Bound To Fail

1. Death Preys

Vera walked briskly down the street leading to her one bedroom apartment, her wavy auburn hair blowing gently with the breeze, grocery bags in her hands. Today was a special day. Not only was it Vera's nineteenth birthday, but it was also her kitten, Everly's second. Vera and Everly had been as close as two things could be since the moment she was presented as Vera's seventeenth birthday present.

Vera treated Everly like her own child, dressing her up in little cat clothing, making her special cat treats, she even gave Everly the nickname Evie. Evelyn was an adorable munchkin kitten, with a base of white fur and orange and grey patches around her body, alongside big green, gentle eyes. Evie had been nothing but a perfect angel in Vera's eyes.

Vera opened her apartment door and shrugged off her autumn jacket, throwing it half haphazardly onto her couch. November had always been so cold, so she was happy to finally relax in the warmth of her own home. She walked into her kitchen and began pulling ingredients from the grocery bags. She was going to be making two small birthday cakes, one for her, and one for Evie, and dinner for herself.

Around the same time Everly wandered into the kitchen, jumping onto the counter and attempting to knock everything off, as most cats do. Vera laughed, picking Evie up and placing her gently on the floor. Vera pinned her short hair back, and started cutting vegetables as an uneasy feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach. She didn't quite know why, but she felt as though something was very, very wrong.

"Hey"
A husky voice resonated from behind her. Startled, Vera turned, blue eyes scanning the room, but there was no one there.
"What the fuck?"

"Meow, woof" she heard the voice say in the same monotone man's voice. Evie gazed up at her almost expectantly. Shocked, Vera took two steps back, trying to distance herself from the cat. Evie advanced ever closer to her owner, a strange look in her bright green eyes. One that Vera had never seen on her darling Evelyn before, a look of pure malice.
Evie sat at Vera's feet, completely silent. "I must be imagining things," Vera laughed nervously, "there's no way that a cat- my cat- my Everly- can talk. I've raised her since she was just a baby!" she said aloud, realizing that she probably sounded like a lunatic, and that there was probably someone in her bedroom.

Vera continued stepping back, knife in hand and gazing at her nearby bedroom door. Vera backed herself into a corner, the cat sat a few feet away. She glanced down momentarily at the cat that she had raised like her own child, and the cat stared back with wide unrelenting eyes. The longer Vera looked Everly, the more wrong she seemed to look. She looked incredibly different than Vera remembered. When did she get holes in her ears? Why were spots of fur missing? Then Everly began to smile.
Fear - Fear was all that Vera could feel. She couldn't hear the water from the leaky kitchen faucet dripping. She couldn't hear the early November wind blowing outside. She couldn't even hear her own beating heart. The air around them became thick and Vera struggled to breathe, it was as if the world had completely frozen.

"Good Kitty" Vera managed to stutter out in a meek voice. Evie stood for a moment, almost amused at her human's fear, she strode towards the human, her 'owner.' Evie watched the poor teenaged girl tremble and shake in absolute fear, and she smiled wide.

Vera didn't understand anything about this situation. Why was she so terrified? What was wrong with her cat? But the biggest question on her mind was how could she have possibly managed to miss the dozens of razor sharp teeth decorating the mouth of her once beloved feline? Vera tried to back up more, pushing herself square up against the wall.
"This doesn't make any sense, what the fuck is happening!?!" Vera's knees started to crumble beneath her, "Evie, Everly! What are you doing?!" Vera shrieked, tears forming in her eyes. This isn't her cat, it's not! it's not her cat, it can't be. Where was her precious angel and what was this thing left in her place?