Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time of this story's creation.


Warning!

The following chapter contains graphic content not necessarily suitable for certain readers.

Viewer discretion is advised.


What if Garfield Was Killed?


"Alright Odie, here's the plan." Garfield said, explaining his strategy carefully. "You go there and distract the panther away from Lyman, and once we get him under that tree, I'll climb up there and lunge at him, giving you and Lyman just enough time to escape. Got it?"

*MMM MMM MMM* Odie whimpers, not wanting the kitten to risk his life.

"Don't worry about me, old buddy. I'll be fine." Garfield assures him. "We don't have much time left, let's go!"

With no time to spare, the kitten quickly climbs up the tree, putting himself in position as he prepares for the leap of his life. While down below, Odie barks in a loud, rapid succession, getting the panther's attention. With the black feline's evil eyes now staring directly at him, the puppy prepares to fend it off and starts to sprint towards it.

*BARK BARK BARK* Odie continuously barks at the panther as he now stands between it and his owner.

"Odie! What are you doing!?" Lyman frantically shouts. "Get away from here!"

But the puppy doesn't listen to him, for the plan has already been set into motion.

The panther's yellow eyes glow directly at the puppy's smaller eyes, for it can tell that he has no intention of backing down. A truly brave canine indeed.

*BARK BARK BARK BARK* Odie, now having caught the panther's full attention, goads it to chase after him as he heads towards the tree where Garfield has stationed himself at.

"Okay, Odie, just get it a little bit closer." The kitten said, watching all the action taking place down below from on top of the tree.

"A little closer…"

Odie runs in a circle to get the panther right behind the tree…

…right where Garfield wants it to be.

"Alright, panther." Garfield said, drawing his claws out. "Prepare for a taste of your own medicine, and it's not cherry flavored!"

Jumping off the tree, the kitten lunges himself directly at the panther, landing on its back and clawing it like never before! The larger feline jumps back and forth to get the pesky smaller feline off its back. As the two cats fight to the death, Lyman rushes over to Odie and grabs him in his arms.

*BARK BARK BARK* Odie barks, urging his owner to run from the campsite while they still have the chance.

"What about Garfield!?" Lyman frantically asks, refusing to leave the kitten behind. "We can't leave without Garfield!"

Soon enough, the panther furiously shakes Garfield off its back, sending him flying across the campsite and slamming him onto the ground.

Unable to move, the kitten now finds himself at the mercy of the feral beast as it slowly approaches him.

*AROOOOOO* Odie jumps out of Lyman's arms and runs over to rescue his best friend…

*BAM*

…only for the panther to kick him with its hind legs, sending flying straight to the water.

"ODIE!" Lyman dives into the lake after his dog. With both the human and the dog out of its way, the black feline returns its attention to the small, helpless kitten as it prepares to strike.

With his body still refusing to move even an inch, Garfield can only watch with his eyes wide open as the panther closely eyes its prey…

…before it lowers its body…

*ROWARRRR*

and LUNGES DIRECTLY AT HIM!

One by one…

its claws slice right through his tiny ribcage…

blood spilling all over his body…

carving through his orange fur…

then through his skin…

the monster shows no mercy…

as it bites his small head almost completely off…

gnawing his belly wide open…

all the fat in his stomach pouring out…

as it rips open his skin…

piece by piece…

one by one.

*ZIP*

Before the panther could satisfyingly finish its meal, it suddenly felt something directly hitting its neck. It was a tranquilizer dart, slowly sedating the creature as it loses consciousness before falling to the ground.

Jon and the park rangers, one of which carrying a tranquilizer gun, arrive at the campsite…

"GARFIELD!"

…but realize that they were too late to save everyone, as they find the kitten's mangled body lying next to the unconscious panther.

Lyman swims out of the lake and rushes back to the campsite, Odie coughing out water in his arms...

*GASP*

…only for their eyes to lay upon a sighting so horrific

…that it would leave them both permanently scarred for the rest of their lives…

especially Odie.

Once again leaping from his owner's arms, the puppy slowly approaches the carcass…

…and nudges it…

…hoping that he's still alive…

…and that he was just playing a cruel prank on him.

Okay buddy…

this isn't funny anymore…

please…

wake up.

GARFIELD…

PLEASE…

WAKE UP!

Odie could hardly contain himself any longer, as he collapses to the ground…

…and sobs.

Lyman could hardly contain himself either…

…his knees dropping to the ground…

…before breaking down in tears.

Odie gets himself up and clings onto Lyman as tightly as possible, tears continuing to pour out of his eyes as he lays next to his sobbing owner.

