I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 24
By Plot Roach
They closed the doors behind them as they made their way backup to the apartment, not wanting any intruders to follow them. Though what intruders they expected, even Kitty did not know. While the raccoons and the rats skittered around in the dark, Kitty was filled with a foreboding feeling as if their stalker walked beside them in the daylight but could not be seen with the eye.
Once they were in the apartment, Kitty closed the door behind them until the slimmest of cracks betrayed the opening. We have to get out of here and fast, Kitty thought. She trusted her instincts which had been honed by her years of life on the streets. But would the cats?
Shakespeare was where they had left him, his steady breathing betrayed his slumber. Blue and Prue were still in the kitchen, arguing amongst themselves where the best place was to move their bowels. “But the litter box id full!” Prue whined. “I can’t go where I’ve already gone before.”
‘Well do you think that Craig is just going to come back from the dead long enough to cleanout the box for you?” Blue said. “I say go wherever you can find the room. Craig is not going to mind, and it’s not like we are going to stay here for the rest of our lives.”
“But I don’t want to leave!” Prue cried. “This has been my home since I was a kitten. This is where Craig made me better when I got sick. This is where I grew up.”
Kitty could feel her stomach twist with the little cat’s words. She longed for her old den under the human apartment complex. And it was all she could do not to run back there, pad in a circle across the dirt floor packed hard by the passing of many paws and curl up into a deep sleep, wishing that all of this had been just a bad dream brought on by old human scraps of food. But no amount of wishing in the world could ever bring her old world back to her. For if she did have that power, she would certainly put Shakespeare and the cats’ lives back on track by bringing back their dead human master.
How can one human mean so much? She asked herself as she paused at the water bowl to get a drink. Blue had not been lying earlier when he said that it needed to be refilled. But as she peeked into the living room she did not think that she could rouse Shakes from his slumber for something that was so important but that seemed so mundane. Instead, she jumped up to the kitchen sink herself, bracing her front paws against a cabinet while she pushed at the lever she had seen Shakes use the night before. But this time nothing had come out.
“The water is all dries up.” Blue said solemnly. “I checked the faucet that drips in the bathroom, but that one is also dry.”
“Then we need to get out of here now.” Kitty said, a determined tone in her voice.
“But I don’t want to go!” Prue wailed.
“Now Prue,” blue said. “We’ve been over this-”
“NO!” the little Siamese yowled. “I won’t go and you can’t make me!”
“You’re acting like a spoiled kitten!” Blue said, swatting at the other cat to break her out of her temper tantrum. But it only made things worse when Prue launched herself at blue, claws unsheathed and out for blood.
Great All Mother, Kitty prayed. What am I going to do?”
But is was not the doggie goddess that answered Kitty’s prayers, but a street smart calico cat. As the cream and grayish blue ball rolled around the kitchen floor, spitting and snarling, Lucy tossed the catnip mouse into the fray. Immediately both cats stopped to snatch at the fake herb stuffed rodent.
“Where did you get this?!’ Prue asked.
“It’s at our new home,” Lucy said, with a smug look on her face. “All the toys you could ever play with. And all sorts of good human food as well.” the calico cat looked over at Kitty and gave her a wink.
“There’s even a safe place for you bed,” Kitty said. “Lucy and I set it all up this afternoon so that it would be waiting for you when you were ready to leave.”
“Really?” Prue asked, snatching the catnip stuffed mouse away from Blue.
“You Won’t know for sue until you come with us to check it out,” Lucy teased. “But I for one am not going to spend another night here. I’m going to sleep in my own fleece lined bed, with catnip toys to play with and all the liverwurst I can eat.”
“Liverwurst?!” Blue exclaimed. “You did not happen to find my favorite while you were down there, did you?” In answer to his question, Lucy merely breathed upon his face and he inhaled the scent from her lips as if he could suck the meaty treat from the air in her lungs.
“Meet us by the door in a few minutes,” Lucy said. ”Take whatever you need with you. But know that once we are there, we won’t be coming back.”
“Not ever?” Prue said.
“It won’t be safe anymore,” Kitty explained.
“But why?”
“Because… “ Kitty began to say, trying to find the right words and yet still attempting to be delicate about it. He was their master, after all. Kitty reminded herself. “Because the body will be rotting and between the disease and the pests, it won’t be safe for you to come back.”
“Oh,” said Prue. “But who will watch over Craig?”
Kitty looked over to the dead human sitting on the couch and the dog who lay next to him. She spoke loudly, hoping that she could reach through the shell of sadness that the service dog had erected around himself when his master had died. “The humans will come for him after we leave,” she lied. “But they won’t come if we don’t leave the apartment.”
“Why is that?” Prue asked. “Don’t they like us?”
Who taught this cat to be so curious? Kitty asked herself, scrambling her brain for an answer when Lucy beat her to it. “Because they are afraid that we might be sick too.”
“Oh, okay,” the Siamese said and stalked off with the catnip mouse to wait by the front door.
“What about you, Blue?” Lucy asked. “Do you have any questions.”
“No,” he said, winking at the calico cat. “You have already taken care of that for me.” he leaped up to the kitchen counter and looked out the window. “I’ll never see this skyline again,” he said to the dog and the cat who waited patiently on the floor.
“No,” Lucy said. “You’ll see a better one.”
“You’ll be your own cat again,’ Kitty said, remembering Lucy’s words earlier that day, and thinking to inspire the Russian Blue.
“But I never really wanted to be my own cat,” Blue said. “I’ve been with Craig the longest, you know. And I’ll miss him fiercely. I think it’s wrong somehow when pets are forced to outlive their masters.”
Blue jumped down off the counter and walked up to Prue, rubbing his chin against her cheek as she played quietly with the catnip mouse. This left Lucy and kitty the hard task of trying to convince Shakespeare to leave Craig behind.
“Shakespeare,” Lucy whispered from the floor. ”It’s time to go now.”
“I won’t.“ he said.
“Didn’t you hear a word that we said to Lucy?” she asked.
“I don’t care, I won’t leave him here to be -eaten by those THINGS!” he snarled.
“He’s not there anymore, Shakes,” Kitty said, trying to convince her friend of the situation at hand. “His soul has moved on with his own Dark One. You need to let his body go and live your own life.”
“And what if I don’t want to?” he asked. “What if I just stay here and waste away with him?”
“His Dark One will not come to collect your soul, only the Black Dog will.”
“So I’ll never see him again?” Shakes howled. “All this time together and that’s it? That’s all we will ever have? It’s not fair.”
Kitty took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before she could attend to her friend and his needs. “Shakes,” she said. “I’ve seen the Afterlife. And I can tell you that it is a wonderful place. I never saw any humans there, but the place was filled with green plants and plenty of game. And when you run there, it’s like you never get tired and you never grow old.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Shakes asked.
“I think that the humans must have an Afterlife of their own. And that Craig is there now, with his own kind. And he can probably see again-”
“So he won’t need me.” he spat.
“Yes, but not in the way that you think,” Kitty said. “I think that wherever he is, he’s talking about you to the other humans that are there. And maybe they’ve all missed their animals too, be they pets or service animals. And maybe..?”
“Yes, Kitty?”
“Maybe there’s a place where the walls of those two worlds, the Afterlife of the humans and the dogs, are thin enough that if you really wanted to you could slip through or dig under and see him again.”
“Service dogs aren’t supposed to dig.” Shakespeare said, getting off of the couch.
“Well, I was just-”
“It’s okay, Kitty. I know what you were trying to say. Thank you.” Shakes leaned forward and licked her muzzle before she could pull away. This time she did not snarl or bite, and was relieved when she found that she actually enjoyed the sign of affection from the golden retriever. She smiled and looked down.
“Better be careful, Kitty,” Shakes said. ‘Or someone might mistake you for a civilized dog.’
The group of animals made once last farewell to the cold corps of their former master. They took a drink of water, ate what food they could and carried a piece of their former lives with them as they left the apartment for the last time.
Shakes closed the door tightly behind them, assuring himself that nothing would eat upon his master when they left. The two dogs and three cats made an awkward pilgrimage in the stairwell as they descended to the street. Shakes let the door close behind him, and sighed, a heaviness lifting from his heart. Though his master was gone, he would never truly be forgotten for his kind words, laughter and good deeds lived on in the mind of his canine companion.
“Do you think that the humans will always fear us?” Prue asked.
“No.” I think they’ll know we’re not sick when they see how much food we’ve eaten at the store.” Lucy said.
“Tell me again about the liverwurst.” Blue begged, though it seemed beneath him. “You know how much I love it so.”
“There’s mountains of the stuff,” Kitty said.
As the sun set on their final day in the apartment, it brought out bright new stars for their future. The world seemed new and clean, though it was littered with the remnants of human society. Lucy climbed the tree near the supermarket wall and let them in through the side emergency exit. Shakes shook his head at the feline’s talent.
‘Why didn’t you let us know that you could do that?” he asked Lucy. “I never would have thought to do that on my own.”
“What?” she asked, winking. “Then I’d have to do tricks all day to amuse you. And a cat has to have her standards, you know.”
* * *
This is, by no means, the end of the Kitty saga. Will the animals be happy living in the supermarket? What has happened to the humans that survived the illness? Will they reclaim the land form the animals? We still haven’t seen what happened to Grimy. And what of the circus animals that were shipped to the zoo? You’ll have to stay tuned while I work on the next installment of Kitty’s story. Though this time I may type a little slower.
Thanks to all who read and enjoyed my tale.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Kitty 23
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 23
By Plot Roach
“I hate to admit this,” Kitty said. “But it feels good to get out of the apartment and run around in the fresh air.” The wind ruffled her coat and kitty could already tell that winter would soon be on its way. It’s a good thing that Shakes and I found the supermarket this morning, she said to herself. It will keep them all fed throughout the winter what with all the humans gone.
“I thought that I was the only one who felt like that,” the calico said. “Though I sometimes feel guilty about yearning for my freedom when the other two cats know of no other way of life. I wouldn’t wish homelessness on them, but it feels good to be my own cat again.”
“How do you think that they will take to life without Craig?” Kitty asked.
“I think that they are in shock now and that it will probably hit them when we leave the apartment and we can no longer smell him,” she said. “I think that’s why Shakes won’t leave Craig’s body, because it still smells like him.”
Kitty turned the corner of the building and faced the front of the supermarket. “Here is your new home, my lady.” she said, bowing to the cat as if she were a queen.
“The electricity is still running here.”
“Yeah, but we don’t know for how long,” Kitty said. ‘With the humans gone, it may shut off at any moment.”
“Why is it still running here when it is off at our home?!” The cat demanded. “If it had been working last night, then Craig would have been able to call for help. He would still be alive. How can it be this way? Why one block and not another?!” The cat yowled, her hair spiked along the edge of her back and she looked for all the world as if she were to attack an unseen foe.
“I don’t know,” Kitty said. “The things that humans do still baffle me. But think on this, Lucy, even if Craig managed to call for help, there would still have to be someone there to come and get him, someone to take him down all the stairs that we walked down this morning. We’re healthy animals, but Craig was not. Do you really think that he could have made it, even with help? And if they did manage to get him to a hospital, and there were people there to help and try and heal him, what if he had died anyway? You and your pack would never have known that he had passed. And he would have been surrounded by strangers when the Dark One came to claim him, not by his beloved pack.”
“I know,” the calico cat said in a soft tone, grooming her hair back into place along her spine. “But I don’t remember seeing him there, do you?"
“Who?” Kitty asked.
“The Dark One.”
“There were not black dogs,” Kitty said.
“Not a dog, silly.” Lucy said. “Do you really think that a dog comes to collect cats when they die?”
“I hadn’t really though about it“ Kitty said. “I just know that you never see the Dark One until it is your time to leave.”
“I saw him once,” Lucy said. “But he was a dark Manx with fur the color of ash."
“Did you die?”
“Almost,” the calico said, licking a paw to keep from looking into Kitty’s eyes least she laugh at her. “It was when I had eaten a dead mouse that I found near a trash dumpster. I was so hungry that I ate it without wondering why it was dead.”
“And?” Kitty asked.
“It had eaten poison and I had gotten very sick from it,” She said. “The Dark one visited me that night and told me that there was more for me to do here… But you probably think I’m crazy for talking about it. Both Blue and Prue do, that’s for sure.”
“They don’t know everything,” Kitty said. “I met a dog in the pound who saw the same thing. He said that he had a destiny to fulfill. So I trust you when you say that you saw the Dark One as a cat.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Kitty said. “Maybe you’re here to help take care of the others, what with Craig dead.”
“What will you do when we get the others out of the apartment?” the calico cat asked. “Will you stay with us?”
“I can’t, Lucy. There is something I was meant to do. And I can’t do it if I stay with you,” Kitty explained. “I don’t know what it is, exactly. But there is an urge in me to keep going until I find it. It’s like an itch in my bones and when I stay still too long in one place, it burns unbelievably hard.”
“Well, I’ll be sorry to see you go,” the calico said. “As I’m sure the others will as well.”
“I’m no so sure that Shakes will miss me, “ Kitty said. “But I think that this is the best place for you and your pack.” Kitty looked up at the bright colors of the neon sign. And sighed, hoping that it would be enough to keep them going until they could learn to fend for themselves or the humans came back to take care of them.
“I knew that you were one of us,” Lucy said.
“Well, of course I‘m one of you,” Kitty said. “Maria dragged me to the apartment after all.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lucy said.
“What did you mean then?”
“That you are one of the god touched.”
“The what?” Kitty asked.
“The All Mother spoke to you, too. Didn’t she?” the calico cat asked.
“Yes, just like the Dark One did.”
“They both gave you gifts,” Lucy said.
“Gifts?” Kitty asked.
“Well you didn’t think that they would put you back out into the wild world without an edge, do you?” the calico cat laughed. “I knew that you were different when you mentioned seeing colors. Not one dog that I’ve met can see colors. And all the cats that I’ve spoken with have a similar problem, though they could see a few of the colors that humans can. But you can see things like a human can -and you can think like them can as well. I’ve seen you solve things in the apartment in seconds where it took Shakespeare months to learn -and that was when he was trained by a human. You are different from the rest of your kind, Kitty. Embrace your gifts and use them well on the path that has been set before you. They were given to you for a reason. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can climb that tree over there and get onto the roof of the building for a closer look.”
As Lucy went on about her task, she left Kitty thinking over what she had said.
Am I really that special? She asked herself. But while she tried to deny it, memories of the pound and living among the pack came back to prove her special skills to her. She knew how to open the cages, even if her paw could not manipulate the lock. And she had known how to get into the dumpster, a feat she had never even thought was possible, much less tried back in her old days as a common street dog. But what was it the All Mother and the Dark One had wanted her to do? Their words had evaporated from her mind like raindrops on hot pavement.
“Hey!” Lucy said from a rooftop overhang. I found a way in and I think I can get the side door open to let you in as well.”
“Just be careful,” Kitty called back to the calico cat. “We don’t know if anything else is already living there.”
A few minutes later, very uncomfortable minutes that felt like an eternity to Kitty because she did not know if her friend was in danger, the cat opened a side emergency exit. It had a lever handle like the doors to the apartment complex. Lucy had managed to knock it open with a shopping cart filled with dog food.
“How did you-?” Kitty began to ask.
“Did you think that you were the only one that the gods gave gifts to?” Lucy asked, purring playfully.
Kitty made sure that the door closed behind them, not wanting any intruders to find this paradise that she wanted to protect for her friends. “I don’t smell any rotting food, so I don’t think this place lost electricity at all.” Kitty said. “But one thing is for sure, it will go off eventually. If it’s something that I’ve learned while living amongst the humans, it’s that when humans leave an area, they take all the good stuff with them.”
“So what will we do?” Lucy asked.
“Eat all of the meat that you can while it’s still good. And get rid of the stuff when it starts to rot. Have Shakes take it out into the parking lot. You’ll want to set up a den in a corner… Or better yet, this place might have a separate room…” she said and loped off in the direction of one of the store’s walls. Along the back edge she found a staircase.
“Not more stairs,” the cat complained.
“No,” Kitty said. “This is a good thing.” She took to the stairs and found a room at the top. She clawed at the handle at the top and managed to pull it open a bit. She dashed back down the stairs and grabbed a can of food, then pulled the door open again. “Wedge it open,” she told the cat, who did as Kitty had told her. From there she was able to nudge the door open with the bulk of her body. Yes! She thought to herself. There was another of those tiny legs at the base that once pulled down would keep the door in place.
“That’s where I came in,” Lucy said, looking up at a skylight that had been left open. “But I made my way out of the window there instead of using the door like you did.” The window in question held a full view of the store’s floor below them. It will make a great lookout spot, Kitty thought.
“Can you close the roof’s window if you need to?” Kitty asked, doubting that she or Shakes could ever climb that high and keep their balance in order to close it.
“Probably, if I studied the lever attached to it a bit longer. Why?” the calico cat asked.
“Because this is going to be you new home.”
“It doesn’t look very comfortable,” Lucy said
‘It doesn’t have to be, for a human. they live elsewhere, remember?”
“But what about for us?” the cat asked “I can’t sleep on a stack of papers with a spike through it and I doubt that they others will look kindly upon me if I suggest it for their bed.”
“We’ll fix it. You’ll see. Should we bring the others here now, or fix it up ourselves?” Kitty asked.
“I think that we ought to do it ourselves. I don’t think that Shakes is ready to leave the apartment yet and the other two are notorious lazy bodies.”
“What do you want to start with first?” Kitty asked, excited to help the cat make this place into a home for her friends.
“How about we get all this human stuff out of the place?” Lucy asked. She started pushing things off of the desk and onto the floor where Kitty pawed them down the stairs and out of the way. By the time they were done, there was a sloppy pile of debris at the side of the stairs. They had kept the desk and the chair (at Lucy’s request), but managed to deposit the computer, keyboard and monitor into a broken heap which Kitty tugged at for nearly twenty minutes before freeing the electrical cords form the wall and dumping it onto the pile of human stuff below.
Then kitty dashed throughout the store looking for items that the calico cat had listed off of the top of her head.
First came the fleece lined overstuffed beds, including a larger style for the two dogs when they decided to bed down on the floor. And array of bowls ringed the floor. Kitty picked up an assortment of cat and dog toys to toss about the room. As kitty removed a rawhide bone from its packaging she stopped to laugh.
“What is it?” Lucy asked.
“All my life I’ve been fighting to find enough food to fill my belly,” Kitty said. “And now I have found enough to feed a pack for several seasons. These silly humans even made toys for their dogs to play with when they got bored -bored! No animal in the wild searching for its own food ever got bored.”
“I know how you feel,” the cat said. “I never knew true boredom as when I wad trapped up in the apartment with nothing to chase or stalk.”
“How are you going to get Prue and Blue to leave the safety of the apartment and follow you out into the street?” Kitty asked.
“With this,” Lucy said, tossing a catnip stuffed mouse at Kitty’s feet. Kitty sniffed at it, but other than a strong herbal scent could not understand Lucy’s fascination with it.
“I just don’t get it Lucy. What’s so great about that toy?”
“You’d feel differently if it were filled with beef gravy.”
“Yeah,” Kitty said. “But it’s not.”
