So, in hindsight, running away from the police and chasing after a man who'd tried to murder her wasn't the smartest thing Mae had ever done. It probably wasn't the dumbest thing, but it was definitely in the top ten, maybe even the top five.
Well, hindsight's 20-20, right?
After Mae reached the top of Gregg and Angus's apartment building, it took her no time at all to jump her way to the Food Donkey parking lots. It was late now; the sky was a dark, almost black shade of blue. The sky and the parking lot both seemed to blend together into one singular expanse of blackness. Thankfully, there was just enough light for Mae to make her way to the basketball courts, and from there, to the woods.
Mae wasn't sure why she felt like she knew where she'd find Eide. Maybe it was a sort of sixth sense. Maybe it was the Goat. Or maybe Eide just seemed kind of predictable. Mae barely knew him, but at the same time felt like she knew everything about him. It was a little spooky, but Mae's life had been pretty spooky in general lately.
But spooky or not, Mae felt like she had to make this trip. And so, once again, Mae found herself taking a nighttime hike out to the mines.
Unlike the last time she'd gone up to the mines, this time it was uncomfortably warm. Mae guessed that these hot summer nights would be coming to an end sooner or later. After that, it would only be a matter of time until her one year anniversary of returning to Possum Springs.
God. A whole year back home, and what did Mae have to show for it? She still didn't have a job. Mae wasn't sure if that was because no one wanted to hire her, or she just wasn't looking hard enough. She had a bad feeling it was the former, but wanted to believe it was the latter. Not that either option was particularly better than the other.
It was a little strange to think about unemployment while marching to confront your would-be murderer, but Mae's mind always had a tendency to wander. Anyway, she wanted to get her mind off of a lot of stuff.
The woods brought forth a lot of bad memories. They reminded her of the parties she threw up at. They reminded her of when she was shot at. They reminded her of the mines, where Casey and who knows how many others had met their end.
These woods were full of ghosts.
When a space is haunted, it can't be unhaunted. Mae couldn't remember where she'd heard that, but it was true. The bad stuff didn't go away just because you wanted to make peace with it. Mae knew she'd always have these memories and these feelings. There wouldn't be any closure.
"There won't be any closure," Mae said. When she said it out loud, it seemed more real.
Last year, Mae had learned about holding on and letting go. This year, she'd learned that letting go wasn't as easy as it seemed. Maybe it took your whole life to let go of the things that hurt you. But if you kept holding onto those bad things, you'd just wind up hurting more.
So Mae figured that the best thing to do was to just let go a little bit at a time. She'd let the pain and the sadness slip through her fingers gradually. In the meantime, she'd live her life. For Casey, and Aunt Molly, and whoever else had died in these woods.
Mae stopped on the hill that led to the mine. She didn't stop because she was having second thoughts. She didn't stop because it was too dark, either. Mae had stopped because she needed to process her thoughts. All of that stuff about letting go sounded nice, but putting it into practice was going to be something else altogether.
Also, she stopped because she heard one of her friends call her an asshole.
"Hey, asshole!" Gregg cried out from behind Mae.
Mae was hit by a tremendous amount of déjà vu. Before she even turned around, she knew from the sound of four sets of feet (Well, three-and-a-half) what she'd see. To be certain, though, Mae decided to employ the scientific method and turn around to concern her suspicions.
Gregg, Bea, Angus, and Germ were all standing behind her. Their faces were lit up faintly by the light from Bea's cigarette. Neither Bea nor Gregg seemed especially happy with Mae. Gregg was balanced on a pair of crutches, leaning against Angus slightly. The big guy had his arm wrapped around Gregg's shoulder.
"Really?" Gregg asked. "You're really pulling this shit again? How many times are you gonna march off into dangerous shit without telling us?" Gregg almost looked like he was about to swing one of his crutches at Mae. As fun as hitting each other with crutches might be, though, Gregg didn't look like he was in the mood for goofing off.
