*Ten minutes earlier*

Bea needed to call Gregg and Angus soon, they'd been trying to get a hold of Mae all day, but couldn't get away from their jobs. At first, it wasn't much to worry about, the mischievous cat liked to go exploring, and in turn, ignore her phone for long periods of time. Unfortunately, Mae had been practically off the grid for the past few days. She'd finally found the time to go visit the Borowski household and check up on her.

What she hadn't expected was to see a disheveled Candy Borowski open the door.

"Beatrice, dear! It's been a while, how have you been?" It hadn't been difficult for Bea to see the fake optimism from Mae's mom. She had to that daily for her job, and it was fucking exhausting most days.

"Err… Good, Ms. Borowski. Is Mae around? She hasn't been responding to us for the past few days." At the mention of her daughter, Candy's expression somehow dropped even more.

"... That bad, huh?" Bea answered for her with a concerned frown.

Her mom shook her head and cradled it slightly with her off-hand. "... She's barely come out of her room, and we can barely get her to eat." Candy waved Bea in, closing the door behind her. "Stan's been in town searching for new job opportunities, so I've been holding down the fort here. I've had to take off the past few days just to make sure my daughter is okay, and I'm not sure what else I can do." She moved towards the kitchen as she said, "Do you want some coffee or tea, dear? I know I could use some."

Bea smiled gratefully, "No thanks, Ms. Borowski. Just had my share less than an hour ago." She glanced back at the staircase for a short time before continuing. "Do you mind if I go ahead and check on her, ma'am?"

"Of course! If you need anything, I'll be down here." The supportive smile dropped from her features. "You might have better luck than me… Ever since she got back from College, it's seemed like the distance we had when she was out of town has barely improved…"

Having a good idea of what Mae's mother meant, she smiled sadly. "I'll go talk to her, ma'am. I think I have an idea of what's going on, but I've just got to make sure."

A strained smile adorned Ms. Borowski's features, "Thank you, Beatrice. It warms my heart knowing she met such wonderful friends like you and that lovely duo she speaks so fondly about." Bea nodded and moved to turn away before a paw gently laid upon her shoulder She looked back into the pleading eyes of a mother that were seemingly at wit's end.

"Bea… Please, if you know something, about what happened back in the woods, you know you can tell me, right? It was only a few weeks ago, but just as I thought we were re-connecting, she gets hurt really badly and gives all of us a scare. Since then… It feels like I'm back at square one."

Bea immediately felt uncomfortable as she rubbed her right arm nervously, knowing she shouldn't be the one to talk about this. Not unless Mae and the others okayed it, or the severity of the situation warranted it. "It… Isn't my place to say, ma'am. I'll talk to her, and if things don't improve soon, I'll likely reconsider, but… Mae needs to tell her side first."

The mother sighed, nodding in understanding as she let go of her shoulder. "... Alright, just… Please let me know if that changes, okay?"

"Of course, ma'am." Bea turned and began heading upstairs. Halfway up, however, she heard a bloodcurdling scream coming straight from Mae's room above. Bea double-timed it up the rest of the stairs, grabbing for the doorknob immediately. Realizing the door was still locked, she called out to Mae as she didn't waste time trying to shove the door open. Through the screams and shouts from both sides, she heard the heavier thumps of Mae's mother running up the stairs.

"She's not opening the door!" She screamed as loud as she could so Ms. Borowski could hear her over Mae's screaming. It hadn't mattered though, as she'd seen the fire and worry behind her eyes immediately. Realizing Mae's mom wasn't stopping even as she neared, she stepped out of the way as the mother bear she'd seen in her own mom when she was younger came out once more. Mae's door didn't stand a chance as she charged right through. The door caved immediately, swinging to the side as her mom stumbled slightly. Bea rushed in and caught Mae's mom from falling, and helped steady her. When they finally looked around, they saw a room in such disarray that would have made Gregg proud. Most of the appliances were broken, with clothes, devices, and tools thrown about. Mae's window had been shattered outward, thankfully leaving little glass on the inside beside the cat of interest.

Mae, herself, was on the ground with her knees up to her chest, and she seemed to be hyperventilating, all while her eyes were closed. Both worried for her safety enough as is, rushed forward and tried to comfort her. Bea received a hard kick for her efforts as she moved in to try and wrap Mae in a hug. Stumbling backwards, Ms. Borowski caught her. Nursing her right eye, she shook her head, trying to shrug off the throbbing pain as she tried to figure out how to calm her down.

Letting out a growl of frustration, she shouted at Mae. "MAE!"

Surprisingly, that seemed to draw out a confused expression on the cat's sleeping, but tormented face. Mae seemed to glance around shakily with her eyes closed. Taking the opportunity, she got up close and slapped the cat across the face, "MAE!"

