I was finding it harder and harder to catch my breath and I had to clench me hands to my sides to keep them from shaking. The two young men didn't seem to notice. Peter turned from me to watch the Hamilton's long-haired tabby slink past in the hall; "Oh look an opportunity for some fun!"
"Excellent" Paul rubbed his palms together as he and Peter stood up and followed the cat into the kitchen. I sat there for a few moments unable to move. The kitchen and the living room had an open concept floor plan. If I were to make a move back to the front door they would for sure notice me doing it. Then again I would have a bit of a head start and if I did make it out the door in time I could call for help. My heart started to pound against my ribs as I slowly stood up and started to inch my way out of the living room. I was trying to make it look as if I was walking into the kitchen, all the time keeping Paul and Peter in peripheral vision, making sure they didn't have their full attention on me. When I got close enough I veered into the hall and bolted to the front door. I heard something fall and then shatter in the kitchen and one of them cursed and proceeded to chase me down. My socks slid on the hardwood floor and I almost fell, but adrenaline kicked in and I righted myself. The distance between the escape and me were closing in quickly, but the pounding footsteps behind me were quicker. I reached out for the doorknob when I was suddenly crushed against the door by a heavy force. It was Paul. He linked his arms under mine and began pulling me back, but I was clutching onto the doorknob and turning it madly, willing it to swing open to free me. Peter was in the hall watching us, and he began to chuckle. The door was bolted. My heart sank and Paul finally pried my hands off of the doorknob and began pushing me back down the hall; "You shouldn't have done that Charlotte." He directed me into the kitchen, Peter was already ahead of us and at his feet was a broken glass; "Since you were the one who caused all of this trouble, you should really be the one to clean up the mess. Don't you think so Paul?"
"I think you're right Peter. The glass wouldn't have broken if she had behaved herself." Peter reached behind the fridge and pulled out a broom and dustpan. He handed them to me with a sullen expression. I had no choice. I took the broom and began sweeping the shards of broken glass into a small pile. The two young men stood and watched as I knelt down and began to sweep the mess into the dustpan. Peter opened a cupboard producing the waste bin inside. I shook the shards out and they made little tinkling noises as they fell. Then Peter took the broom and dustpan back from me and put them in their proper place. Paul leaned over my shoulder and nearly made me jump as he whispered; "There, wasn't that easy?"
The cat started to circle its food dishes hungrily and meowed loudly in protest. I had almost forgotten why we were in the kitchen until she had made herself known again. Peter bent down to stroke her but as he did she backed away and hissed fiercely at him. He moved his hand towards her food dish instead and picked it up; "She's just hungry, that's all. Charlotte where is the cat food kept?"
"In that cupboard" I pointed to a cupboard on the other side of the counter. Peter took the bowl with him and picked out a can. He read the label out loud; "Savory Salmon" Turning his back to us he began filling the little bowl with the sloppy stuff. Soon the entire kitchen reeked of cat food. While Peter's back was turned to us Paul looked at me and then to the cat who was eying the two strange men suspiciously, but who was not about to leave with the promising smell of her dinner in the air.
"So Charlotte," Paul began "would you say that you're more of a dog lover or a cat lover?" I didn't want to speak, but I couldn't stand the silence either. I decided I would play along with their game; "Well I guess I like both, but I prefer cats. My opinion is biased though, since I've only ever owned a cat."
Paul nodded in interest; "I see. Well dogs seem to be a bit more… disruptive" He looked in Peter's direction, "besides, Peter here is afraid of dogs. Aren't you Peter?"
"I'm not afraid of dogs, they just make me uncomfortable" He said defensively over his shoulder.
"I.E. he's afraid of dogs" Paul concluded, "Cats on the other hand tend to get moody."
"Well it depends on the cat, mostly it's just in their nature" I responded. At that point Peter walked back towards us and placed the bowl in front of the cat, which started to eat away at it at once. We stood there, watching the cat devour its meal and when she was just about finished Peter looked up and said; "I have a great idea" he walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a green garbage bag from under the counter. When Paul saw what Peter brought back he grinned; "Great idea Tom!"
I didn't understand what they were getting at until Paul scooped the cat up and walked over to Peter who was holding the garbage bag open. I couldn't believe what they were about to do. It was horrendous! The cat must have sensed what was going to happen as well because she was going berserk; clawing and mewing at Paul.
"Cat in the bag. I love this game!" Peter smiled.
"Are you guys crazy! Stop it! What are you doing?!"
"Relax, the cat has claws. She'll be able to cut some air holes through the plastic" Paul said reassuringly.
"Yeah, and one even chewed its way out once, remember Butthead?"
"I remember Beavis. Took the damn cat nearly an hour to do it."
I couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it, but it was happening right in front of me. It was happening to me. I had to believe it. The cat finally managed to turn far enough to sink her teeth into Paul's arm. "Shit!" He dropped the cat and it went running down the hall.
"What a shame, I was really looking forward to playing cat in the bag. Let's just hope that the poison kills her sooner rather than later then" Peter said patting what looked to be a pill bottle in his pocket.
"Oh I'm sure it will. She ate that cat food pretty quickly. I guess she didn't smell it" Paul said staring down the hall where the cat disappeared. Poison? All of a sudden I felt my stomach lurch. If that's what they planned to do to the cat, then what did they have in store for me?
"You can follow the cat if you want. See if she's all right" Paul said in a soft tone which I found rather odd. These guys can change their emotions so fast; one minute they're about to torture a cat, and the next they're sympathetic.
"Come on" Paul took my arm and walked me through the dark hall. We stopped at the bottom of the staircase and I could make out the cats tail as she descended up into the darkness and then disappeared again. "Go on" Paul prompted me to follow the cat. I began to slowly climb the stairs. When I looked behind me Paul was still waiting at the bottom watching me. When I reached the top my eyes needed to adjust to the dark. The only light was coming from the streetlamps shining through the windows making an orange glow on everything it hit, and the bathroom light which was shining behind the closed door. I could make out odd shapes on the floor; a fallen lamp, some scattered toys and clothes. It was a mess. Usually the Hamilton's kept their home neat, but up here it looked like a bomb went off. I made my way past the kids' bedrooms and peeked in; more mess, no cat. I finally got to the bathroom door which was a black rectangle with a glowing border of light around the door frame. The door was shut, so the cat couldn't have been inside… but why was the light on while all the others were off? Curiosity grabbed hold of me and I opened the door. As soon as I saw what was inside I wish I had never even touched the doorknob. Blood. Blood was everywhere. Splattered across the mirror, smeared on the walls, and pooling on the tiles next to a heap on the floor. It was too much for me to bear. I swung the door shut on that gruesome image, trying to shut it out of my memory as well, but it stood out like a thorn stuck in my thumb. I felt my stomach lurch again and this time I was sick. I held my aching sides and made my way back towards the staircase, but not before I caught a glimpse of several other bloody bodies behind the partially open door to the master bedroom.