A/N: I'm back! A special thank you to Olvidarcuenta, who has always been so encouraging and sent great messages. I'm sorry I couldn't respond to the last one as private messaging had been disabled. I hope you are well and, if you do read this, I hope you enjoy! And to everyone else, I hope you enjoy as well! This is happening a little differently than I originally planned, but I'd like to get this story moving again. Enjoy and please leave a review if you like. Thanks!

Edit: Also, think I'll name the chapters (as I have on archiveofourown) And my love affair with the word "had" continues... I went back and edited it so there weren't so many and will probably do some more edits on this chapter eventually, but wanted to get past this. Please forgive any typos. Thanks!

The air was chilly outside with cold breezes blowing leaves lazily into the air. The cold breezes manipulated Wendy's dark hair so it would dance lightly as she moved about. Kyle shivered, shoving his hands into his pockets after adjusting his hat so it would stay on his head despite the harsh breeze. He was starting to doubt both his and Wendy's sanity. They were really out in the woods on a cold day, sky gray and spitting rain at them.

"Come on, Kyle," Wendy called out to him, having already gone deeper into the woods than him. Kyle cast one last look over his shoulder at the edge of the woods before picking up the pace so he could catch up to his friend. Wendy held a compass in her hand along with her cell phone and the GPS, hoping it would retain signal for a little longer. "We should be able to find a clearing soon."

Kyle grimaced. "Are you sure we should even be doing this? This seems a little….extreme."

Wendy nodded her head. "Yes, well, not all of it. Not yet. But we need to at least find this clearing." She pushed ahead, ignoring her friend's uneasiness. She knew Kyle was less than thrilled about this, but she refused to come out here alone. Cartman was a nonstarter, he would probably lose it and then stalk her until he was sure she was no longer entertaining this idea. Besides, Kyle was the one who dragged her into all of this, so it only felt right that he accompany her. There was a theory she wanted to test. She was willing to bet that she was at least partly right. The first step was to confirm some of her suspicions.

The rain started to fall harder and both Kyle and Wendy both picked up their pace. There was no turning back now, not with how determined Wendy was to see this through Thunder clapped overhead and lightning lit up the woods. Wendy shuddered. Tromping around in the woods like this was probably not the best idea. The trees towered high above and clustered around them. It would be too easy to get lost among them.

Kyle glanced around warily, it felt ominous all around them. The weather was a bad omen, he knew it. Not normally one for superstitions, but this was just too much even for him. The thunder was deafening, and the lightning was blinding. Maybe he was just hyper-aware. He did not like this- every fiber of his being was screaming at him to turn around and run. Lightning lit up Wendy's silhouette a little further ahead of him and he knew he would stay no matter what happened. He dragged her into all his. The memory of fighting with Cartman over including her popped into his mind and he bitterly acknowledged that Cartman had been right about this, too. He should not have included Wendy in this. Now he felt obligated to stick around. Even if she were on a mission that could only be described as insane.

He stumbled over a root sticking out of the ground but quickly regained his balance, not wanting to fall into the mud. He was insane for coming along with Wendy. There was no way- was there? That Nug could be…out here? What if it was? What if it consumed them? Isn't that what it did? It consumed human flesh and that is what he and Wendy were made up of. Seeking out a ghoul that ate human flesh was a fool's folly and he and Wendy were two fools. Wendy said she was just trying to find if there was any truth to any of the story and not looking for Nug, but what else could she be hoping to find out here?

Wendy glanced behind her, sensing that Kyle had fallen behind. This happened more than she wanted to admit. Kyle just got lost in his thoughts too much lately. She glanced back and saw him studying the woods contemplatively, fear and dread clear in his eyes. Guilt crept up within her, but she pushed it back down; Kyle was the only person who could have come with her and she was too nervous to go on her own. She yelled his name but got no response, so she yelled again even louder. His eyes snapped over to her and she waved at him to catch up. He looked ready to move, but his eyes widened, suddenly he was frozen in place, unable to move forward if he wanted to, staring beyond his friend. All color drained from his face. He looked whiter than Wendy had ever seen him, even at his sickest. His eyes widened even more if that were possible, and nothing but horror filled them. Wendy could guess what was likely lurking behind her. This is what she hoped for, after all. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she turned around, preparing herself for the worst.

A creature floated around ten feet off the ground and about a football field's length away from them. A hundred yards, Wendy thought numbly, all her plans suddenly evaporating. She could no longer think. The creature looked like a floating mutated octopus with hundreds of tentacles and were those dozens of eyes blinking at her? The stench of rotting smell hit her hard and she could hear Kyle retching from the overwhelmingly horrific smell. Her eyes widened in complete disbelief. Lightning cracked behind the creature, illuminated it in ways Wendy knew would haunt her in her nightmares.