Mae rubbed her arm sheepishly, doing her best to avoid making eye contact with any of her friends. "I mean, I couldn't tell you where I was going with a cop in the room," she muttered. "I figured you guys would come after me sooner or later. Surprised you were so quick, though. How'd you get away from the cops?"
"We told them we knew where you went," Bea said. "And then said we'd go get you. They wanted to come with us, so we ditched them." Bea sighed. "Lying to the cops. Great. New high point in my life."
Mae, who had never been the biggest fan of the police, didn't quite understand why Bea was so upset. If Mae had her way, she'd lie to the cops 24/7. Then again, Bea was all responsible and shit. Mae guessed she'd have to apologize for all of this later on.
"Is it okay for you to be out here, though?" Mae asked. "I mean, Gregg's got a broken leg."
Despite the poor lighting, Mae could see Gregg roll his eyes. "You think a broken leg is going to stop me from stopping you from pulling this shit again? I hobbled at the speed of effing light to catch up with you."
"Also, I carried him," Angus chimed in.
Before Mae could get a word in edgewise, she was interrupted by Bea. "Seriously, Mae. I get that you don't have the best impulse control, but did you ever stop and think that this was a bad idea? You're chasing a guy who kidnapped and tried to shoot you. I mean…" Bea stopped, clearly frustrated beyond words. "God, I can't even begin to tell you how scared we were! Jeez!"
Her friends' chastisement only served to make Mae feel even more bashful. She knew this was a dumb idea, but she still felt like it was something she had to do. Guiltily, Mae looked at the disapproving expressions on her friends' faces. The only one who didn't seem upset with her was Germ, who just stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"Are you gonna chew me out, too?" Mae asked.
"I'm just here to watch," Germ said. "I'm invested in all this now. It's real exciting."
Mae didn't really know what to say to that. She supposed it was good that Germ was being honest, at least.
The sounds of bugs and ghost owls filled the woods. Everything that needed to be said had been said. Mae had been properly chastised. The odds she'd do something stupid like this again were pretty good, but at least she wouldn't do it alone.
"So, you really think he's up there?" Gregg asked. "At the mines?"
"It's the only thing I can think of," Mae said. "I mean, it's where I'd go if I was him."
Gregg sighed. Everyone looked out towards the hill. The stony peaks of what had once been the town's lifeblood were just visible against the night sky.
"Damn," Gregg murmured. "Wish I had my crossbow."
So, in hindsight, trying to shoot Borowski and her friends in their own home with dozens of possible witnesses out in the streets wasn't the smartest thing Eide had ever done. After waking up in the hospital, his impulse control hadn't been great. Usually, that just resulted in temper tantrums or binge eating, though; this was kind of a step up from all that.
Well, hindsight's 20-20, right?
Eide was only just realizing this now. He'd practically sleepwalked his way to the mines. He remembered lowering himself from the second story window of an apartment building, but after that? Nothing. Everything between then and now was a vague blur. Somehow, though, Eide had made it up to the old stomping grounds. He supposed that he knew the way well enough he could do it blindfolded.
Eide stood in front of the collapsed entrance to the mine; the one that they'd used for years to bring tributes to the Goat. It was useless now, all filled with rocks and debris. You could make it a good four feet into the mine before it became impassable.
Why had he come here? Had Eide thought he could get into the mines? He'd gotten out with the Goat's help, so there must have been a way in. That is, unless Eide had just walked through the rocks like old Ed Shudder would have done.
Really, though, Eide suspected he had come up here to try and listen for the Goat again. At first, Eide had wanted to believe that His silence was because Eide was so far away. Now, though, Eide stood in the proverbial maw of the beast and was still met with only silence.
Eide hitched up his pants and sighed. The gun, which he'd tucked into the waistband of his jeans, jostled slightly. Eide couldn't remember if he'd unloaded the gun or not. He supposed he must have. He was always careful with firearms.
After what felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes spent standing in silence, Eide had company. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. The sound of heavy work boots on loose stone told him it was Leon. Not exactly the person Eide most wanted to see at the moment.
