Night in the Woods: The Final Night - Part 4

Chapter 4: The Comforts of Home
It was no surprise that practically the entire town ended up outside the Borowski household for the second night in a week, the cacophony of sirens and galaxy of blinking lights this time supplied by a large fire engine, an ambulance and a police car. The third floor of the house glowed with red-orange fire, dirty white smoke billowing up into the night sky.

As firefighters sprayed cones of misty water into the topmost window, Mae sat in the back of the ambulance, wrapped in a blanket. The cops had already spoken to her, but a reporter for the town’s paper tracked her down and was currently wringing all the details of the attack out of her again.

“Can you describe the figure you saw?” the reporter asked, his tape recorder shoved under Mae’s chin. He was a busy-looking, fast-talking raccoon.

“Uh… shadowy. And like… dark?” Mae replied, her voice still scratchy from the smoke. “I dunno, they were too far away.”

“How many firebombs did your assailant throw?” the reporter demanded.

“Four. Maybe five? I think five.” Mae said.

“Can you describe your rescue in more detail? How did you feel, were you scared?”

“Look man, I get this is your job, but could you maybe stop?” Mae pushed his tape recorder away from her mouth.

“Just a few more questions, Ms. Borowski, please.” The raccoon implored, forcing his recorder back to its original position. “You were the recent witness to a murder, the public is frightened and desperate for knowledge!” The reporter was promptly shoved out of the way.

“Babe.” Selmers’ normally sleepy eyes were wide open, glittering with panic but unmistakably relieved. She threw her arms around Mae in a true bear hug, rivaling the bone-shattering strength of the hug she received from her mother earlier that night. Mae hugged her back with all her might, burying her face in her shoulder.

“Selmeeers…” Mae cooed, feeling hot, polluted tears welling up in her eyes. Some combination of stress and her tear ducts flushing out all the gunk convinced her body it was time to cry. Her shoulders shook.

“I gotcha, Mae, I gotcha…” Selmers replied, petting down Mae’s tangle of dyed red hair. The reporter finally took the hint that he was no longer welcome and scurried off to question someone else, nearly getting flattened by an incoming bicycle. Gregg skidded to a halt, his tires squealing against the pavement, nearly jerking Angus off of the back seat.

“Where’s Mae?!” he demanded off the reporter, who pointed him in the right direction. The yellow fox leapt off of the bike and dashed for the ambulance, Angus just barely stumbling off in time before the bike toppled over onto the street. The bear took a moment to set it up on its kickstand before briskly following his boyfriend.

“Gregg…” Mae wheezed tearfully as the fox ran towards her. “They burned my room down, Gregg..! I was inside!”

“Who did it? Where did they go?” Gregg muttered, any semblance of humor gone from his voice. “I’ll slit their goddamn throat.”

“They were in our backyard, Dad is out looking...” Mae said. Gregg pulled his switchblade out of his pocket, flicking it open and running off to help search. Angus watched his boyfriend disappear around the corner of the house before sitting beside Mae, Selmers finally releasing her and sitting on the opposite side.

“You’re letting him go..?” Mae asked Angus, sniffling and rubbing her eyes.

“I don’t think the National Guard could stop him at this point.” Angus said. “Besides, I’m secretly hoping he does slit this guy’s throat.”

“Me too.” Selmers said.

“But then he’ll go to jail…” Mae said, coughing up a mouthful of phlegm, which she was forced to swallow. “Gross…”

“This is the same guy, right?” Angus asked.

“Uh huh. He left a note on my door. I spat on it and crumpled it up.” Mae replied.

“That’s probably tampering with evidence, but in this case, I don’t blame you.” Angus said with a humorless laugh.

“Notes?” Selmers asked. Mae looked at her girlfriend, confused for a moment before she realized she never told her about the notes.

“The cops said I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but… Whoever’s been hurting people has been leaving a bunch of notes from Flannery O’Hara stories…” Mae explained.

“O’Connor.” Angus corrected gently.

“Whatever… How did you guys know my house was on fire, anyway?” Mae asked.

“I’m your neighbor, Mae. I smelled the smoke” Selmers said. “Only reason I wasn’t here immediately was ‘cause I called the fire department. Then I legged it.”

“Gregg and I got a message from Bea.” Angus said. “We were already on edge after you saw the stabbing.”

“Excuse me, what?” Selmers exclaimed, taking her hand off of Mae’s shoulder. “You saw the vendor get stabbed and you didn’t tell me?!”

Mae recoiled a bit. She had never heard Selmers yell before.