“The herb inside makes us cats feel funny, like excited and relaxed at the same time,” she said. “Almost as if we were kittens again.”
“So what does it do to kittens?” Kitty asked.
“It doesn’t do anything,” Lucy said. “You have to be an adult cat to feel its effects.”
“Yet another thing that humans made that makes no sense. What should we do now?” Kitty asked, after they had filled the room to Lucy’s satisfaction.
“We’ll still need to drag up some food and water for an emergency, if we can’t get down the steps for some reason,“ the calico cat said. “But that will have to wait until Shakes can get here to help carry up the bags.”
Lucy looked around her at all of the trappings of a civilized life among the humans. “I think we should stop and eat something. We’ve worked hard and I think we need a treat.”
“Shouldn’t we bring the others here first?” Kitty asked.
“No, they have food enough to last them at the apartment. Besides, we did all the work and I think we deserve to eat first at the kill, so to speak.”
Kitty walked up and down the aisles, sniffing at packages and tasting bits and pieces of things.
“Kitty?” Lucy asked “Why don’t we get some of the food from the refrigerators before they go bad?”
Kitty nosed some of the packages in the open faced refrigerated sections, snatching down hotdogs and bologna. In the meantime, Lucy helped herself to a tube of liverwurst. They chewed daintily through the plastic packaging before gorging on the treasure that lay within.
“I’ve never eaten so well in my entire life,” Lucy said, licking buts of processed meat off of her whiskers.
“I’ve never had my food this fresh, either,” Kitty said. “And I didn’t have to beg fur it or test it for poisons or chemicals before eating it.
When they were thirsty, Kitty gnawed through a plastic bottle of water, like she had back at the apartment for Craig, and dumped it into a waiting bowl. When they had both rested enough they got back to their feet and left the building, letting the emergency exit slam closed and locked behind them, since Lucy was certain that she could repeat her trick with the filled shopping cat once again.
They traveled back to the apartment, their good mood spoiled by the thoughts of entering the apartment where Craig’s body lay and where the animals who had stayed there were unlikely to follow them to this new and wonderful place.
The walk up the stairs was just as grueling to Kitty as it had been the day before, but she kept up her pace next to the calico cat. “Do you think that they are ready to leave yet?” Kitty asked Lucy.
“They’ll have to be,” she said. “It’s not like someone is going to come and feed us. We’ve got to look out for ourselves now. Well, ourselves and each other.” Lucy smiled at her around the catnip mouse she had brought to tempt Prue and Blue into following her. “I could not have done this without you.”
“You can thank Shakes,” Kitty said. “He was the one who knew where the supermarket was.”
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 23
By Plot Roach
“I hate to admit this,” Kitty said. “But it feels good to get out of the apartment and run around in the fresh air.” The wind ruffled her coat and kitty could already tell that winter would soon be on its way. It’s a good thing that Shakes and I found the supermarket this morning, she said to herself. It will keep them all fed throughout the winter what with all the humans gone.
“I thought that I was the only one who felt like that,” the calico said. “Though I sometimes feel guilty about yearning for my freedom when the other two cats know of no other way of life. I wouldn’t wish homelessness on them, but it feels good to be my own cat again.”
“How do you think that they will take to life without Craig?” Kitty asked.
“I think that they are in shock now and that it will probably hit them when we leave the apartment and we can no longer smell him,” she said. “I think that’s why Shakes won’t leave Craig’s body, because it still smells like him.”
Kitty turned the corner of the building and faced the front of the supermarket. “Here is your new home, my lady.” she said, bowing to the cat as if she were a queen.
“The electricity is still running here.”
“Yeah, but we don’t know for how long,” Kitty said. ‘With the humans gone, it may shut off at any moment.”
“Why is it still running here when it is off at our home?!” The cat demanded. “If it had been working last night, then Craig would have been able to call for help. He would still be alive. How can it be this way? Why one block and not another?!” The cat yowled, her hair spiked along the edge of her back and she looked for all the world as if she were to attack an unseen foe.
“I don’t know,” Kitty said. “The things that humans do still baffle me. But think on this, Lucy, even if Craig managed to call for help, there would still have to be someone there to come and get him, someone to take him down all the stairs that we walked down this morning. We’re healthy animals, but Craig was not. Do you really think that he could have made it, even with help? And if they did manage to get him to a hospital, and there were people there to help and try and heal him, what if he had died anyway? You and your pack would never have known that he had passed. And he would have been surrounded by strangers when the Dark One came to claim him, not by his beloved pack.”
“I know,” the calico cat said in a soft tone, grooming her hair back into place along her spine. “But I don’t remember seeing him there, do you?"
“Who?” Kitty asked.
“The Dark One.”
“There were not black dogs,” Kitty said.
“Not a dog, silly.” Lucy said. “Do you really think that a dog comes to collect cats when they die?”
“I hadn’t really though about it“ Kitty said. “I just know that you never see the Dark One until it is your time to leave.”
“I saw him once,” Lucy said. “But he was a dark Manx with fur the color of ash."
“Did you die?”
“Almost,” the calico said, licking a paw to keep from looking into Kitty’s eyes least she laugh at her. “It was when I had eaten a dead mouse that I found near a trash dumpster. I was so hungry that I ate it without wondering why it was dead.”
“And?” Kitty asked.
“It had eaten poison and I had gotten very sick from it,” She said. “The Dark one visited me that night and told me that there was more for me to do here… But you probably think I’m crazy for talking about it. Both Blue and Prue do, that’s for sure.”
“They don’t know everything,” Kitty said. “I met a dog in the pound who saw the same thing. He said that he had a destiny to fulfill. So I trust you when you say that you saw the Dark One as a cat.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Kitty said. “Maybe you’re here to help take care of the others, what with Craig dead.”
“What will you do when we get the others out of the apartment?” the calico cat asked. “Will you stay with us?”
“I can’t, Lucy. There is something I was meant to do. And I can’t do it if I stay with you,” Kitty explained. “I don’t know what it is, exactly. But there is an urge in me to keep going until I find it. It’s like an itch in my bones and when I stay still too long in one place, it burns unbelievably hard.”
“Well, I’ll be sorry to see you go,” the calico said. “As I’m sure the others will as well.”
“I’m no so sure that Shakes will miss me, “ Kitty said. “But I think that this is the best place for you and your pack.” Kitty looked up at the bright colors of the neon sign. And sighed, hoping that it would be enough to keep them going until they could learn to fend for themselves or the humans came back to take care of them.
“I knew that you were one of us,” Lucy said.
“Well, of course I‘m one of you,” Kitty said. “Maria dragged me to the apartment after all.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lucy said.
“What did you mean then?”
“That you are one of the god touched.”
“The what?” Kitty asked.
“The All Mother spoke to you, too. Didn’t she?” the calico cat asked.
“Yes, just like the Dark One did.”
“They both gave you gifts,” Lucy said.
“Gifts?” Kitty asked.
“Well you didn’t think that they would put you back out into the wild world without an edge, do you?” the calico cat laughed. “I knew that you were different when you mentioned seeing colors. Not one dog that I’ve met can see colors. And all the cats that I’ve spoken with have a similar problem, though they could see a few of the colors that humans can. But you can see things like a human can -and you can think like them can as well. I’ve seen you solve things in the apartment in seconds where it took Shakespeare months to learn -and that was when he was trained by a human. You are different from the rest of your kind, Kitty. Embrace your gifts and use them well on the path that has been set before you. They were given to you for a reason. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can climb that tree over there and get onto the roof of the building for a closer look.”
As Lucy went on about her task, she left Kitty thinking over what she had said.
Am I really that special? She asked herself. But while she tried to deny it, memories of the pound and living among the pack came back to prove her special skills to her. She knew how to open the cages, even if her paw could not manipulate the lock. And she had known how to get into the dumpster, a feat she had never even thought was possible, much less tried back in her old days as a common street dog. But what was it the All Mother and the Dark One had wanted her to do? Their words had evaporated from her mind like raindrops on hot pavement.
“Hey!” Lucy said from a rooftop overhang. I found a way in and I think I can get the side door open to let you in as well.”
“Just be careful,” Kitty called back to the calico cat. “We don’t know if anything else is already living there.”
A few minutes later, very uncomfortable minutes that felt like an eternity to Kitty because she did not know if her friend was in danger, the cat opened a side emergency exit. It had a lever handle like the doors to the apartment complex. Lucy had managed to knock it open with a shopping cart filled with dog food.
“How did you-?” Kitty began to ask.
“Did you think that you were the only one that the gods gave gifts to?” Lucy asked, purring playfully.
Kitty made sure that the door closed behind them, not wanting any intruders to find this paradise that she wanted to protect for her friends. “I don’t smell any rotting food, so I don’t think this place lost electricity at all.” Kitty said. “But one thing is for sure, it will go off eventually. If it’s something that I’ve learned while living amongst the humans, it’s that when humans leave an area, they take all the good stuff with them.”
“So what will we do?” Lucy asked.
“Eat all of the meat that you can while it’s still good. And get rid of the stuff when it starts to rot. Have Shakes take it out into the parking lot. You’ll want to set up a den in a corner… Or better yet, this place might have a separate room…” she said and loped off in the direction of one of the store’s walls. Along the back edge she found a staircase.
“Not more stairs,” the cat complained.
“No,” Kitty said. “This is a good thing.” She took to the stairs and found a room at the top. She clawed at the handle at the top and managed to pull it open a bit. She dashed back down the stairs and grabbed a can of food, then pulled the door open again. “Wedge it open,” she told the cat, who did as Kitty had told her. From there she was able to nudge the door open with the bulk of her body. Yes! She thought to herself. There was another of those tiny legs at the base that once pulled down would keep the door in place.
“That’s where I came in,” Lucy said, looking up at a skylight that had been left open. “But I made my way out of the window there instead of using the door like you did.” The window in question held a full view of the store’s floor below them. It will make a great lookout spot, Kitty thought.
“Can you close the roof’s window if you need to?” Kitty asked, doubting that she or Shakes could ever climb that high and keep their balance in order to close it.
“Probably, if I studied the lever attached to it a bit longer. Why?” the calico cat asked.
“Because this is going to be you new home.”
“It doesn’t look very comfortable,” Lucy said
‘It doesn’t have to be, for a human. they live elsewhere, remember?”
“But what about for us?” the cat asked “I can’t sleep on a stack of papers with a spike through it and I doubt that they others will look kindly upon me if I suggest it for their bed.”
“We’ll fix it. You’ll see. Should we bring the others here now, or fix it up ourselves?” Kitty asked.
“I think that we ought to do it ourselves. I don’t think that Shakes is ready to leave the apartment yet and the other two are notorious lazy bodies.”
“What do you want to start with first?” Kitty asked, excited to help the cat make this place into a home for her friends.
“How about we get all this human stuff out of the place?” Lucy asked. She started pushing things off of the desk and onto the floor where Kitty pawed them down the stairs and out of the way. By the time they were done, there was a sloppy pile of debris at the side of the stairs. They had kept the desk and the chair (at Lucy’s request), but managed to deposit the computer, keyboard and monitor into a broken heap which Kitty tugged at for nearly twenty minutes before freeing the electrical cords form the wall and dumping it onto the pile of human stuff below.
Then kitty dashed throughout the store looking for items that the calico cat had listed off of the top of her head.
First came the fleece lined overstuffed beds, including a larger style for the two dogs when they decided to bed down on the floor. And array of bowls ringed the floor. Kitty picked up an assortment of cat and dog toys to toss about the room. As kitty removed a rawhide bone from its packaging she stopped to laugh.
“What is it?” Lucy asked.
“All my life I’ve been fighting to find enough food to fill my belly,” Kitty said. “And now I have found enough to feed a pack for several seasons. These silly humans even made toys for their dogs to play with when they got bored -bored! No animal in the wild searching for its own food ever got bored.”
“I know how you feel,” the cat said. “I never knew true boredom as when I wad trapped up in the apartment with nothing to chase or stalk.”
“How are you going to get Prue and Blue to leave the safety of the apartment and follow you out into the street?” Kitty asked.
“With this,” Lucy said, tossing a catnip stuffed mouse at Kitty’s feet. Kitty sniffed at it, but other than a strong herbal scent could not understand Lucy’s fascination with it.
“I just don’t get it Lucy. What’s so great about that toy?”
“You’d feel differently if it were filled with beef gravy.”
“Yeah,” Kitty said. “But it’s not.”
“The herb inside makes us cats feel funny, like excited and relaxed at the same time,” she said. “Almost as if we were kittens again.”
“So what does it do to kittens?” Kitty asked.
“It doesn’t do anything,” Lucy said. “You have to be an adult cat to feel its effects.”
“Yet another thing that humans made that makes no sense. What should we do now?” Kitty asked, after they had filled the room to Lucy’s satisfaction.
“We’ll still need to drag up some food and water for an emergency, if we can’t get down the steps for some reason,“ the calico cat said. “But that will have to wait until Shakes can get here to help carry up the bags.”
Lucy looked around her at all of the trappings of a civilized life among the humans. “I think we should stop and eat something. We’ve worked hard and I think we need a treat.”
“Shouldn’t we bring the others here first?” Kitty asked.
“No, they have food enough to last them at the apartment. Besides, we did all the work and I think we deserve to eat first at the kill, so to speak.”
Kitty walked up and down the aisles, sniffing at packages and tasting bits and pieces of things.
“Kitty?” Lucy asked “Why don’t we get some of the food from the refrigerators before they go bad?”
Kitty nosed some of the packages in the open faced refrigerated sections, snatching down hotdogs and bologna. In the meantime, Lucy helped herself to a tube of liverwurst. They chewed daintily through the plastic packaging before gorging on the treasure that lay within.
“I’ve never eaten so well in my entire life,” Lucy said, licking buts of processed meat off of her whiskers.
“I’ve never had my food this fresh, either,” Kitty said. “And I didn’t have to beg fur it or test it for poisons or chemicals before eating it.
When they were thirsty, Kitty gnawed through a plastic bottle of water, like she had back at the apartment for Craig, and dumped it into a waiting bowl. When they had both rested enough they got back to their feet and left the building, letting the emergency exit slam closed and locked behind them, since Lucy was certain that she could repeat her trick with the filled shopping cat once again.
They traveled back to the apartment, their good mood spoiled by the thoughts of entering the apartment where Craig’s body lay and where the animals who had stayed there were unlikely to follow them to this new and wonderful place.
The walk up the stairs was just as grueling to Kitty as it had been the day before, but she kept up her pace next to the calico cat. “Do you think that they are ready to leave yet?” Kitty asked Lucy.
“They’ll have to be,” she said. “It’s not like someone is going to come and feed us. We’ve got to look out for ourselves now. Well, ourselves and each other.” Lucy smiled at her around the catnip mouse she had brought to tempt Prue and Blue into following her. “I could not have done this without you.”
“You can thank Shakes,” Kitty said. “He was the one who knew where the supermarket was.”
Kitty 22
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 22
By Plot Roach
The animals slept late into the day, most had tossed and turning in their sleep due to grief. When the light from the nearby window woke Kitty, she lifted her head to find that Shakes was still sitting next to his dead master. She stretched as she stood up, the chill of the morning making old injuries ache. She longed to be away from this place of fear and death, but knew that the other residents saw this place as their safe home. She padded over to the sleeping dog and tried to wake him.
“We have to get going, “Kitty said, nudging the golden retriever.
“I’m not leaving.” Shakes said, a low growl in his voice. He shivered , but refused to leave his place. Kitty knew that sleeping side by side with her pack had kept her warm most nights, but also knew that sleeping next to a corpse would leach his body heat and make him vulnerable to disease.
“You can’t stay here guarding a dead body, you have to go on living.”
“You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do, you’re not my master,” he growled.
“No, your master is dead. It’s time fore you to be your own dog now.”
“And enjoy that ‘freedom’ you’ve been telling me about?” he snapped. “The same freedom that nearly got you killed by the jaws of your own pack or nearly starved you to death as you roamed the streets? No thank you. I choose to die here, with Craig.”
The cats looked to one another and then to Kitty. As if of one mind, they padded up to the couch and looked up to Shakes. “We’re leaving,” said Blue. “We can’t survive here and you know it.”
“Ungrateful cats…” Shakes murmured, he laid back down on the couch next to Craig’s body, his muzzle resting on the dead man’s leg. He shot them all a look that sent a chill down Kitty’s spine. It’s going to be hard to get him moving, if we can at all, she told herself.
The cats took another long look at their friend and then a quick glance at Kitty. “Can you help?” Blue whispered as he walked past her.
Whether it was to help them in their argument or help Shakes see the error in his logic, Kitty could only guess. She stepped around the mess of tuna that had been dropped on the floor in Shakes’ attempt to get the can open. The cats had not touched it in the night, though they had every opportunity to. They must have been grieving too deeply to even consider it, Kitty thought. Or else they chose to leave it alone out of respect for the dead. It was now just a dried mess on the floor, a lump that mixed in with the carpet, soon to be unmovable as cement.
Kitty paced the floor, trying to find the right words to comfort the service dog. “I think that Craig would have wanted you to go on and-”
“Don’t say another word,” Shakes growled. He looked away from Kitty and closed his eyes, his muzzle still resting on the dead man’s knee.
Everyone deals with grief in a different way, she reminded herself. And though she worried for her friend, she knew that she could not change his mind unless he was willing to listen to her arguments. Now is not the time for trying to talk logic into him, she told herself. He’s still too numb with grief. She went into the kitchen where the cats were eating dry kibble and drinking from the water bowl.
“We’ll have to refill the water soon if we are going to stay here,” Blue said. “Though we should probably leave before the body begins to smell worse than it already does.”
In the night Craig’s bowels had let go, soaking into the couch beneath him. The stench of his illness and death permeated the apartment, overwhelming their sensitive noses. Kitty knew from her experience on the street that parasites would soon begin their work upon the corpse and render it into a bloated and stinking mass within days.
“We’re not staying here,” Lucy said, here eyes daring Kitty to tell her otherwise.
“But we can’t leave without Shakespeare!” Prue said. “Who would take care of us and protect us from… the wild?”
“It’s not my decision to make,” Kitty said. “But you can’t stay here in the apartment forever. Eventually you will run out of food. The body will rot in earnest, and the smell will bring bugs and rodents to feast on it.” Or worse, Kitty thought to herself. There’s quite a few carrion eaters out there who would love nothing more than a side of cat steak to go with a well aged corpse. But Kitty decided to keep that little tidbit of information to herself and try her hardest to get them all to leave the apartment and head for safer ground.
“What do you suggest?” Blue asked.
“I think we can afford to give him another day to grieve. But after that we’ll either have to find a way to move him or else we’ll have to leave him behind and hope that he’ll leave on his own.”
“Where will we go?” Prue asked.
“Maybe we can find another human to take you in,” Kitty said, though she doubted that there were many healthy humans left living in the city who would be willing to take in more mouths to feed. She ate a few bites of dry kibble, forcing them down even though she had no hunger. She knew that she had to eat to keep up her strength. And with the one human in the world who would feed me gone, she thought, I need to stuff my belly while I still can.