"Eide," Leon said, "What the hell is going on?"
His voice was stern, authoritative; clearly angry, but trying to stay calm. Eide noted with some displeasure that it was like a parent chastising their child.
"I was in the Clik Clak when I heard gunshots and sirens," Leon continued. "Then I look out the window and see you running past. What happened?"
Eide sighed. He supposed everyone from Underhill to the old Food Donkey must have heard the gunshots. It wasn't a sound that was usually heard in Possum Springs's town proper. Maybe out in the woods, or one of the seedier neighborhoods, but not the actual town.
Eide briefly considered feigning ignorance, but the fact he had his gun tucked into his pants pretty much gave his involvement away. With a weary sigh, he turned to face Leon. The older man looked equal parts concerned and angry. Was he worried that Eide would get locked up? The thought actually touched Eide a little.
"I was taking care of unfinished business," Eide said. He was surprised at how dead his own voice sounded. His throat was dry, too. When had that started?
"I was gonna shoot her," Eide continued. "Shoot her and her friends. They killed this town, Leon. Only a matter of time before the Goat takes away what it gave us. Next flood or blizzard'll wipe this town off the map."
Leon stared at Eide as if he'd just said the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Eide didn't really understand why, but he was too exhausted to throw a tantrum about it.
"You tried to shoot someone?" Leon's eyes were wide when he spoke. Eide had never seen him so taken aback. Then again, he didn't really know him all that well. Maybe Leon was in a constant state of shock, and Eide just didn't know it. In this case, Eide supposed his surprise was a bit justified.
Eide gestured towards the mine's entrance limply, not even bothering to turn and look at it. "She caused the cave-in. Spat in the Goat's face. That don't matter now. Don't matter." Eide chuckled sadly. "Can't hear the Goat right now. That's probably Borowski's fault, too."
"Wait. Borowski?" Leon repeated. There was an outraged quality to his tone that Eide didn't quite appreciate. The older man's face was contorting in anger. "You tried to shoot Mae Borowski?"
The question didn't really register with Eide right away. He gave a tired, one-armed shrug and then nodded. "Yeah," Eide said. "Was all I could think to do after what she did."
"What the hell, Eide?!" Leon snapped. Despite his exhaustion, Eide flinched a little. He wasn't prepared for the vitriol in Eide's voice. "I worked with Borowski's father! My son dated her, for eff's sake! Why did you think it was okay to shoot her?!"
Eide didn't say anything. He knew Borowski was the sort of person who'd be missed if she disappeared. But, in Eide's mind, the rule about only going after people no one would care about didn't apply in this case. Borowski was the exception.
"She caused the cave-in," Eide muttered. "Her and her friends sealed up the mine. Now we can't get to the Goat."
Leon threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, well why didn't you say so?" He asked. "In that case, I'll go give them a friggin' medal for doing what none of us had the balls to do!" He pointed a finger threateningly at Eide, who once again flinched.
"Listen to you, Eide. You care more about that thing in the hole than you do about the people who died in that mine. It's disgusting." Leon paused. "That's why you wanted me to get into the mine, isn't it? To get to the Goat. You didn't give a shit about giving the others a proper burial."
"They've already been buried," Eide pointed out. "In case you didn't notice, they're all underground."
Leon didn't seem to like hearing that. Eide could tell both by the look on his face, and the fact that Leon was reaching out to grab him. Leon's hands, rough and worn from years of hard work, gripped onto the collar of Eide's shirt, tugging him forward. A gasp of surprise escaped past Eide's chapped lips as his feet were dragged along the ground.
On instinct, Eide reached forward and tried to push Leon away. He was weak, and only had one arm, but he put everything he had into it. The two men struggled, pushing and pulling each other, until finally Leon pushed Eide away.
As Eide stumbled backwards, he could feel the stones beneath his feet shift. His heel slid on a pebble, and Eide fell backwards onto his hip.
