Anima

by Paett

Casey Hartley's return to Possum Springs heralds the beginning of something much greater, as faces both old and new discover that the Black Goat isn't done with them just yet. And as shapeshifters, government agents and other horrors creep their way into the town, the residents realize they must fight back or be destroyed. (On hiatus again, but there's a new chapter out.)

8. Birds of a Feather

1-8
Birds of a Feather…

(Note: I changed Dima's fur color to gray BC I'm wild like that)

"Casey?" Mae thought as she took a bite of her cereal.

"Yeah?" He answered.
"Next time I agree to do something this early, pinch me."

"Same." The duo's internal clocks had been thrown out the window that day, they certainly weren't morning people. The two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, eating soggy cereal as muted sunlight crept through the windows. Mae stood up from the kitchen table and threw her bowl into the sink while Casey was still eating his.

"Do you think they'll understand?" He asked as she washed her bowl out.

"If we did a good job, then yes." The cats had spent the prior day workshopping Casey's talk with the gang, and deservedly so, there was a fair amount to cover.

"Yeah, I hope so. It'll be good to see them again. Do you think Germ will be there?" He wondered.

"Doubt it. Gregg would have had to call him, and that's the last thing he'd be thinking about." Casey let out a sigh.

"Figures." Mae put the bowl down and approached Casey, who was done with his.

"You ready?" She asked as he gave her a nod. "Alright, let me go get my bike." His ears perked up.

"Since when did you have a bike?"

"Gregg gave it to me when they moved." She was about to exit the building when she paused, something had dawned on her.

"I left it at Dr. Hank's office." She groaned.

"Guess we're walking." He shrugged as he approached her.

"Ugh, better not get stolen."

"Don't worry, if it does I'll help you hide the body." He twinkled.

"You're so kind, Casey." Mae chuckled as she opened the door. The sky was covered by thick clouds, painting the world a miserable gray.

"Pleasant." She thought as she stepped outside. Casey threw on his new-old biker jacket and was just about to leave when he paused. He turned his gaze to the old 8-track that lay on the coffee table by the TV, for some reason just looking at it made his head hurt.

"Casey?" Mae asked as he approached the table.

"Just grabbing something." He replied.

"Ugh, you know what else I forgot? The pizza, I left it in Alex's car." She bemoaned. They hadn't even given it a second thought when they first had found it, on how odd it really was. He picked it up and examined it closely. The plastic was warped unnaturally and tinted a sickening green. The inside didn't look mechanical, instead it felt alive, the plastic piece the tape wrapped around looking more and more like an eye. He swore that for a fraction of a second it looked like it was throbbing.

"Dude?" Mae tapped him on the shoulder. He was torn from his fascination with that tape and looked up at her.

"Sorry, yeah I'm coming." He looked back down at the 8-track, which was seemingly back to normal. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe. He slipped the tape into his pocket before following her outside. A powerful wave of nostalgia washed over Casey as he stepped onto the broken sidewalk. He stretched and let out a deep sigh of relief as he took it all in.

"Man, it's good to be home." He said as a smile grew on his face.

"Casey? Zat you?" A familiar voice asked. The malnourished cat turned his head and saw Mr. Twigmeyer gazing at him.

"You bet!" He chirped.

"You look awful."

"Never felt better though." He leaned up against a tree that stood nearby.

"Are you back for a visit?" The old goat asked.

"I have no idea." He shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I have no idea." They shared an awkward silence before Mae chimed in.

"We're gonna take this town over!" She declared as she waved her arms around.

"Just leave me and my lawn out of it OK?"

"No Promises." He chuckled as they left. A cool breeze brushed against their faces as the cats began their trek up the hill.

"How does it feel to be back?" She asked.

"I never thought I'd be here again, It feels like a dream." He admitted. Soon they were over the hill and walking past the tunnel entrance.

"Hey, you wanna go down?" She asked, yet received no answer. "Casey?" He stood in front of the poster board, intently reading his own missing poster. She slowly approached the cat, who had a somber look on his face.

"They really wanted to find me." He stated to no one in particular.

"They really cared." She answered as she wrapped an arm around him. He took a deep breath and looked back down at the paper before he folded it up and put it into his pocket.

