Day-Brayker

Here he is! As his name suggests his trait is he’s real lucky always :3

IS SHE FEEDING THE KIDS PEOPLE

As they walked upstairs, Catie could feel dread flooding their mind. They tried to think of their friends downstairs… though that helped very little, considering they weren't actually here with them. They were all alone now, nobody could help them anymore. It had to be perfect.

"We hope you have learned your lesson, Sister Curious, you may continue to live amongst the community" said Mother. Sister Foxtrot kept glaring at Catie, a glare that pierced right through their skull. Sister Foxtrot suddenly grabbed their shoulder.

"Matter of fact… we've got another surprise layed out for you tonight… you'll have to re-test your devotion… But it shouldn't be too difficult…" Said Sister Foxtrot. Mother amd Sister Foxtrot led Catie back to the bedroom, they made sure to take a good look at their surroundings, mapping out mentally how they could reach the basement when the time was right…

Once Catie arrived to the bedroom, Sister Foxtrot stayed while Mother left. The others were there, and this time it felt as though everyone where stating at them… Even Brother Funky, poor Brother Funky… they thought. Sister Harmomy had that same glare, and they knew why. She was probably upset at them too for what they'd done… more upset than everyone else, but nowhere near as upset as Sister Foxtrot was….

They curled up on their bed, hating the feeling of eye constantly watching them. They wanted to go home… their real home. They somehow missed the familiar smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke, the yellowed walls and the refrigerator that would wake them up at night, the sound of the Television cracking to life, the broken wire fence the surrounded their home… at least there they had freedom, they cpuld stay out as long as they want, and of they got home when their parents were asleep, then it would be as if nothing had happened in the morning.

But there would be no home to arrive to.

Catie couldn't stop worrying about Brother Empathetic and Beother Od-Dog… Brother Empathetic slipped out of his chains as they were leaving, he'd promised to get Brother Od-Dog out of his restraints as they were gone. But just the thought of Brother Od-Dog being in any more pain… the thought of either of them being in pain made their heart bleed.

They hardly ate at lunch, same went for dinner, despite the fact that they had not eaten a thing in three days they suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. Once again they felt like a ghost. As if everything they where experiencing were on the inside of this house, and they were merely peeking through the window.

It almost comforted them, thinking about all of this as just one bad dream made them feel some sort of bliss… nothing mattered. If they were to die, nothing would happen to them. They'd wake up again and be right where they started, they'd get right back to their mundane life. They were only spectating, only looking in, and they could leave whenever they wanted to.

Catie began humming one of the old hyms that Sister Harmony had sang. It was about what would happen to those who didn't have faith. Rotting bodies in trenches… mass illness spread across lands. It made them think of the bodies downstairs. That wasn't real, it couldn't have been.

Maybe that hym wasn't real, maybe Sister Harmony wasn't even real.

Maybe this whole house, the people inside, the history behind it, the torture that was bottled up in it wasn't real. Maybe if Catie closed their eyes and opened them again everything would be gone, they'd be laying in an empty lot on Connell Street… safe and sound back in the Inferno of Hoaxville.

That fantasy was quickly shut down as they heard a knock on the wall. It was Sister Harmony, who was I'm fact very real.

"Sister Curious, come down to the main foyer…" she said in a hushed voice. They looked around, everyone was gone, but unfortunately they were still here in this damn house… Sister Harmony left the room, and Catie remembered the plan.

This is my chance… it's now or never Catie thought. As they walked to the main foyer, they felt thay same anxiety start creeping in once again. They tried calming their nerves by thinking once again of themselves as merely a spirit witnessing these events from afar. That helped a little.

I'm the main foyer, there was the prominent smell of candles burning. In the middle of the room there was a table, on Sister Missy layed across it completely still. Everyone stood around chanting prayers.

