[ABANDONED] A Series of Oneshots

The Keeper of the Key

"'Don't knock, the cat has the keys'? What does that even mean?" Erin read the sign hanging on the door. The concrete shack had no windows and was covered in graffiti. It was a suspicious distance away from any civilization and hidden in the forest.

Erin wasn't alone, his older brother Jack was with him. Jack shrugged.

"Maybe we need to find some cat," he said.

A quiet meow drew their attention. A black cat sat behind them with a key attached to its collar. It started to clean its paw.

Jack glanced at Erin. "You wanna see what's inside?" Erin nodded.

Jack crouched and slowly approached the cat, his brother following behind. The cat paused. It watched their approach with big orange eyes.

Jack dived. He grabbed the cat. Suddenly the cat was a whirl of black fur and white claws and teeth. It escaped his grasp and bolted. Jack ran after it. Erin jogged.

The forest blurred. Jack focused on the little shadow darting ahead. Then up a tree. Then...

"Ow, fuck!" Jack rubbed his nose and glared at the tree. The cat was up there somewhere.

"You know, we don't actually have to get into the place, now that I think about it," Erin caught up. "That cat messed you up pretty bad from what I saw."

Jack looked at his arms now covered in scratches and bite marks, "No, I'm committed to this. I need to know now. Let's head back to that place, maybe the cat went there."

They walked through the forest until they spotted the concrete building. Someone else was there petting the cat. He was tall, slender, and looked like wooden. He stood up stiffly and unlocked the door. He disappeared into it for a moment before coming out with an empty sack. The door locked behind him.

He disappeared into the forest. Jack and Erin looked at each other. Erin suggested he should befriend the cat, and Jack agreed.

Erin cautiously approached the cat who wore the key.

"Hi, kitty," he sat a little distance away and held out his hand. "Do you want a little petting?"

The cat considered his offer and decided it had nothing better to do. It walked over and bumped its head against the outstretched hand. It purred while rubbing its face all over the hand.

Erin looked at Jack. Jack gave a thumbs up in response. Erin scratched the cat's ear while Jack approached. The cat saw Jack and hissed, its tail starting to wave around. Erin snatched the key from its collar. The cat ran into the forest.

Their goal in hand, Jack and Erin unlocked the door. The inside of the lonely concrete building was nothing either of them expected.

The inside was surprisingly bright, despite the lightbulb constantly flickering. The walls were solid white, and the smell of fresh paint hung heavily in the air. The back wall, however, was splashed with red. Leather bags littered the floor, some stained and emitting a deathly smell.

A table in front of the back wall caught their attention. As they approached, they saw it was covered in body parts. Erin's vision swam. Was that the girl who went missing just a few weeks ago? He looked at Jack, who stared at the table in wide-eyed horror.

"We have to get out of here," Jack said and Erin nodded. They turned and froze.

The wooden man stood hunched in the doorway. A large knife was gripped in one hand, and a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Didn't your parents warn you about monsters in the forest?" He dropped the bag and closed the door behind him. He started towards the two kids, the knife glinting in the flickering light.

...

Three weeks after the funeral, a young boy noticed a little black cat on the edge of the woods. Its big orange eyes beckoned him toward the forest, and he answered the call.

And the cycle continued.