Chapter 9:
She tossed and turned all night. She wished someone else could do the Reaper job for her. She dreaded going to work that morning. She hated the nursing home since Grandpa Marsh wouldn't stop hounding her. She woke up screaming. More visions including the takeover of Earth and an unrelated dream of shiny rock people that shattered. Monsters invaded her nightmares after she helped Jimmy with the problems at Lake Tardicaca. She reached for a pack of cigarettes she had next to her bed. Smoking calmed her down just long enough for her to go back to sleep and dream again.
She combed through the satchel bag and tipped the stolen gems and jewellery out on her lap. Watching the objects sparkle gave her relief from the darkness. She didn't know which power set scared her more. The Netherborn class Kenny had given her or the new set she knew nothing about. Both classes were equally destructive especially when she was enraged.
She wanted to sleep. She wished she could stay in bed instead of going back to City Hall that morning. Chaos had another video call scheduled with Mr. Burns from Springfield. She couldn't stand to look at the creepy yellow mutant and wondered if he were a vampire. An actual vampire not like the Vamp kids who were just wannabes who tried too hard.
"Katherine?" The former Mayor knocked on the door. "Are you okay? I heard screaming."
She was glad she knocked first. It gave her plenty of time to hide the stolen jewels from her. "Just a bad dream Mayor."
She didn't correct her when she used her old title. Chaos had forced her out of office and there was still no sign of her aide Johnson. "You seem a little jumpy kid. Is everything okay?"
Truthfully it wasn't. Her dreams scared her. Her powers scared her. She felt like she was losing control. For the first time in her life she enjoyed the thrill of stealing. She used to shoplift food because her mother couldn't cook and they barely gave her food. She didn't like it, but she needed to eat. She didn't know what to say about her new job. McDaniels seemed oblivious to it, which meant Pete hadn't said anything yet. "I'm just tired."
After several minutes assuring McDaniels that she was fine she finally left her alone after promising to take her shopping one day. At 3AM she begrudgingly rolled out of bed for yet another night shift.
XXXX
She had multiple souls with her. All of them anxious to get to the afterlife when she spotted them. "What did I tell you the other night?!"
As far as she knew they hadn't said anything. The Goth kids gaped at her. They were trying to get into the graveyard for another one of their rituals.
"Come on poser?!" Pete McDaniels sighed with exasperation. "You already claimed the alley. It's bad enough those Vamp losers keep taking our style and hangouts from us!"
Blue flames emitted from the scythe as she gripped the handle. She was so tired she wished she didn't have to deal with this shit. "This place is for the dead! Get out!"
"I'm telling Aunt Mary!" Pete whined as the Goth kids stormed off to find somewhere else for their rituals.
She sighed. She'd only just become friends with Henrietta Biggle and she was sure she hated her now. She had a feeling she wouldn't be learning witchcraft anymore not that she had time to study anyway.
She needed a distraction. Something to keep her mind occupied while she escorted the dead to the afterlife. Most of the souls she had in her company had gone to Hell, others went to limbo and one went to the abyss. A dark misty place worse than Hell. Satan might be a giant pussy because he made her take Cartman back, but at least he was welcoming.
She really should've gone home, but wandering through town she spotted a decent sized diamond in a display case. It glistened under the lights the shop owner had left on so security cameras could see any intruders attempting to steal anything. Shiny things lifted her spirits even if the feeling was short lived. She didn't even know what to do with the last stash she had in her room and still hoped McDaniels wouldn't find it.
She quickly broke the security system and destroyed all the cameras. She'd changed costumes since her new one Fire Hazard had given her was easier to move around in than a long flowing cloak that would trip the alarms. She didn't stop there. The diamond wasn't the only thing in her sights. She stole a tiara, necklaces, diamonds, expensive watches and anything that sparkled or shined.
"Stop what you're doing!" She was on the way out the door after she filled her satchel bag to the brim with jewels she didn't intend to give back. He'd given her a warning.
God damn it Kenny, can you just leave me alone? She quickly realised he didn't recognise her and she hoped she could get away without it resulting in a fight. As much as she liked Kenny she just wasn't in the mood. She wanted to go to bed and hibernate until she felt human again.
