Tuesday 31 January 2012

Blessed Arms That Hold You Tight

 I recommend that you read Naturally first, then Hunted, then The Rain.

Darkness envelopes me as I walk out into the cold air. The cat is missing and has been missing for 24 hours now. I shout out into the darkness. “Cat”.. “Cat”. Drunken passers-by laugh and smirk at me, their faces turning grotesque before my eyes. Mouths twisting into inhuman shapes, eyes pulsating with lust for my flesh. I shelter in my doorway away from the monsters and continue yelling, I hear no angry mewling and see no sleek shape coming towards me.
I run back into the house and grab my flask, filled with my room temperature scotch. I need it to stand outside. I need it, to be strong for the cat. The monsters are standing across the road from me when I arrive back at the front door. One is pivoting on the spot, back and forth towards me. He jumps forward suddenly and runs across the road, I nearly flee but my feet refuse to cooperate. He stops in front of me, his breath stinking of beer. His lips are pulled tightly and seem to stretch across his face and round to the back of his neck, his eyes are black and empty. Two sockets filled with cockroaches feeding on the putrid meat of his brain.
“Bud, ya lookin for your cat are ya?” he says, his accent is strong and his words seem to appear as I can see no tongue in his mouth, only seven brown hissing snakes. I nod and my fear is apparent to him so he takes a step away from me. The snakes are fighting each other over me. “There’s be a cat up near The Beekeeper, brown ugly ting”. I nod and run from him, up towards the pub and I know it’s her before I reach her. A pound of broken bones and flesh lying in the road. I lift her and my tears fall on her wet fur, I know this is the end for me as it was for her. I walk to the pharmacy, carrying my cat. The pills are bought, without a word passing from me to the cashier. She sees the cat but says nothing.
At home, I wash them down every last one while I cradle her. Her broken neck and cold body resting beside me on the bed.

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