Both Wendy and Kyle were rooted to their spots unable to will their body to move. It was as if the creature cast a paralysis spell on them. Kyle started to shake involuntarily and a glance at Wendy confirmed that she was also shaking uncontrollably as the creature floated closer. There was a strange piercing yell that resounded through the woods. Kyle felt a hand grab his arm and jerk him away from the approaching monstrosity. He was thrown roughly behind a tree and collided with another body. He knew Wendy was still out there, so it was definitely someone else. Kyle squinted his eyes unsure if he was in reality or not anymore. Was the thing that just yanked him out of his stupor a cat person?

"Hey, Kyle, Kyle." A pair of hands were shaking him lightly and the voice sounded concerned. But that couldn't be, Kyle thought numbly, staring at a familiar face.

"Cart…..man?" he asked, his voice thin even to his own ears.

Cartman nodded, concern still evident in his eyes. He was crouching in front of Kyle; he propped him up against the trunk of a tree while making sure they stayed hidden by brush and the tree's giant trunk. Cartman glanced around the tree curiously, wondering if Wendy was still there. Kyle was shaking, having felt the presence of Nug. Cartman grimaced with another glance back at his friend. "I told you two to drop all this," he whispered accusingly. "See what happens when you don't listen." He rolled his eyes, knowing it was pointless. Kyle's whole body was shaking, and his eyes were wide and wild with fear and incomprehension.

Cartman was surprised Kyle even had enough presence of mind to recognize him. He knew when the two were up to something so did what he did best and tailed them. Once he realized what they planned, he panicked, but fortunately, he knew a quick way out of this even though he was bitter about it. He knew this would just lead to more questions, but Kyle and Wendy would have been dead if not for his intervention. He muttered under his breath, annoyed it was taking too long to retrieve Wendy. They needed to leave here.

Kyle tried to will his body to stop shaking, but to no avail. He was incapacitated, he could only watch Cartman move around while crouched low to the ground, mindful of what was going on around him. He had never seen Cartman look this…. worried. He had certainly never seen the other this worried for him or Wendy. Speaking of, where was she? Dread filled Kyle but he refused to think that whatever that cat person was failed to get her. That is what it had been. A cat person. He was sure of it. Then again, maybe he was hallucinating. Why can't I move? Why am I having so much trouble speaking? He was desperate to ask Cartman questions, mostly how he even knew where to find them, but he was having trouble pushing words out of his mouth. Mostly pitiful sounds left his mouth along with disjointed words, and sometimes Cartman's name. This only aggravated Cartman further.

"Just shut up, Kyle," he whispered furiously. "Save your breath, you're not gonna be able to talk for a while." Cartman rolled his eyes, aware of the accusation in Kyle's. "I didn't know you'd actually come out here and I told you guys to drop it already. Don't look at me like that." Lightning flashed around them and thunder boomed louder than the last time making both jump slightly. "Where are they?" Cartman muttered again, voicing Kyle's thoughts as well. His chest was getting tighter by the moment with worry, and he tried to speak again but wound up coughing violently instead.

Cartman scurried back over to him and pounded on his back frantically. "Hey, you've got to be quieter! I don't wanna die today."

"Is that how you make a human stop coughing?" A new voice joined them. Kyle looked over at their new companion and was stunned. It really was a cat person, with a female human body but a cat's head. If Kyle was in his right mind, he might have appreciated the strange, ethereal glow that emanated from the dark skin or the way her voice lilted when speaking even if the tone was commanding. Her body was draped in a light blue dress that exposed her toned stomach and her neck and arms were adorned in jewelry that reminded Kyle of the Egyptian goddesses that he studied in one of his history classes. She towered over them, reaching at least eight feet in height.

Maybe I'm just hallucinating, he thought again dully.

Cartman glared at the cat person. "Yes, it worked didn't it? He stopped coughing."

"I think he is just too stunned by me." The creature held Wendy in her arms, carrying her bridal style.

Cartman shook his head. "Can we just get out of here? Is she okay?" Wendy was completely still, with no movement at all. Kyle tried to move again. The cat creature stood before him and shook her head. Kyle stared up at her, absolutely stunned. It was a bizarre sight- so bizarre yet so pretty.

"He will not be able to move. Both he and the girl were petrified by Nug. You know his stench and power petrifies humans so he can feed off them. Why were your friends here?"