“I-I thought you knew… I was gonna message you too, but you know… house.” Mae pointed to her house.

“I had no idea you saw it! Good God, Mae!” Selmers cried.

“I’m sorry…” Mae whimpered. “I-I’m real sorry…” Selmers’ expression softened a bit, the bear sighing deeply and putting her hands in her jacket pockets.

“You get a pass because someone tried burning your house down tonight, but if you forget to tell me the next time you witness a murder, there’s gonna be two murders. Got it?” Selmers asked. Mae nodded, hugging her again and hiding her face in her shoulder. Selmers pet her hair down.

“I’d ask if you were okay, but… that’s probably a stupid question right now.” Bea emerged from the darkness with Germ behind her. “Screw it. Are you okay?”

“Beabea…” Mae said.

“Is all your stuff up there?” Germ asked, nodding to the third-floor window.

“...Uh huh.” Mae replied. “My computer, my clothes, the books grandpa gave me before he died…” She felt her voice crack. “What do I do..? A psycho knows where I live and I don’t own anything anymore...”

“You can stay with me.” Selmers said immediately. “I’ll make you a bed in my room.”

“You would?” Mae asked, smiling weakly at Selmers. “That sounds great.”

“Wait a second. Aren’t you two neighbors?” Bea asked.

“Yeah, I live a few doors down from her.” Selmers replied.

“I’m not trying to belittle you, Selma Ann, but don’t you think Mae should stay somewhere less… obvious?” Bea suggested. “I mean, the person already knows where Mae lives, so he or she might know you’re her girlfriend and come after both of you since you’re on the same street.”

Mae felt a cold shiver. “You’re really not making me feel better, Bea.”

“I’m sorry but… I don’t want either of you in any more danger.” Bea replied, trailing off at the end of her sentence. “I’d offer to let you stay at my apartment, but there’s not much room. My dad might also get upset if we suddenly have another mouth to feed.”

“Our apartment’s not exactly roomy either, but you’re welcome on the couch as long as you need.” Angus said.

“You can stay at my house.” Germ said.

Everyone looked at the small bird, who met their gazes with his usual indifferent expression.

“Is there room at your house, Germ?” Angus asked.

“Yup, a lot.” Germ said, tucking his hands into his jacket.

“I dunno, Germ,” Bea said. “Didn’t you tell me your family was sort of… on the big side?”

Germ paused a moment, counting on his fingers before nodding to himself.

“Our house is bigger.” he concluded.

A defeated looking Gregg walked across the Borowski’s lawn.

“Did you find anyone?” Angus asked.

“Nobody. Not even a footprint.” Gregg sighed, looking at Mae.. “Your dad didn’t find anyone either, dude.”

“Too bad you didn’t get stabbed in the face.” Mae croaked. Gregg looked at her, somewhat surprised, but grinned, his ears perking up.

“Too bad you didn’t get burned alive.” he replied.

“Too bad you didn’t get sideswiped by a bus on your way here.” Mae countered.

“Too bad you didn’t break your neck.” Gregg parried.

“Gregg, you know how to perk me up.” Mae held her arms out towards Gregg, who eagerly returned her hug.

“You two have the strangest way of making up.” Selmers said. “But yeah. The more I think about it, the more I agree with Bea. Mae needs to lay low for a while. But don’t most cop stations have like, a safe bedroom or something?”

“I’m not living near Aunt Mall Cop.” Mae quietly declared. “Like, ever. Especially not after I told you guys about the notes when Officer Something-Something told me not to. Besides, my parents could be in trouble too, so they can stay at the station.”

“...Officer Something-Something?” Angus echoed. Selmers hopped off of the ambulance and knelt down to Germ’s level. She was about a head taller than he was.

“Germ, are you sure Mae will be safe with you? Her life could be at stake.” she asked, her voice firm.

“I’m sure.” Germ replied.

“Promise me. Promise all of us.”

“Stick a needle in my eye.” Germ said.

“I wanna go to Germ’s house! How come you’ve never invited me over there?” Gregg asked.

“You’ve got better games.” Germ replied. “You’re closer to the bike trails, too.”

“Speaking of which, those kids over there are pretty interested in your bike, Gregg.” Bea said.

Gregg whirled about to look at the group of middle-schoolers surrounding his bicycle, one of which looked ready to climb onto it. The yellow fox whipped out his knife again and ran over to them.

