Predator and Prey

Fresh Prey: The Trap Pt. 1

Soon, I had noticed the sun started to fade away as the moon came up. I was so focused; I didn't even notice how late it was. I was heavily immersed, and yet my eyes began to feel dry and heavy. Slowly, I lost all proper thought and began to blur my words together. I took a glance at my clock, noticing it was almost 5am and that I needed to go to sleep. "Are you good, mate?" Asked one of my teammates. "Ugh, I'm- It's almost 5am I should get going." I said as I rubbed my eyes and yawned. 

"Alright, see you when I do." "Yup-- have fun." I said before I sighed, logging off and putting my headphones away. I turned off my mouse, shutting down all tabs on my laptop beforehand. Wiping down my screen and keyboard, I was exhausted and drowsy. When I had lazily put on my pajamas, I meandered my way to my bed and plopped myself inside of it, no time being wasted trying to sleep as I had already passed out.

I had a strange dream, and it felt so real. I was in a house, one that seemed cozy and comfortable. My phone rang, with an unknown caller. I picked it up, and it was someone I knew, but feared. I wasn't given the context of who that person was, but their voice had terrified me. The person had found me, it was all over. A deep wave of despair hit my heart as tears flowed out of me. I screamed, hanging up the phone and throwing it. In the corner of my eye, I saw someone. Then, that's where the dream ended.

Suddenly, I woke up to the familiar feeling of an animal tongue slapping my cheek. I giggled, putting the large dog on my stomach. "Hi Bubbles." I muttered. She softly barked at me, and I guessed it was her way of saying good morning or hello. I put my hands on her cheeks and started scratching, in which she started howling and yawning, digging her head into my chest.

"Eugh!- Okay- Hi-" I said as her head made impact with my chest. She was very heavy, as she was a giant St. Bernard. She gave no mercy as well when she was really excited. Although, that was the best part. Knowing she loved you so much she simply couldn't resist expressing it. I sighed, rubbing my eyes and trying to get Bubbles off of me. 

I snapped my fingers to the floor, indicating that she should get off. She understood, hopping off immediately and kicking my stomach in the process. I grunted, swiftly getting up. I rubbed my head, pushing back my hair. I took out the ponytail in my hair, brushing it through again as I went upstairs to get food.

Just as I opened the fridge, I heard Bubbles scratching at the back door and whining. "Cominggg," I shouted as I jogged back downstairs. As I opened the door directly leading to my backyard, I had noticed a black cat. Luckily, Bubbles was a dog who didn't attack cats unless she needed to, for example in situations of self-defense or to protect me.

The cat had short fur and seemed to be well taken care of. It also had a pink, glittery collar. Bubbles and I went outside, and I rushed to the cat. It wasn't roaming my backyard or anything. It looked as if it had been purposely left there. It sat on the grass, staring at me innocently. With each step, I felt uneasy and watched. 

When I approached the cat, I stared at the collar. It had no phone number or owner name, but just a heart in the middle. As I was scanning the cat, I had noticed a letter or a note under its paws. When it saw me taking the letter into account, it stepped off of it and continued to stare at me with eyes begging me to read it. 

I gulped nervously, gently taking it away and staring at it in my hands. "I'll read it later, I need to get food and stuff." I scratched the cat's cheek and got up from my knees, walking back to the kitchen before I put the letter on the counter. I heard the cat following me closely behind, which made me slightly anxious. I closed the back door behind me as I jogged up the stairs. 

"Ahh, finally! I'm starving." I thought to myself as I swiftly grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal, followed by milk. Cereal in first, then milk. Even if I'm alone, I still make cereal correctly. I grabbed a spoon, hastily putting it into the bowl as I hurried my way to the outside porch. I've always enjoyed watching Bubbles as she plays around in the yard. It was the greatest source of entertainment besides television or video games.

I sat down on one of the chairs that faced the backyard as I watched Bubbles play with sticks and chew on dead leaves. I peacefully downed the bowl of cereal, making sure to finish off any remaining milk. I looked down as I had felt something soft hit my leg, and there was the black cat staring deeply into my eyes. Suddenly, I remembered the letter I had put on the kitchen counter. "Alright, I'm on it." I mumbled as I hastily got up and walked to the kitchen with my empty bowl. 

I hurried up the stairs as I searched the kitchen for the letter. I sighed as I quickly rinsed the bowl and the spoon under the tap water before putting them into the dish washer. I snapped my head around before spotting it, neatly placed in front of me. I nervously gazed at the mysterious yet formal letter. Why would someone send me a letter? Was it even meant for me? I grabbed it, doing a full inspection on it. Sure enough, it was addressed directly to me. Oddly enough, I had noticed a creepy print on the envelope. At the top, there was a wax stamp like from the old days of letters, and there was a lazily drawn heart on the front of the envelope. 

The print looked like old blood splattering, but I brushed it off. I took it upon myself to finally open the damned thing. I hastily took out the letter inside and opened it. It was neatly folded at least 3 or 4 times. Sickness and disgust riddled my stomach, but I couldn't stop. I had to know what the letter said before I could do anything about it with the police. Impatiently and with slightly trembling hands, I completely unfolded the letter as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. 

What I read next left me horrified and confused.