"I need to clear my head." He sighed. They looked to their friend, who was pointing up at the buildings that towered over them.

"Do you wanna-"

"Fuck yeah." He answered. The two rushed up the church steps and before he even reached the top Mae had launched herself onto the nearby street lamp and sat down on the top of the pole. Casey suddenly felt a whole lot more uneasy about the situation as he readied himself to jump.

"Uhhh, I don't know if I can make that?" The anxious boy commented.

"It's like riding a bike!" She exclaimed.

"You sure?"

"I believe in you!" She waved her arms around like an overly excited child.

"Alright then…" Casey took a few steps back against the guard rails. "Here goes!" He used his foot to launch himself off the guard rails and sprinted as fast as he could towards the lamp. He tried to leap into the air but his foot slipped at the last second and he hit his jaw against the lamp and tumbled all the way down onto the wooden poster board, which was crushed under his weight.

"Aaaaaargh!" He groaned in shock.

"Casey!" Mae quickly dismounted from the pole and rushed to see if he was OK. To her surprise he was laughing his ass off as he lay partially inside of the now ruined poster board, his butt having collapsed through it and his arms and legs hanging off the edge.

"Holly shit, that was awesome." He giggled. "I think I bit my tongue." Mae started to snicker as well, and soon the two idiots were laughing their asses off like fools.

"Alright, get me out of here before the cops come!" He giggled. She hoisted him up by the arm before they both ran off into the distance like bats out of hell. They didn't stop sprinting until they were in front of the monument, where they stopped to take a breath.

"You good?" Mae panted.

"My ass hurts." Both of them started giggling like school girls.

"Hey adults." A voice called out behind them. Mae turned her head and was greeted by Lori, who was sitting next to the old war memorial. "What are you running from?" She asked.

"Cops." Casey answered.

"Did they find the bodies?"

"Yep, we're on the run." She joked. "Sup kid?"

"Not much, who's your friend?"

"Casey. Casey, that's Lori."

"Good to meet you." Lori nodded.

"Likewise." Casey said as he stuck out his hand to shake hers, but it got lost in translation because she tried to high five him instead. After some awkward bickering between their hands they agreed on a high five.

"I think I used to know your sister, how is she?"

"Uh, I never had a sister?" Casey's face turned to surprise.

"I'm sorry, I must be thinking of someone else." He apologized.

"It's fine." The mouse replied. "I've seen you on those missing person posters."

"Yeah I've seen me on them too."

"You certainly lost some weight."

"I'm on a diet."

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Mae questioned.

"Nah, I'm free. Veteran's day and all that."

"Who's at the Snack Falcon then?" The other girl asked.

"Some guy named Allen. He's got a straw hat like that old painter guy."

"Van Gogh?" He interjected.

"Yeah that guy."

"He coulda been reincarnated as like, a minimum wage worker." Margret suggested.

"I'll have to ask." She chuckled.

"I have a theory that those old artists made porn and no one has found it yet." He theorized.

"Gotta pay the bills somehow."

"Got plans for today?" He asked.

"We went to some kinda military reunion this morning." She explained as she leaned against the statue.

"Neat, got some family in the army?"

"Dad used to be. So where have you been?"

"I don't even know at this point." Lori attempted to raise an eyebrow but lifted both instead, so she used one of her fingers to mimic the movement.

"I can't raise my eyebrow." She complained as they all laughed.

"Actually that reminds me..." Casey pulled out the 8-track from earlier and handed it to her. For the first time Mae really focused on the tape, and it immediately made her feel uneasy.

"Is this your name?" He asked. Lori read the print on the tape and cocked her head.

"Literally no one calls me Jr." She commented as she rubbed her brow in discomfort. "But yeah that's me. Where'd you get this from?" She asked while looking back up at them.

"A box of old stuff at my house, it was sealed."

"Really?"

"Yepperoni." He answered. There was a pause as Lori pondered what they'd just said.

"This feels like it's from a really bad horror movie." The young mouse commented.

"True." She nodded.

"So, what happened to you actually?"

"Nothing important." Mae answered.

"I got sacrificed by a cult." She shot a scowl at him as Lori's eyes grew wide.

"Woah. How'd you survive?"