"We must protect ourselves from the incoming nightmare attacks…" Said Mother. Sister Harmony took her place and took the lead in the chanting. Catie decided to join in, trying to blend in woth the others while trying to squint in the dark to see the hallway they had come through to reach the basement. The darkness was perfect to hide away in.

But before they could keep routing their way to the basement, they felt somebody tap their shoulder. Turning around they saw Soster Foxtrot smiling at them.

"It's time, Sister Curious, you're loyalty will he re-tested" she held out her paw and handed them something. A long, sharp knife. They took it cautiously, she wasn't implying that… was she? Mother nodded to them slowly.

"We will guide you through it… walk up to the table, quick!" Said Mother. With no other option, Catie walked up to the table where Sister Missy lay. Up close, they could tell that she was much younger than the rest of the children here, she must have been around nine or ten years old… they felt bad for saying that she deserved to be sacrificed. Sister Harmomy Shouted out suddenly.

"Oh dear Waking Gods! Take our sacrifice! Our Sister Missy has already given a vow of silence, and we promise she will keep that promise forever! Protect us from the nightmares!" Sister Harmony shouted, soon the children began singing another hymn. Mother walked right up to Catie and began instructing them.

"Point the tip at her throat, and bring it down… it is that simple. Just make sure to not go through all the way, we only want to damage her larynx, thus making sure she stays silent" said Mother. The children sang.

"Oh our sacrifice, Ver, Escuchar, and Hablar! Please take our offering and guide us to the light! Dont allow the nightmares to come around! Keep us safe and let us live in your light for the rest of our days!" Everybody sang at the top of their lungs.

This was bad, the plan wouldn't work eith everyone watching them. Yet somehow they knew this would happen… They felt tears start pouring out of their eyes, they couldn't hurt anybody else… they wouldn't… Killing their own mom was one thing, but hurting an innocent little girl who was defenseless against everybody? They wouldn't allow it. They remembered something said in the basment… and suddenly they had a new plan.

The chanting got louder amd louder, everybody was waiting for them to bring the knife down. They pointed ot right at Sister Missys throat.

"Yes… just like that, Sister Curious. Now bring it down, quick… the nightmares are nearing!" Mother said panicked. Catie wasn't even sure what she was talking about, there was no sign of anything anywhere… Their tears had stopped, amd now they were sweating. Where they really about to do this? Could they do this?

Yes. They had to.

The chanting reached a climax, and the knife cut deep. But not into Sister Missy's neck.

Everybody stared in horror at Catie stood there with a knife plunged deep into Mother's stomach, she gasped for air while looking down. They suddenly retracted the knife, and suddenly there was silence. Mother fell to her knees, looking up at Catie for once. Before anybody could say anything, they turned and ran, ran like their life depended on it. Because it did.

"Heretic! Heretic! After her! Kill her!" Sister Foxtrot screamed as Catie ran to the hall that led to the basement door. The darkness of the house allowed them to quickly loose track of the other chasing them, but they could still hear all of them.

"Kill them! We must kill them!" Sister Harmomy screamed. The shuffling footsteps went down a different hall.

Feeling their way around in the dark, they eventually found the basement door. The yanked it open and whisper-shouted down the stairs.

"Od-Dog! Empathetic! Come up! We can escape! Come on!" Catie yelled. Soon, out of the darkness came the two boys. Brother Od-Dog's robe looked more torn up than ever, presumably from the barbed wire removal.

"Great! They didn't see you, right?" Asked Brother Empathetic.

"Well… about that… They… they wanted me to sacrifice Sister Missy myself to prove my loyalty, so I took the opportunity and… well…" Catie trailed off. Beother Od-Dog's eyes went wide.

"Y-you… you did didn't you?" He said.

"…Yes…" Catie replied.

"Well, can't say she didn't deserve it! Nice one Catie! Come on! Let's get out of here!" Brother Od-Dog said.

"Catie. What. The fuck?! They're not on your tail right?!" Brother Empathetic asked as the three began running deeper into the hall, trying to find where the moonlight outside would shine in.