Finally, the previously screaming cat woke up with a jump, her eyes immediately landing upon Bea and her own mom.

*Present time*

Mae found herself trying her damndest to wrap both her mom and Bea in the tightest hug ever. Both reciprocated as much as they could until the insanity was finally calmed down. About ten long minutes later, Mae finally pulled back slightly, staring at Bea first.

She couldn't stop herself from sniffling before muttering. "... Beabea… I thought you were effin' gone..."

"... What?" She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"You were dead, Bea! I... " The cat choked on her own words a little bit, "I saw you turn to… dust before me. You… Gregg… Angus… Everyone." She turned to her mom. "I couldn't find you… Or Dad…" She nearly started crying again just thinking about it. Mae's mom wasn't far behind, hating to see her daughter in such pain, and feeling even more regretful that not even her dreamself had been there when she should've been.

"I-I'm sorry, honey… I should've checked on you more, this is my fault…" She'd been close to tearing up again herself. Mae, knowing it hadn't been her mom's fault, leaned her head against her mom's shoulder.

"No, Mom… It was my effin' head… I know you would've been there if you could've…" She wasn't sure if she believed even what she said, but she'd be damned if she saw her mom cry, even for her. Her mom and Mae had been talking so much more since she'd come back from college. Maybe not as much as they should've been, but she'd come to realize just how much her mom had loved her, even through all of the road bumps they hit up to the 'incident' with the cultists.

Her mom wrapped her arms around her kitten, leaning her head against hers. "Sweetie… What's been going on…? I was growing concerned before, but… I can't just sit silently anymore. I'm getting really worried."

"...I…" Mae briefly considered it this time. 'What would she say? What would Mom think of me knowing that I'd killed so many people? Sure, they were twisted as fuck cultists, but… They were part of Possum Springs, she knew some of them, I'm sure of it.' "... Just, give me some time to think, mom. My head's a mess right now… I'll tell you tomorrow night at dinner, okay? Promise."

Her mom went to retort gently to say that this couldn't be put off any longer, but stopped herself after looking at Bea's gaze. Letting out a heavy sigh, she reconsidered her words, and finally relented. "... Alright, Mae. I'll wait till then… Begrudgingly."

Mae let out a small chuckle at the added word, wrapping her mom in a tight hug once more. "Thanks, 24-Hour Mom… I'm sorry for worrying you so much…"

"I know… It's part of my job, though." She finished with a kiss on Mae's forehead. "And Bea?" She turned to the crocodile sitting beside them. "... Thank you so much for coming to check on her." She wrapped her in a hug as well. "We're both so lucky to have you in our lives, moreso than you might think."

Bea reluctantly accepted the hug, returning it back with an awkward chuckle, not being used to this much affection. "It's, uh, no problem, ma'am. We were all worried. Gregg and Angus would be here too if they hadn't been so swamped in managing their future plans and current jobs."

The response only made Ms. Borowski's smile brighter. "Exactly. Lucky." She began walking out of the room. "Call if you need anything!" She walked out of the room and downstairs.

Mae and Bea stared at each other for a few long seconds before Mae let out a sigh, plopping onto Bea's lap.

"... Fuck." Mae uttered simply, wanting to say so much, but was unsure of how to explain it all.

"Aptly put." Bea sighed, resting a claw gently on Mae's head as she brushed said claw through her hair gently. "So… I turned to dust, huh?"

Mae nodded, "... Yup. You and the others. One by one."

"... Give me a rundown, Maeday. That wasn't a normal dream, it sounds like. Not by a long shot."

The cat groaned, covering her eyes in frustration. "Don't I know it?! I remember almost everything, vividly! I'm used to dreams being unpleasant and fucking weird, but that… It's the most convincing dream I've ever had." She seemed to look confused for a second as she considered something. "... Well, weirdest dream I remember."

Bea gazed at her, not fully sure how to continue. "Tell me about it, Mae. Maybe we can figure out what the hell it all means?"

Mae contemplated it for a long moment before giving in, "Fuck, why not… Telling mom tomorrow anyways…" She took a deep breath, and asked Bea a question. "Remember Andy Cullen?"

"The kid you uh… Beat up, right?"

"That's… Putting it lightly, but yeah. It was kinda like that again, all I saw were shapes for most of the time. Creatures and shadows passed by like I was nothing in their eyes. And then... " She shivered, and looked extremely hesitant to continue.

Mae bit her lip in thought for a moment, then continued. "Everything got worse. The town around me got… Warped. Dark. Hellish… Like something somehow twisted whatever was already fucked, and made it worse… And I was all alone." She gulped, steeling herself to continue.