"I didn't tell them to come here, Bast," Cartman snapped. Kyle tilted his head curiously. Bast. He did recognize that name from the mythos research with Wendy. He wanted to ask about Wendy- if she was okay, but his voice still failed him in forming full sentences and he began to doubt he was okay, idly wondering if he would ever be okay again. His whole body was still shaking rather violently, and no matter what he tried, he just kept shaking. Also, the fear he felt of Nug was still bone-deep and he thought he would start throwing up again. With embarrassment, he realized his cheeks were wet and somewhat hysterically wondered when he had cried. Or if he was still crying. Nothing made sense except the fear that was eating him alive.

"That is no way to speak to a goddess," Bast muttered. She adjusted Wendy in her grasp and then nodded at Kyle. "Do I need to carry this one, too?"

Cartman looked down at Kyle and sighed, looking completely put out. Kyle's eyes had already widened to their full extent, so he was incapable of having much physical reaction to the realization that Cartman was about to haul him up off the ground. He half wished the cat person, Bast, would just carry him with Wendy but was unsure how that would work unless she planned to throw them both over her shoulders. He was not sure if that would be safe for Wendy. Cartman crouched down in front of him, annoyance flickering in his eyes, but he got his arms under Kyle's shoulders and hefted him up over his shoulder.

Kyle groaned in protest, not at all happy about the situation but unable to do or even say anything about it. His body was still shivering out of his control. He was just so damn cold. Fear and panic shot through him and he could still smell and hear Nug. It was as if just being in its presence made it become part of Kyle as if Nug knew every inch of his body now and could find him no matter where Kyle might try to hide. He never thought about the instincts that a spider about to be smashed might be going through, but he was sure it was this, everything his body was currently feeling. He had never felt so small and helpless in his life.

Kyle's wide eyes tracked what he believed to be Nug through the trees as Cartman ran as fast as he could manage, trying to keep up with Bast. Kyle was not surprised that they kept falling behind and the cat goddess backtracked once to snap at them for being so damn slow and did they want to die and why was she even here and what a waste of her time.

Cartman was snippy, griping back with what kind of lame goddess can't fly and why can't you levitate us and waste of your time? It's a waste of my damn time and the very strange comment Cartman snapped at her, Even if we wanted to die, isn't it your duty to protect us? Kyle tried to ask about this, but his body refused to cooperate, and he just shook even more than before, and he started coughing fiercely as a reward for his efforts. Cartman's grip tightened, and he complained that it would be helpful if Kyle would just calm down and stop squirming until they were safe and good grief, can't you stop asking questions for like two damn minutes. Kyle was sure he heard Cartman mutter that, but everything was so hazy, the edges of his vision were getting fuzzy and black. He was starting to see black spots in front of his eyes and he panicked for a moment, wondering if it was Nug. Did Nug have psychic powers? Was it tracking him?

Kyle attempted to ask another question but coughed more much to Cartman's annoyance which Kyle heard in the form of colorful cursing but Cartman's grip tightened even more as if he were worried. Kyle tried to ask about Nug again but words were only pained groans, there were more black spots in his vision, and the next time his eyes slid closed, they stayed closed. He went limp, losing consciousness.

_ Ω _

"That's terrible, Stan." Kenny was speaking into Cartman's cell phone. He had seen Stan calling so answered it as he knew Cartman was out. He and Cartman had been talking about dinner when he had just stood up suddenly and said he had to leave with no explanation. Kenny frowned at the memory, annoyed with his friend. Usually, he knew exactly what Cartman was up to and it was unusual to have no idea like Cartman specifically did not want him to know anything. Stan's sister had informed the Marshes about his and Stan's…. relationship. Kenny was out of the loop because, while they had been doing a lot together, he had no idea they were officially boyfriends. Cartman referred to them as such more than once, but Kenny dismissed it as teasing. He had not thought much beyond just being around Stan. He just knew he felt normal in Stan's company and he enjoyed the attention. Stan made him happy and it seemed he made him happy…. Or so he'd been told. He thought back to some of his conversations with Cartman and Kyle and it really made him wonder if he was truly making Stan happy. Both had said so, but Kenny doubted this.

He opted not to inform Stan that he was so far behind in realizing what their relationship had progressed to. That would make a lot of sense, after all, he thought. Of course, they would be boyfriends by now. He racked his brain, trying to remember if they talked about this at school. Stan did talk a lot so he might have mentioned it and Kenny spent so much time zoning out and was often in a paranoid state at school, so maybe he had truly forgotten a conversation that addressed all this. Guilt rose up within him as Stan chattered on the other end of the line, some stuff about Shelley and hating her. What was he even saying? This is why he had this problem; he never paid enough attention. It was easier when Cartman was around just to keep up with everything going on as usually he just needed to pay attention to the important stuff and otherwise follow his friend and now foster brother around without a second thought.

There was silence on the other end and Kenny tried not to groan out loud. Stan probably asked a question, but he was too wrapped up in trying to remember past conversations instead of staying in the present and he had no idea what Stan just asked.

