Nine Lives

Chapter Three: The Claws

Sorry for the long wait. Without further ado . . .

Chapter Three: The Claws

The green eyes glared at me from below, a hiss ripping from the creature's lips. It felt wrong to call the animal a cat, it was far too large to be any house or alley cat. It looked more akin to a leopard. It must have weighed at least upwards of fifty pounds, with a tattered ear and a silver scar running down its emaciated rib cage. It looked fierce.

I slowly felt myself take a step back, a shiver running across my skin, but this time it had nothing to do with the piercing cold. The fierce cat took another step forward, its glossy fur catching the moonlight. The darkness inside of me sprung to life and buzzed like electricity under my skin. I felt something poking at my sixth sense, irrational fear bubbling up in my stomach.

I knew I was being silly, a grown woman afraid of a cat, but there was a malicious gleam in those glowing eyes. It was looking at me like I was its supper. Something about this creature felt threatening.

The evil inside of me was whispering things in my ear, but I couldn't understand. The words were jumbled and didn't make a lick of sense.

I took another step back, and the cat hissed again, its back arching threateningly. I needed to get home. I took another step back, heading for the next street over. I had probably just wandered into this cat's territory.

Every step I took, the large animal took as well, stalking after me, looking into my face with narrowed eyes.

"Get away, cat!" I called out, keeping my voice steady. It hissed again, its tail arching.

Something was off, wrong. I needed to get home. The power running through my veins was becoming stronger by the second, my splitting headache coming back with a vengeance as the evil tried to force its way out.

The cat was stalking closer, its deadly claws coming into view as they sunk into the cold, hard ground. The evil inside of me was vibrating just under my skin, tearing at the thin layer that kept it from escaping. I needed to leave. There was something wrong with me. I needed to leave.

I turned on my heel and broke off into a sprint. There was a rapid tapping behind me, and it took me a moment to realize it was the creature's talons as it chased behind me.

I felt the electricity buzzing on my skin, my breath rushing out in white puffs. The moonlight dimmed, the streets ahead looking darker and more sinister than I ever imagined possible. I could still hear it, the cat's paws hitting the ground behind me, it was getting louder, it was getting closer. My heart leapt from my chest in sharp painful beats.

I could hear it moving, stalking closer, the menacing sound of its sharp claws pounding into the cement. I could feel it, its electric energy over powering me like the darkness of a shadow. I picked up my speed, my lungs burning, my tired feet crying up at me with every step.

I felt a fire in my leg, a warm liquid seeping down into my socks. I couldn't help but to gasp out in pain and feel tears well in my eyes. My speed slowed, the back of my calf stinging in three long strokes. The cat had clawed me; I could feel my blood pouring out like a faucet.

I felt the claws again, slicing into the back of my leg again with painful cruelty. A strangled yeowl broke from the enraged creature as it swiped its powerful talons into the ripped material of my jeans, barely missing my torn up flesh.

The darkness inside of me flowed out with my blood, sending little electrical jolts down my mangled flesh. I could feel the energy crackling from my finger tips, shooting out like lightning. My heart was hammering loudly, racing so fast I wasn't sure if it was beating at all. My skull felt like it was splitting into two, a white hot pain engulfing me as the evil shouted in my ears.