She left the kitchen and moved to the front door where she paused by the open crack. She nosed it open so that she could look out into the hallway beyond and check for and intruders before leaving for the streets below the apartment. Shakes had left the door cracked open and Kitty wondered if he had done it on purpose to let her get out. Or maybe he wants me to leave now that Craig is dead, she thought.
“Are you going to leave us so soon?” Lucy asked, looking up at the dog with her wise golden eyes.
“Not yet,” Kitty said. “But I have a hunch that I want to check into.”
“What’s that?” Lucy asked.
“If there are no humans to be found to take you all in, I know of a place where you can spend a few months to hide until the weather gets better and you can learn to fend for yourselves.”
“You mean THEY can learn to fend for themselves,” Lucy corrected. “I don’t think that they have even caught more than five mice between them in all the years of their nine lives. I was a feral cat caught in a humane trap only five months ago, I still remember the thrill of the hunt and the taste of blood on my lips.”
“Very well then,” Kitty said. “Maybe you should come with me to check into this idea of mine.”
Lucy smiled in a very un-catlike manner, as cats usually keep their feelings to themselves unless the urge for anger or frustration needed to be vented in a hiss or a snarl. “Lead the way,” she said.
“Shakes,” Kitty called out to the service dog. “We’re going out to look for more humans again.”
“Go wherever you want, Kitty,” he mumbled, not bothering to look up as they left. Kitty’s heart sank with the apathetic words of the service dog. And though she had suffered her own losses in this world, she knew that he was suffering in a way that she could only imagine. To be tied that greatly to another being, she thought. It must have felt like half of him died with the human.
Kitty pushed the door to the apartment open a little farther and edged past the doorframe, making sure to nose it back into position as she and the calico left. Kitty watched in wonder and slight jealously as Lucy ran almost gracefully down the steps of the staircase where Kitty had to maneuver herself through an ungainly stride.
I’ll have to eat more food if I’m going to keep up with this routine, Kitty told herself, feeling the muscles along her legs burn from the effort. But at least it’s not as hard to keep up as it was yesterday.
At the base of the building, Kitty moved the little leg latch down and into position, keeping the door open for their return as Shakes had down the day earlier. They had left all the doors propped open and Kitty hoped that Shakes would defend the other, tamer cats should some stray animal find its way up and into the apartment while they were gone.
“I don’t see anyone,” Lucy said. “Where did all the humans go? And for that matter, the animals as well?”
“I think that the humans got sick and either died in their homes or were taken away to the hospitals,” Kitty said. “Maria was talking about it with Craig before she left.”
“Do you think that Maria is dead too?” Lucy asked.
“I think that she might be,” Kitty said. “Even if the city was evacuated, she would have come for Craig, wouldn’t she? And if there was a wide scale evacuation, wouldn’t the humans have come for all the sick and dying?”
“Maybe there weren’t enough healthy humans to do it?” Lucy asked. “Maybe all the rest of the humans ran away to keep themselves healthy.”
“I think that you might be right. But there are no bodies out in the street as there were with the city I was in before I came to live with your master.”
“But the bodies were taken away by humans later when the animals tried to eat them, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think that the humans where collecting to bodies to keep the rest of the humans free from the illness, like when a sick animals is spurned and abandoned by the pack,” The calico said. “Where did the animals go when the bodies were gone?”
“I think that those that were poisoned by the bait and died were taken to the same plave where they took the human bodies. Those that were alive and trapped must have been taken to the animal pound.”
“What about the pack that you joined up with?” Lucy asked.
“They were searching for food when they found me. And I have to admit that they weren’t very good at it,” Kitty said. “That’s why Max was so eager to let me join and keep me with them, I think. They must have all been pets that were abandoned at one time or another by their owners. When the humans left, there was no one to make garbage. And when there were no scraps of food to live off of anymore, they needed another way to survive.”
“And you were it.” Lucy said.
“Yes,” Kitty admitted. “I was it.”
“Why did you join up with them again?” the calico asked, washing a paw while she waited for Kitty’s answer.
“I was in a bad way,” Kitty admitted. “I had been living on my own on the streets before having been caught in a trap like yourself. But instead of being taken to a person like Craig, they took me to the dog pound. When the humans got sick, they left us alone and without food for a few days, once we finally escaped, a few of the dogs turned against me and threatened to kill me. I ran as far and as fast as I could, but I still worried that they would find me. So when Max and his pack showed up and offered to take me in I thought that I had someone to protect me, not to abuse me further.”
“Well I for one think that you were very strong to survive on your own,” said the cat. “And even stronger for deciding to leave such a bad situation as that pack.”
Kitty felt embarrassed by the cat’s compliment, knowing that her escape from the pack was not entirely her own. The poisoned food and being hit by Maria’s car had a big hand in that, she thought to herself. “We’d better get going,” she said to Lucy before heading off in the direction of the supermarket.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 22
By Plot Roach
The animals slept late into the day, most had tossed and turning in their sleep due to grief. When the light from the nearby window woke Kitty, she lifted her head to find that Shakes was still sitting next to his dead master. She stretched as she stood up, the chill of the morning making old injuries ache. She longed to be away from this place of fear and death, but knew that the other residents saw this place as their safe home. She padded over to the sleeping dog and tried to wake him.
“We have to get going, “Kitty said, nudging the golden retriever.
“I’m not leaving.” Shakes said, a low growl in his voice. He shivered , but refused to leave his place. Kitty knew that sleeping side by side with her pack had kept her warm most nights, but also knew that sleeping next to a corpse would leach his body heat and make him vulnerable to disease.
“You can’t stay here guarding a dead body, you have to go on living.”
“You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do, you’re not my master,” he growled.
“No, your master is dead. It’s time fore you to be your own dog now.”
“And enjoy that ‘freedom’ you’ve been telling me about?” he snapped. “The same freedom that nearly got you killed by the jaws of your own pack or nearly starved you to death as you roamed the streets? No thank you. I choose to die here, with Craig.”
The cats looked to one another and then to Kitty. As if of one mind, they padded up to the couch and looked up to Shakes. “We’re leaving,” said Blue. “We can’t survive here and you know it.”
“Ungrateful cats…” Shakes murmured, he laid back down on the couch next to Craig’s body, his muzzle resting on the dead man’s leg. He shot them all a look that sent a chill down Kitty’s spine. It’s going to be hard to get him moving, if we can at all, she told herself.
The cats took another long look at their friend and then a quick glance at Kitty. “Can you help?” Blue whispered as he walked past her.
Whether it was to help them in their argument or help Shakes see the error in his logic, Kitty could only guess. She stepped around the mess of tuna that had been dropped on the floor in Shakes’ attempt to get the can open. The cats had not touched it in the night, though they had every opportunity to. They must have been grieving too deeply to even consider it, Kitty thought. Or else they chose to leave it alone out of respect for the dead. It was now just a dried mess on the floor, a lump that mixed in with the carpet, soon to be unmovable as cement.
Kitty paced the floor, trying to find the right words to comfort the service dog. “I think that Craig would have wanted you to go on and-”
“Don’t say another word,” Shakes growled. He looked away from Kitty and closed his eyes, his muzzle still resting on the dead man’s knee.
Everyone deals with grief in a different way, she reminded herself. And though she worried for her friend, she knew that she could not change his mind unless he was willing to listen to her arguments. Now is not the time for trying to talk logic into him, she told herself. He’s still too numb with grief. She went into the kitchen where the cats were eating dry kibble and drinking from the water bowl.
“We’ll have to refill the water soon if we are going to stay here,” Blue said. “Though we should probably leave before the body begins to smell worse than it already does.”
In the night Craig’s bowels had let go, soaking into the couch beneath him. The stench of his illness and death permeated the apartment, overwhelming their sensitive noses. Kitty knew from her experience on the street that parasites would soon begin their work upon the corpse and render it into a bloated and stinking mass within days.
“We’re not staying here,” Lucy said, here eyes daring Kitty to tell her otherwise.
“But we can’t leave without Shakespeare!” Prue said. “Who would take care of us and protect us from… the wild?”
“It’s not my decision to make,” Kitty said. “But you can’t stay here in the apartment forever. Eventually you will run out of food. The body will rot in earnest, and the smell will bring bugs and rodents to feast on it.” Or worse, Kitty thought to herself. There’s quite a few carrion eaters out there who would love nothing more than a side of cat steak to go with a well aged corpse. But Kitty decided to keep that little tidbit of information to herself and try her hardest to get them all to leave the apartment and head for safer ground.
“What do you suggest?” Blue asked.
“I think we can afford to give him another day to grieve. But after that we’ll either have to find a way to move him or else we’ll have to leave him behind and hope that he’ll leave on his own.”
“Where will we go?” Prue asked.
“Maybe we can find another human to take you in,” Kitty said, though she doubted that there were many healthy humans left living in the city who would be willing to take in more mouths to feed. She ate a few bites of dry kibble, forcing them down even though she had no hunger. She knew that she had to eat to keep up her strength. And with the one human in the world who would feed me gone, she thought, I need to stuff my belly while I still can.
She left the kitchen and moved to the front door where she paused by the open crack. She nosed it open so that she could look out into the hallway beyond and check for and intruders before leaving for the streets below the apartment. Shakes had left the door cracked open and Kitty wondered if he had done it on purpose to let her get out. Or maybe he wants me to leave now that Craig is dead, she thought.
“Are you going to leave us so soon?” Lucy asked, looking up at the dog with her wise golden eyes.
“Not yet,” Kitty said. “But I have a hunch that I want to check into.”
“What’s that?” Lucy asked.
“If there are no humans to be found to take you all in, I know of a place where you can spend a few months to hide until the weather gets better and you can learn to fend for yourselves.”
“You mean THEY can learn to fend for themselves,” Lucy corrected. “I don’t think that they have even caught more than five mice between them in all the years of their nine lives. I was a feral cat caught in a humane trap only five months ago, I still remember the thrill of the hunt and the taste of blood on my lips.”
“Very well then,” Kitty said. “Maybe you should come with me to check into this idea of mine.”
Lucy smiled in a very un-catlike manner, as cats usually keep their feelings to themselves unless the urge for anger or frustration needed to be vented in a hiss or a snarl. “Lead the way,” she said.
“Shakes,” Kitty called out to the service dog. “We’re going out to look for more humans again.”
“Go wherever you want, Kitty,” he mumbled, not bothering to look up as they left. Kitty’s heart sank with the apathetic words of the service dog. And though she had suffered her own losses in this world, she knew that he was suffering in a way that she could only imagine. To be tied that greatly to another being, she thought. It must have felt like half of him died with the human.
Kitty pushed the door to the apartment open a little farther and edged past the doorframe, making sure to nose it back into position as she and the calico left. Kitty watched in wonder and slight jealously as Lucy ran almost gracefully down the steps of the staircase where Kitty had to maneuver herself through an ungainly stride.
I’ll have to eat more food if I’m going to keep up with this routine, Kitty told herself, feeling the muscles along her legs burn from the effort. But at least it’s not as hard to keep up as it was yesterday.
At the base of the building, Kitty moved the little leg latch down and into position, keeping the door open for their return as Shakes had down the day earlier. They had left all the doors propped open and Kitty hoped that Shakes would defend the other, tamer cats should some stray animal find its way up and into the apartment while they were gone.
“I don’t see anyone,” Lucy said. “Where did all the humans go? And for that matter, the animals as well?”
“I think that the humans got sick and either died in their homes or were taken away to the hospitals,” Kitty said. “Maria was talking about it with Craig before she left.”
“Do you think that Maria is dead too?” Lucy asked.
“I think that she might be,” Kitty said. “Even if the city was evacuated, she would have come for Craig, wouldn’t she? And if there was a wide scale evacuation, wouldn’t the humans have come for all the sick and dying?”
“Maybe there weren’t enough healthy humans to do it?” Lucy asked. “Maybe all the rest of the humans ran away to keep themselves healthy.”
“I think that you might be right. But there are no bodies out in the street as there were with the city I was in before I came to live with your master.”
“But the bodies were taken away by humans later when the animals tried to eat them, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think that the humans where collecting to bodies to keep the rest of the humans free from the illness, like when a sick animals is spurned and abandoned by the pack,” The calico said. “Where did the animals go when the bodies were gone?”
“I think that those that were poisoned by the bait and died were taken to the same plave where they took the human bodies. Those that were alive and trapped must have been taken to the animal pound.”
“What about the pack that you joined up with?” Lucy asked.
“They were searching for food when they found me. And I have to admit that they weren’t very good at it,” Kitty said. “That’s why Max was so eager to let me join and keep me with them, I think. They must have all been pets that were abandoned at one time or another by their owners. When the humans left, there was no one to make garbage. And when there were no scraps of food to live off of anymore, they needed another way to survive.”
“And you were it.” Lucy said.
“Yes,” Kitty admitted. “I was it.”
“Why did you join up with them again?” the calico asked, washing a paw while she waited for Kitty’s answer.
“I was in a bad way,” Kitty admitted. “I had been living on my own on the streets before having been caught in a trap like yourself. But instead of being taken to a person like Craig, they took me to the dog pound. When the humans got sick, they left us alone and without food for a few days, once we finally escaped, a few of the dogs turned against me and threatened to kill me. I ran as far and as fast as I could, but I still worried that they would find me. So when Max and his pack showed up and offered to take me in I thought that I had someone to protect me, not to abuse me further.”
“Well I for one think that you were very strong to survive on your own,” said the cat. “And even stronger for deciding to leave such a bad situation as that pack.”
Kitty felt embarrassed by the cat’s compliment, knowing that her escape from the pack was not entirely her own. The poisoned food and being hit by Maria’s car had a big hand in that, she thought to herself. “We’d better get going,” she said to Lucy before heading off in the direction of the supermarket.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Kitty 21
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 21
By Plot Roach
The walked the several streets down that Shakes remembered on his walks with Craig before coming to a stop before the brick wall that was the side of the supermarket. “Do you want to wait here?” Shakes asked Kitty. “I know that you hate being locked indoors and you are fearful of humans, so I could go in alone while you wait for me here -if you decide to wait here.”
“I think I can tolerate the conditions long enough to keep you company -and out of trouble,” Kitty said. It had been kind of him to consider her feelings in the matter, but if she wasn’t going to abandon him here and make a run for the open streets, she wasn’t going to let him walk into a human store that might hold a trap.
Both dogs walked around the side of the building and to the front of the store. Bright lights and a multicolored sign stood out among the gathering clouds, their colors clashing with the drab deep rust of the bricks the store was constructed from. Shakes walked up to the front of the two sliding glass doors and growled.
“What is it?” Kitty asked.
“The doors were supposed to open.”
“Maybe there is some human trick that needs to be done to open them?” Kitty suggested. For she knew that humans had many tricks that served them in their everyday affairs, making life more difficult for the rest of the creatures that shared the world.
“No,” Shakes said. “It always worked before. We would stand in front of the doors for a moment and they would swing open on their own.”
“Maybe it only works when there is a human present?”
“Maybe,” He said. “Or maybe it doesn’t work because there are no humans inside the place.”
“What makes you say that?” Kitty asked.
“The overhead lights are off,” he said. “Every time we were here before, the lights were always on and blazing away, even though I could see my way around and Craig doesn’t need them.”
“Maybe the other humans there needed it to see. I’ve always found that humans had such poor eyesight when they tried chasing me away from their houses -and garbage- at night. It’s a wonder that they have survived as a species at all.”
“Too bad Maria is not here,” said Shakes.
“Why? Could she open the door for us?”
“Maybe,” he said. “But I was thinking more along the lines of her helping us to bring more food home to Craig. With Maria not checking in with us that it might be some time before we can get more groceries from her. And I’m worried…”
“You should try living on the streets sometime when you don’t know if you’ll get fed from one day to another,” Kitty said.
“I think I’ll pass on that, thank you.”
“Where do we go now?”
“I think we should walk past some of the other buildings and see if we can find any humans out and about.”
So Kitty followed the service dog as they wandered across several blocks of a well lit, but seemingly abandoned city. She made a mental note, however, that building such as the one that they had just visited may contain an untapped source of food if the humans had left it behind. All she would have to do was find a way in.
They visited a few more buildings with the same results, not a human was around to help them in their quest to get Craig to a hospital. In their wanderings they passed not another living soul, human, dog or cat.
“That’s odd, isn’t it?” Kitty asked her companion as they turned back to the apartment complex. “You would think that with so many sick and dying that someone would come and check to see if the survivors needed help.”
“Maybe those that would help are off helping others and they haven’t gotten to us yet,” Shakes suggested.
And maybe there is no one left to help, Kitty thought soberly. Though she kept those thoughts to herself. They began the long climb up the stairs and Kitty thought that though it had been awkward coming down the four flights, it was torturous going up them again. But the doors had been left propped open and nothing seemed to have changed in their absence.
“I can’t help but think that there is something that I can do to help him,” Shakes told Kitty, once they returned to the apartment and found Craig still asleep upon the couch. He interrogated the cats as to whether Maria had shown up or if the power had flickered back on and off once they had left. But the cats had nothing to report to him with the exception of boredom, the cravings of canned human food and the hopes that they would not have to spend the next few days without electricity huddled together for warmth in the cold of the night.
Shakes took up his post beside his blind master, a worried look across his face as the man’s breathing remained labored. The cats sat on their usual spots, flanking the couch in their overstuffed chairs. Kitty returned to her sleeping spot beneath the living room table. She heard the man’s breath throughout the night as he had one coughing fit after another in the coldness of the apartment. And though Shakes slept near him to keep him warm, it was not enough.
The following morning, the cats barely stirred and Shakes watched his master’s breathing like a starved cat watches a mouse hole. Kitty paced the apartment, no longer scared of the human, but fearful of his passing. For the death of the man would render the service dog inconsolable.
Kitty had lost her home, her pack and even her unborn pups. But she felt that she never endured a loss of the same enormity as the service dog now faced. About midday the cats began to complain about their empty bellies. And though Kitty had been through far worse while living in the wild, she had to admit that her stomach complained at the lack of food. Her life among Maria and Craig had turned her soft and she was now used to regular meals.
“I need your help, Shakes.”
The dog lifted his head from the couch and merely watched as Kitty approached.
“I need you to show me where the food is so that I can try and feed everyone.”
“Craig will feed us when he gets up,” the service dog said.
“He hasn’t been awake for a while now, Shakes. And we need to eat,” Kitty said.
“He’ll get up in a few minutes. I know he will. He loves us. He won’t let us starve.”
“Shakes, either you help me do this or else I’ll leave,” she threatened.
“Go ahead, Kitty. Craig is going to get up any minute now. You’ll see.”
Kitty hung her head in grief. A growl grew in her throat and she was about ot unleash her venom on the golden retriever when the calm calico cat padded up to Shakes and pounced on his back, landing with her claws fully extended.
“What was that for?!” he howled in pain and with fury.
“Kitty says that it’s time to eat now and you need to help her,” Lucy said.
“And we’re taking orders from kitty now, are we?” Shakes growled at the small cat.
But Lucy merely stood her ground while she looked up at the big dog. “There’s no sense in all of us suffering while Craig is sick, and you know it. He wouldn’t want us to go without just because he couldn’t feed us.”
Shakes merely blinked at her as she padded away, her message having been received by his large shaggy ears. “I’ll be waiting in the kitchen with the others,” she said.