"Kenny?"

"Sorry, what was the question again?"

There was a pause and Kenny waited for the question again, aware Stan was likely to change the question now. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I don't know where Eric took off to. He was being really weird about it." Forgetting his phone on top of everything else was very unlike his friend. He could practically hear Stan rolling his eyes at the mention of Cartman. Kenny supposed it was only fair. He was getting along better with Kyle but not exactly chomping at the bit to spend any more time with him than necessary, but Stan was forced to spend quite a lot of his free time with Cartman. As far as Kenny could figure, Cartman and Stan were still good friends and often hung out together during his prolonged absence, but that friendship was fraying now as Stan could only take so much of Cartman.

"He's always weird," Stan pointed out. Kenny nodded before remembering that Stan could not see him.

"Do you want to come over?" Kenny offered.

"I do, but I can't right now. My mom has me doing extra chores since I wasn't honest, and I need to talk to her. I think I really hurt her feelings."

"Really? How?"

"She just is hurt I didn't tell her I was interested in guys, that I didn't 'come out' to her." Oh. "It's not like I even really thought about it, honestly. I tried to explain that to her, but she thinks I had a whole coming out thing at school, which I didn't. So, I'm going to try to explain it to her again."

"Did you come out to anyone?" Kenny asked with curiosity. They had not really spoken much about this before, and he was rather curious about sexuality. He failed to gather the courage to speak to Kyle or Wendy regarding it. He sure was not going to talk to Eric about it and he was always too nervous to ask Stan, fearing that he might remember he still loved Wendy and become repulsed with himself for getting so close to someone like Kenny. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask about it as Stan brought the subject up.

Stan paused, thinking about it. "Not really. I mean, Kyle, I guess. More like he told me what I probably was experiencing."

"Which was?"

"Pansexual… being pansexual." Kenny was quiet for a moment and when Stan made no effort to elaborate, he asked for clarification because he had no idea what Stan was talking about. Kenny could imagine Stan tilting his head as he tried to find the words to explain it. "Uh, if I understand it correctly, it means you can feel attracted to anyone and it doesn't matter what their gender is and it's more about personality? But you also experience physical sexual attraction."

"I'm a little confused. It sounds like bisexual but it's not?"

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of like that but pansexuals are more about personality. Honestly, I'm a little confused about it myself." Oh. Oh no. There it was. It was like Kenny's heart was pierced with a blade of ice, this was why he was terrified to even broach the subject. If Stan was confused or questioning, how long would he even want to continue this relationship with Kenny?

"But you're not confused about me, are you?" Kenny asked quietly, dreading the answer. As much as he tried to not let it bother him, it bothered him that Stan and Wendy had been in such a long-term relationship and it only ended because of Wendy.

Stan was surprised that the thought had even occurred to Kenny. "What? No, of course not. I'm definitely not confused about you," he assured Kenny, though, he was confused about Kenny to a degree. However, he definitely wanted to have a relationship with him. He was confused why Kenny was so close with Cartman and why Kenny never defended himself when it came to others at the school attacking him without provocation.

Kenny steeled himself for his next question. He needed to ask, or the jealousy would eat him up alive at this rate. "And Wendy? Are you confused about her? If she wanted to get back together with you, would you?"

Stan was strangely quiet for a few moments, trying to work out his answer. Kenny waited, dreading the answer and wishing he had never even asked. Finally, Stan responded, "I'm with you so…" Kenny's stomach dropped a little, he hoped for a vehement denial and proclamation that Wendy's ship had sailed and would not be returning.

"If you weren't with me?"

"I don't, I don't know," Stan answered honestly. "I honestly can't imagine Wendy ever wanting to get back together ever. But if you weren't here and if she did ask, I mean, I guess it would depend. I honestly don't know." Dammit. After a moment of silence, Stan asked teasingly, "Are you jealous….of Wendy?" He might have asked playfully but his tone betrayed his disbelief that Kenny could possibly be jealous of anyone, especially Wendy.

"A little, yeah," Kenny admitted. "Have you only been with me and Wendy?" Kenny decided to ask. He was still having trouble accepting Stan's prior relationship with Wendy and it irked him. There was an awkward pause.

"Uh, like kissing and sex? No. But like relationships? Yes." Wait. What? Kenny thought Stan had only been with Wendy before him. Not that he and Stan really progressed much due to his own issues. Kenny himself had been with other people, but he felt some weird possessiveness starting to creep up within him.

"Who have you had sex with?"