"They didn't really kill me. They just kinda…" He paused, his gaze becoming distant for a fraction of a second before he snapped back to reality. "Knocked me into a pit." He explained.

"Oh." The mouse's face dropped.

"Disappointed?" He asked.

"Yeah." Casey smiled when he heard her answer.

"I mean it worked."

"Obviously not." She shot back.

"True." The cat admitted.

"I heard about this one cult that cut their heads off and, like, put them on spears and paraded them around for healthy crops or something."

"Desperate people will do anything." He sighed. "Besides that's not very effective. It takes a few tries to cut a guy's head off, you know, at least with a guillotine."

"How do you know that?" The cat asked, wide eyed.

"I saw a guy get beheaded once." A silence that was as heavy as a whale smothered the conversation almost to death.

"Holly shit." She gasped.

"It was in the middle east I think, he had an eyepatch." He continued as the cat cringed.

"Ohhhh I saw that one too!" Lori added.

"Really? Hell yeah dude!" He congratulated her as he gave her a high five.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" The distraught cat asked.

"How old are you?"

"16 in February."

"Man, I wish I was cool as you are when I was 15." He laughed.

"I'm not cool."

"You're objectively awesome." Lori's face turned a slight red and she smiled.

"Are you really calling her awesome for watching a beheading video?"

"You wouldn't get it, you gotta have some balls to watch that shit."

"T-thanks." She panted. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're gonna go do adult stuff." Casey explained.

"Murdercult stuff?"

"No." Mae answered.

"Yes." Casey contradicted.

"Can I do murdercult stuff with you guys?" She begged. Before Casey could get another word out Mae stopped him.

"One second." She said as she pulled the cat away. "I know what you're gonna say, she's not getting this involved."

"I don't think we have a choice here."

"What do you mean we don't have a choice?"

"This isn't a coincidence, you think that tape just happened to show up in a sealed box from 2 decades ago with the name of someone who wasn't even alive?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" She cautiously replied.

"Do you believe that?" He placed a hand onto her shoulder. Mae went quiet and looked him in the eyes.

"I just don't want her getting hurt."

"You know I can't promise that." Mae let out an audible sigh.

"I know." Both cats turned and went back up to her.

"You're in." Casey said.

"Yaaay!" She cheered.

"I wouldn't be- wait," He looked up from their conversation and at what was once the Ol' Pickaxe, which had been transformed into an Ace Hardware store. "What happened to the Ol' Pickaxe?"

"Bea sold it after her dad died." Casey's face turned somber.

"Her dad died?" He asked.

"Suicide, fucked her up pretty bad too. They didn't have the best relationship but he was still her dad…" The cat went quiet, looking up at what once was the Ol' Pickaxe wistfully.

"You alright Mae?" She asked.

"I'm fine!" She said cheerfully as she turned back around.

"OK then." He shrugged. He knew she wasn't, but he decided not to say anything.

"What is this thing anyways?" Lori asked as she held the 8-track in her hand, trying to bring things back to the status quo.

"It's an 8-track, they used them for music back in ye olden days." Casey gave it a light smack with the back of his hand.

"Cool. It better have some good songs on it." She awkwardly chuckled as she slipped the tape into her jacket pocket so it was out of her sight.

"I hope that's all that is." Mae said as she pulled up her phone. "It's 11:52, the guys should be here soon."

"Do you wanna go inside now?" He asked.

"Sure."

"Inside where?" The mouse questioned.

"The Party Barn." He answered as they approached the building in question.

"It's unlocked?" She asked, excited by the prospect.

"No, but Gregg got a key and made copies." She let out a little gasp of excitement.

"Duuuude, that's awesome!"

"Agreed." Suddenly he heard the jingling of a bike bell, and before he could turn around to see they swerved past him and accidentally crashed into a nearby parking meter, sending the driver tumbling onto the sidewalk.

"Are you OK?!" Mae called out as she and Casey quickly rushed over to help whoever it was. The rider was flat on the ground, groaning softly as he tried to stand. The cats grabbed his arms and helped lift him back up onto his feet.

"That was rough, are you OK?" He asked as he brushed him off. Pattern recognition quickly kicked in and he realized that the rider was none other than Germ.