That was when the gun he'd tucked into his jeans went off.
Mae and her friends didn't exactly need any help getting to the mines, even with the night being as dark as it was. That being said, the sound of a gun going off, followed by frantic screaming, made it a whole hell of a lot easier to find Eide.
When Mae arrived at the mines (Hopefully for the last time in her life) she didn't know what she expected to find waiting for her at the collapsed entrance. She supposed she'd expected to find a dead body, and Eide standing over it with a smoking gun. He'd raise his gun towards her, and they'd have their final climactic confrontation. Mae would give a snappy one-liner, they'd fight, and she'd win. Happy ending.
What Mae hadn't been expecting to find, and, indeed, doubted anyone would have expected to find, was Eide himself writhing on the ground in agony. Blood was pooling beneath him, and a large, red stain had appeared on the side of the leg of his jeans. It took Mae a moment to realize what had happened.
"Holy shit," she said. "Did you shoot yourself?"
"Yeah, he did it wrong," Germ added. "You're s'posed to do it in the head. Not the leg."
Eide stopped screaming for long enough to shoot a furious look at Germ. His good arm clutched his bad leg as his writhing gradually stopped. He was panting now; sweat building up on his forehead. His eyes looked more like a wild animal's than a person's.
"Shut… up," he growled through his teeth. "Shut up and get me out of here. Now."
Mae heard Bea scoff. The cigarette in her lips bobbed up and down when she did so. "Seriously? You tried to kill us, and now you want us to help you? Really?"
Eide closed his eyes and bit his lip. His body was shaking, but he seemed to be trying to regain his composure. Mae had to hand it to him; he could handle pain pretty well. Or at least as well as anyone could handle getting shot in the leg.
"Yes. Okay," Eide said. "Okay… agh… Fair point. I was a dick." His voice was shaky, but calmer. He almost sounded like he was pleading. "Shit… look, he took my gun. Okay? Please. Get me out of here. Get the police, or a hospital. But don't leave me here. Please."
Mae looked at her friends, trying to read what they thought about the situation. Unfortunately, she found that they were all doing the same thing. The only one who didn't seem uncertain was Angus, his eyes hidden and unreadable behind his glasses. The stern expression he wore was more than a little scary.
If no one else had any ideas, Mae said the only thing she could think of. "You killed Casey." The words felt heavy for some reason. Mae was surprised by how low her own voice was when she said it. "You threw him into your stupid hole because you thought no one would miss him."
Eide didn't say anything. It seemed like he was trying to avoid looking at them. It wasn't out of shame; he looked like he was trying to think of something. The pain he was going through wasn't helping his concentration. His face scrunched up in agony, he turned back to the group.
"Alright," he said, raising his hand up. "Okay. We killed your friend. We killed a lot of people. I understand." The corners of Eide's mouth moved in a way that Mae guessed was an attempt at a smile. "And if you take me to a hospital, I'll go to jail, right? Isn't that what you want? I live, you get revenge for your friend. Win-win, right?"
"So, now that you have a bullet in your leg, you're suddenly remorseful?" Bea asked skeptically. She'd taken her cigarette out of her mouth, and was now holding it off to the side. Her arms were folded over her chest as she glared at Eide. "That is such bullshit. Are you actually sorry? Do you even care? Or is you dying somehow more important than them dying?"
"I'm still not sure who this guy is," Germ suddenly chimed in.
Eide screamed out and slammed his hand onto the cold, stone ground beneath him. His outburst made Mae jump a little. His good leg twitched beneath the bad one as he tried to lift himself up into a sitting position. The pained attempt at amiability was gone from his face.
For the first time, it occurred to Mae that this man might die out here. It wasn't just the blood pouring out of his leg. It wasn't just the color fading from his face. There was something in the atmosphere, something cold and dark. Despite the warmth in the air, Mae felt herself shudder.