There was another awkward pause and Kenny was sure Stan was frowning on the other side of the phone at his bizarre questions. "I mean, it's not like you've never had sex before," Stan said, a defensive edge to his tone now, "I'm pretty sure you got a blowjob before any of the rest of us. Not that I'm judging. I just…. I mean, yeah, I've had sex with other people besides Wendy. After we broke up, I might have had a few one-night stands at Token's parties."

"But Wendy was your first?"

"Yes."

"But I am the first guy you've done anything with, right?"

There was another long awkward pause. "Uh, no." What? He must have said it out loud because Stan explained, "At one of Token's parties," and Kenny suddenly wanted to strangle Token next time he saw him despite how nice he usually was, "I may have been really drunk and there may have been a guy that was also drunk and we may have been dared to kiss and you know we might have made out, that happened," was the rushed explanation. Immediately after making out with that guy, he made out with a girl, so he had always just chalked it up to being a drunk dare, though he had enjoyed it just as much as kissing the girls. Not that he enjoyed any of those kisses as much as Wendy or Kenny, but Stan thought that might have more to do with being in an actual committed relationship.

"Do I? Do I know this person?"

"Are you jealous of this guy, too?" Stan asked, the teasing undertone returning to his voice. "You know, it's kind of cute hearing you get all worked up over Wendy and these other people."

"I'm serious, do I need to be worried about this guy that was macking on you?"

"No," Stan was laughing now, "Where is this even coming from? No, don't worry about any of it. It's really not a big deal." And Kenny felt the ice in his heart again. What if one day Stan was just assuring someone else that Kenny wasn't a big deal. He started to ask, but there was a commotion at the front door as Eric returned home, making a bunch of noise, the front door slamming loudly. He yelled for Kenny.

"Eric's back," Kenny informed Stan. "I'll talk to you later." Kenny heard how Stan's voice deflated at the mention of Eric, responding with a quick promise of talking later. It was odd that Kenny was suddenly dropping everything as soon as his friend returned and summoned him. Kenny could hear the urgency in Cartman's voice, though, and dreaded what he was going to find up the stairs. He took the steps two at a time, practically leaping up them, out of the basement. Cartman yelled for him again and Kenny realized they must have gone to the second story. Kenny rushed up to the second story and found Cartman in the room originally prepared for him.

Kenny froze in the doorway, staring in horror at the sight that met his eyes. Lianne set his room up nicely with a large queen-sized bed in the center of the room, opposite of where he stood, with two small nightstands on each side. There was an unused dresser against the wall directly across from the bed. Cartman was trying to set Kyle down as gently as he could onto the bed. At some point, Cartman must have grabbed towels because towels were sloppily thrown across the bed. The goddess that Kenny knew as Bast was placing Wendy on the bed, too. Wendy was unconscious and Kyle seemed to be somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, his eyes unfocused and darting around, fist clenching onto Cartman's sleeve. Cartman grabbed Kyle's hand, trying to pry it off him. "Kyle. Just go back to sleep." Cartman was kicking himself for screaming for Kenny as that stirred Kyle back into consciousness and he was even more disoriented than before.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kenny demanded from the doorway, sure his eyes were deceiving him. Why the hell were Wendy and Kyle here, much less with an Egyptian goddess, and Kyle was in a bad state on top of everything else. Cartman's eyes snapped away from Kyle and to Kenny. Kenny waved at Bast. "You know you can only summon her three times. What the hell?"

"Yes, I do know that, Kiinneeey," Cartman drawled out his name, clearly annoyed to even be reminded that a summon was wasted to save Kyle and Wendy. "But these two found Nug and were petrified. I had to do something and all I could think was to summon her." He was hyper-aware of Kyle listening intently to them.

Bast nodded her head as she checked Wendy's forehead for a fever. "Yes, he was wise to summon me if you wanted these two to remain alive. Nug was rather excited, he was prepared to gobble these two little humans right up." Bast stared down at Kyle and Wendy curiously. "They are lucky to still be alive considering they looked directly at Nug." She looked at Cartman. "Did you not warn them not to do that? You know, I have seen humans just dissolve to dust before. I hope this girl will be okay." Cartman looked away from Kenny and at Bast, worriedly.

"She's breathing, right?" he asked.

Bast nodded. "Yes, but for how long? And what about that boy?" She indicated Kyle with a long claw. He was still shaking like a leaf, and his breathing turned to desperate rasps like he needed to gulp in air, he was having trouble breathing. "Truly terrible. Why did you not inform them?"

Cartman threw his hands up in the air. "I didn't know they were going to go and actually look for Nug," he exclaimed. Kenny walked slowly towards the bed, unsure if his presence would aggravate Kyle further or not. Kyle's hat had fallen off and his hair was an unruly mess that Kenny doubted could be tamed, hair stuck to Kyle's forehead, plastered in sweat. Kenny stopped beside Cartman and stared down at Kyle and Wendy, trying to figure out how on earth this was even happening. Kyle's eyes darted around the room, seeming to find everything except Kenny to be insanely interesting. He tried to focus on Bast but failed as his eyes just were unwilling to cooperate with his brain. He made an effort not to look at Kenny.