Shakes looked to Kitty who stood up and then followed the cat. He won’t listen to me, she thought. But maybe he’ll listen to the cat.
When all the animals had gathered in the kitchen, Shakes pulled out the bags of dried cat and dog food from under the kitchen cupboard. “I don’t know how I’ll fill the bowls though,” he said.
“You don’t need to,” Kitty said. ”We’ll rip open the bags and eat from the floor.”
“Craig will be mad when he sees the mess,” shakes said, a flatness to his voice.
“When Craig gets up an is well enough to punish us, I’ll step up and take all the blame, okay?” Kitty asked. Though she knew that the chances of that were slim to none.
“Why are you still here?” the service dog asked.
“I said that I was going to stay until I could help you and I intend to keep my promise.”
“What about water?” Blue asked.
“The faucet works on a lever,” Shakes said. “If Kitty holds the bowl in the sink, I can work the lever and fill the bowl.”
So using Blue’s guidance, Shakes’ skills with a lever and Kitty’s strength and dexterity, they managed to get themselves water, with a few droplets sinking into their fur, much to Blue’s chagrin.
They settled down to their meal in silence. The cats were quiet pleased at being able to fend for themselves, while Shakes worried about his sick master and Kitty contemplated the inevitable.
“Craig needs to eat something,” Shakes said.
“I don’t think-”
“You said that you would help us, Kitty,” the service dog said. “So help me with this.”
“I don’t-”
“Help me!”
“Okay!” Kitty barked. “But first we have to get him to wake up. It does no good to go through the trouble of it all if he won’t wake up enough to eat it.”
“What are we going to feed him, dog food?”
“No, his food comes in cans.”
“Oooo, like tuna,” Prue purred.
“Tuna! Perfect!” Shakes barked. “We won’t have to cook it and it’s already pre-chewed.”
“And we can have the leftovers,” Prue said. But Shakes shot her a dirty look that stopped her from further verbal ramblings regarding the canned fish.
“Do we know where the can is?” kitty asked. “And once we do get it, how to we open it?”
“The cans are kept in the top cabinet here,” Blue said, patting the area with a paw.
“Can you open the cabinet and knock one down to the floor?” Kitty asked.
“I can certainly try,” said Blue. The next few moments would have been funny to Kitty had Shakes not been so desperate to feed his sick human, with the two dogs trying to help the cat coordinate his movements enough to open the cabinet and knock down the right can, all while trying to keep from falling down himself in the process.
“This is tuna!” Prue said, swatting at the picture of the fish on the side of the can.
“Does all human food have a picture of the animal that is inside of it?” kitty asked.
“Not always,” Blue said. “The cat and dog food have pictures of the animals to be fed on the outside of them.”
Kitty decided not to share her theory on what happened to animals killed at the pound with them, lest she put them off of their food for good.
“Now what?” She asked the service dog.
“We need to open it.”
“That’s when Craig uses this thing over here,” said Lucy, her tail curled around the electric can opener.”
“Great, now we have to get the can back up on the counter,” Prue complained.
“No,” Shakes said. “It has a pop top, like the cans of stew that Craig opens for himself.
“So if we hand the can to him he should be able to open it, right?” asked Blue.
“We need to open it for him,” Shakes said. “We need to feed him like he would for us if we were this sick.”
“And what about water?” Prue asked. “He can’t lap it up out of the water bowl. I’ve seen his tongue and it’s far too short.”
“Get a bottle of water, Kitty.” the service dog said.” They are under the sink where the bags of cat and dog food were. He takes them with us when we go out on walks together.”
Kitty found the bottle of water that Shakes had told her about and followed the other animals out into the living room where Craig’s heavy breathing permeated the room. They gathered around him while Shakes opened the lid on the can, holding a portion of the tin down with one paw while he pulled at the top with his teeth. With much maneuvering of his head and paw, Shakes was able at least to get the tin open, spilling most of the can’s contents across the floor. As the cats rushed to remedy this error, Shakes stopped them with another glare.
Shakes nosed his master’s hand and received no response. He whimpered and tugged at the sleeve on the blind man’s arm. But the arm flopped limply back to the human’s side. Shakespeare barked, but the man did not even flinch at the noise.
“Chew on his hand,” Kitty suggested. “The pain will wake him even if little else can.”
Shakes nibbled on the edge of the man’s fingers.
“Harder,” Kitty said.
Shakes whined and looked at her, but her eyes were hard as stones. He leaned forward and tried again, this time taking the man’s index finder in his back teeth and worrying it like he would a bone.
The man gasped and struggled where he sat. “What? Shakes, where are you boy?”
Shakespeare barked and jumped up next to the man on the couch. “I must have been sleeping for a long time, huh?” Craig said. “How about getting me the phone?”
Shakes did as his master instructed, but knew that the man would not be able to call for help, as there was no ring tone when he lifted the receiver off of its base. But the old man tried anyway. “We’ll check back later, boy.” he said and set the phone back in the dog’s jaws.
Shakes picked up the can of tuna and dropped it into his master’s hands. “Now how did you do this?” he asked, between mouthfuls that he scooped up with his bare fingers. He coughed, and had to stop before he could catch his breath and finish off the rest of the can. “Boy that made me thirsty,” Craig said. And no sooner had the words come out of his mouth than Shakes had taken the bottle from Kitty and plopped it down next to the man. Craig tried to open it, but the lid proved to be too much in his weakened state.
Shakes whined and kitty leaped up onto the couch and took the bottle into her jaws and gnawed at the top, pricking holes in the neck of the bottle with her back teeth. The blind man took it from her jaws and rubbed her between the ears as he sipped the lukewarm water from the holes she had produced.
“This must be our princess, out from under the table at last,” he said. “Sorry it took me getting this sick to get you to come out of your shell there, missy.” He laughed and it set off another coughing fit.
“I wish I could have seen you with my own two eyes, girl,” he said to Kitty. “I bet you’re a damn fine sight. They told me that you were part coyote and part German Shepherd. And my guess is that you’re the best of both lines. What do you think, Shakes?”
The service dog barked excitedly beside him as if in agreement.
“I love all my children, no matter what fur they might be wearing.” He said. His hand reached out to each cat in turn, and ruffled the fur on their heads as if he could find the with their purrs.
“Blue, you’ve been with me fifteen years now, ever since my sister couldn’t keep you anymore. And Prudence, you always were my little darling, just as I knew that you would be when I saw you abandoned behind the local Wal-Mart.” His hand reached over to Lucy where it wavered in the air before her. She bumped it with her head and let out a thunderous purr. “Family at last,” he said. “Though I’m sorry it took this long to make it so.”
Kitty jumped down and the cats backed away, letting Shakespeare share this moment alone with his master.
“My best friend, my eyes and my hands, my dear Shakespeare. You’ve been closer to me than most friends and family. You never judged me or called me feeble, but always stood by my side. You deserve more than this,” the blind man said. “But it’s all I have left to give.”
Man and dog sat on the couch. Craig patted the dog on his head with the last of his strength as large silent tears escaped the golden retriever’s eyes. At last the man fell asleep and Shakespeare stayed by his side even as his master drew his last breath.
Shakespeare remained next to his fallen master as the cats took up their usual position in the overstuffed chairs that flanked the couch. Kitty did not hide beneath the table, for now there was no need. She lay at the foot of the man she realized she need not have feared, for his heart was bigger than she could have ever guessed. And it showed in those that he left behind.
Kitty knew better than to try and move Shakespeare away from the body. There would be time enough to get them all out of the apartment in the morning. The apartment was silent and it seemed to grow colder with the blind man’s passing. For now she let each morn in his or her own way as there was one less member of the pack.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 21
By Plot Roach
The walked the several streets down that Shakes remembered on his walks with Craig before coming to a stop before the brick wall that was the side of the supermarket. “Do you want to wait here?” Shakes asked Kitty. “I know that you hate being locked indoors and you are fearful of humans, so I could go in alone while you wait for me here -if you decide to wait here.”
“I think I can tolerate the conditions long enough to keep you company -and out of trouble,” Kitty said. It had been kind of him to consider her feelings in the matter, but if she wasn’t going to abandon him here and make a run for the open streets, she wasn’t going to let him walk into a human store that might hold a trap.
Both dogs walked around the side of the building and to the front of the store. Bright lights and a multicolored sign stood out among the gathering clouds, their colors clashing with the drab deep rust of the bricks the store was constructed from. Shakes walked up to the front of the two sliding glass doors and growled.
“What is it?” Kitty asked.
“The doors were supposed to open.”
“Maybe there is some human trick that needs to be done to open them?” Kitty suggested. For she knew that humans had many tricks that served them in their everyday affairs, making life more difficult for the rest of the creatures that shared the world.
“No,” Shakes said. “It always worked before. We would stand in front of the doors for a moment and they would swing open on their own.”
“Maybe it only works when there is a human present?”
“Maybe,” He said. “Or maybe it doesn’t work because there are no humans inside the place.”
“What makes you say that?” Kitty asked.
“The overhead lights are off,” he said. “Every time we were here before, the lights were always on and blazing away, even though I could see my way around and Craig doesn’t need them.”
“Maybe the other humans there needed it to see. I’ve always found that humans had such poor eyesight when they tried chasing me away from their houses -and garbage- at night. It’s a wonder that they have survived as a species at all.”
“Too bad Maria is not here,” said Shakes.
“Why? Could she open the door for us?”
“Maybe,” he said. “But I was thinking more along the lines of her helping us to bring more food home to Craig. With Maria not checking in with us that it might be some time before we can get more groceries from her. And I’m worried…”
“You should try living on the streets sometime when you don’t know if you’ll get fed from one day to another,” Kitty said.
“I think I’ll pass on that, thank you.”
“Where do we go now?”
“I think we should walk past some of the other buildings and see if we can find any humans out and about.”
So Kitty followed the service dog as they wandered across several blocks of a well lit, but seemingly abandoned city. She made a mental note, however, that building such as the one that they had just visited may contain an untapped source of food if the humans had left it behind. All she would have to do was find a way in.
They visited a few more buildings with the same results, not a human was around to help them in their quest to get Craig to a hospital. In their wanderings they passed not another living soul, human, dog or cat.
“That’s odd, isn’t it?” Kitty asked her companion as they turned back to the apartment complex. “You would think that with so many sick and dying that someone would come and check to see if the survivors needed help.”
“Maybe those that would help are off helping others and they haven’t gotten to us yet,” Shakes suggested.
And maybe there is no one left to help, Kitty thought soberly. Though she kept those thoughts to herself. They began the long climb up the stairs and Kitty thought that though it had been awkward coming down the four flights, it was torturous going up them again. But the doors had been left propped open and nothing seemed to have changed in their absence.
“I can’t help but think that there is something that I can do to help him,” Shakes told Kitty, once they returned to the apartment and found Craig still asleep upon the couch. He interrogated the cats as to whether Maria had shown up or if the power had flickered back on and off once they had left. But the cats had nothing to report to him with the exception of boredom, the cravings of canned human food and the hopes that they would not have to spend the next few days without electricity huddled together for warmth in the cold of the night.
Shakes took up his post beside his blind master, a worried look across his face as the man’s breathing remained labored. The cats sat on their usual spots, flanking the couch in their overstuffed chairs. Kitty returned to her sleeping spot beneath the living room table. She heard the man’s breath throughout the night as he had one coughing fit after another in the coldness of the apartment. And though Shakes slept near him to keep him warm, it was not enough.
The following morning, the cats barely stirred and Shakes watched his master’s breathing like a starved cat watches a mouse hole. Kitty paced the apartment, no longer scared of the human, but fearful of his passing. For the death of the man would render the service dog inconsolable.
Kitty had lost her home, her pack and even her unborn pups. But she felt that she never endured a loss of the same enormity as the service dog now faced. About midday the cats began to complain about their empty bellies. And though Kitty had been through far worse while living in the wild, she had to admit that her stomach complained at the lack of food. Her life among Maria and Craig had turned her soft and she was now used to regular meals.
“I need your help, Shakes.”
The dog lifted his head from the couch and merely watched as Kitty approached.
“I need you to show me where the food is so that I can try and feed everyone.”
“Craig will feed us when he gets up,” the service dog said.
“He hasn’t been awake for a while now, Shakes. And we need to eat,” Kitty said.
“He’ll get up in a few minutes. I know he will. He loves us. He won’t let us starve.”
“Shakes, either you help me do this or else I’ll leave,” she threatened.
“Go ahead, Kitty. Craig is going to get up any minute now. You’ll see.”
Kitty hung her head in grief. A growl grew in her throat and she was about ot unleash her venom on the golden retriever when the calm calico cat padded up to Shakes and pounced on his back, landing with her claws fully extended.
“What was that for?!” he howled in pain and with fury.
“Kitty says that it’s time to eat now and you need to help her,” Lucy said.
“And we’re taking orders from kitty now, are we?” Shakes growled at the small cat.
But Lucy merely stood her ground while she looked up at the big dog. “There’s no sense in all of us suffering while Craig is sick, and you know it. He wouldn’t want us to go without just because he couldn’t feed us.”
Shakes merely blinked at her as she padded away, her message having been received by his large shaggy ears. “I’ll be waiting in the kitchen with the others,” she said.
Shakes looked to Kitty who stood up and then followed the cat. He won’t listen to me, she thought. But maybe he’ll listen to the cat.
When all the animals had gathered in the kitchen, Shakes pulled out the bags of dried cat and dog food from under the kitchen cupboard. “I don’t know how I’ll fill the bowls though,” he said.
“You don’t need to,” Kitty said. ”We’ll rip open the bags and eat from the floor.”
“Craig will be mad when he sees the mess,” shakes said, a flatness to his voice.
“When Craig gets up an is well enough to punish us, I’ll step up and take all the blame, okay?” Kitty asked. Though she knew that the chances of that were slim to none.
“Why are you still here?” the service dog asked.
“I said that I was going to stay until I could help you and I intend to keep my promise.”
“What about water?” Blue asked.
“The faucet works on a lever,” Shakes said. “If Kitty holds the bowl in the sink, I can work the lever and fill the bowl.”
So using Blue’s guidance, Shakes’ skills with a lever and Kitty’s strength and dexterity, they managed to get themselves water, with a few droplets sinking into their fur, much to Blue’s chagrin.
They settled down to their meal in silence. The cats were quiet pleased at being able to fend for themselves, while Shakes worried about his sick master and Kitty contemplated the inevitable.
“Craig needs to eat something,” Shakes said.
“I don’t think-”
“You said that you would help us, Kitty,” the service dog said. “So help me with this.”
“I don’t-”
“Help me!”
“Okay!” Kitty barked. “But first we have to get him to wake up. It does no good to go through the trouble of it all if he won’t wake up enough to eat it.”
“What are we going to feed him, dog food?”
“No, his food comes in cans.”
“Oooo, like tuna,” Prue purred.
“Tuna! Perfect!” Shakes barked. “We won’t have to cook it and it’s already pre-chewed.”
“And we can have the leftovers,” Prue said. But Shakes shot her a dirty look that stopped her from further verbal ramblings regarding the canned fish.
“Do we know where the can is?” kitty asked. “And once we do get it, how to we open it?”
“The cans are kept in the top cabinet here,” Blue said, patting the area with a paw.
“Can you open the cabinet and knock one down to the floor?” Kitty asked.
“I can certainly try,” said Blue. The next few moments would have been funny to Kitty had Shakes not been so desperate to feed his sick human, with the two dogs trying to help the cat coordinate his movements enough to open the cabinet and knock down the right can, all while trying to keep from falling down himself in the process.
“This is tuna!” Prue said, swatting at the picture of the fish on the side of the can.
“Does all human food have a picture of the animal that is inside of it?” kitty asked.
“Not always,” Blue said. “The cat and dog food have pictures of the animals to be fed on the outside of them.”
Kitty decided not to share her theory on what happened to animals killed at the pound with them, lest she put them off of their food for good.
“Now what?” She asked the service dog.
“We need to open it.”
“That’s when Craig uses this thing over here,” said Lucy, her tail curled around the electric can opener.”
“Great, now we have to get the can back up on the counter,” Prue complained.
“No,” Shakes said. “It has a pop top, like the cans of stew that Craig opens for himself.
“So if we hand the can to him he should be able to open it, right?” asked Blue.
“We need to open it for him,” Shakes said. “We need to feed him like he would for us if we were this sick.”
“And what about water?” Prue asked. “He can’t lap it up out of the water bowl. I’ve seen his tongue and it’s far too short.”
“Get a bottle of water, Kitty.” the service dog said.” They are under the sink where the bags of cat and dog food were. He takes them with us when we go out on walks together.”
Kitty found the bottle of water that Shakes had told her about and followed the other animals out into the living room where Craig’s heavy breathing permeated the room. They gathered around him while Shakes opened the lid on the can, holding a portion of the tin down with one paw while he pulled at the top with his teeth. With much maneuvering of his head and paw, Shakes was able at least to get the tin open, spilling most of the can’s contents across the floor. As the cats rushed to remedy this error, Shakes stopped them with another glare.
Shakes nosed his master’s hand and received no response. He whimpered and tugged at the sleeve on the blind man’s arm. But the arm flopped limply back to the human’s side. Shakespeare barked, but the man did not even flinch at the noise.
“Chew on his hand,” Kitty suggested. “The pain will wake him even if little else can.”
Shakes nibbled on the edge of the man’s fingers.
“Harder,” Kitty said.
Shakes whined and looked at her, but her eyes were hard as stones. He leaned forward and tried again, this time taking the man’s index finder in his back teeth and worrying it like he would a bone.
The man gasped and struggled where he sat. “What? Shakes, where are you boy?”
Shakespeare barked and jumped up next to the man on the couch. “I must have been sleeping for a long time, huh?” Craig said. “How about getting me the phone?”
Shakes did as his master instructed, but knew that the man would not be able to call for help, as there was no ring tone when he lifted the receiver off of its base. But the old man tried anyway. “We’ll check back later, boy.” he said and set the phone back in the dog’s jaws.
Shakes picked up the can of tuna and dropped it into his master’s hands. “Now how did you do this?” he asked, between mouthfuls that he scooped up with his bare fingers. He coughed, and had to stop before he could catch his breath and finish off the rest of the can. “Boy that made me thirsty,” Craig said. And no sooner had the words come out of his mouth than Shakes had taken the bottle from Kitty and plopped it down next to the man. Craig tried to open it, but the lid proved to be too much in his weakened state.
Shakes whined and kitty leaped up onto the couch and took the bottle into her jaws and gnawed at the top, pricking holes in the neck of the bottle with her back teeth. The blind man took it from her jaws and rubbed her between the ears as he sipped the lukewarm water from the holes she had produced.
“This must be our princess, out from under the table at last,” he said. “Sorry it took me getting this sick to get you to come out of your shell there, missy.” He laughed and it set off another coughing fit.
“I wish I could have seen you with my own two eyes, girl,” he said to Kitty. “I bet you’re a damn fine sight. They told me that you were part coyote and part German Shepherd. And my guess is that you’re the best of both lines. What do you think, Shakes?”
The service dog barked excitedly beside him as if in agreement.