“HEY! What do you think you’re doing?! Scram!” Gregg barked, brandishing his switch at the younger kids like he was conducting an orchestra. They scattered like mice, Gregg nodding to himself in affirmation of his masculinity and petting the handlebars of his bike. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, those bad guys are all gone.”

“Gregg’s weird.” said Selmers.

They laughed, but Mae, who normally would have laughed the loudest, stayed quiet.

---

Mae honestly thought about slipping away without letting her parents know so she wouldn’t have to argue about it. Thankfully, her conscience directed her otherwise and she told both of them what her plans were. Mae was lucky enough to have kept her phone in her pocket during the ordeal, leaving it her only possession that didn’t perish in the fire. She promised her mother and father a dozen times to answer their calls and be sure to call them too. It surprised Mae that both of them were alright with her heading somewhere else, or at least not actively trying to stop her.

“Remember, call as soon as you settle down at the Wartons’. If we don’t hear from you by eleven, I’m sending a SWAT team.” Mrs. Borowski said.

“Did you pack what you need, kitten? Your hygiene stuff’s still in the bathroom.” Mr. Borowski asked.

“All good to go.” Mae held up the grocery bag that she was using for a suitcase. “I’m… I’m sorry the house got burnt.”

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s not your fault.” Mrs. Borowski said comfortingly. “Insurance should cover a good chunk of the damage, and the fire didn’t have any time to spread to the lower levels.”

“Plus we can squeeze some extra money out of whoever did this once the police catch them.” Mr. Borowski added.

“But… But you love this house!” Mae protested. “You guys already have so much to worry about, and…”

“Mae, I’d let the whole thing burn to the ground if it meant keeping you safe.” Mrs. Borowski said.

“Aw, Mom…” Mae hugged her mother. “I wish I was a better kid for you sometimes…”

“I wouldn’t change a thing about you, hon. Neither would your father.”

“Not one hair on your head.” Mr. Borowski said.

Mae barely managed to bite back more tears, swallowing mightily and hugging her dad too.

“Thank you… I’ll call you tonight.” Mae said, waving goodbye.

“Bye. Remember, SWAT team.” Mrs. Borowski said with a sly smile.

Mae headed across the street to where Bea and Germ stood, Bea unlocking her car and allowing Mae to climb into the passenger seat, Germ in the back. Mae gave an audible sniffle as Bea peeled off the curb onto the main road.

“I’m trusting you for directions, Germ.” Bea said, casting a quick glance at Mae. “...Hey. Listen, I’m… really sorry. I know this doesn’t help much, but I know what it’s like. To lose a place you really care about? If you ever need someone to talk to...”

“Make a right here.” Germ said. Bea turned onto Icy Creek Road, a rural street that led to the outskirts of town.

“You can borrow some of my clothes if you need to. I hope you like black.” Bea said, giving a temporary half-smile.

“Is it true that girls share underwear?” Germ asked, peering from behind Bea’s headrest.

“Yeah, sometimes.” Bea answered.

“That’s gross.” Germ said flatly. “Make a left at the flashing light.”

As Bea’s car turned onto McCurdy Drive, Mae burst into tears. This wasn’t the first time she had emotionally ruptured in Bea’s car, but it was definitely the most painful. It all came rushing to Mae at once, she had not only lost most of her possessions, her life had nearly ended and the person responsible was still out there somewhere. But what really set off the waterworks was just how nice everybody was to her. Her parents were looking out for her even though they wasted a ton of money on her. Bea was aloof at best when Mae first returned to Possum Springs, and now here she was sticking her neck out like they were back in high school. And Germ, whom she had never known very well, was offering her shelter free of charge. They were all so kind to her, a complete loser that worked a dead-end job because she wasn’t motivated enough to finish college.

Bea focused on the road, allowing Mae to let out everything built up inside her, while Germ watched the whole thing like a train accident, wide-eyed and unable to help.

“Turn left here.” Germ uttered cautiously, not wanting to interrupt Mae. The woods closed in on the road, streetlights becoming increasingly less frequent as the three of them drew further away from town. Mae’s crying gradually wore down to quiet sniffling and hiccuping.

“Germ, it’s dark as sin out here.” Bea said finally. “How do you find your way home at night? I need my brights just to see the road.”

“It’s fun biking in the dark. But once I hit a downed tree and took a header. And it’s kinda scary if a truck comes your way.” Germ replied.

“Shouldn’t you wear one of those reflective vests or something?” Bea asked.

“I forget to bring mine a lot, so I just have to ride in the gulley.” Germ said. “Turn right at the white mailbox.”