"It was my only choice! I don't think they know we are here though…" Catie replied. Though it seemed theyd jinxed it.

"Here! Down this hall! I smell the blood!" Yelled Sister Shy. Catie felt their air catch in their throat.

"Shit…" they whispered as they ran faster, Brother Od-Dog and Brother Empathetic close behind them. But this time, more footsteps followed behind them. They ran faster, gripping the knife tightly.

"Are there even any windows down here?!" Brother Od-Dog asked as they all ran.

"I… I don't know" Brother Empathetic huffed. Catie felt all their hope of escaping fade away.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" They asked.

"I've never been down this was before! Plus, you were supposed to have escaped without anyone seeing you so we could sneak to where there are definitively windows!" Brother Empathetic yelled. Soon, they ran into a wall, no windows had passed them by, and the rest of the children were right behind them.

"No no no no no!" Brother Od-Dog Shouted, his voice began shaking in tears.

"Damnit! What do we do?!" Catie asked Nrother Empathetic. The footsteps grew closer.

"…I don't know" He replied. They were cornered.

"Gotcha!" Yelled Sister Foxtrot. Catie suddenly felt a hard preassure on their throat, it took them a second to realize she was choking them.

"I knew it! I knew I was right! Once a heretic always a heretic!" Sister Foxtrot Yelled. Catie dropped the knife.

"Sister Harmony, Brother Mighty, grab those two!" She commanded. Catie could barely make out Sister Foxtrots face in the dark, contorted in anger. Though their world was quickly going black as they struggled for air… slowly… they felt themselves passing out… and they truly felt like a ghost.

This was it, they were gone. But that didn't matter. Like they'd thought before, they'd simply wake up back in bed. Their parents would be fighting, the house would smell of smoke, and everything would be back to normal.

"No!" They heard someone yell. Suddenly, the preassure was relieved from their throat.

"URK-" Sister Foxtrot shouted in pain before falling beside Catie. They couldn't see what was going on, but they felt somebody lifting them up, dragging them back down the hall.

The next minute was like a blur… they heard yelling, shouting, footsteps, glass breaking… They could feel gravel beneath their feet now, it was like walking on another planet after all the time they'd spent in the house. They faded in and out of consciousness, still not being able to tell what was happening. But pretty soon, they were laying on some sort of hard floor… and finally, they fell completely out.

When they woke up, it was morning, and Brother Od-Dog was looking down at them, he gasped before wrapping his arms around them.

"You're awake! Oh thank God you're awake!" He gushed, kissing their cheek passionately. "I thought you'd never wake up…" He said while shaking.

"Whoa, calm down there… they've only just now woken up" said Brother Empathetic. Catie noted that he'd also referred to them as "they".

"…Where am I? What happened?" They asked. It took a second for their vision to adjust, but soon they could make out Brother Od-Dog and Brother Empathetic sitting right in front of them. Brother Od-Dog had blood on his face and robe, and the knife from yesterday was right beside him, also covered in blood.

"You outta thank Brother Od-Dog… I couldn't see it, but I knew he did it. He picked up that very knife and… well…" Brother Empathetic trailed off. No way… had Brother Od-Dog really done that? No way… right? They felt their heart swell as they looked at him, he really did care about them so much…

"…Well… Yeah… and after that we grabbed you and dragged you past everyone, they were all to shocked from the moment to catch up with us. We jumped out a window and ran all the way up Connell Street… and now? We're in the backroom of the library" Brother Od-Dog explained. They didn't know how to react, had that all really happened while they were out? It felt like a dream… yet here they were.

They leaned forward amd embraced the both of them. The boys embraced Catie back, and for a moment they all could finally rest, but Catie knew that this wasn't over yet…

"So… what now?" They asked, finding that they were on the verge of tears, though they felt better upon seeing that both Brother Empathetic and Brother Od-Dog were as well.