“I love all my children, no matter what fur they might be wearing.” He said. His hand reached out to each cat in turn, and ruffled the fur on their heads as if he could find the with their purrs.
“Blue, you’ve been with me fifteen years now, ever since my sister couldn’t keep you anymore. And Prudence, you always were my little darling, just as I knew that you would be when I saw you abandoned behind the local Wal-Mart.” His hand reached over to Lucy where it wavered in the air before her. She bumped it with her head and let out a thunderous purr. “Family at last,” he said. “Though I’m sorry it took this long to make it so.”
Kitty jumped down and the cats backed away, letting Shakespeare share this moment alone with his master.
“My best friend, my eyes and my hands, my dear Shakespeare. You’ve been closer to me than most friends and family. You never judged me or called me feeble, but always stood by my side. You deserve more than this,” the blind man said. “But it’s all I have left to give.”
Man and dog sat on the couch. Craig patted the dog on his head with the last of his strength as large silent tears escaped the golden retriever’s eyes. At last the man fell asleep and Shakespeare stayed by his side even as his master drew his last breath.
Shakespeare remained next to his fallen master as the cats took up their usual position in the overstuffed chairs that flanked the couch. Kitty did not hide beneath the table, for now there was no need. She lay at the foot of the man she realized she need not have feared, for his heart was bigger than she could have ever guessed. And it showed in those that he left behind.
Kitty knew better than to try and move Shakespeare away from the body. There would be time enough to get them all out of the apartment in the morning. The apartment was silent and it seemed to grow colder with the blind man’s passing. For now she let each morn in his or her own way as there was one less member of the pack.
Kitty 20
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 20
By Plot Roach
The following morning Craig was much worse. His breath rasped and he was barely able to stand. Shakes took the phone to him, but it was of no use. The power had gone off in the night and the phone had no dial tone.
“How will we reach Maria?” Shakes barked. “Someone has to came and take care of him.” The cats had no idea how to reach her. Kitty was sitting beneath the table, thinking of her surroundings and how to help both the service dog and herself in the process.
“Settle down, Shakes,” Craig said to the service dog who now dashed around the room. “We’ll be okay.” By the time Craig sat back down on the couch he was nearly out of breath as he called out to his service dog: “Hey, Shakes. I’m sure Maria will come by later today, buddy. It will be okay. Just get me a soda from the fridge, would you Shakes?” When the service dog returned with the soda, his master scratched him behind the ears. “I’m sure the power will come back on in no time. We’ll just wait to call until in the morning.”
Craig drank the soda and took some of the medications that Maria had gotten for him the day before. Shakes whined and repeatedly checked the door and the phone, though no one was there.
“Where’s Maria? Whenever there’s been a problem before, she always checked in with us,” he said in a frenzied growl.
Kitty came out from under the table during Shakes’ rant. “Do you know where she lives?” she asked. She looked at the ground and held her position next to the table, not wanting to spook Shakes if he still had hard feelings about the bite on the muzzle she had inflicted a few days earlier.
“Yes… maybe…” he said.
“Yes or no?” Kitty growled. She stopped herself from barking at the dog and took a deep breath. I lose it on him right now, he’ll never trust me again and then all the planning in the world will not get me out of this place, she told herself. “Can you find her house from here?” She asked in a quieter tone, trying to exude calmness from every doggy pore in her body.
“No,” Shakes said, ears drooping and head down. “I’ll fail him. I just know it.”
“No you won’t,” Kitty said. “You just have to do what I tell you, okay?”
“Why should I trust you -you bit me, after all.”
She winced at his accusation. I knew that bite would comeback to haunt me, she thought. Now I’ll just have to try and make up for it in whatever way I can. “Okay,” Kitty said. “I deserve that. But if you want to help your human, then you have to listen to me. Okay?”
“Okay,” The golden retriever said reluctantly.
“First, we need to leave the apartment,” Kitty said.
“But we can’t do that without a human.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Kitty asked. “There is a difference you know. And that difference can get your master killed while we wait for help that may never come.”
“Okay, what do you want me to do?” Shakes asked.
Kitty took another deep breath to prepare herself for the argument that was to follow. “Open the door,” she said.
“No.”
“Listen to me, Shakes-”
“No,” the golden retriever argued. “It’s wrong to go out without Craig. It goes against all my training and I won‘t do it.”
“Listen to me, Shakes, or your human will die,” Kitty snarled. She winced, hoping that the human had not heard her and would be alerted to their altercation, lest he put her back into the animal carrier and her plan be rendered moot before she had a chance to begin it.
But the human was snoring in his usual place on the couch.
“What I want you to do is open the door,” She said as patiently and quietly as possible. “We will go up and down the hall and try scratching at each door. There has got to be a human somewhere in here that can get him into a car and get him to that place that Maria was talking about… where the doctors can heal him.”
“The hospital?” Shakes asked.
“Yeah.”
“But it’s wrong to go out without him,” Shakes argued with her. “Shouldn’t I wake him and try and take him with us?”
“You saw what he was like just now,” Kitty said. “He can barely get up off of the couch by himself. What are we supposed to do, drag him up and down the hallway until we find someone to take him? No, it would be better to go out on our own and find someone and then bring them here, that way we don’t waste energy and he won’t get sicker by being dragged out in the cold.” Please let him use logic instead of his training, Kitty thought. All the training in the world won’t help us if Craig dies and he refuses to open the door to let us out.
The golden retrieved thought about her proposal for a moment or two. “Why are you trying to help us?” He asked. “Is this just so you can run off when the door is open?”
I had to ask for him to use logic… she said to herself. Let’s hope that he can use a little more. Kitty had thought about the possibility of leaving the human and his so called pack, but felt rather guilt ridden when Shakes mentioned his suspicions to her. “You love your master and he has been kind to me. If I can help you both, I will.” she said tightlipped, hoping that the service dog would believe her intentions to be honorable.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Kitty stood back while she watched the service animal at work. He stood on his hind legs and pawed at a lever that kept the door locked to those who would enter the apartment illegally. That having been disengaged, he pawed at the door handle, also a lever which twisted to open and whose end had a plastic grip attachment added to it so that the dog could open it without trouble. The door opened and Shakes nosed it wider for them to pass. Kitty had to restrain herself from bolting past the shaggy golden creature and out into the hall. What if there are more doors and I need him to open them? She asked herself. Wouldn’t it be better to lure him completely outside and then make a break for it?
“Shakes?” Craig asked. The noise of the door had startled him awake from his sleep. “Is that you, boy?” his voice was faint, and his breathing labored. There isn’t much time left for him, Kitty thought. It’s now or never.
“I told you that this was wrong!” Shakes said, turning upon Kitty. She thought that the golden retriever would lunge at her, teeth bared and out for blood. But the service dog kept his attacks upon her verbal instead of physical. A fact that she was grateful for.
“If he stops us from going outside, we’ll lose our only chance at helping him and you know it,” she reasoned with him.
“What do you want me to do about it?” Shakes asked.
“Go placate him,” she said. “Let him pet you and fall back to sleep. Then we will go back outside.”
“And I suppose you’ll just wait next to the door like a good pet for me to return?” he asked.
The accusation hurt and Kitty let it show on her face. “After what you just said, I should, you know. Just because I came from the wild doesn’t mean that I can’t be civilized. And just because you’ve been raised in captivity, it doesn’t make you a gentleman.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I’m so worried about him. All these years I’ve always been afraid of what would happen to him if I were gone. I never thought it could happen the other way around.”
“Forget about it,” Kitty said. “Just go help your master get back to sleep and then we can get on with our plan.”
It took Shakes another twenty minutes for Craig to fall back into a deep sleep. By the time he had returned to the door he did not know whether or not to expect Kitty still waiting for him there. But she was, and he wagged his tail with delight.
“Enough already.” she said, reading his surprise in his body language. “As soon as I take care of you and your human, I’m off on my own.”
Shakes stopped dead in his tracks. “But I thought…”
“Thought what?” she asked. “That I would stay here forever and be a happy little ‘pet’ for your blind master? Or maybe that Maria would take me back to her home and teach me how to be a service dog so that I, too, could be saddled with a damaged human to call master for the end of my days?”
“But I thought that you were happy with us,” the golden retriever said, a deep sadness coming over his eyes.
“Because I didn’t snarl and whine all the time?” Kitty asked. “I was biding my time until I could get out on my own. If not with you, then when Maria came to claim me.”
“You certainly acted like you were coming around, eating the food and whatnot.” the dog said, a certain amount of smugness reaching into his voice. Good, Kitty thought. Let him get mad at me, it will make it easier when I have to go on without him.
“I’ve learned in my limited interaction with humans that as long as I don’t snarl, bite or howl that they tend to like me better, and liking me better means leaving me alone,” she spat at him. “Now are we going to get this over and done with or not?”
The service dog had nothing he could say to that. He simply looked back and forth between Kitty and his sick master as if weighting his options.
“We should get going.” Kitty said. “The sooner I get this done, the sooner I’m out of here.”
“And you think I’ll just let you go?” Shakes asked, a slight growl in his voice.
“I don’t really see how you have a choice.” Kitty said. “I can leave now, if I want to. I’m just waiting around long enough to make sure that you and the cats will be okay.”
“And Craig?” Shakes asked. “Do you feel nothing for him?”
“Maybe if I had been raised with humans and loved by them, I might have,” she said. “But I’ve been on the streets too long, and my heart is as cold as the stones that I sleep on.”
“Let’s go then” he said, walking through the open doorway without looking back to see if she followed. His head was held high as he walked past her, but the rest of his body betrayed his thoughts. He was scared at the possible death of his master and the betrayal of what he though was a good friend. It’s not like we could have been part of the same pack, she told herself. He was a civilized service dog and she was a wild mutt. Such friendships were rarely encouraged by the humans that ran this world, and would often get both parties in trouble if not in the pound.
Kitty sighed an followed him, a lump in her throat. She wanted out of this dreadful apartment more than anything else, but she had not wanted to hurt the service animal to get there. She had lied to him when she said that she did not care for the human. For while she feared him, she had learned to tolerate his presence. And that had eventually turned into a grudging sort of love, if only because she had seen the love that he shared with Shakes and his cats. If not all humans were raging monsters bent on destroying all life that they could get their hands on, then Craig was deemed a shining example of human love and compassion. Compassion that belongs to Shakes and the cats, Kitty thought. But not me. Never me.
If I could be a part of that I would stay, she told herself. But any time that I find myself belonging to any specific place or pack, it falls through in the end. No, she told herself, better to have a heart of solid stone than to have it fall into pieces when those I love turned upon me or die when I am unable to prevent it. The loss of her pups still gnawed at her heart. Even if I could not save them, kitty thought, maybe I can Save Shakes’ family.
The two dogs wandered up and down the hall, stopping to scratch at a door if they heard movement inside. Kitty sniffed the base of each of the rooms, scenting the inhabitants, or lack thereof, from under the crack of the door. Some had been abandoned for quite some time, the stale smell of food a ghost of its former inhabitants.
In more than one she smelled the stench of death and a corpse rotting away. “I think this illness the humans have is spreading worse than they know.” Kitty told Shakes. “Didn’t the human “Maria” mention something about there being too many corpses to move?”
“Then we better get help for Craig as fast as we can.” he said.
They heard noises form only a handful of the apartments, yet when they scratched and barked outside those doors, no one answered. At one apartment an old woman answered only to swat at them with a broom until the were forced to flee further down the hall.
“Why won’t they help us?” Shakes asked, pawing at one of the doors as if he could dig his way through to help.
“Maybe they can’t get to the door because they are sick like Craig,” she said. “Or maybe they are afraid that we are wild dogs come to eat the bodies.”
“Wild dogs eating the bodies?” Shakes asked.
“Yes,” Kitty said. “It happened in the area I was living in just after the escape from the dog pound and before I joined up with Max’s pack.”
“But you didn’t eat any of the bodies, did you?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “They were gone before I got there.”
“Does that mean that you would have if they had still been there?”
“NO!” she insisted. “What’s the point of eating a diseased animal -it might make you sick.”
“Is that all?” he asked.
“What do you mean ’is that all?’” kitty asked. “It’s good enough for me.”
“But humans are smart, like cats and dogs,” Shakes said. “You wouldn’t eat cats or dogs would you?”
“Right now isn’t the time of this conversation.” Kitty argued.
“No, I want to know.”
“Fine.” Kitty said. “You think cats, dogs and humans are the only smart animals out there? Think again. Just because you have a collar and a master, it doesn’t make you any better than the raccoons that scavenge through your garbage or the owls that live in the trees. Some animals speak and I can’t understand them as plain as how we’re talking right now, but they display more intelligence than some hounds and -dare I say it? -most humans out there. The problem is that your food comes from a can or a bag and you can’t have a conversation with it before you eat it. Maybe if you hunted your own prey, instead of letting the humans do it for you, you might get an idea of what the world is really like, and how fragile your link to ‘civilization’ really is.”
“If Craig dies I don’t know what I’ll do, Kitty.” the golden retriever said.
“Then let’s get moving and see what we can do about it, shall we?”
“But what do we do from here? Where can we go?” he asked. ”None of these people will help.”
“Then we have to find someone who will,” she said. “You’ve been outside with Craig on walks, right?”
“Yes, why?” he asked.
“I’m thinking of retracing the steps of those walks to see if we can find any humans that he would have spoken with on a daily basis.” Kitty swallowed hard, preparing for the next battle of the wills. “I need you to get us outside.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I won’t do it. I won’t leave the building without Craig.” the service dog said. “What happens if he needs help? Do you think that the cats will do it? They’re not big enough to open the refrigerator door, much less grip a can to take to Craig.”
“And if you do not do this,” Kitty said. “If you do not get us out of this building to where there are human who can help us -help Craig- then you will kill him as surely as if you put your teeth on his throat.”
“That’s not fair.” the service dog said.
“I don’t have to be, I’m a wild dog, remember?”
“We’ll have to go down the stairs,” Shakes said. “Since the power is out, the elevator won’t work.”
“What’s an elevator?” kitty asked.
“It’s kind of like a small room that moves without you having to walk.” Shakes explained.
“I’ve been in a car with you and your humans, and I was in a van once when they took me to the dog pound.”
“I don’t think that you would like it very much,” ha said. “It’s small, enclosed and there is no way to escape if you get trapped in one.”
“Have you ever been trapped in an elevator?” Kitty asked.
“Only once when I was walking with Craig to the supermarket.” Shakes grinned. “We were in between the floors of the apartment complex when a thunderstorm caused the power to go out. We were stuck in there for hours until the lights came back on and we could go to our floor. And by that time we had eaten most of the groceries.”
“Weren’t you scared?” Kitty asked, imagining what it would be like to be confined in such a small space with a human as company.
“No, not really.” Shakes said. “Craig is a good human and he kept petting me and telling me that it would be okay. So I trusted him -it’s not like he’s given me any reason not to.”
“So what are stairs?” Kitty asked.
“Think of them as really large bumps on a hill.”
Shakes lead Kitty down the long hallway of the apartment complex to a large metal door. Once again he stood up on his back legs and used his forepaws to push the lever that was the door handle. Once the door was open, he nose what looked like a little leg at the base of it.
“What is that?“ Kitty asked.
“It’s to keep the door from closing behind us and locking us out.”
The area of the stairwell was lit only by the light that filtered through the windows on each landing. “It will be tricky going down, but not impossible,” Shakes said. “All it takes is a little practice.”
The service dog went down a few of the steps first so that Kitty could see how it was done. She took a few tentative steps as Shakes barked encouragement at her. After a few minutes, her body found its own rhythm and she got the hang of it. At the first landing, they took a break so that Kitty could rest, since it was taxing on the muscles of the wild dog who had never before undergone such a workout. Kitty realized, with much disgust that Shakes had not been lying when he said that they would get plenty of practice as they traveled down the next three flights of stairs.
“How do you do this?” Kitty asked, a little winded.
“I don’t do it everyday.” Shakes admitted. “I was trained on how to by Maria, if Craig needed to take this route. But usually we just take the elevator.”
“I’m beginning to have second thoughts on trying that elevator now.” Kitty said.
“Oh, come on,” Shakes teased. “I thought dogs like you ran down wild game and lived off of your muscles and you wits.”
“I can run down small creatures when I need to,” Kitty said. “But they rarely take four flights of stairs.”
Once they were at the base of the building, shakes pushed on the lever to the emergency exit and the two dogs spilled out into the night. Once again, Shakes pushed at the little leg on the door to keep in place.
“Where do we go now?” Kitty asked when shakes turned to face her. Her nerves were still a jitter from the odd passage down the building , her muscles burned from the workout that she had received. The smell of the city, the wind ruffling her fur and the grit of the pavement beneath her paws sang of freedom in her veins. Yet as she battled the will to run and be free, she saw the look of concern flow across the face of the golden retriever and knew that she could not leave him in the trouble that he now faced. For the service dog without his human companion was as trapped in his mind as kitty was physically in the cage she had been in the dog pound.
I have to help him, she told herself. I have to help him keep his pack together.
“We go from here to the light on the corner there, but…”
“But what?” Kitty asked.
“Well, Craig always hit’s the street button that lets us cross in traffic so that the cars stop for us.”
“Let’s worry about it when we get there.”
So the dogs traveled on until they hit the street corner. “Someone has to push the button for us to cross,” Shakes said.
“Why?” Kitty asked.
“So that the cars don’t hit us.”
Kitty looked up and down the city street in all directions. If there was a car anywhere nearby, Kitty’s ears and eyes could not detect it. She stepped off of the curb and onto the street.
“No!” shakes barked. “You’ll be killed.”
Kitty once again took a look around her and grinned at the golden retriever. “I don’t see any cars, do you?”
“No, but…”
“Trust me,” Kitty said. “I used to walk streets like these in the night when I went wandering for food. I think I know how to avoid getting us hurt.”
“But..” Shakes said. And Kitty could see the dog argue with himself over what he should do. So Kitty decided to solve the problem for him.
“Where is the button that your master pushes for you to safely cross the street?” she asked. Shakes immediately went up to the button in the nearest concrete pole and nosed it.
“Fine,” Kitty said. She got up on her hind legs as she had seen Shakes do both in the apartment and in their journey since their departure, and pushed the button with her nose. Both dogs then settled down into a sitting position until the light changed colors and the chirruping of the signal told them that it was safe to go -even though there were no cars in either direction.
“At least the electricity is working in this part of the city.” Shakes said. We’ll get to the supermarket and find someone to help, I just know we will.”
Kitty held her tongue, not wanting to get the service dog’s hopes up, but not wanting to dash them either. She had been in plenty of places that the humans had abandoned, but still had power. But she decided not to tell him about it.
Let him have hope, she thought. Even if I do not.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 20
By Plot Roach
The following morning Craig was much worse. His breath rasped and he was barely able to stand. Shakes took the phone to him, but it was of no use. The power had gone off in the night and the phone had no dial tone.
“How will we reach Maria?” Shakes barked. “Someone has to came and take care of him.” The cats had no idea how to reach her. Kitty was sitting beneath the table, thinking of her surroundings and how to help both the service dog and herself in the process.