Jon…

…just stands there…

…completely motionless…

…as his mind can't fully process what just happened…

…one minute he was yelling at him to get out of the food like any other typical day…

…and now he is…

he is…

…believing this all to be a dream…

…no…

a nightmare…

…yes…

…one that he can't seem to wake up from…

…as he can't stop looking at him…

…no matter how much he wanted to look away.

Upon reaching the mangles lifeless body…

and the blood staining the ground next to it…

along with all the scattered innards…

…memories begin to flash through his eyes…

…all the way back to the moment he adopted him.

"Welcome to your new home, little fella."

"I think I'll call you…Garfield."

Cradling his cat's unrecognizable corpse, Jon completely shuts down, sobbing as he refuses to let him go, no matter how hard they tried to pull the body away from him.


A few months have passed since tragedy struck at Lake Woebegone, and life was never the same for any of the survivors…

especially Jon.

When they returned home, the first and only thing the cartoonist did was run to his bedroom and slam the door shut.

For days on end, he would remain in his room…

…crying himself to sleep…

…locking himself away from the world…

…for he can't live without Garfield.

Sure, he was a major pain in the ass to deal with most of the time…

especially when it came to food…

…but regardless of all the trouble and stress he caused to him…

…the kitten meant everything to him…

…and without him…

…life meant nothing to him.

The other survivors of the panther's attack weren't faring that well either, Lyman would occasionally come into the bedroom to check on his friend, but other than being told to go away, he would receive no other response. He wouldn't even leave his bed to eat, and he would've starved to death had it not been for Lyman bringing food into his room on a daily basis. It was devastating for Lyman to watch his friend's physical and mental health deteriorating like this, as they've been best friends since high school, and they've always had each other's backs, no matter what.

Odie would often cry himself to sleep, blaming himself for letting Garfield die at the hands of the panther. He felt that if he hadn't gone through with his plan, he would still be here, throwing the stick so that he could fetch it. He kept the dish that once held Garfield's food close to him, as it often reminded him of happier times…

…times when Garfield would excitingly hop up and down, waiting for Jon to fill the dish with some of his favorite cat food, which often consisted of a piece of pie, donuts, and especially lasagna…

…to which he can even spot the stains from the lasagna sauce still inside the dish…

…and just seeing the stains was enough for the puppy to break down in tears.

Jon can hear Odie crying from the bedroom, but he paid no attention to it, as he blankly stares at the ceiling, completely ignoring the world around him.

*CREAK*

"Jon?" A voice was heard from behind the door.

Raising his head from the pillow, he sees his friend Lyman slowly opening the door, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, buddy." Lyman softly greets. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing." Jon bluntly replies. "I feel nothing."

"*SIGH* Glad to see you haven't changed a bit, I'm sorry to say." Lyman said, letting himself into the room as he approaches the bed and sits next to Jon. "Listen, Jon. I know how much Garfield meant to you, but you can't keep shutting yourself away from everyone."

"No Lyman." Jon said bluntly. "You don't know what it's like to lose a pet, especially one that's as wonderful as Garfield."

"Of course I do, Jon!" Lyman said, slightly upset from hearing such a harsh remark from his friend. "I wouldn't know what I'd do if I ever lost Odie!"

"What about Odie?" Jon asks, not even fully paying attention to what his friend is saying, for all he can think about is Garfield.

"He needs you, Jon, just as much as I need you!" Lyman insists.

"Nobody needs me, Lyman. I'm nothing but a pathetic excuse for a pet owner." Jon said, his eyes filling up with tears. "*SNIFF* I'm a pathetic excuse for a parent!"

Lyman wraps his arms around Jon, comforting him in a tight embrace as he cries on his shoulder.

Odie, having overheard everything from the living room, peeks his head through the opened bedroom door and finds his owner giving his best friend a gentle hug.

*MMM MMM MMM* Odie whimpers, entering the room.

"Not now, Odie." Lyman said. "I'll feed you in a few minutes, okay?"

The puppy wasn't asking for food. He leaps onto the bed next to Jon, and gently licks him, wiping the tears from his face.

"Odie, *SNIFF* you're a sweet dog." Jon said, letting out a smile for the first time in months.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's get you something to eat." Lyman said, helping Jon get back up on his feet as they head out of the bedroom with Odie following right behind them.


Jon was eventually able to recover from the loss of his cat, Garfield, thanks to the efforts of both his friend Lyman, and his dog, Odie. Soon enough, he was able to return to work and continue to draw his cartoons to help support everyone in the household. Luckily, his boss, Mr. Barker, was lenient enough to let him keep his job after a long period of absence, for he understood that the cartoonist needed a long break after such a devastating loss. Life would slowly return to normal for them, and while their lives would never be the same without Garfield, he, and the fond memories they've shared with him, will never be forgotten.