"W-well… while you were out, I went outside and saw that there's a t-train coming at around four o'clock in the afternoon, it leads r-right into the city. W-we'll get on and escape to the city, we need to fund outside help. Lord knows t-the deputy here can't do shit about t-this" Brother Empathetic said through a quivering lip. The thought of finally leaving Hoaxville made Catie wanna puke.

"It's only seven AM right now… we've got time to kill" Brother Od-Dog said, wiping away his tears.

"Yup, we've just gotta stay in this backroom… we can't let anybody see us…" Said Brother Empathetic. Catie simply nodded, understanding the task at hand. It was possibly the most simple thing they'd ever had to do in their life, yet it'd have to biggest impact as well.

To leave Hoaxville? That was like leaving the atmosphere! It was hard to believe there was even any more world beyond the mountains of Hoaxville… and the thought of asking someone out there for help. Who? And how? What if they didn't even believe them? Those were all things Catie didn't want to think about, instead they layed back down and decided to rest up some more, they still felt quiet tired…

The sunlight shined in from the window of the backroom of the library, lighting up the otherwise completely pitch black room. Catie hadn't really been outside in… weeks? Days? Months? They couldn't tell, but anything was better than being inside that house. All there was to do was wait… there were books scattered everywhere, but reading never really interested them.

They thought about trying to go look through the files to maybe find Brother Od-Dog and Brother Empathetic's real names, but looking around the room, there wasn't any sign of the files that would contain such information… Despite the reputation of Hoaxville, it at least did a good job hiding peoples personal information…

And with that, there was nothing left to do but wait for 4 PM to arrive. It was hours of mere silence, the occasional cough or sneeze from the three, or sometimes Catie would try to strike up a small conversation with either of the boys, but that would quickly fall out… Catie felt something new once again, they were no longer in pain, though the nightmare was far from over.

I'd The Backwards House was hell, this Hoaxville must have been purgatory. That made them wonder… would wherever they ended up next be heaven? Or was purgatory forever?

At around 3:20 PM, Brother Empathetic suggested they leave, just to be early, they couldn't miss that train for anything… And so they did. Sneaking out of the library they walked farther down the main street, past Connell Street. Catie saw the house off in the distance, it loomed over everything and looked more ominous than ever. Looking back, Catie saw everything they had ever known slowly get smaller and smaller until it was no longer visible. They waited by the train tracks, the sun burned bright and hot, Catie and the others had to often cover themselves with their paws to block out the light. The sunlight felt strange against their skin, it'd be so long since they'd felt the direct sunlight… it was healing, but still painful because of the heat.

Soon, chuffing could be heard getting closer and closer to the three, and Brother Empathetic signaled them to hide.

"We can't let them know we're here… they'll kick us out" He said in a hushed voice. The train stopped right I'm front of them, amd there was an open boxcar, seemingly waiting for them. Brother Od-Dog went in first, followed by Catie, and finally Brother Empathetic went in. The three hugged into the corner, hiding under some sand bags that were in the car, thus the inspector saw nothing upon his inspection.

There was a jolt, and the train started moving again. Catie got up to look out the still open car, seeing as Hoaxville went further and further away.

That old life was gone, and they now knew that a new one had just begun.

made one for Catie too :3 ignore how absolutely crap this drawing is, just something a little more wholesome after everything that’s been going down :)

wait he did? 😭 am I dumb or something why don’t I remember him doing that

ALSO it’s quite concerning that Mother knows Caties name AND that they know their name

Every month is alphabet mafia month

The next three days were absolute hell. Brother Empathetic suggested that Catie put him and Brother Od-Dog back in their imprisonment, as it was likely that Sister Foxtrot would come down to check on them.

