Persephone

Chapter 17: Kitty Games

Chapter 17: Kitty Games

Joseph preferred sending Percy back when it was the dead of the night and none of her neighbors awake to see a huge hummer park up her small house. Uriah insisted on coming along, just to make sure she really got home. 

"I know it's a lot to take in, but consider it, Perce," Uriah told her quietly as she followed her to the door.

"You're more than this," she gestured towards the house. "The mundane things, I mean. There's so much to the world than what the eyes can see."

But before Percy asked her what she meant, the were-girl was walking fast back to her car. Percy watched them as they drove off into the night, and the handle of the door was cold to her touch. She still managed to get her keys out, slip it in the lock and then let herself in her house.

She started back as something huge and black shivered at the other side of the sofa. Percy slapped her hand on the lights, heart pounding, but a pair of dark eyes and a small mewl only resonated. Percy let out a sigh of relief and let herself collapse on the sofa, her arms coming around the small ball of fur. "I missed you, you know?" she said.

"Mew," the little black kitty called Mr. Black replied and pawed her face accusingly as if it was asking, Where have you been? I'm hungry!

"A lot of things just happened today..." she whispered as she stood up again wearily, draping the small cat on her shoulder. Mr. Black's tail curled around her neck, and his little claws only clutched her shirt to avoid falling off. She kept a hand on him anyway, making her way to the kitchen. "And I don't know how to begin."

The daily routine of putting out food from the refrigerator and into the microwave seemed to calm her frayed nerves a bit. Her hand strayed to the little basket of fruits, and Percy picked up an apple. Absently, she placed the fruit to her lips, thinking. 

Mr. Black's insistent pawing of her face brought her back to her senses, and the beeping of the microwave as well. She set the kitten down on the counter and then took the food out, putting it in a smaller plate for her pet, and sitting down on a stool. She played with the apple from hand to hand. The kitten batted at her hand before digging into the food.

Percy sighed. 

What if I'm not as much as everyone thought I would be? she thought. What if they've just got the wrong girl? A wrong girl who doesn't even know what's happening and has a shot of amnesia? Maybe they mixed me up with someone else. The thought even scared Percy some more. What if she was just someone who was there to fill up a space that belonged to someone else? Someone who was much better than her, much expected, and here was Percy as the replacement for all of it?   

Knock knock.

Tiredly, she opened her eyes and stared at the door. She debated whether to sit still and ignore the door or just to get up and be a grumpy lady. 

But she did neither, as a the knock became a heavier THUNK!  like there was something heavier than a normal fist banging against it. THUNK! THUNK!

The black kitten jumped in Percy's palms, startling her and making her drop the agitated thing on the floor. Percy's mind raced, even though her body was already protesting to just shut off - but it was impossible. It was as if every bit of her consciousness was trying to dredge up any residual adrenaline she had as she tried to sidle up for anything sharp.

The back of her neck prickled as her hands closed around a knife from the rack. The little ball of black fur just sat in front of her and the hallway towards the door. THUNK!

Percy gulped. Something's out there to get me, she realized, horrified as she saw the door bulge against the unknown force.

Each banging sound seemed like it was becoming heavier by the moment. Her heart was beating like an electrified rabbit. No way out.

Mr. Black meowed and stared at her with big dark eyes. The kitten seemed unfazed at whatever was banging on the other side of the door. 

Percy felt stupid, but she bit her lip, and whispered, "Help. Please." 

When the kitten didn't do anything but lick her paw, she scooped it up and retreated at the small broom closet at the edge of the kitchen. Percy's hands were shaking so badly from holding the knife and the kitten that it emitted a loud yowl before jumping away from Percy again. 

THUNK!

THUNK!

"Come on," Percy hissed at the kitten. "I don't want you to get hurt too!"

"Very touching, your concern, but I think you needed help more, Miss Hale."

Percy stared at the kitten, who just cocked its head at the side, black eyes gleaming.

It's that it spoke, or I am totally losing my mind. The black kitten stared back at her, and a feral grin seemed to invade the corners of its mouth. The voice was of a woman's, mid-twenties or so. And it all seemed like it came from the same cat.

The door burst into splinters, sending more panic up Percy's spine. Heavy breathing ensued, and an acrid stench filled the house, something like burned meat and decaying garbage. Something snarled - and it was something Percy didn't want to know about at all.

The kitten calmly stretched and yawned, then the air around it began to shiver like a mirage. Percy turned away as a sickening nausea invaded her stomach. 

"Tsk, next time, don't look. It's still rude, you know." 

Percy turned back and saw a woman wearing a tight leather suit that fit her model curves almost too perfectly leaning against the kitchen counter. Her nails were sharp and painted a wicked red that Percy thought she's just recently ripped a man's throat out, matching the lipstick that glimmered with the same malicious smirk. Her eyes - those were the most distracting. They were two yellow orbs that had black slits, just like a cat's, and those were looking at Percy like she was just a small plaything.

"Now, I'd just appreciate it if you closed your eyes for a moment, Miss Hale. This could get extremely messy." Two long black curved knives appeared at the palm of her hand, each as long as her knee-high boots that shone in the dim light. 

"And whatever you do, don't peek."

Too late or it was simply just too much. 

Percy's vision blurred, the last thing she saw was her tiny kitten slash smoking killer lady advance towards the hallway to fight whatever horror was making its way towards them.