"Eric, did you know they were looking for Nug?"

Cartman sighed. "I knew they were looking into things, but I didn't know that they were actually going to go and try to find him."

"Why didn't you tell me?! Is this what you've been being all secretive about lately? These two," he paused and used his fingers as air quotes, "'looking into things.' Why didn't you tell them to stop? You know how dangerous this can get."

Cartman ran his hands over his face, sucking in an annoyed breath. "I fucking tried. It's not like I can control them."

"Is this why the wall has been so strange?"

Kyle finally looked at Kenny for a moment, attempting to understand. Cartman glanced at Kyle, aware that he was paying attention despite what his body was doing to him. He really wished Kyle would just lose consciousness again. That would make things much easier. Sighing, he nodded. "Yes, I didn't want you to know."

"Why not?"

Cartman rubbed his face again, feeling both Kyle and Kenny's eyes boring into him. "There were some things that were said…..that I just didn't think you needed to know." Cartman glanced at Wendy. Kenny was rubbing his eyes with one hand in frustration, trying to understand what Cartman had been thinking. He could kick himself for missing all the signs. He missed Cartman's glance at Wendy. Kyle caught the glance at Wendy and it instantly hit him: Cartman was trying to hide what Wendy said about Kenny's family in R'lyeh. That made no sense, though. What wall were they talking about? And why would Cartman or Kenny even be talking about a wall? It almost sounded like these two were talking about some bizarre psychic connection, but that wasn't possible…..was it?

Kyle thought about what was happening and realized that would probably be the least weird thing to happen today. There was more to the story and Kyle wanted to have answers right then, trying to demand them, but only succeeded in being betrayed by his body again when he attempted to demand that Cartman or Kenny make sense of everything. His eyes watered again, his damn body would not stop shaking, and a strange sound came out of his throat. Immediately he had Cartman and Kenny's attention. It was disturbing how much concern was in both pairs of eyes. Cartman leaned forward, placing firm hands on Kyle's upper arms and trying to steady his shakes. "Kyle, please," there was a strange pleading tone in his voice that Kyle was not used to hearing, "you have to calm down."

Kenny reached a hand down, trying to check for a fever, but the second his hand made contact with Kyle's forehead, Kyle's whole body stilled for a moment before seeming to bounce back in even worse shape than before. Kenny removed his hand as if Kyle's forehead was fire. "I-I'm sorry," he tried to apologize but doubted Kyle could even hear him. Cartman snapped at him to back away and resumed his efforts at trying to calm down Kyle enough to let his body rest. Bast cleared her throat and Kenny nearly jumped out of his skin, having forgotten she was still there.

"You know, he's upset because he doesn't understand what's going on. I could show him."

"NO!" Both Cartman and Kenny shouted at her, each feeling panic start to rise within. Kenny stared at Bast as if she had grown a second head. "No," he repeated forcefully, "No, he doesn't need that."

Cartman nodded in agreement and his hands squeezed Kyle's arms a little tighter, refusing to meet Kyle's eyes. "No, we don't want that."

Bast shook her head. "He's been fighting that petrification and his body is paying the price. It would be easier to just show him. My presence within his mind would give him some reprieve from the petrification. Also, you still owe me for the summoning, and you know what my price tends to be." Cartman looked up at her, frustrated. Kenny stared at her with pleading eyes, begging her not to. Kyle tried to keep up with everything going on. He heard Cartman whisper a curse, damning Bast. He heard Kenny whisper please don't more than once. Kyle wondered what the price would be and felt even more fear. What if the price was him or Wendy? At first, it sounded like whatever Bast was talking about would help him, but now he was starting to freak out even more which was quite a feat to achieve at this point. He felt Cartman's grip tighten on his arms again, sure to leave bruises, as he tried to still Kyle's body.

"How will further traumatizing him help any?" Kenny asked tiredly.

Bast tilted her head. "I am not traumatizing him, I will be showing him what he wants to know," she explained. "Besides you two know that my price is revealing an important truth. You two are usually more careful than this. Besides," she leveled a look at Cartman. "You know it is my duty to protect people against evil spirits. I have no choice."

Cartman grumbled, "Kenny's not an evil spirit." Kyle felt his heart beating faster again and he glanced between Cartman and Bast and then to Kenny who turned his back to the rest of them. Cartman looked at Kyle. "He's not. She just says that because he's an anomaly."