"Germ?" He asked, his voice filled with hope. The rider looked up and sure enough it was Mr. Warfare himself.

"Casey?" They almost immediately wrapped each other in a hug, wide grins on their faces. Mae smiled and took a step away as they pulled away and began to chat.

"It's so good to see you again man, I missed you." He smiled.

"I missed you too." Germ looked over the cat's malnourished body and he looked back up at him with a concerned expression.

"What happened to you?" The bird asked. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Uh…" He looked over at the cat beside him. "It's complicated." He shrugged.

"I- what?" His face morphed into confusion.

"We're going to be explaining that," Mae interjected, "do you wanna-"

"Absolutely." Germ answered. "Let me, uh, bike stuff." The bird rushed over to his bicycle and began to inspect the damage. Casey's ears perked up and he turned his head as an old Ford sedan parked itself on the side of the road. Gregg leaped out of the car and onto the sidewalk, and his face lit up brighter than the sun shone when he saw his old friend.

"Casey!" He excitedly yelped as he rushed over to the cat. Before he even knew it he was being crushed in a bear hug.

"Oof!" He grunted, "You're gonna snap me in half!" Tears were streaming down the fox's face as he held the cat tight. He reached down and hugged his old friend and started to tear up as well, the two of them holding each other for what seemed like hours until Gregg pulled away and looked up at him in disbelief.

"It really is you…" He sniffled.

"Yeah, it's me." He said as the fox whipped the tears from his face. He cocked his head slightly as he looked at Gregg's ear, which had a hole in it. "What happened to your ear?"

"What happened to you?!" He said as he got a better look at him. "You look awful, oh my god…"

"A lot." He trailed off as Gregg felt his chest.

"Ow." He groaned.

"You're skin and bones, holy shit." He looked up at the cat. "Are you OK?"

"Never felt better in my life." By now Angus had made it over and was standing next to the two of them, and the fox turned around and faced his fiance.

"It's Casey!" Gregg decreed in a voice still choked by tears.

"It's… Casey."

"Aaaaaahhhh!" The fox cried before he started giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm alive I think." He smiled. "How long are you guys gonna be here?"

"Angus has to go back Sunday, but I'm here alllllll week!" He beamed.

"Gregg!" Mae called out.

"Mae!" The boys watched him rush over to the cat and gave her a hug, before looking at each other.

"So, you're alive." Angus commented.

"I guess. Wanna head inside?"

"Sure." The bear nodded.

"You need help with your bike?" He looked over his shoulder at Germ, who was trying to find a good spot to park it.

"Nope." He replied.

"Gotcha." Casey said as he walked around the back. Mae tossed him her key and he used it on the door. "Wait, it's stuck." He gave it a good shove and would have nearly fallen into the building as it burst open if he hadn't had an iron grip on the door handle. He got back up and held the door open for the group. Almost immediately Lori clambered onto the edge of one of the window sills and turned it into a seat while everyone else entered.

"So who are you?" Gregg called out.

"Lori." She answered.

"What are you doing here?" Germ asked as he wheeled his bike inside.

"Why are you bringing your bike in here?"

"There was nowhere to put it."

"Why are you here again?" The fox asked for a second time.

"I'm involved with the evil death cult of conservative uncles thing."

"The what?" Germ asked as he leaned his bike against the back wall.

"It's a thing." Casey commented as he shut the door. "Man, this place looks great." He got up onto the platform and began to inspect the equipment that was left. "I'll have to go get my drum kit, we could play together again." He beamed.

"Uh, I sold my guitar." Gregg told him.

"You did?" The smile on Casey's face faded away.

"We sold, like, everything so we could move." Angus admitted.

"Oh" His head dipped down slightly.

"I've still got my bass." Mae encouraged.

"That's good, we could still make some noise." He said as he looked around the room. "Germ, Lori, do you guys have instruments? Maybe we could do something here?" He asked.

"No." The bird answered.

"I'd have to ask." He let out a sigh before smiling again.

"Man it would be so cool if we got to play again, I gotta find you a guitar dude." He declared while pointing at the fox.

"It's fine man, you don't have to."

"I gotta, how else are we gonna play, right? Hey, who was covering drums while I was away?" He asked.

"Bea used her laptop." The cat answered.