Bea gazed wide-eyed at her with a newfound sense of worry. Mae took the silence and the look as a sign to continue.

"Hey Bea... has that old janitor dude ever creeped you the eff out?"

"... Old Janitor dude? Kinda, but he's pretty effective during Harfest." She asked, perplexed on why the janitor was brought up.

"Because I've had a similar number of encounters with the guy. Like… three times. And every time, he's always said or done something cryptic as hell. Well, it happened here, too. He popped up out of nowhere behind me and pointed me in the direction of an alleyway, where I'd just seen Germ run into. So… Of course, I chased after him. I couldn't leave the dude alone, after all… And I needed to see a face not turn into fucking dust..."

Her breath hitched again, so she forced herself to take a deep breath to re-compose himself before continuing. "Then… The static started. Came from some radio on the ground right beside me. But, when I looked behind me… They were back, Bea. The fuckin' cultists! They were back!" She whispered forcefully, leaving no room for argument.

Bea stared at her with worried eyes. If Mae had told her this before everything had hit the fan, she'd be thinking that Mae needed some serious mental therapy, and that everything she was saying was too fucked up to be real. 'Hell, she probably still does need heavier therapy. I know I haven't slept well since what happened.' She thought to herself.

But, she'd seen the cultists herself. She'd seen one of the cultists faze through walls before like it was nothing. That wasn't her imagination. They'd all seen it. Not only that, but as fucked up as it is to think about, that elevator should've sliced right through that dude's arm. The opposite happened though, it held there for what felt like fucking forever, like his arm had super strength or something.

And then there was the 'demon in the hole' that sacrifices were thrown into. Mae had the most knowledge on that thing, while the rest of them had next to nothing to go off of. 'Black Goat' was one of the few tidbits she did get, alongside it being one of the many possible sentient 'Stars' out there. That whole cave felt more than off. Something had definitely felt wrong there, coal mine gases or not. Hallucinations are one thing, but strength enhancement and wall fazing are most certainly not possible, especially in this little town.

Bea held Mae's hand tightly for comfort, trying to reassure her that she still had her back even after hearing all of that. "... What do you mean, Mae?"

Mae looked even more confused on how to keep going now. "They… They weren't exactly alive, though. It didn't seem like it. Their bodies were all mangled and fucked up, and they were walking around like bonified zombies, dude… More and more would show up, and when I had to fight back…" Her eyes glazed over for a second before staring back at Bea.

"Bea, when you have dreams that have you getting hurt, do you feel all of the pain?"

Bea gawked at this, "... No, I might get more terrified or start to feel something uncomfortable, but I would immediately wake up."

Mae gulped, "... I didn't wake up, Bea. And it hurt, oh dear fucking God, it hurt. Their blood was like straight up acid! It ate through my fucking leg down to the bone, and my claws! And the entire time… I couldn't even speak until after the acid hurt me so bad that I had to scream my fuckin lungs out…"

'Everything Mae was explaining should've been impossible, and yet it wasn't. Mae wouldn't lie about this. Not to us. She's better than that.' Bea thought.

"Then… Before you and Mom showed up, it showed up." Mae muttered shakily.

"... It?"

"...Big Snake. You know, the constellation that Mr. Chazokov told us about back in high school. The one that ate entire worlds. It went on for what felt like miles, right in front of me. It rushed at me, then went straight upwards, flinging debris and cars around and at me. It felt… So powerful, so much more than the Black Goat, and it paralyzed me."

'This is way too much for one person to handle on their own, especially if the person is Mae. What the fuck are we even dealing with here?' Bea usually prided herself in being the rational problem solver, both for her dad's business, and her friends. However, she couldn't think of jack shit right now.

Seeing silence as a sign to continue, Mae kept speaking. "Then… The cultists came again. So many. I couldn't defend myself… Just… Kick uselessly and scream..." She glanced at Bea's bruised eye. "Sorry about that, Beabea…"

Bea held the cat close, ignoring the dull pain as she'd been doing most of this time. "It'll heal, nothing to worry about…" She sighed as she thought of something, however. "Going to be fun explaining this one to Dad, heh…"

"Eh, just tell him I kicked you in my sleep during a sleepover." Mae shakily grinned. "I'll take the fall, I'm good at getting in trouble more than others, after all."

They shared a chuckle before dropping the smiles once more. "... Bea. That wasn't all." Mae sniffled, remembering the last time she felt this kind of fear outside of the dream being in the cave while she looked into the abyss-like hole in the caves.

"... Shit. What?"

"If all of what I saw and went through just now and back at the mines didn't prove that Black Goat is real… Well, something spoke to me in there. Besides you and Mom."

Bea gulped this time, unsure if she'd be ready to hear just what she'd heard. Steeling herself, she nodded at Mae to continue.