"None of that matters!" Eide shouted, his voice cracking under the strain. "You can't leave me out here! It isn't right!" Then, his voice trembling, "He has my gun. He took my gun and only left when he heard you all coming. He has my gun!"
Mae didn't ask who Eide was talking about. She had a pretty good feeling she knew who it was. There was only one other person who would be out by these mines, and he seemed like he wouldn't approve of Eide's recent actions. For some reason, though, Eide's fear infected Mae. She began to feel afraid, herself.
And Gregg didn't exactly help matters with what he said next. "I'm gonna kill him."
"Wait, what?" Mae asked, evidently too late. Gregg began to hobble towards Eide, his eyes dead focused on the wounded man. He was only stopped by a large hand coming down gently onto his shoulder.
"Bug," Angus said, "Don't. He's already bleeding out. We can just leave him here."
"Uh… can we?" Bea asked uncertainly. Gregg and Angus seemed to ignore her.
"He killed my friend!" Gregg said. He didn't sound completely angry; more like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "Him and his asshole cronies killed one of my best friends! You want me to just leave him alone?!"
"Gregg, you can't do this," Angus said firmly. "You aren't a killer. I know you. You wouldn't be able to sleep at night if you did this. No matter how much this guy deserves it, you shouldn't do this."
Something about the way Angus said that Eide deserved to die sent a shiver down Mae's spine. She'd nearly forgotten about it, but he'd been the only one who wasn't conflicted about leaving the cultists in the mines to suffocate. As nice as Angus was, Mae supposed even he had his limits. She found herself wondering what would happen if Angus was alone with Eide. Mae tried to dismiss that particular idea as quickly as possible.
"Damn it," Gregg muttered. There were a lot of emotions in his voice; sadness, anger, frustration. Mae wanted to reach out and give her oldest friend a hug. "Fine. Whatever. This bastard isn't worth it."
"I didn't say that," Angus said, his tone ominous. "But the police are already looking for him. Even if he doesn't die, he's going to get what's coming to him. Let somebody else take care of him, hon."
"Someone else?" Germ asked. "Wait, should I kill him?"
The tense mood disappeared suddenly as everyone turned to look at Germ.
"Uh, no, Germ," Angus said. "That's not what I—"
"Because I will," Germ said. There was no malice in his voice. It sounded like he was offering to pick up a pizza. "I could probably figure out how to kill him if you give me a few minutes."
"Oh, God," Eide moaned woefully. "I knew it. I knew he was some sort of gangbanger."
"Could everyone please settle down?" Mae cried out. Her own impatience caught her by surprise. She didn't want to wrap her head around another morally gray decision. She wanted to put everything behind her, but didn't want to kill Eide. Despite what everyone said, Mae wasn't a killer.
"I came out here to put all this shit behind me," Mae said. "Like, I just want to finally move on. I want to get old, and get a job, and settle down somewhere in, like, Iowa. I don't always wanna be the girl who nearly killed a guy at a softball game, or who met a bunch of cultists in a mine.
"I wanted to move on," she continued. "But you and your bullshit kept pulling me back in." Kind of like what Mae had done to Andy Cullen at the party, Mae thought. She'd wanted closure from someone who'd just wanted to move on, and as a result, he'd probably never go to another one of Jackie's parties again.
Had Eide wanted the same thing? If so, he'd gone about it in entirely the wrong way. It was sad. He wanted to know that the bad stuff he went through meant something, and he was willing to ruin someone else's life to do it. That revelation made Mae realize something.
"You're pathetic," she said to Eide. There was no malice in her voice. She was simply stating a fact she'd just learned. "You're not worth all of this hassle. You're just a sad, old guy who wants to go back to how things used to be."
Eide looked shocked. It was evident that the one-armed man hadn't been expecting to hear that. He wasn't the only one; Gregg looked pretty surprised, too.
"Not worth the hassle?" Gregg repeated, baffled. "Mae, he helped kill Casey!"