"I didn't know she was a musician?" He commented as he leaned against the oversized speaker.

"No, she just volunteered." The bear explained.

"That's nice of her." He smiled. "Hey, where's Bea anyway?"

"She didn't get the word until this morning, said she'll be late." She explained.

"I hope she's doing OK, last time she was here was… rough." Gregg sighed.

"Yeah." His fiance nodded. The door to the Party Barn was suddenly jolted open and in came a very familiar crocodile.

"Well speak of the devil." Germ commented.

"Are your ears burning Bean?"

"Why do you call me that?" The crocodile in question asked.

"Because it's funny."

"Beebee!" Mae rushed over and embraced the crocodile.

"Hey Mayday." She smiled as she hugged her back.

"Aaah! It's good to see you!" She beamed.

"You too."

"Hey Bea!" The excited fox waved.

"Gregg, Angus."

"You got here fast." Angus commented.

"Yeah, hey Germ."

"Hello." The crocodile shifted her gaze to the window above, where the teenage mouse was still sitting.

"Who's she?" She asked.

"Lori." Said. Bea examined the mouse some more before she looked over to her friend.

"How old is she?"

"15." She answered.

"You're hanging out with teenagers now?" She asked.

"I'm basically an adult." The teenager added.

"Yeah and I'm basically from Egypt because I have an ankh on my shirt."

"She's cool," Mae interjected, "And besides she's kind of involved with all this."

"How so?"

"We'll get to that." Casey interrupted. Bea looked at him, a small amount of disbelief on her face.

"So you're not dead?" She asked.

"So they say." He shrugged.

"It's good to see you."

"Likewise! Alright, is everyone settled?" He asked as Lori jumped down. Everyone replied with several nods and yesses. "OK then let's get started, there's a lot to go over and I think that it would be best if we just got it done and over with now." The cat snapped his fingers as he realized something. "Chairs, we need chairs, where are they…?" He jumped off the platform and ran into the back, and soon came out with a number of folding chairs.

"Alright, I'm going to try my best to explain what I know, which I imagine isn't as much as you'd like but it's something." He explained as he laid them out. "Forgive me if my speech is unclear or absurd, feel free to ask questions." Once everyone had been seated Casey took a deep breath and began.

"First, since we have a few people that don't actually know anything about this, I think a recap is in order, courtesy of me and Mae's experiences." He said as he waved a hand in her direction. "Basically… there was this cult who would kidnap people who they thought wouldn't be missed, whatever that's supposed to mean. So, these crazy motherfuckers" With each syllable pointed at one of the four. "locked them in that mine last year. Any questions?"

"You killed them?" Lori asked as she looked over at Mae.

"One of them attacked us and there was a cave in, we didn't really have a choice." Everything went completely silent, an uncomfortable feeling growing in Lori's gut as she stared at her friend under a new light, who had quickly broken eye contact with her and was staring at the floor. The girl wanted to believe her but something deep in her psyche stopped her. The room had a new atmosphere, the overhead lights buzzed ominously as a feeling of unease crept inside like a gas leak. Mae straightened her posture as Bea gulped and Gregg awkwardly coughed. She looked back at Lori, was looking her dead in the eyes as she scooted her chair back slightly, a nervous expression spread across her face.

"Should we continue?" Casey asked.

"Please." The cat blurted.

"OK…" He furrowed his brow as he mulled over his next words.

"I was one of those sacrifices, I was thrown down that pit, and the truth is I don't know why I was brought back." The words didn't come easily to the cat, he struggled to work up the courage to even say them. "But I have a hypothesis. The entrance to that cave is closed off, and whether or not the cultists died or threw themselves in or whatever is irrelevant, because by now the black goat is hungry and it needs sacrifices. And because I can only assume there aren't any cultists walking around up here or maybe I was the only one who was alive and fit whatever criteria they were looking for, I got saved." He let out a deep sigh before continuing. "I think the only reason I'm even here is because I've been chosen to feed it, like I'm its slave. But I'm not gonna do that, I'm not, not a fucking chance." The room was dead quiet, everyone in it processing Casey's speech.

"How sure are you?" Angus asked.

"I'm not, but it's the only explanation that makes sense to me."

