Mae anxiously waited for a response. She stared at her phone. Bea was awake, wasn't she?
Her phone vibrated and she instantly began reading.
"whats going on?"
"its about the cult"
"ok i'll talk to you at the ol pickaxe"
Mae turned off the phone before sitting up and grabbing her shoes.
Mae closed the door behind her and began her short walk towards the 'Ol Pickaxe. The sun shined brightly through a cloudless sky. It was mocking her.
Mae darted her eyes around, looking for any potential cultists. She felt unsafe. She was vulnerable.
Ding. Bea stopped nervously tapping her foot, put down her phone, and walked up to the counter.
"Hey, Mae," Bea said.
"Hey," Mae responded.
"So, what was it that you wanted to say?" Bea asked.
"...The cult is back. I saw them." Mae explained, "...I couldn't sleep so around four I went down to the construction site to find out the truth about the cult. I remembered that Germ said the construction had been happening only at night, and so I went over there to go see the construction workers, and they were all cloaked. They had the same weird robes the cult had and were digging into the opening. I could hear the elevator moving and everything. ...They're definitely back, and they've definitely dug pretty far into the mind, and… And, one of them saw me…"
Bea had stood there with her cigarette in her mouth, her eyes widening after practically every sentence Mae said.
"...So now what?" Bea wondered.
"I guess… I guess we gather up as many people as we can and get some weapons and confront them," Mae thought.
"What, like Germ?" Bea questioned.
"Yeah, like Germ, and Lori, and Selmers." Mae continued, "And, maybe Gregg and Angus."
Bea considered what Mae said, before she explained, "Okay, one, Lori isn't really a good pick. Two, Gregg and Angus won't be able to get here for a few days, and that's if they drop everything to get here."
"Well, what do you think we do?" Mae snarked, partly because of anxiety and lack of sleep.
"Uh, report them to the police?" Bea said, facetiously.
"But, what if some of the cult member are in the police? Like Aunt Mallcop?" Mae pointed out.
"Hmm… well— Wait, none of this makes sense, still. ...Mae, I don't wanna sound rude or anything like that, but, I don't think that you really saw the cult. You were probably just really tired, and since it was dark, and since—" Bea thought.
"Look, Bea, I know it seems unlikely, but I swear that it was the cult I saw!" Mae argued.
"I don't think it was, Mae. What about the cave in? What about the dynamite? What about the layer of rubble over the mine opening? What about any of the logical evidence against the idea of the cult coming back?" Bea continued.
"Sure, but wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? And, even then—" Mae asked.
"No, Mae. Because I have a job which I need to be at. Because I have a dad I need to support! Because all of this cult stuff isn't happening!" Bea shouted.
"...Bea, I—" Mae began, quieter now.
"No, Mae. The cult isn't coming back, as crazy as it was. As crazy as you are," Bea sternly said.
"Bea—" Mae began defending herself.
"Look, I said it before, and I felt bad about it before, but, you really should go see Dr. Hank, Mae. I'm worried about you," Bea explained.
"I don't need to see Dr. Hank! I don't need you to tell me I'm wrong!" Mae argued, "I know it doesn't make any sense! I know I sound crazy! But can't you just believe me!? With how crazy it was that the cult even existed in the first place, can't you just believe that they're coming back? Can't you at least listen to what I've got to say!? I don't need you to pity me!" Mae yelled.
"Look, Mae, if you really believe all this, then let's just go down to the construction site right now!" Bea fought, walking towards the door.
"But, Bea—" Mae began, again being cut off by Bea.
"No, Mae, let's go hear what you've got to say! Let's go see this cult infested mine!" Bea interrupted, walking out the door. Mae followed.
"Bea, I'm just trying to say that I think the cult is coming back. I might not always be the most reliable or the most correct—" Mae explained.
"Usually not," Bea corrected.
"...But I know that I did see the cult. Yes, it might have been dark. Yes, I might have been tired. But, I couldn't mistake hard hats and tool belts for creepy, black robes," Mae resumed.
Bea sighed, "Look, Mae, I'm not saying that you're schizophrenic or anything, I'm just saying that it's dumb to believe this. And, I'm trying to get you to go see Dr. Hank simply because I want to help you. You might not think it, but I'm trying to help you," Bea explained.
The two had been walking through the woods for a while, continuing and eventually cooling down their argument. Although Mae really didn't want to go back to the mine, she continued following Bea.
"Dr. Hank is hardly help," Mae stated.
"I get that, Mae. But where else should you go? We're in the middle of a small, dying town in the middle of nowhere; there's only one person even close to qualified. You only have so much money; we can't send you off to some far off master psychologist," Bea elaborated.
"So? Sending me to Dr. Hank is still bad," Mae said.
"It's the only thing you or I really have." Bea concluded, "We're here, anyway."
The construction site had definitely changed from what Mae had seen the night prior. All of the construction equipment was sitting nearby the mine. Rubble still covered the opening. No one was nearby.
"...Wait, this can't be right," Mae thought upon seeing the rubble covering the entrance.
"See, Mae? No cult. No construction crew, even," Bea said.
"But, they were far into the mine! They had the elevator going up and down! The digger thing was coming in and out of the mine!" Mae explained, confused.
"They weren't far into the mine. They didn't have an elevator running. And, the 'digger thing' wasn't in the mine," Bea said, beginning to walk back to their path.
"Yeah, yeah. And then you're going to mention that I should go see Dr. Hank— I'm not insane," Mae explained, following Bea back towards town.
"You might be," Bea mumbled.
Mae heard that, even though she acted like she didn't. The two continued walking, with the rest of their hike in silence.
"...What if I got a second opinion on this?" Mae wondered, following Bea back to the 'Ol Pickaxe.
"Sure, go ahead. But I'm not coming with you; I have to get back to work," Bea explained.
"Alright," Mae nodded, diverging paths with Bea. She turned around and began heading towards the Snack Falcon.
"Hey, Mae," Germ tiredly waved.
"Hey." Mae began, "Okay, so, I've got a question to ask you,"
"Sure," Germ said, putting his head in his hand.
"Okay, so… if I were to say that what's been messing with the mine was the murdercult, and not a construction company… would you believe me?" Mae asked.
"...I guess? If that means you can make them quiet, sure," Germ answered.
"Well, I mean, if I told you that, would you think it was impossible?" Mae continued.
"I guess not. It's not impossible," Germ yawned.
"Cool." Mae responded, before walking back over to the door, "Thanks! See ya."
"Bye," Germ said.
Mae let the door close behind her as she turned and began walking towards the 'Ol Pickaxe.
She continued walking, making her way towards the statue. However, she heard… something, and stopped.
She looked over her shoulder. Nothing. She looked towards the street. Nothing. She got a chill down her spine. A memory among many she wished she could forget. She looked towards the statue. Something.
It wasn't easy to see, but it was there. A figure stood almost completely behind the statue. Mae noticed a few distinct things about the person. They wore a dark cloak. Their face was hidden in darkness. They were undoubtedly familiar, yet completely new.
The figure outstretched an arm. The figure beckoned Mae. Mae nervously obliged, if not for any other reason than to learn the truth.
"Come to the mine at three AM. Sharp," the figure spoke.
"What? But… who are you?" Mae wondered, completely dumbfounded.
"I'll see you there," the figure said, walking towards the woods.
"What do you want with me?" Mae asked. It didn't matter though— the figure didn't care, and continued walking, back towards the mine.
Mae stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. But, she remembered someone she could go do. Bea.
She quickly began running towards the 'Ol Pickaxe's door.
Ding.