"I said he was pathetic. I didn't say he wasn't a scumbag," Mae clarified. "Believe me, I've got no pity for him. But, like… he's nothing now. There's no cult anymore; he's just some guy. Just a ghost of a… thing."
Mae sighed. "Crap, I lost it."
"So, you're saying we should help him?" Bea asked. Her cigarette was gone now; stomped out on the stones beneath her feet.
"Hell no!" Mae said, laughing despite her situation. "I'm saying we call the police and wash our hands of this shit. Let's go home, and sleep, and play a song. Let's make movies with Lori, or watch Levy do drugs."
Mae paused, and added, "Let's just keep living, dudes. Unlike this asshole, we aren't gonna go to jail. We can still move on." Mae jerked a thumb in the direction of Eide, who was watching them in bewilderment.
The gang was silent. Everyone exchanged silent glances with each other before someone finally responded.
"I guess that sounds good," Gregg said.
"Who's Lori?" Bea asked.
"Alright. Let's go back into town and apologize for running from the police," Mae said. For the first time in what felt like a long time, she was smiling. As they turned to leave, however, Eide cried out after them.
"Take me with you!" He screamed. He sounded delirious. When Mae looked over her shoulder, she saw he was beginning to look incredibly pale. Mae guessed he'd lost a lot of blood.
"He… he has my gun," Eide said again. "He has my gun. He'll use it. Please. Oh, god, please, take me with you." His mouth opened and closed uselessly a few times. Sounds that weren't quite words emerged from him.
Mae turned around. Despite everything she'd just said, there was one thing she still needed to know. Even if she thought she knew the answer, Mae wanted to hear it said out loud and proven.
"Hey," she said. "On the night in the mines when the cave-in happened, was my Aunt Molly down there with you guys?"
Eide blinked. He didn't seem to comprehend what Mae was saying at first. His unfocused eyes seemed to look straight through Mae Borowski.
"What?" He asked, finally.
"My aunt," Mae said. "Molly. Was she down in the mines?"
A long, agonizing groan escaped from Eide. He slapped his hand against the stones again. There were practically tears in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Eide finally snapped, frustrated. "Why the hell would Molly be in the mines?!"
Mae felt as if the world turned upside-down in that moment. That hadn't been the answer she had been expecting. If Eide didn't know why Molly would be in the mines, did that mean she wasn't one of them? Or did it mean she had some different job in the cult that didn't require her to be near the Goat?
Mae only had more questions now. But, at the same time, she had the one answer that really mattered.
"Come on, guys," she said after a while. "Let's go home."
Mae turned and began to lead her friends away from the mines. They hesitated a bit. Bea stayed the longest, looking at Eide with something like uncertainty in her eyes. Soon, though, she joined them. They began to march up the hill to the woods, the stone beneath their feet turning into loose dirt.
"Wait!" Eide screamed after them, his voice straining as he did so. "Come back! Get back here!" He continued to shout as they walked away. First, pleading; then, cursing. Eventually, the words turned into noises and animal barks fading into the distance.
"So, we're really leaving him back there?" Bea asked.
The band had reached the edge of the woods, and the fence that separated them from the Food Donkey. The night sky was filled with stars. Mae had no clue what time it was. Her parents were probably going to be furious. Not to mention the police.
"It's a little late to bring that up, Bea," Mae pointed out, hands on her hips. "We just hiked for, like, half an hour. My legs hurt too much to go back for him."
"Look, it's your call," Bea said. "I'm not criticizing."
"That sounds like exactly what you're doing," Mae pointed out.
Bea rolled her eyes. She hadn't lit another cigarette, which struck Mae as surprising. Right now seemed like the exact sort of moment when Bea would light one up. Then again, Bea kind of smoked constantly, didn't she?
"Okay, I'm sort of criticizing," Bea relented. "Are you sure you're not gonna be kicking yourself over this in a few days?"
"Bea, I'm kicking myself for it right now," Mae said. "Like, okay, maybe carrying him into town would've been the right thing to do. But after today, I'm way too tired to be the bigger person. Maybe later I'll feel guilty, but for now I'm not gonna go out of my way to save a guy who murdered one of my friends."