“Settle down, Shakes,” Craig said to the service dog who now dashed around the room. “We’ll be okay.” By the time Craig sat back down on the couch he was nearly out of breath as he called out to his service dog: “Hey, Shakes. I’m sure Maria will come by later today, buddy. It will be okay. Just get me a soda from the fridge, would you Shakes?” When the service dog returned with the soda, his master scratched him behind the ears. “I’m sure the power will come back on in no time. We’ll just wait to call until in the morning.”
Craig drank the soda and took some of the medications that Maria had gotten for him the day before. Shakes whined and repeatedly checked the door and the phone, though no one was there.
“Where’s Maria? Whenever there’s been a problem before, she always checked in with us,” he said in a frenzied growl.
Kitty came out from under the table during Shakes’ rant. “Do you know where she lives?” she asked. She looked at the ground and held her position next to the table, not wanting to spook Shakes if he still had hard feelings about the bite on the muzzle she had inflicted a few days earlier.
“Yes… maybe…” he said.
“Yes or no?” Kitty growled. She stopped herself from barking at the dog and took a deep breath. I lose it on him right now, he’ll never trust me again and then all the planning in the world will not get me out of this place, she told herself. “Can you find her house from here?” She asked in a quieter tone, trying to exude calmness from every doggy pore in her body.
“No,” Shakes said, ears drooping and head down. “I’ll fail him. I just know it.”
“No you won’t,” Kitty said. “You just have to do what I tell you, okay?”
“Why should I trust you -you bit me, after all.”
She winced at his accusation. I knew that bite would comeback to haunt me, she thought. Now I’ll just have to try and make up for it in whatever way I can. “Okay,” Kitty said. “I deserve that. But if you want to help your human, then you have to listen to me. Okay?”
“Okay,” The golden retriever said reluctantly.
“First, we need to leave the apartment,” Kitty said.
“But we can’t do that without a human.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Kitty asked. “There is a difference you know. And that difference can get your master killed while we wait for help that may never come.”
“Okay, what do you want me to do?” Shakes asked.
Kitty took another deep breath to prepare herself for the argument that was to follow. “Open the door,” she said.
“No.”
“Listen to me, Shakes-”
“No,” the golden retriever argued. “It’s wrong to go out without Craig. It goes against all my training and I won‘t do it.”
“Listen to me, Shakes, or your human will die,” Kitty snarled. She winced, hoping that the human had not heard her and would be alerted to their altercation, lest he put her back into the animal carrier and her plan be rendered moot before she had a chance to begin it.
But the human was snoring in his usual place on the couch.
“What I want you to do is open the door,” She said as patiently and quietly as possible. “We will go up and down the hall and try scratching at each door. There has got to be a human somewhere in here that can get him into a car and get him to that place that Maria was talking about… where the doctors can heal him.”
“The hospital?” Shakes asked.
“Yeah.”
“But it’s wrong to go out without him,” Shakes argued with her. “Shouldn’t I wake him and try and take him with us?”
“You saw what he was like just now,” Kitty said. “He can barely get up off of the couch by himself. What are we supposed to do, drag him up and down the hallway until we find someone to take him? No, it would be better to go out on our own and find someone and then bring them here, that way we don’t waste energy and he won’t get sicker by being dragged out in the cold.” Please let him use logic instead of his training, Kitty thought. All the training in the world won’t help us if Craig dies and he refuses to open the door to let us out.
The golden retrieved thought about her proposal for a moment or two. “Why are you trying to help us?” He asked. “Is this just so you can run off when the door is open?”
I had to ask for him to use logic… she said to herself. Let’s hope that he can use a little more. Kitty had thought about the possibility of leaving the human and his so called pack, but felt rather guilt ridden when Shakes mentioned his suspicions to her. “You love your master and he has been kind to me. If I can help you both, I will.” she said tightlipped, hoping that the service dog would believe her intentions to be honorable.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Kitty stood back while she watched the service animal at work. He stood on his hind legs and pawed at a lever that kept the door locked to those who would enter the apartment illegally. That having been disengaged, he pawed at the door handle, also a lever which twisted to open and whose end had a plastic grip attachment added to it so that the dog could open it without trouble. The door opened and Shakes nosed it wider for them to pass. Kitty had to restrain herself from bolting past the shaggy golden creature and out into the hall. What if there are more doors and I need him to open them? She asked herself. Wouldn’t it be better to lure him completely outside and then make a break for it?
“Shakes?” Craig asked. The noise of the door had startled him awake from his sleep. “Is that you, boy?” his voice was faint, and his breathing labored. There isn’t much time left for him, Kitty thought. It’s now or never.
“I told you that this was wrong!” Shakes said, turning upon Kitty. She thought that the golden retriever would lunge at her, teeth bared and out for blood. But the service dog kept his attacks upon her verbal instead of physical. A fact that she was grateful for.
“If he stops us from going outside, we’ll lose our only chance at helping him and you know it,” she reasoned with him.
“What do you want me to do about it?” Shakes asked.
“Go placate him,” she said. “Let him pet you and fall back to sleep. Then we will go back outside.”
“And I suppose you’ll just wait next to the door like a good pet for me to return?” he asked.
The accusation hurt and Kitty let it show on her face. “After what you just said, I should, you know. Just because I came from the wild doesn’t mean that I can’t be civilized. And just because you’ve been raised in captivity, it doesn’t make you a gentleman.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I’m so worried about him. All these years I’ve always been afraid of what would happen to him if I were gone. I never thought it could happen the other way around.”
“Forget about it,” Kitty said. “Just go help your master get back to sleep and then we can get on with our plan.”
It took Shakes another twenty minutes for Craig to fall back into a deep sleep. By the time he had returned to the door he did not know whether or not to expect Kitty still waiting for him there. But she was, and he wagged his tail with delight.
“Enough already.” she said, reading his surprise in his body language. “As soon as I take care of you and your human, I’m off on my own.”
Shakes stopped dead in his tracks. “But I thought…”
“Thought what?” she asked. “That I would stay here forever and be a happy little ‘pet’ for your blind master? Or maybe that Maria would take me back to her home and teach me how to be a service dog so that I, too, could be saddled with a damaged human to call master for the end of my days?”
“But I thought that you were happy with us,” the golden retriever said, a deep sadness coming over his eyes.
“Because I didn’t snarl and whine all the time?” Kitty asked. “I was biding my time until I could get out on my own. If not with you, then when Maria came to claim me.”
“You certainly acted like you were coming around, eating the food and whatnot.” the dog said, a certain amount of smugness reaching into his voice. Good, Kitty thought. Let him get mad at me, it will make it easier when I have to go on without him.
“I’ve learned in my limited interaction with humans that as long as I don’t snarl, bite or howl that they tend to like me better, and liking me better means leaving me alone,” she spat at him. “Now are we going to get this over and done with or not?”
The service dog had nothing he could say to that. He simply looked back and forth between Kitty and his sick master as if weighting his options.
“We should get going.” Kitty said. “The sooner I get this done, the sooner I’m out of here.”
“And you think I’ll just let you go?” Shakes asked, a slight growl in his voice.
“I don’t really see how you have a choice.” Kitty said. “I can leave now, if I want to. I’m just waiting around long enough to make sure that you and the cats will be okay.”
“And Craig?” Shakes asked. “Do you feel nothing for him?”
“Maybe if I had been raised with humans and loved by them, I might have,” she said. “But I’ve been on the streets too long, and my heart is as cold as the stones that I sleep on.”
“Let’s go then” he said, walking through the open doorway without looking back to see if she followed. His head was held high as he walked past her, but the rest of his body betrayed his thoughts. He was scared at the possible death of his master and the betrayal of what he though was a good friend. It’s not like we could have been part of the same pack, she told herself. He was a civilized service dog and she was a wild mutt. Such friendships were rarely encouraged by the humans that ran this world, and would often get both parties in trouble if not in the pound.
Kitty sighed an followed him, a lump in her throat. She wanted out of this dreadful apartment more than anything else, but she had not wanted to hurt the service animal to get there. She had lied to him when she said that she did not care for the human. For while she feared him, she had learned to tolerate his presence. And that had eventually turned into a grudging sort of love, if only because she had seen the love that he shared with Shakes and his cats. If not all humans were raging monsters bent on destroying all life that they could get their hands on, then Craig was deemed a shining example of human love and compassion. Compassion that belongs to Shakes and the cats, Kitty thought. But not me. Never me.
If I could be a part of that I would stay, she told herself. But any time that I find myself belonging to any specific place or pack, it falls through in the end. No, she told herself, better to have a heart of solid stone than to have it fall into pieces when those I love turned upon me or die when I am unable to prevent it. The loss of her pups still gnawed at her heart. Even if I could not save them, kitty thought, maybe I can Save Shakes’ family.
The two dogs wandered up and down the hall, stopping to scratch at a door if they heard movement inside. Kitty sniffed the base of each of the rooms, scenting the inhabitants, or lack thereof, from under the crack of the door. Some had been abandoned for quite some time, the stale smell of food a ghost of its former inhabitants.
In more than one she smelled the stench of death and a corpse rotting away. “I think this illness the humans have is spreading worse than they know.” Kitty told Shakes. “Didn’t the human “Maria” mention something about there being too many corpses to move?”
“Then we better get help for Craig as fast as we can.” he said.
They heard noises form only a handful of the apartments, yet when they scratched and barked outside those doors, no one answered. At one apartment an old woman answered only to swat at them with a broom until the were forced to flee further down the hall.
“Why won’t they help us?” Shakes asked, pawing at one of the doors as if he could dig his way through to help.
“Maybe they can’t get to the door because they are sick like Craig,” she said. “Or maybe they are afraid that we are wild dogs come to eat the bodies.”
“Wild dogs eating the bodies?” Shakes asked.
“Yes,” Kitty said. “It happened in the area I was living in just after the escape from the dog pound and before I joined up with Max’s pack.”
“But you didn’t eat any of the bodies, did you?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “They were gone before I got there.”
“Does that mean that you would have if they had still been there?”
“NO!” she insisted. “What’s the point of eating a diseased animal -it might make you sick.”
“Is that all?” he asked.
“What do you mean ’is that all?’” kitty asked. “It’s good enough for me.”
“But humans are smart, like cats and dogs,” Shakes said. “You wouldn’t eat cats or dogs would you?”
“Right now isn’t the time of this conversation.” Kitty argued.
“No, I want to know.”
“Fine.” Kitty said. “You think cats, dogs and humans are the only smart animals out there? Think again. Just because you have a collar and a master, it doesn’t make you any better than the raccoons that scavenge through your garbage or the owls that live in the trees. Some animals speak and I can’t understand them as plain as how we’re talking right now, but they display more intelligence than some hounds and -dare I say it? -most humans out there. The problem is that your food comes from a can or a bag and you can’t have a conversation with it before you eat it. Maybe if you hunted your own prey, instead of letting the humans do it for you, you might get an idea of what the world is really like, and how fragile your link to ‘civilization’ really is.”
“If Craig dies I don’t know what I’ll do, Kitty.” the golden retriever said.
“Then let’s get moving and see what we can do about it, shall we?”
“But what do we do from here? Where can we go?” he asked. ”None of these people will help.”
“Then we have to find someone who will,” she said. “You’ve been outside with Craig on walks, right?”
“Yes, why?” he asked.
“I’m thinking of retracing the steps of those walks to see if we can find any humans that he would have spoken with on a daily basis.” Kitty swallowed hard, preparing for the next battle of the wills. “I need you to get us outside.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I won’t do it. I won’t leave the building without Craig.” the service dog said. “What happens if he needs help? Do you think that the cats will do it? They’re not big enough to open the refrigerator door, much less grip a can to take to Craig.”
“And if you do not do this,” Kitty said. “If you do not get us out of this building to where there are human who can help us -help Craig- then you will kill him as surely as if you put your teeth on his throat.”
“That’s not fair.” the service dog said.
“I don’t have to be, I’m a wild dog, remember?”
“We’ll have to go down the stairs,” Shakes said. “Since the power is out, the elevator won’t work.”
“What’s an elevator?” kitty asked.
“It’s kind of like a small room that moves without you having to walk.” Shakes explained.
“I’ve been in a car with you and your humans, and I was in a van once when they took me to the dog pound.”
“I don’t think that you would like it very much,” ha said. “It’s small, enclosed and there is no way to escape if you get trapped in one.”
“Have you ever been trapped in an elevator?” Kitty asked.
“Only once when I was walking with Craig to the supermarket.” Shakes grinned. “We were in between the floors of the apartment complex when a thunderstorm caused the power to go out. We were stuck in there for hours until the lights came back on and we could go to our floor. And by that time we had eaten most of the groceries.”
“Weren’t you scared?” Kitty asked, imagining what it would be like to be confined in such a small space with a human as company.
“No, not really.” Shakes said. “Craig is a good human and he kept petting me and telling me that it would be okay. So I trusted him -it’s not like he’s given me any reason not to.”
“So what are stairs?” Kitty asked.
“Think of them as really large bumps on a hill.”
Shakes lead Kitty down the long hallway of the apartment complex to a large metal door. Once again he stood up on his back legs and used his forepaws to push the lever that was the door handle. Once the door was open, he nose what looked like a little leg at the base of it.
“What is that?“ Kitty asked.
“It’s to keep the door from closing behind us and locking us out.”
The area of the stairwell was lit only by the light that filtered through the windows on each landing. “It will be tricky going down, but not impossible,” Shakes said. “All it takes is a little practice.”
The service dog went down a few of the steps first so that Kitty could see how it was done. She took a few tentative steps as Shakes barked encouragement at her. After a few minutes, her body found its own rhythm and she got the hang of it. At the first landing, they took a break so that Kitty could rest, since it was taxing on the muscles of the wild dog who had never before undergone such a workout. Kitty realized, with much disgust that Shakes had not been lying when he said that they would get plenty of practice as they traveled down the next three flights of stairs.
“How do you do this?” Kitty asked, a little winded.
“I don’t do it everyday.” Shakes admitted. “I was trained on how to by Maria, if Craig needed to take this route. But usually we just take the elevator.”
“I’m beginning to have second thoughts on trying that elevator now.” Kitty said.
“Oh, come on,” Shakes teased. “I thought dogs like you ran down wild game and lived off of your muscles and you wits.”
“I can run down small creatures when I need to,” Kitty said. “But they rarely take four flights of stairs.”
Once they were at the base of the building, shakes pushed on the lever to the emergency exit and the two dogs spilled out into the night. Once again, Shakes pushed at the little leg on the door to keep in place.
“Where do we go now?” Kitty asked when shakes turned to face her. Her nerves were still a jitter from the odd passage down the building , her muscles burned from the workout that she had received. The smell of the city, the wind ruffling her fur and the grit of the pavement beneath her paws sang of freedom in her veins. Yet as she battled the will to run and be free, she saw the look of concern flow across the face of the golden retriever and knew that she could not leave him in the trouble that he now faced. For the service dog without his human companion was as trapped in his mind as kitty was physically in the cage she had been in the dog pound.
I have to help him, she told herself. I have to help him keep his pack together.
“We go from here to the light on the corner there, but…”
“But what?” Kitty asked.
“Well, Craig always hit’s the street button that lets us cross in traffic so that the cars stop for us.”
“Let’s worry about it when we get there.”
So the dogs traveled on until they hit the street corner. “Someone has to push the button for us to cross,” Shakes said.
“Why?” Kitty asked.
“So that the cars don’t hit us.”
Kitty looked up and down the city street in all directions. If there was a car anywhere nearby, Kitty’s ears and eyes could not detect it. She stepped off of the curb and onto the street.
“No!” shakes barked. “You’ll be killed.”
Kitty once again took a look around her and grinned at the golden retriever. “I don’t see any cars, do you?”
“No, but…”
“Trust me,” Kitty said. “I used to walk streets like these in the night when I went wandering for food. I think I know how to avoid getting us hurt.”
“But..” Shakes said. And Kitty could see the dog argue with himself over what he should do. So Kitty decided to solve the problem for him.
“Where is the button that your master pushes for you to safely cross the street?” she asked. Shakes immediately went up to the button in the nearest concrete pole and nosed it.
“Fine,” Kitty said. She got up on her hind legs as she had seen Shakes do both in the apartment and in their journey since their departure, and pushed the button with her nose. Both dogs then settled down into a sitting position until the light changed colors and the chirruping of the signal told them that it was safe to go -even though there were no cars in either direction.
“At least the electricity is working in this part of the city.” Shakes said. We’ll get to the supermarket and find someone to help, I just know we will.”
Kitty held her tongue, not wanting to get the service dog’s hopes up, but not wanting to dash them either. She had been in plenty of places that the humans had abandoned, but still had power. But she decided not to tell him about it.
Let him have hope, she thought. Even if I do not.
Kitty 19
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 19
By Plot Roach
The human, Craig, put down the food and water bowls in the kitchen and Kitty’s mouth watered. Despite what the cats had told her earlier, she was afraid that the food would run out before she could get a chance to fill her belly. She fought between the urge to run into the kitchen to eat and to stay safely hidden beneath the table. The shuffle f footsteps alerted her to Craig’s presence. He stooped and set down a food and a water bowl just outside the safe zone of the table where kitty was hiding.
“Here you go, princess.” Craig said. “I hope one day you can take your food in the kitchen with the others. They’re not all bad, you know.” His burden deposited on the ground in front of her. The human pulled himself back up and walked to the couch, finding his way by touch.
Here he is trying to persuade me to think that the others are safe when the others say that same about him, she thought. What odd creatures these humans are. They kill perfectly healthy dogs, for who knows what reason. And yet they let a physically weak specimen like Craig live when any other pack of creatures would have abandoned him to a slow death if out in the wild.
Kitty waited until he had settled down on the couch and heard him talking once again to Shakes, before eating her meal from the bowl that Craig had set down for her. This time, the service dog did not visit her in her secluded spot, but occasionally looked her way before turning his eyes elsewhere, should she think that he was threatening her.
The human coughed, and a rattle could be heard across the apartment. It’s the same noise that the old woman made in the apartments where I made my home, Kitty thought. Is he sick too? Shakespeare spent the rest of the day beside his master, fetching items for Craig when he did not have the breath or the energy to get them himself. Kitty sat in the shadows and tried not to think of what would happen if Craig succumbed to his illness.
The days continued in what seemed an odd comfort to Kitty, with Craig setting out food and water for the animals three times daily before settling back down to the couch and eating his own meal, sometimes slipping Shakes or the cats a bite or two of the leftovers. Though Kitty’s nose perked up at the tidbits that Craig offered, she could never fully trust him enough to take the food from his hand. Instead she waited until he lefts the dishes on the floor or waited silently while he tossed chunks under the table where she hid. In the evenings he sat and listened to his television while his beloved service dog sat beside him. The cats took up their respective posts, sometimes on the overstuffed chairs that sat next to the couch and other times on top of the table where kitty hid.
Though Blue and Prue visited briefly with her after meals, Lucy kept much to herself and it seemed that Shakespeare now avoided her completely. Though there were times that Kitty found him staring at her when she wasn’t looking. If Craig noticed the change in his dog’s behavior he didn’t let on. But he did put Kitty’s food and water bowl farther and farther away in an attempt, Kitty thought, to get her to come out and socialize with the other animals if not with himself.