"I get it." Germ spoke up. "Like, if I was getting fed regularly and then it just stopped, then I'd try to get more food."

"So that's it?" Lori asked in a unsure tone. "It sends you up here and calls it a day?"

"I wanna say that's it, that I can just say fuck this and leave it be and enjoy my life from now on. But the truth is that's not gonna happen, something like this doesn't just go away." The cat sniffled and whipped his nose. "It's gonna come back and it's not gonna stop, it's not. I've seen what it does to people and I-I can't let that… I can't let that happen to anyone else, it's… fucking inhuman." Casey stopped and let out a deep sigh, wiping the tears that were welling up in his eyes. "I'm OK." He said before continuing.

"I don't know how but that… thing has to be stopped, destroyed, whatever. But I can't do it alone, no one can, so I think we should… I think we should team up for lack of a better word." When he finished speaking no one dared to say a word, instead choosing to mull over his statements.

"So what you're saying is we should team up and try to kill a god?" Bea asked, the skepticism clear in her voice.

"Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous." He replied.

"You put it in any way and it sounds ridiculous."

"I don't know either, it's kinda crazy." Germ commented.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about this." Angus agreed.

"It's better than just sitting on our asses and waiting for shit to happen!" He shot up in the heat of the moment, trying to argue his case.

"I'm with Casey on this one, it expects us to do nothing." Mae added.

"Mae, really?" The crocodile asked.

"Well, do you have a better one?" She asked.

"Yeah, do nothing. We can't do anything about it, and that's assuming it's even coming after us." She stood.

"We don't even know if it's real." Angus added.

"What are you talking about, it's real." She shot back.

"We didn't see it, we just heard people tell us about it."

"You think they all went collectively insane then?" Bea turned around and questioned the bear.

"I'm just saying we don't know."

"Angus, I lived it." He argued. "The Black Goat is about as real as you or me."

"Yeah." He looked back at the crocodile. "Look, Bean,-"

"Can you fucking stop calling me bean please?!" The girl shouted.

"Bea, you know as well as I do that we have to stop that thing, or at least try!"

"And how do you expect to do it, with the power of friendship?" The riled up crocodile approached him. "I'm sorry to tell you this now but that's not a fucking thing, that's just some shit a kids show made up because it made for a nice moral!" Casey didn't back down.

"Do you even know what you're talking about?" His voice was much more serious than before, he stood his ground against her.

"Do you?" Both of them were right at each other's necks, about to tear each other's throats out.

"Alright that's enough!" Mae yelled. "We didn't organize this so we could yell at each other, so act like it!" Immediately everything went quiet, the only sound that was left was Lori's hyperventilation. She slowly stood and went to console her as the rest stood around the room awkwardly. Everyone who was standing before was now sitting down firmly, and no one dared to make eye contact with one another.

By now Lori and her chair had almost melded with the wall itself, she was pinching her lips like she was trying to whistle in an attempt to slow her breaths. Seeing the cat took the girl into her arms and held her as her heart slowed to a crawl and she embraced her.

"You didn't kill them, right?" She looked Mae in the eyes, seeking a truthful answer.

"We didn't kill them." She lied. The girl's face rested into a more neutral pose.

"OK." Was all she said. Mae couldn't tell if she believed her or not, maybe it was best not to know.

"I'm in." Gregg broke the silence, and everyone looked at him.

"Just like that?" The crocodile asked softly.

"Yeah, he needs our help, and besides you were being an asshole ." Bea simply nodded.

"Thank you, Gregg." Casey said as he smiled at him.

"Angus?" His fiance looked over, and he shrugged.

"I agree with Bea, but I'm in." The bear said. "Better safe than sorry."

"Yeah me too." Germ joined in. The crocodile looked around, feeling put on the spot as everyone looked at her.

"Fuck it, sure." Bea awkwardly shrugged. The only one who was left now was Lori, who was accompanied by Mae.

"I don't know." Silence once again fell over the room.

"That's alright." He replied.

"So, what now?" Bea asked as her friend sat back down next to them.

"Well, I-" Casey was interrupted by a sudden knock on the front door.

"Beatrice? Are you in there?" Someone with a Russian accent asked, their voice muffled by the thick brick walls.