Bea was quiet. Then, she shrugged. "Okay," she said. "I guess that's fair."
Angus stood with Gregg at his side, leaning against him for support. Gregg had a single crutch wedged underneath his armpit. He'd been surprisingly quick about getting through the woods, though.
"I'm with Mae," Gregg confessed. "Like, let's just call the cops and wash our hands of this shit."
"Well," Angus pointed out, "There'll probably still be police questioning. Not only that, but he'll likely go on trial. Aside from all that, I guess we'll move on."
"A trial?" Mae asked. "So, what, we'd be witnesses? How much would we get paid?"
"Forty dollars," Angus said. "Plus travel expenses, I think. Don't ask me how I know that." Angus's neutral frown turned into a grim, serious frown.
"Really. Don't ask me how I know that."
"Okay, big guy," Mae said. "After tonight, I think we've all got stuff we'd like to keep to ourselves. 'Cept for you, Germ."
It was only at that moment that Mae realized Germ had slipped away while they were hiding. This time, though, Mae wasn't worried. She didn't know where he lived exactly, but she knew it was somewhere relatively close. Still, it would've been nice to hear him say goodbye.
"Man, that guy just kinda comes and goes, huh?" Gregg asked.
Everyone was quiet. A cool wind began to pick up, blowing trash through the parking lot. A while ago, it would've been someone's job to clean up around here. But without cars or customers, no one cared. Maybe one day the whole town would be like this; empty except for the things no one cared about. But that was a while away.
"So," Bea spoke up. "That stuff about your aunt… Guess she might be alive somewhere, huh?"
Mae shrugged halfheartedly. "Maybe," she said. "Doesn't explain why she's been missing for nearly a year. Maybe Eide was wrong. Maybe she died somewhere else. But I mean, like, there's hope now. Maybe my mom'll see her again. And some hope's better than one, I guess."
"Something's usually better than nothing," Gregg agreed.
The four friends continued on their way into the parking lot, guided by the light of the stars and the faint electric glow of the town before them. The mines, now obscured behind them by trees and hills, were already beginning to fade from their minds. They were beginning to think about the future; about talking to police, waking up in the morning, and, if they didn't get arrested for leaving a dying man alone in the woods, about band practice.
Somewhere far away, a folk music quartet played a song for the lonely.
FUGITIVE FOUND DEAD IN POSSUM SPRINGS
POSSUM SPRINGS, PA – Residents of the small town of Possum Springs aren't used to anything more exciting than the local harvest festival. However, a recent incident woke the sleepy town with a start. 37-year-old Eide Shreigeist attempted to abduct 21-year-old Mae Borowski. The young musician managed to escape from Shreigeist, leading the abductor to chase Borowski down to the home of a personal friend. Shreigeist, who was armed with a pistol, threatened five individuals gathered at the residence. None of the individuals involved were harmed, and Shreigeist fled when police arrived on the scene. The ensuing manhunt was short-lived, however, as Shreigeist was found outside of the closed-down Possum Springs Mines. The 37-year-old had died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. An investigation into Shreigeist's murder is currently ongoing.
Something of a recluse, Eide Shreigeist was the only surviving member of the Shreigeist family, one of the more influential families in Possum Springs' history. Leon Burke, one of Shreigeist's few associates, described the man as "Kind of a dick," and said he was "Not surprised something like this happened."
The exact reasons for Shreigeist's violent behavior are still unknown, leaving many residents of Possum Springs to wonder what exactly made the reclusive landowner attempt to kidnap and murder a young woman. Dr. Hank, local physiologist and psychologist, offered his professional opinion: "Sometimes stress can lead people to do strange things. If Mr. Shreigeist had just tried to counter those negative thoughts, none of this would have happened." Dr. Hank went on to diagnose Mr. Shreigeist with "Melanoma", which is not a mental illness.