don't understand."

"You understand more than I do," Mae grumbles, scratching her chin. "Hey, if you trust me, then why don't you tell me who you are?"

"No. Maybe next time you visit me."

"Oh come on! I've been through so much suspense! So much mystery! And I can't even know who you are?!"

"Calm down, Mae. I was just kidding." He pulls down his hood revealing a snow leopard man (because everybody in nitw is an animal). "My name is William." He gives a smile showing his yellow teeth.

"That's a nice name. I don't think I've ever heard of you before though…"

"You never knew who I was, but I knew who you were."

"Yeah, you know who I am from watching over me."

He snickers, telling Mae, "I've known you from long before false world."

"Wait, what?" Her ear twitched nervously. "Did you stalk me?"

"Yes, I was one of them who did it."

Mae stumbles back. "You stalked me?! And there were more."

"It was not fully stalking. I had to do it as a part of my oath."

"Oath? Stalking? Group of people?" it all too suddenly pieced together in her mind, "Were you in the cult?!"

"I did what I did because of my oath. Eventually, I learned to not like it.

Mae could remember the time when she went into the mines and met face to face with the cult, or face to hood. There, Mae, along with Gregg, Bea, and Angus, learned about Casey's disappearance was more so Casey's death; a death at fault to the cult and a deep hole. Mae accused William, "You were one of them who killed Casey!"

William's anger could be sensed off from him, but he also wanted to calm down the situation. "I'm here to guide you not talk about my past. I had nothing to do with that boy, you can trust me on that."

"But the cult killed Casey, You're a part of the cult, so you have some part in his death." He took a deep breath, then continued his meditation, attempting to ignore Mae. "Could you at least tell me how he was when he died? Was he scared for his life? Was he unconscious? Did he even get to say any last words?"

He looked as if he recalled a memory, but he did not mention it. "I'm a cult member not any longer, so stop treating me like one of them. I did told you I have nothing to do with that boy. We're here for you, your life, not for mine. Now meditate with me, we need to do this."

Mae was skeptical about this whole situation. A cult member, or better yet, an ex-cult member, wanted her to meditate with him. And, he kept telling that there was no connection between him and Casey, Mae, however, felt that he was lying. She had no proof to come back at him though. A deal felt like the best option. "If I meditate with you, will you talk about Casey?" Mae spoke, hoping for a straightforward yes.

"I can only give you what I know," William said.

Anything about Casey's death, that's all I want. She watched the man to mimic his actions in order to successfully meditate. She tried to get her breathing synchronized with his, but just began odd breaths. When she tried to get in the same pose as him, she ended up straining herself. Ugh! I can't do this! Mae thought.

Knowing what she was thinking William whispered, "Yes you can. You don't have to meditate exactly like me, the crucial part is to relax. First your body, then your mind."

Mae gave him a blank stare. Just relax? That's it she pondered, I can do that. Mae lays back onto the soft carpet ground, stretches her arms outward, and releases all the tension in her body. The room was too quiet. Many thoughts came flooding to her mind: how to escape, why was Gregg doing all this, what to do with Bea, what was her nightmare about, would taco tasty tuesday be a good idea, who was this hooded man, what's the bigger picture, many important questions going unanswered.

William repeated his words, "First your body, then your mind."

Got it. Mae began to think about a blank wall, letting all the other thoughts vanish until her mind was empty. Mae was thinking of nothing, nothing at all (except for tacos, those always lingered in her mind). It was nice and peaceful. Quiet even. The feeling of the floor beneath her giving way. An endless void surrounding her. Her body felt like it was floating. Whether this was actually happening she could not tell. She cannot see for her eyes would not open. She could not speak for her mouth remained shut. All she could do was smell, hear, and feel. Even then, there was no smell. There were no objects to feel. Too quiet for sound. Though, wait. In the far distance, there was a sound. That sound only grew louder and louder. It began to sound like a fork rubbing against a plate, or a metal hook scraping against glass. Her mind filled with vivid images of a wide smile. The cause of the noise incomprehensible for her mind to process, to imagine, to ponder. Then, suddenly, a loud scratchy voice appeared in her mind, "The end is approaching, much faster than you think. When you see sky turn purple and a blue butterfly, one with yellow spots, you will know that your grand finale is right in front of you. Good luck~"

She jolted up from her spot, clawing the floor in panic. A headache brewing in her head. "Wh-What just happened!? Who was that?!" Mae was filled with so much fear at just thinking about the voice she heard. She turned to the hooded man for an answer, hoping he would actually give one this time. And he did give one.

"It was a message left by her; the creator."

End notes: Interesting chapter? Not interesting chapter? Weird chapter maybe? Tried to leave it on suspense for the next chapter - which hopefully won't come out five months from now... Anyway, hope you liked this one, next one will (most likely) dive into information about not only false world, but that and nitw's famed cult as well. Be on the lookout for chapter twelve, and thanks for reading this chapter of my story. Until later!