Bea turned into a gravel driveway, a few lights visible up on a low hill. Several cars were parked in front of the garage in various states of disrepair, some looking old but usable, others having rusted to nothing but brownish-red skeletons. Germ’s house was quite large, with a red roof and two stories. A tire swing hung from a leafless tree in the front yard, beyond all of the cars.

“I thought you said you lived in a tree, Germ.” Bea said, somewhat surprised by the size of Germ’s property.

“I do. This place is nice too, though.” Germ replied.

Bea parked her car, Germ hopping out of the back immediately. She took a moment to look at Mae, who hadn’t spoken or even moved much since crying.

“Mae… I wish there was something more I could do to help.” she admitted.

Mae suddenly hugged Bea tightly. The blue alligator started, but returned the hug, rubbing Mae’s back awkwardly.

“Thanks…” Mae mumbled. “I know I’m full of shit, but you make me feel like I’m somebody special…”

Bea only nodded. “Sure.”

Mae exited the car, following Germ up to his front door.

“You live in, like, a mansion, Germ.” Mae said.

“Yup.” the little bird replied, opening up the front door and allowing Mae inside.

The inside of the house was tremendous, one large room divided neatly into individual sections. A dining room with six places set up stood to the left in front of a sizeable window, while an office cluttered with boxes and filing cabinets stood to the right. A sitting room stood forward, lit by a fancy looking chandelier and cushioned with a long, cream-white couch and several cushy pastel-colored armchairs. Germ took off his sneakers and placed them into a wicker basket by the door.

“You can leave your boots here.” he said.

“Germ?” an adult male voice called from the sitting room, just out of sight.

“Yeah Pop, it’s me. Margaret Borowski’s here too.” There was the sound of fluttering paper as the person set down whatever he was reading and walked into the anteroom. He was the same dark blue color as Germ with a sizeable belly. He wore a plain black T-Shirt and a pair of neatly pressed brown slacks a little too large for him, the legs drooping past his ankles and covering his red and black socks.

“Well,” Germ’s father said, smiling a touch. “Well, well, well. Margaret Borowski, look at you.” Mae wasn’t sure if he was smiling because he recognized or because her clothes were ashen and her eyes were still puffy and red from crying. She smiled back feebly.

“Hi, Germ’s dad.”

“Barney, actually. Barney Warton.”

“Oh. Well, I like Mae instead of Margaret. If that’s okay.”

“Pop, Mae’s going to live in the basement for awhile. Her room got burned down tonight.” Germ said.

“I heard on the news. Terrible, awful, horrific.” Barney said giving a sympathetic shake of his head. “Well, you’re welcome in our house as long as you need, but there are a few things you should know-”

“Jeremy!” a voice from the next room hollered. “Who’ve you dragged into our house this time?”

“It’s Margaret Borowski, mom.” Barney replied. “She’s here because-”

“I know why, I got ears! Bring those two in here.” the voice snapped.

Barney frowned at being interrupted again, but quickly switched to a smile as he beckoned Mae into the sitting room.

In one of the cushy armchairs, an elderly bird sat ramrod straight with a novel larger than Mae’s skull in her lap. She was more of a periwinkle color compared to Germ and his father, wrapped up in a white wool blanket that was probably hand-knit.

“Gramma, this is Mae Borowski.” Germ said shortly, pointing at the cat. “Mae, this is my Gramma.”

Gramma glanced up and down Mae in half a second before clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

“You look a sight. Be sure you wash good before you touch anything. I’m not scrubbing any soot out of any upholstery.”

Mae swallowed. “It’s uh… it’s nice to meet you…” she mumbled.

“Whazzat? I got ears, but they ain’t perfect. Speak up.” Gramma ordered.

“Mom…” Barney began.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Mae said a little louder. Gramma only nodded in acknowledgment before sizing Mae up again.

“I’ve seen you before. Weren’t you the baseball bat girl?”

“Mom!” Barney exclaimed.

“Pipe down, Barney!” Gramma snapped. “I’m not putting the girl on trial, for crying out loud!”

“I’m gonna show Mae around now, Pop.” Germ said. Mae felt ready to run down the stairs with him, but a small, young voice from on high grabbed her attention.

“Is that a hobo?”

Mae looked up, not noticing the second floor balcony up above her. Peering through the white wooden rails holding up the banister was a small bird, a touch darker than Germ. She squatted and clutched the rails like prison bars, her head poking out to get a better look at Mae.

“She’s not a hobo, she doesn’t smell bad.”

