Anything But the Cat.

I can’t believe I made it before the sun went down. Jane, you did it! 

Three hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean, the sun casting an orange hue through the rainforest, and not a soul to be found. Perfect. 

Couple quick selfies and time to head back for a well deserved drink. Hmm,...this place didn’t seem so creepy earlier. Ok enough of that Jane, let’s get outta here. 

“Come on, come on.” No way, really? This car is like a year old.   

Ok deep breath, check the vitals. Gas is quarter tank, lights were off, no blinking lights on dash. Third time’s the charm. 1, 2, 3…

Shit! 

Where's my phone? Dammit, it was just here. I really gotta get organized.  

Ofcourse, on the floor, right where I left it. Full battery and one bar, I’ll take it. Probably too late to find a mechanic. 

“911 what’s your emergency?” 

“I’m at Pia Valley parking lot and my car won’t start.” 

“Ok, are you injured?”

“No.“

“Is there anyone else with you?”

“No. “

“What’s your name?”

“Jane.”

“Ok Jane, please hold. I’m going to see what we can do.” 

“Hey Robert, some lady is stuck out at Pia Valley in the parking lot.”

“Oh man, really? Is she alone?” 

“Yeah.”

“They really need to close that place to tourists. I mean you know. What's it gonna take? Ok, I’ll get my gear and head out.”

“Um hello? Lady? What's going on?” 

“Jane, we are going to send someone now to get you. Stay in your car 

and wait for a uniformed officer. Don’t engage with anything.” 

“Well what does that mean?”

“I don’t mean to scare you, you'll be fine. Just stay in your car and wait.”

“Um, ok. Can I call back?” 

“Yes, you can call back if you have an emergency.” 

“Oh great, ok. “

Well there’s still some light left. I might as well enjoy it. Amazing. I really didn’t notice it with all the chaos of trying to leave. But, there must be a million animals living here. I can’t believe how loud it is. It’s literally a cacophony of sound bellowing out of the jungle. Nature is truly amazing. 

“Hello, what do we have here?” 

“Meow.”

“Hello Mr Cat.” 

“Meow.”

“You're a feisty one. And, if I didn’t know any better. I’d say you're trying to get me to follow you.” 

“Meow.”

“Ok Mr Cat, you got me, I’ll follow.”

“Meow.”

“Ok, ok, coming. Give me a minute, this trail or whatever is kinda rough.”

“Meow.”

Oh wow, looks like it’s opening up. 

“Oh my god, this is beautiful Mr. Cat. Wow!” 

Didn’t see this vantage point on the map. What a view. The ocean and coast seem to go on forever, and the colors of the sun on the giant waves. So cool.

“Meow.”

“I hear ya. Time to get back in the car.” 

“Meow.”

“No, I’m not going any farther into the jungle cat.” 

“Meow.”

“Nope.”

Hmm, I don't really see a trail anymore to get back. Well, I know the parking lot is over there and it wasn’t far. So I’ll just go this way. It shouldn't be too hard to get back. 

“Meow.”

“Where are you cat? Am I going the right way?”

“Meow.”

“Hold on, Let me get around this giant bush tree thing. Oh my god what is that? Are those bones? Holy shit, is that a skull? Holy shit!”

“911 what’s your emergency?” 

“Hello, hello! I called earlier. I'm stuck at Pia Valley!”

“Yes Jane, we have sent out an officer.”

“When are they going to get here?” 

“It may take an hour or two, depending on the roads.” 

“Holy crap. That long!” 

“Yes, the storm has wiped out some access. But, it’s still early so you should be fine.” 

“Still early? It’s almost dark and I found bones and they look human!” 

“Hello? Hello?”

“Jane, whatever you do, don’t…”

“Hello? Hello?”

“Don’t what? Lady hello!”

This can’t be happening. Don’t panic, don’t panic Jane. Ah shit, I think I’m panicking. Come on Jane, slow down, clear your mind, count to 10, breathe. It’s gonna be fine, it’s gonna be fine. They will be here in an hour. I'll just get back in the car like she said and wait. 

Ok back in the car safe. Calm, calm, calm. Oh man, I can’t just sit here in the dark, it’s terrifying. Maybe I’ll turn on some music, no wait I should save my battery. When are they gonna be here? Oh god this is getting real dark. 