Bast tsked. "He dies and comes back to life over and over, how am I supposed to believe that is not rooted in some type of evil? I was summoned to protect against evil and the best way to protect them would be to show them what they're dealing with." Neither Cartman nor Kenny missed the them.

"No," Kenny bit out, forcefully. It was bad enough that Bast was planning to strip him and Cartman raw in front of Kyle. To be that exposed to Wendy as well was too much for him to even consider. He turned around and even in his physical agony, Kyle could see the desperation in Kenny's eyes. "Please, can't you just show Kyle if you have to?"

"I am sorry," Bast offered and was sincere. "But no, I have to show it all to both of them." She glanced at Kyle and Wendy. "We should clean them first. This might take a while and I do not think it good to leave humans sitting in their own filth," she commented casually. Kyle glanced between Cartman and Bast with wild eyes, not sure he was understanding, but with some effort he tried to focus, his world closing around him. Cartman was saying something, but everything was muted and made no sense to Kyle's ears. Kenny left the room and returned with a pile of folded clothes. Kyle realized he was hyperventilating as he finally understood they were implying that both he and Wendy had soiled themselves and they needed to be cleaned. Embarrassment and horror shot through him, but also terror. Didn't they understand that he was already freezing cold? He was sweating buckets, drenched in sweat, but he was so cold and the thought of being without clothes or in water made him want to cry at how much colder he would get.

Cartman growled, trying to calm Kyle down. Their friend was a bundle of nerves, sweating, shivering, his teeth even started to chatter only adding to both Cartman's concern and annoyance. Cartman tried to give him a light shake with the two hands that were still squeezing Kyle's upper arms in an attempt to get him to stay still. "Kyle. Calm down, please," he wasn't used to speaking to Kyle like this, voice reduced to desperate pleas, trying to get Kyle to understand the importance of calming down because the petrification could actually kill him. "It's okay. It's normal." As tempted as he was to tease his friend and never let him or Wendy live down the fact that they wet themselves and possibly more at the sight of Nug, Cartman's brain was unwilling to supply any witty remarks about the situation they found themselves in. Bast was right and just looking at Nug directly caused many deaths. Bast was also right that he should have done a better job in warning them. He should have known these two well enough by now to know they would not have given up on this quest. He should have known they would try something like this, and he should have warned them.

Kyle was coughing again, trying to speak and Cartman just shook his head at him, knowing Kyle would likely not be able to speak for a few days, but feared that telling his red-headed friend this would only result in more resistance and franticness from said friend. He tried to ask Kyle a question, hoping for a nod or shake of the head but Kyle showed no signs of comprehension. Cartman was sure Kyle had been listening in on the conversation going on around him so was disappointed when he received no response at all.

Kyle was cold, so cold. He tried to tell Cartman to put him under the blankets because he was just so cold, but he still was not able to vocalize any words, much less a full sentence. He only managed to further alarm Cartman who was already acting incredibly odd. Cartman looked helplessly to Bast, waiting for her guidance. Bast approached Kyle and he felt himself tensing up in fear and dread. His hand was clenching at Cartman's sleeve again and his breathing was even more unsteady than before. Cartman was attempting to calm him down with reassurances but they died before they ever reached Kyle's ears. He was too entranced in Bast's gaze to be aware of anything else around him.

Bast placed a gentle hand on his forehead and a strange glow emanated out of her hand. Kyle's eyes finally slid shut and his whole body went limp, no longer shaking. It took a minute, but his breathing became steady. Cartman glared at Bast. He was about to demand why she had not just done that in the first place, but she cut him off, directing him to start the bath and he rolled his eyes, annoyed at how easily he obeyed her. He swore he was under a spell of hers, too. Kenny was also mechanically obeying, having gotten new towels for both the bath and the bed. He brought in some of Cartman's clothes earlier, since Cartman was a little larger than both Kyle and Wendy, they were sure his clothes would fit the other two, they would be too big for Wendy for sure and hopefully not too tight on Kyle.

"I just don't understand why you didn't fucking tell me," Kenny muttered in the bathroom, setting the clothes on the sink, far enough away from the tub so they would stay dry, but close enough that they were within reach. Cartman sat on the ledge of the tub, running water and checking the temperature as Bast directed. He had no idea if she planned to give them just a bath or some combination of shower and bath. He also was not sure how involved he and Kenny would be in all this and he dreaded finding out. Kenny was too preoccupied with being pissed off at him to even think about what they were doing.

"It just wasn't a good idea."

"Oh, yeah, because not telling me was such a great idea," Kenny snapped at him with a wave towards the room that their two unconscious friends were in.

"I told you, I didn't know they planned to actually go and see Nug!"