Painfully, Catie put the two back in their constraints, but they refused to turn the Televison back on. Brother Empathetic didn't argue with that, saying that if it was questioned, they could simply say it shut off on its own. Catie tried falling asleep, but that proved difficult on the hard concrete floor of the basement, along with the sharp pain in their paws from unwrapping, and re-wrapping Brother Od-Dog in the barbed wire. Yet still, somehow, they fell asleep.

That night, they were plauged by a terrible nightmare. In their nightmare, they'd wake up in the basement, looking up at where Brother Od-Dog was there was simply a skeleton. Running to the room of corpses, Brother Empathetic was in the same condition. The corpses on the floor would then spring to life and begin grabbing at them, pulling at their limbs until it tore from their body. But before their head could be ripped, they'd wake up, face soaked with tears.

As they did wake up, they realized that it was only the first day, and there were still seventy two hours left. Maybe… just maybe… they would rather die than have to go through this. Looking up at Brother Od-Dog, they let out a sigh of relief to see that he was still flesh and bone, though he was still wide awake.

"Brother Od-Dog…?" They called out, their voice raspy. He could hardly turn his head around.

"…Morning…" He replied miserably. They slowly stood up, cracking their back before walking to Brother Empathetic's room. They almost didn't want to open the door l, they couldn't bare to see the bodies again… what if they grabbed them like they did in the dream? But opening the door, nothing happened, and Brother Empathetic's head shot up.

"Catie… I was waiting for you to wake up… we've still got work to do" He said, slowly standing up. Catie noticed how his wrists were limp and floppy, like a ragdoll. Despite the contents of the room they were in, that somehow grossed them out the most.

Moments later, they were sitting in the doorway so that they could have a conversation with the two boys at the same time while keeping them in their restraints.

"Maybe we could find something to break us out of the room then just up and leave?" Brother Od-Dog suggested.

"That's too dangerous… we don't have any idea where the basement is, we were all brought here in the dark. We'd most likely get captured again before ever making it to the front door…" Brother Empathetic replied. Catie spoke up next.

"Let's go back to the sacrifice that's going to be performed… could I really have enough strength to use a weapon against Mother?" Catie asked.

"Probably not… even if you got the upper hand, her minions would probably get you next…" Brother Empathetic replied.

"Minions?" Asked Brother Od-Dog.

"The other cult members. Especially Sister Foxtrot and Sister Harmony, and if lead on then maybe Brother Funky… though he probably won't be of much use…" Brother Empathetic replied.

"I… I wanted to ask about that. Why does Brother Funky wear those sunglasses all the time?" Catie asked. Brother Empathetic got a grim look on his face.

"…He was part of a sacrifice. That's how he got his new name. He used to be called… Freddie, I think? But… in one of Mothers panic episodes where she claimed Nightmares were going to attack, Brother Funky offered his eyes… and she gladly took that" Brother Empathetic said softly. Catie looked at Brother Empathetic.

"Hey, speaking of which… what are your names? Once we get out of here- or… I guess IF we get out of here then you two are gonna need names" Catie said. Brother Empathetic shook his head.

"That's why I told you to remember yours. Because we can't remember ours… The cult has a way of erasing identity… and unfortunately we cant remember ours" Brother Empathetic said solemnly. Brother Od-Dog nodded.

"Yup, can't even remember how it started…" Brother Od-Dog added. Catie felt defeated.

"…Maybe we can find your names?" Catie suggested, Brother Empathetic and Brother Od-Dog looked up at them, intrigued.

"Find them…? How? Asked Brother Od-Dog.

"The library… the library is one of the only professional buildings in Hoaxville. It holds a record of every citizen ever born in Hoaxville… Maybe, just maybe, if we look through the files, then we can find your names" Catie said. To their surprise l, Brother Empathetic smiled, a true smile. They had never seen him smile like that.

