NOTE: I don't own CATS or Felidae: Just making sure everybody knows

Chapter four: The Everlasting Sect

When I got home, I managed to get a couple hours of sleep. But then I was awoken by a loud yowling. I sat up, twitching my ears towards the ceiling. The sound was definitely coming from the floor above me. I was surprised it hadn't woken my snoring pal, Gustav, sprawled out on the bed next to me.

I got up and peered out the bedroom door. The yowling was really freaking me out. Staring at the stairs, I knew I had no choice.

Padding up the stairs, I followed the yowling to a room reeking of the veterinary clinic and burning fur. I peeked through a crack in the door and held back a hiss of shock. The room was filled with cats of every color and breed, all surrounding a large machine, crackling with electricity. In the center of the electric current was a dark gray cat, yowling in pain as the electricity shot through his body.

I backed away quickly. Realizing I had to see more of what was going on, I headed up to the next floor of the house. Creeping into the second bathroom, I peered down through a hole in the ceiling at the scene unfolding. Let me tell you, it was not something out of The Aristocats.

A fat tom was sitting on a table next to the machine. "In the name of the brother Jellicle," he was chanting, "in the name of the holy Jellicle who sacrificed himself for our sakes and became god! Hear our suffering, hear our voices, hear our prayers! Accept our sacrifices!"

"Accept our sacrifices!" the mob of cats answered, staring blankly ahead as though in a trance.

"But the soul of the righteous Jellicle is in the hands of the lord!" the large tom proclaimed, "And he is at peace!"

"Hallelujah, he is at peace!" came the response.

The grey and brown cat pressed his paws down on a button and the voltage increased, crackling over the quivering bodies of two cats.

"The lord tested Jellicle and it was through this testing that he became the Everlasting Cat!" he bellowed, "Those who have confidence in him shall then discover the truth and those who have remained faithful shall dwell with him in love; for grace and mercy shall be bestowed upon the elect!"

Two cats, a tom and a queen, emerged from the crowd and walked towards the electric field. With a great leap, the tom sprung into the light and began convulsing and yowling as electricity flowed through his body.

The queen was right behind him, jumping into the electricity, her fur burning as the electricity made her spit and snarl. More cats followed them, throwing themselves into the current. When the large tom removed his paw from the button, they fell back to the floor, some completely still, others twitching and drooling.

"Hallelujah!" all of them chanted, "Hail to Jellicle, the Everlasting Cat!"

I was stunned. This was sheer butchery. Peering through the crowd of assembled cats, I made out the massive Macavity with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. And then I saw him; Tugger was there too, chanting along with the rest of them. Shocked, a peered still further in and some pieces of plaster crumbled beneath my paws. It fell right of head of the leader of the group. Starting, the cat peered up. I hopped out of sight, but it was too late.

"There is an intruder here," the brown and gray tom snarled. "Find him and bring him to me!"

I could hear cats rushing out of the room. I took their example and rushed out of the bathroom. I headed for the next available room, only to be dismayed that it contained no windows whatsoever. I suddenly spotted a plank that lead up to a hole that went, I presumed, to the attic. I was running towards it, when four toms rushed into the room.

"There he is!" one of them hissed, "Get him!"

I scrambled up the plank, kicking one of the toms clawing my flank. I felt the board splinter under my paws, as I squeezed through the hole. The cats tried to follow me, but the board broke under their weight.

"Come on! There's another way up!"

I heard them scamper away. I knew I should be trying to escape, but I had to stop and gape at the attic I was in. It looked like Doctor Frankenstein's laboratory. There were cracked test tubes, dusty operating lamps, medical equipments, sharp knifes, reports, microscopes and an over-turned lab table. Other machines and instruments I couldn't even guess what were for.

"What on earth has been going on in this house?" I thought, my nose wrinkled in disgust at the acrid smell of the room.

I heard thumping against the trapdoor that lead into the attic. I swished my tail, craning my neck around the room and saw a narrow opening in the wall. The trapdoor burst open as I shoved myself into the opening. I had just managed to get my shoulders through when I felt claws and teeth digging into my hindquarters. Straining and grunting and landing a few kicks on the faces of my pursuers, I pushed myself out onto the roof of the house.

Immediately, I began sliding down the tiled roof. I frantically tried to grip to no avail and I could hear the other cats sliding down behind me. When I reached the gutter, I managed to seize on and start running, narrowly avoid one of my pursuers, who was having difficulty slowing down.

I dashed through the dead leaf debris around the roof, the others in hot pursuit. As I rounded the bend, I nearly collided headlong into another cat. Turning, I put all my strength into scrambling up the roof again. Upon reaching the spikes at the top, I leapt up and over them, sliding down the other side. But this time, I pitched over the side, managing to land on my feet on the porch. I leapt to avoid the crash of one of my clumsy pursuers and set off down the alley.

A scarred tom jumped in front of me, snarling. I took a sharp left and ran up a pipe. It was damp and slimy inside of it, but I plodded on, my white paws growing black. When I exited, I was in a construction sight. No time to rest though, the others were right behind me.

I scrambled up on a scaffold and onto a board. A ginger tom followed me and leapt on my back, claws aimed for my throat. I threw him off me and he hit the sandbag at the end of the board. The board fell and I went down. I fell right into a young spruce, gripping the bark tightly with my claws. Swinging myself up into the branches, I jumped up onto the roof of the nearest house and hid behind a window box.

"Spread out!" hissed a voice. "He can't be far!"

I could hear them slinking about on the nearby roofs. As they grew closer, I drew back. But I went back too far and the next thing I knew, I was falling, head over heels, through a window set in on the roof of this unfamiliar house.