“Green Eyes” #ReedsyUnknown

Trigger Warning: This piece of fiction contains suspense, some violence, and insinuated animal cruelty.

Green Eyes

The alley cat made me do it. It was a Thursday night, and I was new in town. 

“Never go out after midnight.” Said my landlord, Walter. “Nothing good happens after midnight.”

I had no problem with this, except I woke up at three in the morning with a terrible headache, and I just wanted to have a cigarette on my front porch, so I did. I’m a twenty-three-year-old woman. I have mace. 

It was chilly out, so I knew to smoke my cigarette fast. Then I heard something. Something was in the alley behind my apartment complex. A cat moaning and screeching. I had to go to it. I used the light on my dying cell phone to illuminate my path.

“Poor cat. Poor kitty.” I said to myself. I was not going to go far. Just a little ways in the unfamiliar alley way. I needed to see the cat. It sounded like it needed help, and then there was silence. Why did it stop moaning? Then it emerged from the darkness before me. It was a she, and she was all bloodied, and bruised from head to tail. 

“Oh My!” I said to the poor little kitten. I took off my jacket because I wore a sweater underneath. I wrapped the cold, wet alley cat in my jacket, and tried to pick her up, but she started crying. I wanted to comfort her, and I wondered if she was lost, or if she lived in the alley way.

“Can you follow me back home, so I can clean you up? Please?” I asked her. She just stared at me with her beautiful, glowing, green eyes. I had to get her to my apartment, but in all of the excitement, I may have taken an odd turn. Disoriented, I picked up the cat. She screamed, but I held her close, and tried not to damage her even more. If I could just get her back to my apartment. 

Guess what happened next? Of course, my phone died. Now, both the cat and I were crying. I moved in the direction that I came, but I really couldn’t see a thing. 

“Oh, cat. We’ll be home soon. I promise.” I said.

Then the chilly wind picked up making my teary eyes sting. All I had wanted was to have a cigarette, and to help the cat. 

“Help!” I screamed. Then, thank goodness, a back porch light turned on, and I heard a voice scream, “Shut up!” Then the light turned off. 

“Wait! No!” I screamed. Then whoever the jerk was that turned off the light- turned it back on. 

“Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!” I hollered. 

“SHUT UP!” The mean person said. I’m not sure if it was a man or woman. They had an odd voice. Perhaps someone in transition? I don’t know. 

I saw my exit was closer than imagined. Now I was crying tears of joy while the cat continued to cry in pain. Intense pain. Whatever creature did this to her should die. Man or beast. If it be man, animal cruelty charges should be looked into. Perhaps the blood wasn’t only the cat’s? Or if it be beasts, euthanasia must be considered. What if my new friend had been a poor child playing in the alley way?

Thankfully, I reached my apartment. My mind was going a million miles a minute. I looked at my bed. It was inviting me over for a good night’s sleep, but no. I had to take care of the cat. My new responsibility. 

Now that I was in good lighting, I could see the damage that had been done to the poor cat. Her tail had been mutilated, left paw crushed, several cuts along the spine- they had to have been done with a knife. Her eyes were still that beautiful, green color when the light hit them. They were her only beautiful, and absolutely astonishing parts, because her hair was so matted with blood so badly that I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to help the cat. The animal hospital didn’t open till eight in the morning, so I had no choice but to give her Trazadone to sedate her, so she wouldn’t cry herself to death. I wish it had worked. Instead, she fought against it. She wouldn’t go to sleep. I felt terrible. Drowsily, her perfect eyes would open and shut. I felt I had to file a report, and I did. It only took a few minutes. An officer would stop by to check on the cat.

Then, I heard someone outside of my apartment screaming-

“Alley! Where are you! Alley! I’m going to get you for this!”

It was almost four in the morning, but I looked out my window anyway. A man- tall, dark, and angry, roamed the lot of my apartment. I saw him check the dumpsters for my new cat. I grabbed my jacket,  and approached him outside in the cold. My hand was on my mace, and I asked him-

“Are you looking for a black cat with beautiful, green eyes?”

“Yes.” Was all he said. This guy made me nervous. Even in the chilly wind, he did not blink. I hoped deep down inside that this man did not harm this cat. I hoped it had been beasts. 

“I found a cat.” I said. “I heard her in the alley way.”

“That must be her!” He said. 

“One moment, please.” I said as I turned away to retrieve the cat. I was not about to let him inside. In fact, that’s when I grabbed my knife from the kitchen, and stuck it in my pocket. I gently picked up the poor kitty- who was still fighting her medicine. Fighting to breathe. Fighting to think. Fighting to stay alert, and to not bleed to death. 

I took her to the man, and the cat panicked. She hyperventilated while she stared at me dead in the eyes with her beautiful set. 

“Kill… Kill… Kill.” She told me with her eyes. 

“As you can see, she’s in a bad way. The animal hospital opens at eight, and I plan to take her there.” I said.

“That’s my cat!” He screamed at me. He was so close that I could feel his breath hit my face, so I quickly sat the crying cat down over on my porch swing on a soft pillow that seemed to help calm her a bit, but she continued to stare at me. KILL. KILL. KILL. I turned around, and he was upon me. Cursing at me- saying vulgar things. Evil, wicked, horrible things all because of a cat.

“You did this, didn’t you! Well, Alley is now my responsibility!” I said as I stabbed him in the kidney. “Get off my porch!” We heard sirens. “They’re coming for you.” 

He then reached for my throat, and I slashed him again across the face. I could see the sun rise, and the police showed up, but before the stranger could be apprehended, he called me a dirty name, so I slapped him across the face so hard that I heard his cheek bone break. It felt amazing, and I wanted to do it again, and again, and again.