"That… sounds like a good plan. We can also hide there once we escape, just to get them off our tails until we find another way to escape Hoaxville all-together" Brother Empathetic said. Brother Od-Dog was about to say something else, when they were interrupted by the door up the stairs opening. Suddenly, they all went quiet. Catie quickly shut Brother Empathetic's door and say behind Brother Od-Dog's chair. Sister Foxtrot came around the corner.

"Good morning, everyone. I've come to deliver your water…" Said Sister Foxtrot, who put a cup of water in front of Catie, and let Brother Od-Dog take a sip from a separate glass. She opened the door to Beother Empathetic's room and let him take a sip as well. As quickly as she came, she left. "I'll be back to give you more water in a couple hours…" Said Sister Foxtrot. She began making her way up the stairs, but stopped and turned around.

"What happened to the Televsion?" She asked. Catie looked at the Televsion, which was powered off.

"It's just shut off when I got down here…" Catie replied.

"…I do not believe you" Sister Foxtrot replied. She went to the Televsion and tried to fix it or turn it back on, but found herself having some difficulty.

"I promise, I'm telling the truth" Catie replied.

"Mother may forgive you, but I'll have you know… In my head, I know that once a heretic, always a heretic…" Sister Foxtrot said with distaste in her voice.

"I promise, may Escuchar, Ver, and Hablar strike me down if I am lying!" Catie said their voice raising. Sister Foxtrot shot around to look at them.

"Do not use the Waking Gods name in vain when you know you are lying!" Surprisngly, her voice was also getting louder.

"What else am I supposed to tell you?!" Catie Shouted.

"Admit your wrong! Admit you deserve to be punished the way they are being punished!" Sister Foxtrot said whole pointing to Brother Od-Dog and Brother Empathetic.

"Do you know what I can admit? You're fucking crazy! Why would you punish others for treating children terribly when you're doing the same?! But it's all okay because the, "Waking Gods" told you to do it! You aren't a saint, you aren't doing anything to help the world! You're insane! You need help! You know what I think?! Fuck you!" Catie Shouted at the top of their lungs. Sister Foxtrot looked at them, no longer with anger, rather… pondering. She simply straightened up and walked away. No other words were spoken.

"Catie! Whyd you do that?!" Brother Empathetic called out.

"…I… I just couldn't stand her being here…" Catie replied.

"Are you stupid?! You could have gotten punished worse! You're lucky Sister Foxtrot follows what Mother says… she would've killed you herself if not!" Brother Empathetic yelled. Catie slumped in the corner, they felt miserable.

"Im… sorry…" they said again, their voice barely above a whisper. They looked up at Brother Od-Dog, who was shaking from the thought of the TV being turned back on. They wanted to hold him… to tell him it'd be okay. They didn't want to see him suffer anymore…

That's when they felt it, that same feeling… a fuzziness in their chest at just the thought of being near him. They wanted to comfort him, and be close to him… That dame brief feeling they'd felt the day of their indoctrination. Except this time, it wasn't for a moment, and that warm feeling stayed with them this time… just like they wanted it to. For the first time in a while they felt pure joy, knowing what this feeling was.

They finally felt the same way for him. They felt the same love for him that he felt for them. And they wouldn't let it go.

They still thought about it thay night, it was the only thing thay comforted them in the lonely darkness of the basement. Soster Foxtrot had come back down two more times to give them all water, though this time she said nothing, and she didn't even turn to look at Catie. But Catie didn't care though, they were so happy that they felt the same way for Brother Od-Dog…

Catie was startled by a low grumbling sound coming from the bloody room Brother Empathetic was being kept in.

"Brother Empathetic? Was that you?" They called out.

"Yeah… sorry… just… haven't eaten anything in a little bit…" Brother Empathetic replied weakly. Catie began to think about how he looked when they found him… he looked sickly, thin. For some reason that only really set in their mind now, sure he was being given water, but for sure he wasn't being fed… Catie layed their head back down on the floor, clutching their stomach, now noticing their own hunger… it reminded them of home. Their sad, but real, home.