"You don't need to do this." He was trying to reason with her because in his eyes she was a villain. "I can help you. We don't need any more villains in this town and you don't look like you're with Chaos."
He didn't even suspect her. Cartman had seen her in the new costume. He mustn't have said anything. She was still surprised Theodora hadn't mentioned Satan and the cemetery. It was strange that people who would usually gossip actually kept their mouths shut. "It's none of your business."
To her surprise she managed to maintain an American accent and Kenny remained ignorant. "I can't let you take those. That's thousands of dollars worth of jewels."
She growled through gritted teeth and even though she'd regret it later she aimed a swift low kick to Mysterion's shins. "I told you to leave it alone!"
"It's bad enough we've got Fat Ass and a high crime rate!" Mysterion growled. "You don't need to add to it, you can join us."
She was stunned. She knew he was talking about joining the Freedom Pals. Even though she was already spying on Chaos for them she wasn't an official member of their team yet. "Just let it go!"
Mysterion fought back after she'd kicked him again. In her haste she'd dropped her satchel bag and jewels littered the street with one small diamond ending up down the drain.
She was desperate to pick them up, but each time she tried Mysterion blocked her from picking them up. "Fucking stop!" She could hear her Aussie accent and she was surprised Mysterion hadn't noticed yet. They were equally matched in hand to hand combat. She didn't want to use any of the Netherborn class powers she had against him because doing so would give her away. She was also sure he'd seen the new set since Mysterion was at school the day she destroyed it in a fit of rage.
"I'm going to have to call back up if you don't listen to me!" Mysterion was referring to the other Freedom Pals, but he could also be referring to the police.
She groaned as the Kitty symbol streaked across the sky. "Oh God!" She wondered what the police could possibly want. She screeched like an angry cat. Her alley cats dealt with Mysterion giving her plenty of time to scoop up the scattered jewels and hide from him while she changed costumes again.
XXXX
She begrudgingly trudged into the police station wondering what the hell the police department wanted. She only wanted a nap and didn't understand why people – living and dead – insisted she couldn't take one. "What is it now?"
"We're investigating the disappearance of Bob Johnson kid." Yates explained after he'd finished telling racist jokes to his colleagues who'd all stopped laughing when she walked in. "The little fat kid thinks Chaos has something to do with it."
She groaned when she saw the Coon perched on the window sill much to the annoyance of former Mayor McDaniels who waited for Chief Barbrady. "Get lost Fat Ass! You're never going to be a hero."
"I saw him at city hall, I swear." The Coon smirked at her when the cops weren't looking. They weren't listening to him to begin with.
"Is this all you called me down for!" She groaned with frustration. She'd almost forgotten about Johnson. She even planned to free him when no one was around. She was waiting for the right moment.
"Wait!" He jumped from the window and intercepted her. "Chaos has two new villains on his team. I saw them."
"Two new villains?" Even McDaniels stopped in her tracks as she and Barbrady were leaving.
"There's a new girl with dark skin and red hair and a cat girl. Costume is different to Kitty Litter's." Cartman's smirk became wider when her face paled.
"How do we know you're not full of shit kid?" Yates asked while Murphy and Foley sniggered at Cartman's expense.
"It's not like you're going to die because you can't have ice cream." She grumbled to the amusement of the police department.
"I hate to break it to you Harrison." McDaniels interjected after hysterical laughter died down. "But the little fat turd is right. I saw them when they forced me out of City Hall."
"Hey!" The Coon snapped at McDaniels. "Don't call me fat butt fucker!"
"Did you see Bob?" Barbrady asked McDaniels. They both ignored Cartman's outbursts.
She shook her head. "He was late for work that morning. He'd always at work even before me."
She shook her head when asked if there were any leads. Not even Mysterion could give them information on Bob's whereabouts. "I'll look into it, but can I sleep first." She could fall asleep standing she was so tired.
"What happened to you kid?" McDaniels looked shocked by the sight of Mysterion.
He wiped the blood from his busted lip. She felt awful she'd beaten him up. "You can't fight crime without a few cuts and bruises."
"Someone kicked your ass Mysterion." The Coon was amused and laughing hysterically.
"Will someone get that fat kid out of here?!" McDaniels snapped before taking Kat back to the manor house so she could go to bed.