Maria came by occasionally to check on the disabled man and Kitty, bringing groceries when she visited. She tried to check on Kitty’s paws, but the dog would let her get no nearer than before.
“She’s not limping,” Maria said, watching kitty disappear under a nearby table. “But she won’t let me get close enough to touch her leg, so I don’t know for sure if she’s healed.” Much to Kitty’s horror, Maria tried to chase her out from under the table and into the open. This resulted in a dog and human games of “catch me if you can” involving the one large living room table and the two smaller end tables. Had Kitty not been so frightened of the woman, she might have enjoyed the exercise. But Maria gave up the chase after ten minutes of lunging after the dog. “I guess she’d have to be okay to run away like that.” she consoled herself. Craig and Shakes, however, were too busy laughing at the antics to be of much help.
Craig’s laughter went from heavy guffaws into rattled coughing and Maria turned her attention from the wayward dog to her human companion. “How long have you been sick?’ she asked him.
“Just a few days, I think,” he said, another coughing fit taking his breath from him.
“I think we should take you to the doctor.”
“I’ve already called, but they are booked full until next week. They told me to go to the hospital if it gets too bad.”
“A lot of good that will do you,” Maria said. “I’ve seen stories on the news where they have been turning people away because there’s so many people out there with this. And they quarantined Almaville last week when there were so many dead that there wasn’t room for them. They had to leave the bodies out on the streets.”
“The bodies aren’t still out on the streets, are they?” Craig asked.
“What does it matter?” Maria asked. “It wasn’t like there was anyone left to care. But, no, they picked them up when they caught some animals eating on the corpses. They stored them in some of the closed down buildings like the school’s gymnasium and the animal pound.”
“What will happen now?” Craig asked, scratching Shakes behind the ears.
“The CDC is telling folks to stay in their homes, not go out for unnecessary trips and to keep the infected quarantined behind closed doors. They keep telling people to stockpile things like water and food -you know, the usual. And in the meantime no one can come up with an answer as to where this thing came from or how to beat it. ”
“That’s nice… calling them ‘the infected’ rather than ‘the ill‘, makes them sound like zombies in a horror film. Maybe the CDC should tell us to light out torches and get the chainsaws ready. It‘s the end of the world, folks. Time to grab your boom stick!”
“Things are getting almost that bad,” she said. “Sometimes I think it’s blessing that you can’t see the pictures on the news. They’re getting quite graphic.”
“I think that I could deal with dead bodies as long as I had my vision back,” he said.
“Well, yes.” Maria said, backtracking. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know,” said Craig. “But I have to tease you sometimes.”
It was Maria’s turn to laugh. “You’re a mean old man,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. I set the fruit in a bowl on the table, like usual. There was a sale on wheat bread, so I brought you two loaves this week since I noticed that you were getting a bit low. They were out of the margarine you liked, so I had to buy the generic. Everything else I got on the list you sent with me. Anything else I can bring you -you just let me know, okay?”
“Sue thing, Maria.”
Kitty watched the woman leave and noticed that she coughed a few times and smelled a little different from when she first met the woman. Maybe she’s sick too, kitty thought. The knowledge of tat possibility lay in her stomach like a stagnant water. If I don’t find a way out of here soon, she told herself, I might be stuck in a room full of corpses.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 19
By Plot Roach
The human, Craig, put down the food and water bowls in the kitchen and Kitty’s mouth watered. Despite what the cats had told her earlier, she was afraid that the food would run out before she could get a chance to fill her belly. She fought between the urge to run into the kitchen to eat and to stay safely hidden beneath the table. The shuffle f footsteps alerted her to Craig’s presence. He stooped and set down a food and a water bowl just outside the safe zone of the table where kitty was hiding.
“Here you go, princess.” Craig said. “I hope one day you can take your food in the kitchen with the others. They’re not all bad, you know.” His burden deposited on the ground in front of her. The human pulled himself back up and walked to the couch, finding his way by touch.
Here he is trying to persuade me to think that the others are safe when the others say that same about him, she thought. What odd creatures these humans are. They kill perfectly healthy dogs, for who knows what reason. And yet they let a physically weak specimen like Craig live when any other pack of creatures would have abandoned him to a slow death if out in the wild.
Kitty waited until he had settled down on the couch and heard him talking once again to Shakes, before eating her meal from the bowl that Craig had set down for her. This time, the service dog did not visit her in her secluded spot, but occasionally looked her way before turning his eyes elsewhere, should she think that he was threatening her.
The human coughed, and a rattle could be heard across the apartment. It’s the same noise that the old woman made in the apartments where I made my home, Kitty thought. Is he sick too? Shakespeare spent the rest of the day beside his master, fetching items for Craig when he did not have the breath or the energy to get them himself. Kitty sat in the shadows and tried not to think of what would happen if Craig succumbed to his illness.
The days continued in what seemed an odd comfort to Kitty, with Craig setting out food and water for the animals three times daily before settling back down to the couch and eating his own meal, sometimes slipping Shakes or the cats a bite or two of the leftovers. Though Kitty’s nose perked up at the tidbits that Craig offered, she could never fully trust him enough to take the food from his hand. Instead she waited until he lefts the dishes on the floor or waited silently while he tossed chunks under the table where she hid. In the evenings he sat and listened to his television while his beloved service dog sat beside him. The cats took up their respective posts, sometimes on the overstuffed chairs that sat next to the couch and other times on top of the table where kitty hid.
Though Blue and Prue visited briefly with her after meals, Lucy kept much to herself and it seemed that Shakespeare now avoided her completely. Though there were times that Kitty found him staring at her when she wasn’t looking. If Craig noticed the change in his dog’s behavior he didn’t let on. But he did put Kitty’s food and water bowl farther and farther away in an attempt, Kitty thought, to get her to come out and socialize with the other animals if not with himself.
Maria came by occasionally to check on the disabled man and Kitty, bringing groceries when she visited. She tried to check on Kitty’s paws, but the dog would let her get no nearer than before.
“She’s not limping,” Maria said, watching kitty disappear under a nearby table. “But she won’t let me get close enough to touch her leg, so I don’t know for sure if she’s healed.” Much to Kitty’s horror, Maria tried to chase her out from under the table and into the open. This resulted in a dog and human games of “catch me if you can” involving the one large living room table and the two smaller end tables. Had Kitty not been so frightened of the woman, she might have enjoyed the exercise. But Maria gave up the chase after ten minutes of lunging after the dog. “I guess she’d have to be okay to run away like that.” she consoled herself. Craig and Shakes, however, were too busy laughing at the antics to be of much help.
Craig’s laughter went from heavy guffaws into rattled coughing and Maria turned her attention from the wayward dog to her human companion. “How long have you been sick?’ she asked him.
“Just a few days, I think,” he said, another coughing fit taking his breath from him.
“I think we should take you to the doctor.”
“I’ve already called, but they are booked full until next week. They told me to go to the hospital if it gets too bad.”
“A lot of good that will do you,” Maria said. “I’ve seen stories on the news where they have been turning people away because there’s so many people out there with this. And they quarantined Almaville last week when there were so many dead that there wasn’t room for them. They had to leave the bodies out on the streets.”
“The bodies aren’t still out on the streets, are they?” Craig asked.
“What does it matter?” Maria asked. “It wasn’t like there was anyone left to care. But, no, they picked them up when they caught some animals eating on the corpses. They stored them in some of the closed down buildings like the school’s gymnasium and the animal pound.”
“What will happen now?” Craig asked, scratching Shakes behind the ears.
“The CDC is telling folks to stay in their homes, not go out for unnecessary trips and to keep the infected quarantined behind closed doors. They keep telling people to stockpile things like water and food -you know, the usual. And in the meantime no one can come up with an answer as to where this thing came from or how to beat it. ”
“That’s nice… calling them ‘the infected’ rather than ‘the ill‘, makes them sound like zombies in a horror film. Maybe the CDC should tell us to light out torches and get the chainsaws ready. It‘s the end of the world, folks. Time to grab your boom stick!”
“Things are getting almost that bad,” she said. “Sometimes I think it’s blessing that you can’t see the pictures on the news. They’re getting quite graphic.”
“I think that I could deal with dead bodies as long as I had my vision back,” he said.
“Well, yes.” Maria said, backtracking. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know,” said Craig. “But I have to tease you sometimes.”
It was Maria’s turn to laugh. “You’re a mean old man,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. I set the fruit in a bowl on the table, like usual. There was a sale on wheat bread, so I brought you two loaves this week since I noticed that you were getting a bit low. They were out of the margarine you liked, so I had to buy the generic. Everything else I got on the list you sent with me. Anything else I can bring you -you just let me know, okay?”
“Sue thing, Maria.”
Kitty watched the woman leave and noticed that she coughed a few times and smelled a little different from when she first met the woman. Maybe she’s sick too, kitty thought. The knowledge of tat possibility lay in her stomach like a stagnant water. If I don’t find a way out of here soon, she told herself, I might be stuck in a room full of corpses.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kitty 18
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 18
By Plot Roach
Kitty was still in her dark funk when Lucy padded up to her. The calico feline tiptoed around her, sniffing Kitty from a distance before she came to a stop and sat in front of the dog. She stared at Kitty with golden eyes that seemed to hold a lifetime's worth of mystery and mischief. Dog and cat locked eyes in what was not a battle of will or a show of hostility, but a subliminal message that spoke of the wisdom and equality of each animal.
After the moment had seeped into their souls, the cat approached Kitty and bumped the dog's nose with her forehead, purring loudly.
"You are not alone." she said, before padding off into the kitchen.
Kitty sat, dumbfounded by the moment of peace she had shared wit the cat, Lucy. Those were the same words that someone spoke in my head, Kitty thought. When the Max in my nightmares attacked me. I would have given up the fight against that undead monstrosity if it hadn't been for those words urging me on. Did the cat speak to me while I was dreaming? Or was it someone else?
The two other cats now jumped to the floor and watched Kitty with a wary eye. One was a Russian blue, fat and prosperous as a harvest moon. The other an angular Siamese, thin as a reed. Both padded forward on quiet paws. Yet neither of them had been as silent as Lucy. And while they came close enough to kitty to speak with her, they remained a respectful distance. It seemed to Kitty that these creatures, these cats, knew the unspoken rule of those of the wild: keep your distance unless you are invited. Shakes, having grown up with other domesticated animals, felt that everyone was “family” and “safe” and thought nothing of sharing someone’s personal space. But feral animals always need a few inches between one another, unless they consider their companions kin.
"She must really like you," said the Russian blue, grooming a paw. "She never head bumps just anyone, you know."
"It's a sign that she considers you family," said the Siamese. “It’s a great honor, you know.”
"I'm Blue,” said the Russian blue. "I know, it's not very original, but then again humans are not known for their creativity."
"But why do they call you blue when you are really more of a grey color?” Kitty asked.
"You can see colors?" the Siamese asked.
“Yes,” Kitty said. “As of late.”
“You weren't born that way?” asked Blue.
“No,” Kitty answered. “It happened quite recently. Around the time when the humans got sick and started dying off.”
"My name is Prudence,” said the Siamese cat. But call me Prue for short.”
“I’m Kitty.”
“Yes,” said Blue. “We heard.” The cats smiled to one another, as if sharing a private joke.
“Are you going to stand there all day and make fun of me?” Kitty growled.
“Oh no, it's not that,” Blue said. “We think it's quite cute actually. And it seems to fit you in mood if not in temperament.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kitty asked.
“Just that most dogs seem to be rather calm around humans, since they are usually the ones in charge,” said Blue. “For a dog, having a human master is kind of like having the alpha of the pack constantly advising you on what to do, think and act.”
“For cats, a human is less a master and more a personal slave,” Blue continued. “They feed us, groom us and watch out for our well being and occasionally we let them know that they are doing a good job by purring.”
“A bad job and they get hisses and scratches,” added Prue.
“But I don't hiss or scratch.” said Kitty.
“No,” said Blue. “But you are withholding your affection, much like a cat does to get his or her way.”
“But that's not why I'm doing it,” Kitty said.
“Well, why are you doing it then?” Blue asked.
“What did Shakes do to make you so upset?” asked Prue.
“Look, I don’t mean to cause any problems here. I just want out and back into the wild from which I came,” Kitty said.
“Why?” Prue asked. “When there is safety and food here?”
“And petting,” Blue said. “Let' not forget about the petting.”
“Oh,” Prue said. “Petting is good.”
“It's not about the food and the safety and the petting,” Kitty argued. “It's abut being free to do what I want when I want to do it and not about being bossed around by someone else.”
“When you are in a pack doesn't the alpha dictate who you are and what you do?” Blue asked.
“Yes, but that is different,” Kitty said. “It's for the greater good of the pack. We can't all be alphas, or none of the work would get done and we would all starve.”
“What work?” asked Blue. “What do dogs do in the wild?”
“We decide who hunts the food, who gets to breed and care for the pups, who acts as a watch out when we hunt and who guards the den,” Kitty explained.
“That sounds like a lot of work.” Prude said, grooming her tail.
“I wouldn't expect a cat to understand,” Kitty said.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Prue asked indignantly.
“No, I don't mean in a bad way,” Kitty said. “It's just that I'm a dog and you're a-”
“What? a lazy cat?” Prue asked. “Talk about prejudice!”
“No, it's that, having been an indoor cat all your life, you couldn't possibly understand what my life ha been like,” Kitty argued.
“Oh really?” Blue asked. “And you think that I just came from the store this way with a pretty pink ribbon around my neck? I came from a bad situation as well, you know. As did Prue."
“I'm sorry,” kitty said. “I didn't know…”
“So let's set aside all of our prejudices, ignorance and assumptions and talk to one another like thinking animals instead of... of..."
"Humans?" Prue asked.
"They are not all bad." Blue said.
"That’s right, Craig is nice." Prue said.
Kitty rolled her eyes.
"Now what is that supposed to mean?"
"Uh, I'm sure he's nice to cats and to his 'service animal', but I think there will be an exception for me."
"Only if you bite him." said Blue.
"And you'd have to bite him awfully hard." Prue said.
"Yeah, when Lucy came here she was awfully feral. Wouldn't come out from under the chair, barely ate anything and wouldn’t even let us close enough to sniff her, much less help her groom,” Blue said. “It took at least a month before Craig could get close enough to pet her, ad she bit him for it.
“HARD,” said Prue.
“Very hard,” said Blue
“HE BLED,” said Prue.
“I think she gets the point, Prue,” said Blue.
“I’m just saying…”
“Well, in any case. He kept her in the apartment. He fed her just like us and hekept talking to her like she was the sweetest little kitten ever. And eventually she came around,” Blue said. “You will too. Craig has a way with those of us who think that the world is just there to chew us up and spit us out. he save us. And he'll save you too.”
Just then the sound of the can opener reverberated throughout the tiny apartment.
“Food time!” Prue squealed in delight.
“You should join us,” said Blue. “Craig makes sure that there is plenty enough for everyone. you won't have to fight it out with us like you did that heathen pack that laid you low. Blue said.
"How did?-"
"Word gets around. And I'm an old cat with big ears and a snake's way of keeping my head to the ground,” Blue said. “I hear things, but don’t worry. I don't judge on just what I hear.”
"Here kitty, kitty" Craig called form the kitchen. The two cats made a bee line off to their food bowls and Kitty had to stop herself from chasing after them. It was an old habit that was hard to break. And Kitty's heart sank when she realized that he was not calling her, per se, but his feline friends.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 18
By Plot Roach
Kitty was still in her dark funk when Lucy padded up to her. The calico feline tiptoed around her, sniffing Kitty from a distance before she came to a stop and sat in front of the dog. She stared at Kitty with golden eyes that seemed to hold a lifetime's worth of mystery and mischief. Dog and cat locked eyes in what was not a battle of will or a show of hostility, but a subliminal message that spoke of the wisdom and equality of each animal.
After the moment had seeped into their souls, the cat approached Kitty and bumped the dog's nose with her forehead, purring loudly.
"You are not alone." she said, before padding off into the kitchen.
Kitty sat, dumbfounded by the moment of peace she had shared wit the cat, Lucy. Those were the same words that someone spoke in my head, Kitty thought. When the Max in my nightmares attacked me. I would have given up the fight against that undead monstrosity if it hadn't been for those words urging me on. Did the cat speak to me while I was dreaming? Or was it someone else?
The two other cats now jumped to the floor and watched Kitty with a wary eye. One was a Russian blue, fat and prosperous as a harvest moon. The other an angular Siamese, thin as a reed. Both padded forward on quiet paws. Yet neither of them had been as silent as Lucy. And while they came close enough to kitty to speak with her, they remained a respectful distance. It seemed to Kitty that these creatures, these cats, knew the unspoken rule of those of the wild: keep your distance unless you are invited. Shakes, having grown up with other domesticated animals, felt that everyone was “family” and “safe” and thought nothing of sharing someone’s personal space. But feral animals always need a few inches between one another, unless they consider their companions kin.
"She must really like you," said the Russian blue, grooming a paw. "She never head bumps just anyone, you know."
"It's a sign that she considers you family," said the Siamese. “It’s a great honor, you know.”
"I'm Blue,” said the Russian blue. "I know, it's not very original, but then again humans are not known for their creativity."
"But why do they call you blue when you are really more of a grey color?” Kitty asked.
"You can see colors?" the Siamese asked.
“Yes,” Kitty said. “As of late.”
“You weren't born that way?” asked Blue.
“No,” Kitty answered. “It happened quite recently. Around the time when the humans got sick and started dying off.”
"My name is Prudence,” said the Siamese cat. But call me Prue for short.”
“I’m Kitty.”
“Yes,” said Blue. “We heard.” The cats smiled to one another, as if sharing a private joke.
“Are you going to stand there all day and make fun of me?” Kitty growled.
“Oh no, it's not that,” Blue said. “We think it's quite cute actually. And it seems to fit you in mood if not in temperament.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kitty asked.
“Just that most dogs seem to be rather calm around humans, since they are usually the ones in charge,” said Blue. “For a dog, having a human master is kind of like having the alpha of the pack constantly advising you on what to do, think and act.”
“For cats, a human is less a master and more a personal slave,” Blue continued. “They feed us, groom us and watch out for our well being and occasionally we let them know that they are doing a good job by purring.”
“A bad job and they get hisses and scratches,” added Prue.
“But I don't hiss or scratch.” said Kitty.
“No,” said Blue. “But you are withholding your affection, much like a cat does to get his or her way.”
“But that's not why I'm doing it,” Kitty said.
“Well, why are you doing it then?” Blue asked.
“What did Shakes do to make you so upset?” asked Prue.
“Look, I don’t mean to cause any problems here. I just want out and back into the wild from which I came,” Kitty said.
“Why?” Prue asked. “When there is safety and food here?”
“And petting,” Blue said. “Let' not forget about the petting.”
“Oh,” Prue said. “Petting is good.”
“It's not about the food and the safety and the petting,” Kitty argued. “It's abut being free to do what I want when I want to do it and not about being bossed around by someone else.”
“When you are in a pack doesn't the alpha dictate who you are and what you do?” Blue asked.
“Yes, but that is different,” Kitty said. “It's for the greater good of the pack. We can't all be alphas, or none of the work would get done and we would all starve.”