They had a dream about that home that night, in the dream they were nine years old again, their mom was handing them rhat box with those old shoes that they loved so dearly… But as Catie hugged their mom, she faded away into a ball of fire, and her screams of agony began replaying in Caties mind. And upon waking up, they whispered to themselves.

"…I killed her" they whispered. "…I killed my mom…" they whispered again. Another thing began to settle in their mind… once, or rather, if they escaped this house then they couldn't be able to return home. Because whatever was waiting for them at home would be more broken than when they left it… because there would be one less member of the family. They felt tears forming at the corners of their eyes, and a lump thay was hard to swallow formed in their throat as they thought of it. Their mom was gone. They'd never see her ever again.

The realization never left, it hit them over and over again, like a cut that would be payed wide open before being healed just to be cut open once again. They tried to hide it from the others… Sister Foxtrot had come down once again today, and like yesterday she hadn't said a single word to them. And once she left the three began to plan once again.

"…so… does anyone have a better plan to leave the house? I think Catie's plan of hiding in the library is good…" Said Brother Empathetic.

"Didn't we already establish a plan?" Replied Brother Od-Dog.

"Did we? I can't remember…" Said Catie.

"Well we already established that Catie will hopefully be let out tomorrow… if Sister Foxtrot doesn't do anything to her considering how she yelled at her yesterday…" Brother Empathetic said while glaring at Catie.

Something about the way Brothrr Empathetic referred to them made Catie feel strange… they remembered the way Sister Harmony had referred to them. They tried not to think about their mom… but her words still came to them.

seriously I can hardly tell you're a girl!

Her voice echoed in their mind. It hurt them… that some of the last things their mom ever said was criticism towards them, but at the same time it made them realize something. Brother Empathetic was going over a new plan, but Catie was having an epiphany…

They didn't want to be a girl. Yet they didn't want to be a boy either. What was this? As long as they'd been alive it seemed everyone around them agreed that it was only one or the other… but what if Catie could be neither? Was it possible for them to be somewhere in between yet far from a girl or a boy?

"Catie?! Are you listening?!" Brother Empathetic suddenly Shouted, knocking Catie out of their deep thoughts. They sat straight up.

"Oh! Uhm…" There was a slight pause before Brother Empathetic spoke again.

"Great! You weren't paying attention! You know Catie, it seems like you're doing everything in your power to prevent us from leaving…" He said in frustration.

"No! Look… I'm sorry for zoning out I was just… thinking about things" Catie replied. Beother Empathetic shook his head.

"Gah… whatever. Look, me and Brother Od-Dog thought this up… Maybe when you get let out of this place, before you go you can get us out of these bindings and then leave, we'll be waiting down here. Then, when the sacrifice is being performed you can sneak away to wherever the basement is located and let us out. From there, we can sneak around the house to the front door, successfully escaping" Beother Empathetic said. Brother Od-Dog nodded.

"And sacrifices are usually done at night, so therefore it'll be the perfect opportuinty for us to hide" He said. Catie simply nodded, the plan sounded good enough.

"…Alright, let's do it!" Catie said.

"Alright… promise you won't forget" Brother Empathetic annoyed. Catie sighed and nodded.

"Yeah yeah I won't forget… I promise" they replied. They felt a little frustrated, how did he expect them to have clear thoughts when so much had happened so quickly? Once again they tried remembering how long they had been here for… and once again they could seem to remember.

The night of the second day came quickly, Sister Foxtrots visit was no different from the last, and Catie found themselves aching against the cold hard ground. They peered up at Brother Od-Dog, he was slouched in his chair, shivering in pain. They felt so bad… they wanted to free him again, but they knew they couldn't.

"Brother Od-Dog?" They called out.

"…Yeah?" He replied weakly. They stood up and made their way over to him, wanting to hug him but the barbed wire prevented them from doing so.

"Im… sorry for doing out when we were planning" Catie said as they looked down at him.

