From the Mind of Amir Hassan: The Secret of How it Started

From the Mind of Amir Hassan: The Secret of How it Started

Saturday, March 14th

It all started when the one called Infectedcuticle egged Margot to leave the apartment and go feed the cats. They had donated $80 to the cause, so it wasn’t completely off to request, but that didn’t make my night any easier.

Now, Margot, she loves cats. Really she does. Sometimes too much. This was what she did while she was out. She fed some cats. Sat down to catch her breath. Cupped a cat toward her body for a snuggle and was bitten by that cat.

I cleaned the wound when she got home, but she was still whining about it not being enough. I had to leave, so I told her I was going to the pharmacy for more supplies. While chatting with the pharmacist, she told me street cats can carry rabies, so Margot’s wound needed to be checked out by a professional and probably get a rabies shot.

I returned home, explained it to Margot and off to the hospital we went.

It’s the longest we’ve been alone together since we first met. Well, without a movie or something else to keep us distracted.

Her sweetest love kept her happy with sweetened coffee and lots of water.

Cat bites are more serious than I thought. Had to get her an x-ray to make sure… something. I’m not sure what that part was for, but I know it was important.

They sent us to the surgeon next, but after waiting for him for three hours he told us we didn’t need to see him and sent us back to the waiting room for a rabies shot.

Margot ranted and raved the whole way back to the waiting room. Didn’t have to worry about working up a sweat since there’s no hurry to keep up with her.

When I slowed down so we could sit, she reared on me and shouted, “what are you doing?”

I explained we were where we needed to be for the rabies shot and she spat back, “oh, I’m fine, we’re not waiting around another three hours for that!” before storming out the door. She kept ranting about how terrible my chosen country is and how things are so much better back in her country. I felt less and less like arguing back the more she went on. If anything, maybe she’ll burn off a few calories with her little rage episode.

I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s a big woman. It was a tiny cat. How much rabies could possibly be in her system?

Thursday, March 26th

Margot is worrying me. She keeps pausing mid-sentence to stare into the distance and when I get her attention back, she doesn’t seem to recall what she was talking about or even who I am. I can usually bring her back by reminding her that I am her handsomest husband. That usually makes her giggle.

I know I should push further to see if she knows who she is, but I’m afraid to find out.

She’s been sick before. She’s always gotten over it. Time heals everything. We have prescriptions to cover the rest.

Perhaps she was always this slow, I just didn’t notice because we were watching movies together that we’ve both seen several times before.

Yeah, that’s probably it. She’s still eating at the same rate as always. If she was sick, she’d slow down, right?

I think so.

I’m probably worried about nothing. Although, it probably wouldn’t hurt if I did some research about what to do with a dead body. Starting with how to clean one.

Here’s hoping if anything does happen, she drops in the bathroom so I can hose her down. It’ll be the nicest she’s smelled since I met her. Not necessarily the nicest smelling corpse, but… she has A LOT of room for improvement, smell wise.

Tuesday, April 21st

She’s been eating everything in sight today. I’ve ordered food to be delivered twice already and she’s only been awake for three hours. I ordered the first time because she was just staring at me… growling. I figured a burger would make her happy. It usually does.

The next time was after I saw her digging through the hamster’s cage, bringing handful after handful of fluff up to her mouth. I hope the hamster was able to hide. I’m sure she would have stopped before she ate a living hamster. Or would she?

No, she wouldn’t eat a live hamster. Maybe the hamster passed again? Probably time to get another replacement so her viewers, and more importantly the haters, don’t notice and trigger her by calling her an animal abuser again. I don’t want to find out how grisly the growling would become if that happened. This morning’s – okay, so technically it was this afternoon’s – growl session was more than I ever needed to hear. As it is, it will haunt me until the day I die.

I’m currently sitting behind my locked bedroom door, listening to her as she feeds. I usually can’t stand to listen to her chewing, or lack thereof, but it seems to be more important today.

She’s been losing words and stops talking mid-conversation a lot more than she used to. She’d be upset if she knew I was watching them, but some of her haters, or at least some of their viewers, have been speculating about her having rabies.

Margot claimed that – the signs her own viewers were sharing with her about having rabies – were all in their heads and insisted that she couldn’t have rabies since she was vaccinated, but that was a lie. I knew that it was entirely possible that she could be showing early signs of the virus, since we didn’t end up staying at the hospital to get one.

Other than death, I don’t know what happens to humans when they are infected by the rabies virus. And all I know about dogs having rabies is that they foam at the mouth. No time like the present to find out. Like, is it possible to transfer a rabies infection through a human bite?

Hmm… the Wi-Fi works much faster when she’s not broadcasting her meal to her audience… here we go:

Anxiety

Agitation

Insomnia

Yeah, according to this she could have come here with rabies.

And, while it is possible to spread rabies via human bite, it has never been tested. Does it make me a coward that I don’t want to find out?

She never showed a loss of appetite, but I don’t think she relies on feeling hungry to eat, so I don’t know. She did throw up a few times, but that could be because she ate too much or had the flu… flu-like symptoms are also on the list of rabies symptoms. Okay, I’m not liking all these similarities.

Now I wish I had turned her camera on and started a stream. It may not be the most interesting livestream she’s ever done, but it wouldn’t be the worst. Plus, I’d have eyes on her. Like now. I could see if the quiet was due to her having choked on a bite too big for her to swallow or if she was standing outside my bedroom door, waiting for me to come out so she can feast upon me too. Is the lack of growling a good sign or a bad one?

I can use the crow bar stashed under the bed for protection. Hopefully I won’t need it and can come back to report my findings soon.

Wednesday, April 22nd

Margot was gone by the time I had worked up the courage to open the door. The door to the apartment was open. Her purse and keys were still where she had dropped them last. The car was still in its parking spot. I have no idea where she would have gone on her own. Walking no less.

Curious, I went back upstairs to the apartment and investigated the hamster cage a bit more closely. She had eaten more of the fluff than I had given her credit for. There was no sign of our hamster in what remained. No sign at all. Maybe he had escaped in the madness and was now on the loose in the apartment?

I baited a few mouse traps with the fruits Margot used to feed him. I needed to know if he was still around.

I turned on the news. Kept it playing while I went about my day, waiting for the snap of the mousetrap.

Monday, May 25th

Reports started coming in about humans going up to people in the park and biting them. The government blamed the growing stray cat population for the outbreak, but I knew it was Margot’s doing.

The hamster never found the fruit. I’ve purposely forced myself to not finish the thought about what that means.

I doubt she’d be able to climb the stairs or remember that she used to have a home here. Nevertheless, I checked to make sure the door was locked.