XXXX
She'd had four double shot espressos by the time she got to City Hall. She couldn't free Johnson yet as so many people were around. It was a hive of activity as Chaos prepared to impress Mr. Burns yet again.
She wondered why the withered old mummy would give Chaos the money for his projects when he clearly had no intention of letting him join his villain league.
"Oh, hey Kitten." He smiled when she came in with yet another double shot espresso. The new name Fire Hazard had given her stuck and the other minions greeted her politely. She must be less intimidating in the new costume. "We're just about to gain entry into the best villain league in the country. Finally people will take us seriously."
"What's going on?" She noticed minions had gathered around a big screen as Chaos received an incoming call from Springfield
"Oh it's you." Mr. Burns glowered at Chaos who seemed oblivious to the hostility the old man greeted him with. She could tell by his attitude that Chaos was going to have his hopes dashed yet again. Looking at Fire Hazard she could tell she knew it too.
"I-I took over South Park Sir. See." Chaos showed off the new décor in the office and even a list of the new laws he'd passed as Mayor of South Park.
"Make anyone suffer?" Burns asked Chaos even though he wasn't interested to hear it.
"A certain fat racoon is suffering right now." Chaos explained to the amusement of Fire Hazard and the other minions who laughed hysterically in the background. "C-can I join the villain league Sir?"
Before Burns could respond a fat bald man barged into his office. People from Springfield must be deformed since this man also had yellow skin and a protruding overbite. After heated discussion between Burns and the fat bald man the call abruptly disconnected and Chaos couldn't get Burns back on line.
"Aw! Heck!" He kicked the desk and didn't seem to care that he'd stubbed his toes. "What am I going to do now?
"Can I go now?" She grumbled. Fire Hazard wasn't paying much attention and some of the other minions were disappointed they were rejected again. She was basically brain dead and just wanted to collapse in bed even though McDaniels said she'd take her shopping so she could redecorate her new room.
Chaos slumped in his chair. "What do I do now?"
"You'll think of something." She left quickly. Another double shot espresso wouldn't be enough to keep her awake.
XXXX
Sleep all day and awake all night. The Reaper job had messed with her sleeping habits. Other than the occasional vision which often resulted in a seizure she never used to dream this much. She sighed. Another shop full of shiny things caught her eye. She already had a large stash of jewellery she'd probably never wear, but that didn't stop her from stealing diamonds. She also liked emeralds and rubies. For some reason sapphires were her favourite gems to steal. She didn't really know why and wondered if it had something to do with her visions about the shiny rock people who shattered before she woke up.
She zoned out and wouldn't be aware of anyone around her. After filling her bag with sapphires she headed to the diamonds and naturally took the biggest one.
She admired it for a few minutes before screaming when she realised someone was behind her.
The flashlight alerted her and at first she thought it was security. "What the fuck are you doing Kitten?"
It was only Fire Hazard. She wondered how she'd known where to find her. She wasn't even finished collecting gems. "You're gonna get me busted." She'd screamed and dropped the diamond she was admiring which rolled under a counter.
"You already are." Fire Hazard shrugged. "Cat girl stealing gems? Isn't that cliché?"
"What?" She stopped in her tracks. Fire Hazard wasn't about to call the cops on her.
"You're wasting your talents." She continued. "You should be doing something else with your skills and time."
"What should I be doing?" She kept the stash of gems despite her criticism. "I'm too tired to do anything else. My new job keeps me up all night."
"Maybe stop doing this." Fire Hazard suggested. "Do something constructive instead."
"Like what?" She was too tired to focus on anything constructive. She already dreaded going back to school since PC Principal had it rebuilt.
"I almost regret making you keep your original cat theme." Fire Hazard sighed heavily. The awkward silence didn't help. The longer they stood around in the jewellery store the more likely it would be they'd get busted.
"I didn't ask you to make me a new costume." She hesitated and yawned. She was too confused to think straight and she was about to fall asleep standing up. "Thanks though."
After several minutes of contemplation Fire Hazard gave her another suggestion on how she could better spend her time. "You can build stuff right?"
"Yeah." She was interested. She hadn't made anything for a while and building things or even sewing and craft was always a good distraction.
"I have a project I need help with." She followed Fire Hazard out. Even though she was glad for the distraction the project would give her she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't stop stealing shiny things.