"... Whatever it was, it was a warning. It talked about… 'The devourer'… Still being hungry. A-and that it wasn't… alone. Almost like the giant creatures I saw floating around me were… speaking to me, like they sympathized, kind of."

"The devourer?" Bea queried, having an idea of who she might've been referring to.

"... The Black Goat."

"... Oh." Bea's eyebrow raised, "Wasn't alone? You mean it has help, still? … That means some cultists could still be alive, too." She suddenly felt extremely lucky that she even made it to Mae's house on her own. She needed to tell the others very soon. But first…

"... The fucker's really cocky to still be trying to hurt me after the discussion I had with it, then. Bea, we've got to make sure it's really gone this time, so that no one else gets involved and sacrificed ever again." Mae grunted through gritted teeth and clenched fists. Through her tears, Mae wore a determined face. "... I don't want them touching the others… Everyone deserves a better chance, even if they aren't aware of what's going on. Casey deserved better."

Bea sighed, the temptation to light another cigarette right there returning with a vengeance. "Mae… How? I believe you, and we've all got your back, but… No grown adult is going to believe this."

Mae looked as if she was about to pipe up a quick response, but ended up coming with nothing. "I… I don't know. Maybe mom will believe me? Maybe she can convince others?"

"And have her look like she's started losing her mind? Mae, she works at the church. I could see her believing you about the cultists, but… The Black Goat actually being real?"

Mae remained silent afterwards for a minute as she tried to think of a solution. She groaned as she failed to come up with anything useful. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…"

"... Yup." She pulled out her phone. "Look, we need to call Angus and Gregg, let them know what's been going on. Like I said, they've been worried, too. And… if there were survivors from the cult, then we've got a serious problem to deal with. If even one survived, then they probably told the rest of the cultists that probably weren't there about what happened. And if that's the case, then there's two possible scenarios here…"

She stood up, bringing up one finger. "One: they were too demoralized to continue the ritualistic bullshit they've been practicing for years, and are pretending that no cult ever existed in the first place. This is good for us, because it means they shouldn't come back after us. Or…"

Mae gulped, "Or?"

"They're wanting revenge, and the only reason they haven't struck yet was to recuperate and let things calm down enough to where they could start taking people again." Her intense gaze locked with Mae's eyes. "And who do you think they'll start out with first?"

Mae felt her heart drop, with Bea nodding in affirmation. "Us. Our loved ones. Our friends. They were just targeting 'wastes of space' before. Non-contributers of Possum Springs. Now? Gregg and Angus think they're all dead. Germ isn't even fully aware of what's been happening, and he lives right by the fucking well that we escaped out of. The very one he blew up."

The cat gripped her head in dread. "Oh fuck… Oh fuck! Alright, call Angus! I'll call Gregg! They should be getting off of work soon. In the meantime, we have to go find Germ!" Bea was already dialing in Angus's number, walking outside of her room and waiting for her.

Mae looked around for her phone in the whirlwind of a mess that was her room. A couple minutes later, she'd found it, and Bea was already on the phone with Angus.

"Yeah… It's bad, but she's okay. Listen, you need to stay there. We'll come get you, and then we'll all get Gregg, alright? Cool, we'll be there soon". Bea was just finishing up her call when Gregg picked up on Mae's phone.

"... Yo! Mae! Where the hell have you been, man? We've been blowing up your phone!" Gregg sounded a little choppy over the phone, but he was there. Mae let out a sigh of relief just hearing his voice.

"Duders… It's a long story. Bea and I will tell you when we get there. Listen, we need you to stay there, some shit might be going down again, and we can't be roaming the streets alone anymore."

"Uh… Shit? That's not what I was expecting, heh. What's kind of shit? I was just about to leave, my work shift is nearly over." Mae did a double-take.

"Gregg, no! Stay. There. Please? It's the serious kind of shit, and we need to make sure you're both safe. You need to stay off the streets alone, we've already called and told Angus to do the same. Don't go outside alone!"

"Whoa, whoa! Alright, dude! No worries, I'm not in a rush! I'll just chill with Germ for a little while during my wait."

Mae sighed, relieved again. "Thanks, duders… Wait, Germ is there? Even better! Alright, just try and keep him there. We'll be there soon!"

"Heck yeah, Mae! We'll be waitin'!" She clicked the hang up button on her phone. Pocketing it, she grabbed her bat by the window and walked outside of her room, turning to Bea. "Okay… We lucked out bigtime, Germ's at the Snack Falcon with Gregg right now. If we hurry, we'll all be okay."

"... And why wouldn't you two be?" The familiar voice of Mae's mother interrupted them from behind, causing both of them to freeze up.

One word was uttered at the same time. "... Shit."