"It's locked, go around back!" Bea called out. The voice went quiet as whoever it was followed her directions.

"Who's that?" Mae asked.

"He drove me here, my car broke down."

"That's sweet." She smiled. Dima tried to open the door but failed, and following some swearing in Russian he suddenly kicked the door in and nearly knocked it off its hinges, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise.

"Man, I wish I could do that." Gregg thought aloud. Dima's flashy dress and booming presence killed the room's tense atmosphere as he approached Bea with something in his hand.

"Your uhh… bumazhnik… wallet, you left your wallet in my car." He reached his oversized mitt out and handed it to the girl.

"Thanks." She thanked him as she slid it out of his hand.

"Anytime." He said as he gave her a pat on the shoulder. Her face turned a light red hue as he turned to leave, which Gregg noticed.

"Sorry if I… interrupted, I hope you have excellent-an excellent day, goodbye." He waved to everyone. As passed by the large amplifier stopped and chuckled as he looked at the little statue next to it.

"I need this." He smiled and pointed his thumb at the gnome.

"Everyone needs a gnome in their life." Mae added.

"Yes we do, goodbye now." He nodded.

"Bye." She waved as he left, her voice drenched in a coy tone. The moment the door shut behind him Gregg gasped.

"Ooooooooooo!" He chirped, "Someone's in looooooooove!" Bea's face turned sour.

"Gregg?" She asked without turning her head.

"Yeah?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Aaaaahhh!"

"He's just nice, OK?" Bea said as she turned her head back. She quickly realized what she said only made the situation worse as she looked at the trio of criminals bearing overly excited faces. Her face turned bright red and she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands as a sea of 'oooooooohhh!'s flooded the room like it was the 3rd grade again.

"Could you guys stop please?" She asked them through her hands.

"Admit it." Casey pointed.

"No, I don't." She turned her head back, and it was a brighter red now.

"Don't lie Beebee! We can see your face!"

"OK yeah I guess, a little, maybe. A little." A barrage of giggles were thrown her way.

"A lot." Mae added.

"A lot a lot" Gregg followed.

"A lot a lot a lot." Casey attached as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"OK fine fine shut up. Yeah I like him."

"Liiiiiiiiiiiiike…" Mae asked as she squinted her eyes and turned her head to the side.

"Kinda. I mean we just met, it's not like I'm swooning over him or anything."

"That's just the first stage!" Gregg pointed out.

"Does he live in Possum Springs?" The orange cat asked. Bea turned her head back and once again put her eyes against her palms.

"...yes." The trio started celebrating like they had just won the superbowl and she sighed as her cheeks turned the brightest red known to man.

"For fucks sake guys!" The flustered crocodile called out. "Can we move on please, seriously?"

"Alright fiiiiine." Mae gave in. "You gonna go out with him?"

"You just said you were done!" She shot back.

"Fiiiiiine, fiiiine, whatever."

"That's cool, we weren't done anyways. There's something we need to share with you. When you… are with, talk to, do basically anything with the black goat you get marked." He lifted his jacket and shirt up to reveal his marking.

"Oh my god." Gregg's eyes went wide.

"Holly shit." Bea followed.

"Geez." The bear gulped.

"Woah, does it hurt?" Germ asked.

"Not anymore, and I'm not the only one, Mae has one as well."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bea turned her head towards the cat.

"I think I was scared." She explained. "I didn't know what it meant until I was with Casey again. I just woke up with it the day after what happened."

"How did you get it?" Angus asked, and she let out a sigh.

"There was this moment when we were escaping the mine, we were walking through this pool of water or something and I fell through it and kept falling, and I felt it watching me. I talked to it and it said something to me, you said it looked like I got all sleep-walky when I came back." She looked at Bea, who was silent and wide-eyed.

"It's not all bad." Casey said. "There's one cool thing we can do now. Me and Mae can.. Uh…" He struggled to find the correct words.

"We have telepathy." She finished.

"No way!" Gregg and Germ said in unison.

"Bullshit." Lori called out

"True shit." Casey shot back

"Can you prove it?" Angus asked.

"Yeah, we need a volunteer though." Without hesitation Gregg's arm shot up.