Another head popped into view to the left of the first one, poking out from the rails. She was identical to the first girl in size and plumage color, the only difference being a slightly higher voice. Mae had to blink a few times to realize she was looking at twins.

“Girls, shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Barney asked sternly.

“We can’t sleep because Germ brought home a hobo again.” the higher-voiced twin said.

“You said she wasn’t a hobo.” the lower-voiced twin said.

“Mae, those are my little sisters, Rebecca and Riley.” Germ said. “Rebecca’s on the left and Riley’s on the right.”

“So is she not a hobo?.” Rebecca said.

“I guess she’s just dirty.” Riley replied.

“Have you been crying?” Rebecca chimed in.

“Are you Germ’s girlfriend?” Riley added. “Dad says Germ can’t date hobos.”

“It’s bedtime, girls.” Barney said again.

“We’re not tired.” Riley announced. “We want to know about Ms. Hobo.”

“Don’t be sad, Ms. Hobo, now you have a house!” Rebecca said.

Gramma looked up at the twins and pointed a finger at them. “You two flutter off to bed before I whoop ya quiet!”

With that, the two little birds retreated from the railing, still chattering about homeless people. Germ tugged on Mae’s hand. “I’ll show you the basement. Follow me.”

Mae hurriedly followed Germ back into the entrance room and into a door she thought was a closet. Several carpeted steps snaked downward, dimly lit by some lamps on the walls that gave off a tinny buzzing noise.

“Sorry that mom isn’t home yet. She works late on Fridays.” Germ said, hopping down every other step.

“What’s she do?” Mae asked.

Germ landed at the bottom of the stairs, pressing a button on the wall. Mae forgot all about her question when she saw the basement.

It was just as big, if not larger than the sitting room upstairs and carpeted with a plush taupe fabric that tickled Mae’s feet. In front of a large, maroon couch and glass coffee table sat a huge flat-screen television, several speakers mounted into the walls above it. The cupboard it sat on was open, revealing a Blu-Ray player, cable box, large silver CD player and a record player arranged in a neat rectangle. Further into the basement was a slate pool table and a number of cues arranged from shortest to longest on a rack, a dartboard mounted on the wall beside it. A sliding glass door opened to a balcony outside.

“Germ… This is… This is gigantic! And look at all this… this stuff!” Mae turned in a circle, taking everything in. Germ motioned her to a small hallway in the center of the room, lined with four doors. “Geez, there’s more? How big is this place?!”

Germ pointed to each door in the hallway. “On the right is the bathroom and bedroom, on the left is the game room and the playroom.”

“What’s the difference between the game room and the playroom?” Mae asked, stunned that there was even a need to tell the difference.

“Game room is where I play video games, playroom is the twins’ toys and art stuff. You can use both if you want, but be sure to change the A/V cables back to the way I had them before.” Germ then led her over to the bedroom door and opened it for her.

An elegant, queen-sized bed was arranged against the left wall, a bookshelf filled with Blu-Ray cases and large novels overlooking it. A walk-in closet stood on the opposite wall, along with a set of double doors.

“This is your room. There’s a bed in the exercise room too if you want to sleep there instead, but Mom comes in there to exercise on the weekends so she might wake you up. It’s behind the doors.” Germ explained. “There’s already soap and stuff in the shower, and I’ll let you borrow some pajamas. I don’t have any girl’s underwear though.”

Germ began walking away, Mae snapping out of her shock long enough to grab his shoulder.

“Hey, wait a minute, Germ! This place is like a castle! How do you even afford all this?” Mae demanded.

“Mom and Dad make a lotta money. You can use anything, only me and the twins use the basement much anyway.” Germ said. “Dad sometimes likes to play pool and Mom exercises, but that’s it. I gotta go now.”

With that, Germ left, heading back up the stairs and leaving Mae flabbergasted. She washed up in the shower, that was bigger than her old closet back home, scared to leave even the smallest amount of ash in or around the polished white tile. She left to find some clothes laying on the bed, Germ must have entered unnoticed. They were a bit small on her, raising her arms left her with her belly hanging out, but they didn’t reek of smoke or gasoline, so they were still an improvement. Mae sat back on the bed, double the size of her old one, and checked her messages. She had two from Selmers, a message and a photo attached.

“Hey dork,” the message read. “Thinking about you, thought I’d send something to help you feel better. Lemme know if you have requests.”

Mae opened the image and immediately felt her cheeks redden. She stared a while, and had to shake herself out of her trance before making sure to call her parents. 10:59, no SWAT team needed.