“What work?” asked Blue. “What do dogs do in the wild?”
“We decide who hunts the food, who gets to breed and care for the pups, who acts as a watch out when we hunt and who guards the den,” Kitty explained.
“That sounds like a lot of work.” Prude said, grooming her tail.
“I wouldn't expect a cat to understand,” Kitty said.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Prue asked indignantly.
“No, I don't mean in a bad way,” Kitty said. “It's just that I'm a dog and you're a-”
“What? a lazy cat?” Prue asked. “Talk about prejudice!”
“No, it's that, having been an indoor cat all your life, you couldn't possibly understand what my life ha been like,” Kitty argued.
“Oh really?” Blue asked. “And you think that I just came from the store this way with a pretty pink ribbon around my neck? I came from a bad situation as well, you know. As did Prue."
“I'm sorry,” kitty said. “I didn't know…”
“So let's set aside all of our prejudices, ignorance and assumptions and talk to one another like thinking animals instead of... of..."
"Humans?" Prue asked.
"They are not all bad." Blue said.
"That’s right, Craig is nice." Prue said.
Kitty rolled her eyes.
"Now what is that supposed to mean?"
"Uh, I'm sure he's nice to cats and to his 'service animal', but I think there will be an exception for me."
"Only if you bite him." said Blue.
"And you'd have to bite him awfully hard." Prue said.
"Yeah, when Lucy came here she was awfully feral. Wouldn't come out from under the chair, barely ate anything and wouldn’t even let us close enough to sniff her, much less help her groom,” Blue said. “It took at least a month before Craig could get close enough to pet her, ad she bit him for it.
“HARD,” said Prue.
“Very hard,” said Blue
“HE BLED,” said Prue.
“I think she gets the point, Prue,” said Blue.
“I’m just saying…”
“Well, in any case. He kept her in the apartment. He fed her just like us and hekept talking to her like she was the sweetest little kitten ever. And eventually she came around,” Blue said. “You will too. Craig has a way with those of us who think that the world is just there to chew us up and spit us out. he save us. And he'll save you too.”
Just then the sound of the can opener reverberated throughout the tiny apartment.
“Food time!” Prue squealed in delight.
“You should join us,” said Blue. “Craig makes sure that there is plenty enough for everyone. you won't have to fight it out with us like you did that heathen pack that laid you low. Blue said.
"How did?-"
"Word gets around. And I'm an old cat with big ears and a snake's way of keeping my head to the ground,” Blue said. “I hear things, but don’t worry. I don't judge on just what I hear.”
"Here kitty, kitty" Craig called form the kitchen. The two cats made a bee line off to their food bowls and Kitty had to stop herself from chasing after them. It was an old habit that was hard to break. And Kitty's heart sank when she realized that he was not calling her, per se, but his feline friends.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Kitty 17
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 17
By Plot Roach
Kitty woke with the sound and jumped to her feet.
“Are you alright?” Shakes asked her, licking her muzzle to comfort her.
“Don’t touch me!” Kitty snarled. And before she could think, she bit the service dog hard on the neck. Unbelieving, the dog backed away from her. “But… I only wanted to make sure that you were okay…”
“Shakes…” Kitty dropped her eyes from the dog, not wanting to see the hurt look in his eyes. She had been immediately sorry for what she had done. It had been a reaction her body had to stifle when had been with the pack and Max had made his move upon her. I didn’t mean to hurt him, she thought. But as much as she wanted to apologize to the service dog, the cold hard part of her that had dictated her actions to keep her alive on the streets prevented her from doing it. To apologize was a weakness. And you could never show weakness if you wanted to live.
So she kept her jaws locked shut to keep the words in. As the golden retriever walked away, she tucked the feeling of guilt aside.
I’m a wild dog, she told herself. Not some tame little ‘pet’. She curled back under the table, though sleep was far from her mind. I have to think of a way out of here, she thought. And soon.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 17
By Plot Roach
Kitty woke with the sound and jumped to her feet.
“Are you alright?” Shakes asked her, licking her muzzle to comfort her.
“Don’t touch me!” Kitty snarled. And before she could think, she bit the service dog hard on the neck. Unbelieving, the dog backed away from her. “But… I only wanted to make sure that you were okay…”
“Shakes…” Kitty dropped her eyes from the dog, not wanting to see the hurt look in his eyes. She had been immediately sorry for what she had done. It had been a reaction her body had to stifle when had been with the pack and Max had made his move upon her. I didn’t mean to hurt him, she thought. But as much as she wanted to apologize to the service dog, the cold hard part of her that had dictated her actions to keep her alive on the streets prevented her from doing it. To apologize was a weakness. And you could never show weakness if you wanted to live.
So she kept her jaws locked shut to keep the words in. As the golden retriever walked away, she tucked the feeling of guilt aside.
I’m a wild dog, she told herself. Not some tame little ‘pet’. She curled back under the table, though sleep was far from her mind. I have to think of a way out of here, she thought. And soon.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Kitty 16
I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 16
By Plot Roach
Kitty shifted her weight off of her bad leg. It still hurt a bit and she felt a bit groggy, much like she had when she had been drugged by the humans in the dog pound. But at least here they had not shoved her into a cage to die after they had shaved her leg and taken blood from her.
Kitty was still very aware of the remaining human in the room. His breathing was different from the other furry residents, and his smell was very distracting. Kitty tried to move to the furthest corner of the table, as far away from the man known as “Craig” as she could.
“Don’t be like that.” Shakes said. “He really is a nice guy once you get to know him.”
But all Kitty could think about was the run ins that she had had with other humans who seemed nice at first, but then turned on her more often than not. She had gotten her fair share of kicks, swats and punches and decided that she did not need to earn any more.
“I’ll stay right here, thank you.” Kitty told Shakes when he tried to coax her out from under the table.
“Haven’t you ever trusted ANY human?”
“There were only two that come to mind.”
“And?”
“One was the old woman who tossed out dry kibble to the cats, the one who I took my name from.”
“Right,” he said. “And what about the other one?”
“The other was the man who worked for a nearby restaurant. When he took out the garbage he would toss some food into the bushes for me. He never once poisoned it or mixed in the cleanser chemicals that some other humans have to discourage me from scavenging in their areas. But I always tested the food before eating it, that’s what kept me alive when the others of my pack ate the poisoned bait left out by the humans.”
“I’m sorry that had to happen to you, ” he said.
“Why?” Kitty asked. “You had nothing to do with it.”
“It’s not that,” he said. “It’s just that, compared to what you have told me, I’ve had a somewhat easier life. I wish that you could have had a master like Maria or Craig.”
“I did just fine without a master so far,” Kitty said. “And I still don’t need one.”
“But don’t you want to settle down, find a home of your own and share it with someone?” Shakes asked.
Kitty pondered Shakes’ question and found that, yes, she was still yearning of a pack of her own. And then the panic flowed in her veins like ice water.
“Shakes, what will happen when I have puppies?” Kitty asked.
“You won’t,” he said.
“You don’t understand” Kitty said. “I mated with Max the last time that I went into heat. There’s bound to be puppies. What will I do if the humans decide to take them?”
“You won’t have any puppies.” Shakes said.
“How do you know?” Kitty asked. “Don’t female always produce pups after each mating?”
“As far as I know, yes. But not this time.” Shakes said.
“Why not?” Kitty asked.
“Because your body went into shock,” Shakes said. You were at the vet’s office quite a long time.”
“I don’t remember it.”
“You were kept sedated. That means that they kept you asleep while they worked on you to make you better.”
“What happened?”
“From what Maria told Craig, while the car hit you, it didn’t do as bad of damage as they thought that it would. You had a pulled muscle and some other things.” he dropped his eyes from hers and looked away.
“What aren’t you telling me, Shakes?” Kitty asked.
“You were so dehydrated and malnourished -and your body was under so much stress that…”
“What is it, Shakes?”
“You miscarried. When Maria spoke to Craig about it she said that the doctor told her that it was probably for the best since you were already so bad off. It might have killed you to carry them to term.”
The loss of her unborn pups hit kitty harder than she thought it would. While she was with the pack she had contemplated running away at the first opportunity to find a place safe enough to give birth and find enough food to nourish her new family. While the females of Max‘s pack had planned to eat their own young and she had heard of some bitches abandoning their pups after whelping, neither was something that she had wanted to experience herself. Now whatever plans she had made were moot. She simply locked away the pain of their loss like she had so many things in her life. Her survival depended upon it. “But I’m okay now?” she asked.
“Well, you have to take it easy and keep from jumping and running for a while. But you should recover nicely.”
“And then what?” Kitty asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What will the humans do with me when I’m deemed ‘healthy’ enough. Will I go back to the shelter, get tossed out onto the street or will I be made someone’s ‘pet’?”
“It’s not like that, Kitty.”
“Then what is it like?” she snarled.
“Hey there, Shakes,” Craig called to the service dog. “I think that you need to give the little lady some room. Why don’t you come out here and spend some time with me for a while, huh?”
Kitty was surprised that Craig had called Shakes to him, giving Kitty a chance to cool down in the meantime.
“He’s not a bad guy, Kitty. He’s really not. He was upset when you lost the puppies. But he was planning on keeping you here with us. And still is as far as I know.” Shakes moved to Craig’s side and jumped up on the couch to be next to the blind man.
“You’re more than welcome to join us when you feel like it, missy.” the man said, turning his head toward the table where Kitty was hiding even though she knew that he could not see her.
But Kitty kept to herself, curled up on her side while listening to the man talk to Shakes. He scratched behind the dog’s ears and showered him with compliments for being such a good dog and trying to make friends with Kitty. Kitty snorted in response. It’s just a show for my benefit, she told herself. There’s no such thing as a good master. She ran through the argument that she had had with shakes again, trying to see if there was a flaw in her logic. And before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, the pack was dying around her. Some shook with convulsions as they frothed at the mouth, while others lay as still as the stone pavement beneath their cooling bodies.
“It’s all your fault.” Max said. And when Kitty turned to confront him, she saw that he had been reduced to a rotting corpse.
But the dead don’t walk, she told herself.
Just then the bodies of the other dogs pulled themselves up from the hard ground and began to lurch in her direction. White film covered eyeballs rolled in their sockets as they searched for her. Bits and pieces of the canines fell to the ground, covered in writhing maggots. The smell of the stench was overpowering as they approached Kitty.
She backed away as far as she could, until her back legs bumped into something cold and metal. It was one of the dumpsters she had found food in when she ran with the pack. Quickly she scaled a nearby bush which tried to entangle her legs. She snapped and chewed at the thorn covered limbs that held her in place, jumping into the dumpster. It was filled with food and she realized that was so hungry, but she recognized the smell of the chemicals and knew it to be poisoned. Her landing had knocked the lid of the trash bin down closed and she found herself in the dark. And though she knew that the pack could not see her, she heard them outside the trash dumpster calling out to her.
“We will find you. We will kill you. We will eat you up. All for what you have done to us.” they chanted. She heard a thump on the lid above her head and shuddered when she heard Max’s voice.
“All your running and it did no good.” he said. “We’ll rip you apart inch by inch until you’re begging for the Dark One to come and claim you.” She heard his nails scrape against the hard plastic top of the garbage dumpster as he pawed it to gain entrance.
Kitty’s heart pounded as she contemplated which fate she should choose: death by poisoned food, or trying to fight her way out of a pack of undead dogs with a taste for her flesh.
Just as she was about to chew a bit of poisoned hamburger, the lid to the trash bin opened and she was blinded by the blue sky above her. Max looked down, frothing at he mouth and baring his impossibly large teeth.
How can he lift his head with so many tusks? She thought as he barked at her, the sound of it knocking flesh from his maggot ridden body and sending it raining down in chunks upon her.
The stench was unbelievable as he jumped into the trash bin and closed his jaws around her throat.
You are not alone, a voice said within her mind as she fought the undead monster of a dog and lost herself to the darkness.
She whimpered and kicked out with her back feet, which caught upon one of the legs of the table and sent a bowl of fruit thumping to the floor. The noise woke Kitty up and sent the cats running in all directions.
This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.
Kitty Part 16
By Plot Roach
Kitty shifted her weight off of her bad leg. It still hurt a bit and she felt a bit groggy, much like she had when she had been drugged by the humans in the dog pound. But at least here they had not shoved her into a cage to die after they had shaved her leg and taken blood from her.
Kitty was still very aware of the remaining human in the room. His breathing was different from the other furry residents, and his smell was very distracting. Kitty tried to move to the furthest corner of the table, as far away from the man known as “Craig” as she could.
“Don’t be like that.” Shakes said. “He really is a nice guy once you get to know him.”
But all Kitty could think about was the run ins that she had had with other humans who seemed nice at first, but then turned on her more often than not. She had gotten her fair share of kicks, swats and punches and decided that she did not need to earn any more.
“I’ll stay right here, thank you.” Kitty told Shakes when he tried to coax her out from under the table.
“Haven’t you ever trusted ANY human?”
“There were only two that come to mind.”
“And?”
“One was the old woman who tossed out dry kibble to the cats, the one who I took my name from.”
“Right,” he said. “And what about the other one?”
“The other was the man who worked for a nearby restaurant. When he took out the garbage he would toss some food into the bushes for me. He never once poisoned it or mixed in the cleanser chemicals that some other humans have to discourage me from scavenging in their areas. But I always tested the food before eating it, that’s what kept me alive when the others of my pack ate the poisoned bait left out by the humans.”
“I’m sorry that had to happen to you, ” he said.
“Why?” Kitty asked. “You had nothing to do with it.”
“It’s not that,” he said. “It’s just that, compared to what you have told me, I’ve had a somewhat easier life. I wish that you could have had a master like Maria or Craig.”
“I did just fine without a master so far,” Kitty said. “And I still don’t need one.”
“But don’t you want to settle down, find a home of your own and share it with someone?” Shakes asked.
Kitty pondered Shakes’ question and found that, yes, she was still yearning of a pack of her own. And then the panic flowed in her veins like ice water.
“Shakes, what will happen when I have puppies?” Kitty asked.
“You won’t,” he said.
“You don’t understand” Kitty said. “I mated with Max the last time that I went into heat. There’s bound to be puppies. What will I do if the humans decide to take them?”
“You won’t have any puppies.” Shakes said.
“How do you know?” Kitty asked. “Don’t female always produce pups after each mating?”
“As far as I know, yes. But not this time.” Shakes said.
“Why not?” Kitty asked.
“Because your body went into shock,” Shakes said. You were at the vet’s office quite a long time.”
“I don’t remember it.”
“You were kept sedated. That means that they kept you asleep while they worked on you to make you better.”
“What happened?”
“From what Maria told Craig, while the car hit you, it didn’t do as bad of damage as they thought that it would. You had a pulled muscle and some other things.” he dropped his eyes from hers and looked away.
“What aren’t you telling me, Shakes?” Kitty asked.
“You were so dehydrated and malnourished -and your body was under so much stress that…”
“What is it, Shakes?”
“You miscarried. When Maria spoke to Craig about it she said that the doctor told her that it was probably for the best since you were already so bad off. It might have killed you to carry them to term.”
The loss of her unborn pups hit kitty harder than she thought it would. While she was with the pack she had contemplated running away at the first opportunity to find a place safe enough to give birth and find enough food to nourish her new family. While the females of Max‘s pack had planned to eat their own young and she had heard of some bitches abandoning their pups after whelping, neither was something that she had wanted to experience herself. Now whatever plans she had made were moot. She simply locked away the pain of their loss like she had so many things in her life. Her survival depended upon it. “But I’m okay now?” she asked.
“Well, you have to take it easy and keep from jumping and running for a while. But you should recover nicely.”
“And then what?” Kitty asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What will the humans do with me when I’m deemed ‘healthy’ enough. Will I go back to the shelter, get tossed out onto the street or will I be made someone’s ‘pet’?”
“It’s not like that, Kitty.”
“Then what is it like?” she snarled.
“Hey there, Shakes,” Craig called to the service dog. “I think that you need to give the little lady some room. Why don’t you come out here and spend some time with me for a while, huh?”
Kitty was surprised that Craig had called Shakes to him, giving Kitty a chance to cool down in the meantime.
“He’s not a bad guy, Kitty. He’s really not. He was upset when you lost the puppies. But he was planning on keeping you here with us. And still is as far as I know.” Shakes moved to Craig’s side and jumped up on the couch to be next to the blind man.
“You’re more than welcome to join us when you feel like it, missy.” the man said, turning his head toward the table where Kitty was hiding even though she knew that he could not see her.
But Kitty kept to herself, curled up on her side while listening to the man talk to Shakes. He scratched behind the dog’s ears and showered him with compliments for being such a good dog and trying to make friends with Kitty. Kitty snorted in response. It’s just a show for my benefit, she told herself. There’s no such thing as a good master. She ran through the argument that she had had with shakes again, trying to see if there was a flaw in her logic. And before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, the pack was dying around her. Some shook with convulsions as they frothed at the mouth, while others lay as still as the stone pavement beneath their cooling bodies.
“It’s all your fault.” Max said. And when Kitty turned to confront him, she saw that he had been reduced to a rotting corpse.
But the dead don’t walk, she told herself.
Just then the bodies of the other dogs pulled themselves up from the hard ground and began to lurch in her direction. White film covered eyeballs rolled in their sockets as they searched for her. Bits and pieces of the canines fell to the ground, covered in writhing maggots. The smell of the stench was overpowering as they approached Kitty.
She backed away as far as she could, until her back legs bumped into something cold and metal. It was one of the dumpsters she had found food in when she ran with the pack. Quickly she scaled a nearby bush which tried to entangle her legs. She snapped and chewed at the thorn covered limbs that held her in place, jumping into the dumpster. It was filled with food and she realized that was so hungry, but she recognized the smell of the chemicals and knew it to be poisoned. Her landing had knocked the lid of the trash bin down closed and she found herself in the dark. And though she knew that the pack could not see her, she heard them outside the trash dumpster calling out to her.
“We will find you. We will kill you. We will eat you up. All for what you have done to us.” they chanted. She heard a thump on the lid above her head and shuddered when she heard Max’s voice.
“All your running and it did no good.” he said. “We’ll rip you apart inch by inch until you’re begging for the Dark One to come and claim you.” She heard his nails scrape against the hard plastic top of the garbage dumpster as he pawed it to gain entrance.
Kitty’s heart pounded as she contemplated which fate she should choose: death by poisoned food, or trying to fight her way out of a pack of undead dogs with a taste for her flesh.
Just as she was about to chew a bit of poisoned hamburger, the lid to the trash bin opened and she was blinded by the blue sky above her. Max looked down, frothing at he mouth and baring his impossibly large teeth.
How can he lift his head with so many tusks? She thought as he barked at her, the sound of it knocking flesh from his maggot ridden body and sending it raining down in chunks upon her.
The stench was unbelievable as he jumped into the trash bin and closed his jaws around her throat.
You are not alone, a voice said within her mind as she fought the undead monster of a dog and lost herself to the darkness.
She whimpered and kicked out with her back feet, which caught upon one of the legs of the table and sent a bowl of fruit thumping to the floor. The noise woke Kitty up and sent the cats running in all directions.
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