"OK then! Gregg?" Casey said as he backed up against the wall. "Go to Mae and tell her… let's say a color, any color, and she's gonna tell me what it is with her mind, OK?"

"OK." Gregg approached her and whispered something into her ear.

"It's the number 7." He said, causing Gregg to let out a gasp.

"It was!"

"Let me try." Germ stood up and whispered something in her ear.

"What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow. "Government plates sucks dude!"

"Government Plates is awesome, Casey. You just don't get it."

"Better than No Love Deep Web? Get out of here, it sounds like something I'd make with garageband you buffoon!" He shouted.

"What?" Mae asked with a befuddled look on her face.

"It's an album."

"Oh." She nodded as Bea stood up from her chair and whispered something to her.

"You didn't say anything." Casey called out.

"Shit, that's good." It was Angus's turn now, but instead of going to Mae he went to her compatriot and whispered something into his ear.

"Awww thanks Angus."

"What'd he say?" Germ asked.

"He said he liked how I did my hair this morning, which I didn't but I'll take what I can get." She smiled.

"What do you think of that, Cap'n?"

"I have no idea."

"You guys got any more magic tricks?" Germ asked.

"Nope, we're all out. Any questions or do you guys wanna go eat at Clik Clak?" Mae asked. Bea's stomach replied by grumbling so loud you would have thought it was hooked up to a speaker.

"I'll take that as a yes." Everyone began to laugh, and Bea joined in and began to giggle a little herself.

"I'll be right with you guys, one sec." She said as she pulled a cigarette box out of her pocket and walked to the back door.

"Can I join you?" Casey asked as he stood up with her.

"Sure, do whatever."

"I used to smoke." Lori commented.

"Really?" Gregg asked.

"Yeah, stopped when I was 12."

"Funny, that's when I started." Bea said as she opened the door. "Huh, door's is fine now."

"Your boyfriend did a good job fixing it." He joked as she pulled a cigarette out and handed it to him. "You gonna do it on an empty stomach?" He asked.

"I'll live." She replied as she lit the end of both of their fags before they leaned against the wall and watched the treeline sway in the wind, each tree rocking back and forth like a metronome.

"I'm sorry about your dad." Casey apologized.

"It's OK." She sighed

"I know it's tough, I get that."

"Yeah." She took a long drag off her cigarette. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Mmh." A puff of smoke blew from his face. "About earlier, I don't wanna argue like that again, I know you aren't a fan of this but neither am I." The crocodile took another drag off her dart as she thought of a response.

"Sometimes, shit is just so big and bad you can't kill it, you just have to kinda live with it." Casey peered at the crocodile with a serious expression.

"You're right," he admitted ."sometimes things are so big and bad they're unkillable, but that's not an excuse to ignore it. If you do, then one day you're gonna wake up an realize you're fucked. I did, and look at me." He paused. "You don't know what it's like to be a sacrifice to the Black Goat." At first Bea thought he was staring at her, but he was staring through her, his gaze distant and voice hollow. "I hope you never know." Casey came back to reality and continued.

"Alright, I'm gonna go eat. You comin?" Casey asked as he walked around the building. Bea was hit with whiplash from the sudden tonal shift.

"U-uh, soon?" The befuddled crocodile replied.

"Gotchya, peace!" As she watched him leave the crocodile felt something she hadn't before, the feeling of eyes peering at her from somewhere. She looked around the back but saw no one, which only exemplified the feeling of unease which trickled down her spine like a spider. Maybe she was just imagining it, maybe.

"Hey Casey?" She asked in a cautious voice as she turned the corner.
"What's up?" He looked over his shoulder at the cautious crocodile.

"Do you feel like we're being watched?"

End

Despite being my longest, I'm not proud of this chapter, it's way too long and I feel exhausted after finishing it, it felt more like an assignment than a chapter. I think 1 chapter a week is better than 2 weeks like this one took, it keeps me sharp. This is probably going to be the longest chapter in a long while, I might do another rewrite later on but for now this is what I've got. Next chapter isn't this dialogue heavy I swear, hopefully it'll rejuvenate me bc I'm excited for it. Also that Casey art got done, here's the link to the photo:
attachments/1060199153394798602/1066558703819567184/Untitled580_
(If links aren't allowed then please tell me, I'll post it elsewhere.)