Ok Ok stop thinking so much. Maybe if I go to another spot in the lot I can get a signal and find out what she was saying. She did say to stay in my car, maybe I should just stay here. Oh god, my brain is going crazy. What should I do?

Screw it, I’m gonna go try to find a signal. 

“Meow.”

“Not now cat.”

“Meow.”

Dammit no signal anywhere. This sucks. “Don’t what.” What am I not supposed to do? She said stay in the car and don’t talk to anyone. What else could it be?

Ding

Yes, a text. What number is this? 

Jane, stay out of sight. Hide!

“OH, MY, GOD. What is happening!” 

“Meow.”

HIDE? Where am I going to hide? Why do I need to hide? Oh God. Should I get back in the car or go hide? 

“Meow.”

“Dammit cat. WHAT!” 

“Meow.”

I wonder if that text was from 911. Maybe I’ll hide and wait for the police. I mean, what’s the difference between hiding or just sitting in the car? And sitting in a dark car was like being in a coffin. But where the hell am I going to hide? Maybe I’ll just go into the jungle a bit and hunker down. I’ll do that and if I don’t like it, I’ll go back to the car. 

Ok, this looks like it’ll work. I’ll just crouch down here, stay quiet and wait. Ah my phone, turn ringer off. Might as well send a couple texts in case I get a signal.

At PIA Valley, 8pm. Called 911 and police are coming. Got a random text to hide, no phone signal to call 911 back. Going to hide in the jungle by parking spot number 7 and wait for help. Love you, Jane.  

Well it does feel safer here than in the car. Now I just need to stay calm and collected. It’s gonna be ok, this will be a helluva story to tell. 

“Meow.”

“Yeah?”

Oh my god what’s that? It looks like stuff is running all around the parking lot. Is it just the wind blowing stuff around, or is it? Nah, it can’t be a bunch of animals. 

“Meow.”

“What?“

“Meow.”

“Oh crap. Now I see it, it’s all coming this way. Shit.”

“Meow.”

“Shit, ya. Ok we need to get outta here. Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Meow.”

This sucks, I can’t really tell where we are going. It feels like it’s getting pretty steep though. I don’t see anything behind us. I think it’s far enough. I can’t even see the parking lot anymore. 

“Meow.” 

“Let's just stop here and wait.” 

“Meow.”

God I can’t believe this is happening. Just calm down. It's nothing, just the wind blowing around leaves. It’s gonna be ok. You’re just freaking out, cops will be here soon.  

“Meow”

“Shh, quiet cat. Something’s over there. Oh my god, something is coming towards us.” 

“Meow.”

“It’s coming closer. Shhh.”

“Prrr.”

“Shh”

 I can hear rustling coming down the hill. What the hell, it’s like coming from all over.” 

Shit it’s surrounding us. 

Oh my god. “Go. Go. Go!” 

Ouch, dammit, crap. This is horrendous. I’m gonna die, I don’t wanna die. Oh god, get me outta this. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.

“Meow”

“Shit, Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop!”

Holy crap, I could’ve fallen off of this cliff. What am I doing? 

“Meow.” 

Why did I ever leave the car? They are never gonna find me. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn't I just listen to 911?  

“Meow.” 

“Ugh. What cat?” 

“Meow.”

“Wait, into the cave? Really?” 

This may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but I really don’t have any other options. 

“Meow.“

Deep breath Jane. There’s really no other way off this cliff. 

Ok, maybe there’s a way out of the cave. It's gotta go somewhere right? I'll go in a and see how it is. If I don't like it I can always come back here and wait for the cops.

“Meow”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

it's not to bad in here, can't really see how far it goes. I feel like I’m walking on sludge. One step at a time Jane. Wait, is that a breeze? Oh my god it could be a way out. Holy crap, I think I can hear cars!

“Meow.”

 “Now what?”

“Oh No. It's back! Run!”

Keep going, keep going Jane. I think I see an opening. And I can hear cars! Please let me make it out. Run, run, run Jane.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. No, no, no,no, no. I’m slipping. Oh no, I’m falling, oh my god. Ouch, ouch, ugh, dammit. 

Oh my head, my back. What did I land on? Pfff, a-choo, a-choo. Shit Is this all cat hair, yuck. What is this? Oh my god, these are more human bones!

“Meow. Meow. Meow.”

“Meow. Meow. Meow.”

Holy shit where did all the cats come from. Oh no. Don’t engage with ANYTHING!. The CAT! 

“Meow.”