Kenny opened his mouth to argue with Cartman but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. He and Cartman stared at each other, each paralyzed with dread and fear. Maybe whoever it was would go away. They were in no way prepared to have anyone over especially with Wendy and Kyle in such terrible states. The doorbell rang again and they both jumped at hearing Cartman's cell phone ring. It was still in the room with the other three. Kenny shook his head and muttered that he would take care of it. With a quick dash down the hallway, he reentered the room to find Bast staring curiously at Cartman's ringing phone, Kyle thrown over one of her shoulders. She had clearly been on her way out.

She handed the phone to Kenny without a word. Kenny stared at Stan's name. He figured as much. He glanced at the time, hardly believing it had been over an hour since he spoke with Stan. Dread filled him as he suspected that Stan was the one at the door but dearly hoped he was wrong. He answered the phone while walking slowly back to the bathroom. "Hey, Stan!" He tried as casually as he could, hoping he hid his panic well. Cartman glanced up at him as he walked into the bathroom, Bast not far behind him. Kenny nodded at something but then realized he would need to speak as Stan could not see him. "Oh, you're here?" Kenny shot a desperate look at Cartman and he could only widen his eyes and shake his head. "I didn't hear the bell. I'll be there in a minute." He ended the phone call with a helpless look at Cartman.

"What the fuck? You can't bring Stan in here, Kenny!"

"I'm not going to bring him up here, but I just can't leave him out at the door. I did ask him if he wanted to come over today before I knew about all this," Kenny waved his hand at Kyle and Bast. "I'll just make sure we stay downstairs in the basement."

"Oh great," Cartman heaved a defeated sigh. "This'll be just perfect." He rolled his eyes. "Just keep him down there."

Kenny glared at him. "Just keep them quiet." With that, he exited the bathroom and bounded down the stairs to the door. Once at the door, he took a second to collect himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply, trying to calm himself down. He opened the door and greeted Stan with a strained smile, hoping Stan would not sense anything was off. "Hey! You made it here, after all."

Stan nodded, giving Kenny an odd look. "Yeah, I did text, but I figured I'd just drop by. I spoke with my mom and things are better now. Wanted to see if you'd had dinner. I can cook something." That sounded heavenly but Kenny remembered what was just up the stairs and Cartman's orders to keep him in the basement. He started to panic, but another idea hit him. Even better than Cartman's of keeping Stan downstairs. "You know, I wanted to try something new," Kenny braved. Stan gave an encouraging nod. "Let's try a restaurant. There're vegan ones, right? Are you up for a date?" Please want to go, we can't stay here, Kenny thought rather deliriously but managed to project himself as being calm despite the inner turmoil. Stan hesitated.

"Will you…Will you eat the food if we go?"

Kenny swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I think I'm ready. I want to try something new, and I don't want you to always have to cook."

"I really don't mind. But it would be nice to go on a date and there is a new restaurant I've been wanting to try out."

Kenny beamed at him and stepped outside with Stan, happily closing the door behind him, relieved they were leaving the house. One less thing to worry about. "Let's go then!" Stan tilted his head, surprised at Kenny's eagerness but not complaining. This was great news, in his book.

Cartman stood at the window and watched Stan and Kenny walk down the street, away from the house and he sagged with relief. If Kenny could get Stan away from the house, that was even better. Bast had shooed him out of the bathroom, understanding it might be strange to keep him in the bathroom to help clean his friends off. She finished with Kyle and was working on Wendy, trying to get business done as quickly as possible, unsure when someone else might show up like Stan. Bast had washed Kyle first, worried that he might return to consciousness as he didn't seem to stay knocked out very long.

Cartman stared down at Kyle. He was laying on the bed again, where Bast set him, on top of new clean towels just in case something else happened. Petrification usually affected a person for quite a while, sometimes their entire lives. Cartman could only hope that Kyle and Wendy would recover completely. Bast had dressed him in the clothes that Kenny had left for them. Cartman thought that Kyle would be rather upset when he awoke to find himself in Cartman's shirt and sweatpants. Wendy was not going to be happy about waking up in his clothes, either, come to think of it. They're both gonna kill me, he thought. It was comforting to see Kyle sleeping peacefully and not shaking or gasping for breath, desperate for air. Relief flooded through Cartman as Kyle's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Maybe they would be okay, after all.

Bast entered the room, carrying Wendy. She carefully laid her on the bed by Kyle. Both looked much better, at least cleaner. Their hair was wet, but no longer soaked in their own sweat. Bast quietly asked Cartman to retrieve a chair for her. Cartman nodded and went to get one, not in a hurry as he knew what was coming next. Bast would show them what all they had been missing and, like Kenny, he was in no hurry to have his soul laid out in such an intimate way to their friends.