"Hey, it's alright… Brother Empathetic's probably just… irritated. I mean… when you've been in his situation for that long…" Brother Od-Dog replied as positively as he could. "What were you thinking about anyways?" He asked. Catie froze up, they wanted to stretch the truth and say it was only because of the memory and dream of their mom. It wouldn't be far from the truth, right? Plus, they couldn't tell him about their gender identity… what if he thought they were insane? What if he thought they were strange? What if he didn't love them anymore? They sighed, they couldn't lie to him, not even partially.

"It's just… I've been feeling a certain way lately…" they said, they could already feel their knees buckling in anxiousness.

"Really? How so?" He asked.

"…I don't… I don't know how to describe it…" they started. It felt terrible to lie to the person they love… but it was causing them so much stress to confess the truth. "I don't feel like… a girl, y'know? But I also don't feel like I fit as a boy either… I can't tell if I'm far off from feeling like either, or somewhere in between" they admitted. They didn't dare look at Brother Od-Dog's face, they didn't want to see how he would respond.

"Sister Harmony, when she was healing my foot… she said something thay I never forgot. She referred to me as, 'they'. Something about that felt so much better than being referred to as 'she', and… what my… mom said… it made me realize I've never really shown off as a boy or girl, rather, neutral… I don't want to be stuck in one or the other, I want to be somewhere in between…" their voice slowly got quieter as they spoke, losing confidence in what they were saying. There was a moment of silence where Catie could regret what they'd said.

"…Catie. It doesn't matter how you feel on the inside, if you feel that way then so be it. I didnt start to love you just because you were a girl, it was for who you are. If I'm being honest, I couldn't tell what you were when you first arrived… but if I'm being honest? I would've still fallen for you even if you were a boy, or a girl, and I'll still love you as neither. I'll gladly refer to you by they and them from now on" Brother Od-Dog said, although Catie wasn't looking down at him it was clear in his voice that he was smiling. They finally grew the confidence to check fir themselves, looking down they saw him grinning up at them. They couldn't help but grin back down at him. They leaned down and gently kissed him.

"Thank you…" they whispered. It felt like they could finally have to peace and quiet now. Laying back down on the floor, they fell asleep knowing that he accepted them… and miraculously, tonight they suffered from no nightmares.

Day three, the final day. When they woke up, they felt more confident than they ever had in… ever. As they woke up, they looked around the room once again, somehow jt didn't seem as dark as before. Could the Waking Gods be rewarding them for not falling down the path of the people upstairs, who killed and… what were they saying? It almost shocked them that even after all this, their faith somehow still seemed to be there… Catie shook their head to clear their thoughts.

Sister Foxtrot came down once again to give them all water, but this time, she turned her head to Catie and spoke.

"Sister Curious… you're being released tomorrow" she said simply as she gave Brother Empathetic a drink of water. "You will be let out soon as well" Siad Sister Foxtrot, pointing to Brother Od-Dog. That made Catie's stomach sink, she had no intention of letting Brother Empathetic out. So why were they keeping him barely alive?

The day went on, nobody said a thing. The plan was set in stone, Catie would leave, memorize where the basement was, go to the sacrifice, leave in the darkness, unlock the basement for Brother Empathetic and Brother Od-Dog, and then they would get the hell out of here… Still somehow Catie felt anxious the whole day, the plan was simple enough, and yet they couldn't help but feel a certain way… as though something would fall through. As though something would go wrong.

Upon waking up the next day, they heard the basement door open, and down came Sister Foxtrot, this time joined by Mother. They helped Catie up off the floor.

"Welcome back to The community, Sister Curious. We hope you have learned your lesson, and can rejoin us in our faith" Mother said, her voice overly sweet. Sister Foxtrot was giving Catie that same fake kind smile, amd it made Catie feel sick. There was no more time to feel anxious.

The plan began now, and there was nothing they could do about it.