The Dorm That Dripped Blood
"I still don't understand why you're with him. If you ask me, he's nothing but bad news!"
Rachel groaned in frustration as she listened to her friends criticize her choice in men for the umpteenth time. Though it was Monday at the university, the dean had excused the students from class to attend a blood drive. The lynx-colored house cat was currently at the campus shake shack with her sorority sisters, recharging their sugar levels after donating. Though she loved her friends dearly, she had to admit that they could be a bit…nosy.
"He's not bad news Fay! He's a real sweetheart when you get to know him, he's just…a little rough around the edges."
"Ain't that the truth" Rachel's friend Becca spoke up "he's ALL edge, no point!" she finished, causing the small group to laugh.
"Seriously though" Fay pressed. "Why's an honor student with a dumb jock like him? The guy's a creep!"
Rachel's boyfriend had quite the reputation he'd built up over 4 years at university. He had money and wanted everyone to know it. He had an athletic body and wanted everyone to know it. But most importantly, he had an EGO, and he NEEDED everyone to know it. Still though, he gave her compliments, held the door open on occasion and could be genuinely adorable. They'd even bonded over losing their fathers at a young age.
"Because he sees me for ME" Rachel finally addressed her sorority sisters. "The first time we met he saw past my goggles and…"
"Yeah, because he was staring at your chest" Samantha cut in, causing another round of laughs, though this time Rachel did not join in. The housecat had been born blind and spent the first 12 years of her life in darkness. Only in her teens did she get access to the goggles that allowed her to see. Though it brought her out of the dark, it also enabled her to see the awkward stares and glances tossed her way. Just another person with a disability: a curiosity for them to gawk at.
"Fay's right Rachel" Becca continued "You should ditch him."
Before Rachel could respond, the man himself swaggered into the establishment. The arctic fox was fresh from practice: his jersey reeked of sweat while his trousers and shoes were caked in mud. Accompanied by a handful of sycophantic teammates, they ordered from the counter before noticing Rachel's group. With a smile, the snow fox and his entourage headed their way, unconcerned with the wincing employees as they dirtied the once-clean floor with each new step.
"Hey pretty kitty" he said before giving Rachel's cheek a sloppy lick. "Missed you at practice today. How can I show off without my #1 fan there to witness me?" he finished with a cavalier grin.
"Sorry Flurry" Rachel answered. "Me and the girls were at the blood drive."
"Ah…that. Good thinking! I would've ditched Mr. Stone's class too, the guy's a bore!
Rachel shrunk a bit at that, sure Mr. Stone wasn't exactly the most…energetic teacher, but she'd gone to the blood drive to save lives, not skip class.
"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about life after college, about our next step."
The statement sent her mind racing. Flurry was definitely a 'work in progress', but Rachel KNEW she could fix him. She soon returned the vulpine's smile.
"Yeah, just forget your medical degree and come home with me, it'll be GREAT!" the fox continued, freezing the smile on Rachel's face.
"…what do you mean?"
"Come on Rach, the Army'd never let someone like YOU be a combat medic: a delicate little flower…they'd NEVER do something like that" he flippantly said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, your face is FAR too pretty to risk a scratch!"
"...Is that what you really think?" she meekly asked, the table now silent.
"Well duh" Flurry said "Come on Rachel, you're a smart girl! A soft thing like you wouldn't last one hour in combat. You need someone strong to take care of you, that's where I come in" he finished with a wink. Unfortunately for the fox, his words blew up in his face.
Rachel immediately stood up from her seat and headed for the door, her friends quickly following.
"What?! What'd I say?!" Flurry said, trying to catch up to his girl.
"I know I'm tough enough! And if you can't see that…then GOODBYE."
The snow fox was floored, all he did was speak the truth…and she couldn't take it? His confusion quickly turned to anger: his mind racing with how to respond.
"Rachel! If you walk out that door…then we're done! You hear me…FINITO!" he shouted at the departing female crowd.
"We were done months ago Flurry; I just didn't know it!" The statement caused Flurry's jaw to hit the floor, he'd never been dumped before, the new sensation leaving him stunned.
Later that evening, the sulking fox was drinking his sorrows away at his favorite watering hole: the Club Glamorama. Wasting away in a private upstairs suite, the staff catered to his every whim. Yet not even a sex, alcohol and drug-fueled bender could improve his mood. Every girl who touched him…he thought of Rachel, every sip of booze made him crave a taste of the cat's lips instead. Even the club's best smack made him hallucinate his beautiful ex instead of the usual color trip. 'I've got to get her back' he desperately thought. He quickly called this brother Blizzard for advice.
"It's simple bro" the elder fox assured him. "Girls only care about 2 things: money and safety. Show her you've got those in spades, and she'll be begging to come back!"
A few minutes later saw Flurry heading back to the university with a few items in tow. An extravagant box of chocolates, an outrageous bouquet of Zoness lilies, and something a bit more…practical for his romantic plans.
Back on campus, Rachel and her sorority sisters were holding the annual start of the "Beast Bash" at the house. Every year they'd kick off the weekend with a "séance", jokingly calling upon the spirits of sisters-past. This year Becca was leading the fun, dressed in the finest gypsy outfit $50-credits would buy.
"And the Ouija board says…" Becca said with all the faux reverence of a carnival palm-reader. "We must smuggle in SIX different liquor brands this year…and also…secretly slip some to our underage sisters." Cheers and laughter rang out in response.
Before the swami could continue her soothsaying however, the lights cut out, plunging the room into darkness.
"Becca, what's going on?!" Fay yelled. She'd helped with the setup for this little skit and killing the lights wasn't part of the plan.
"I didn't do it!" a voice shot back in the darkness. "Someone try the light switch, maybe it's just…" SMASH
The sound of a window breaking caused screams to ring out, as did the sound of a door lock engaging.
"This isn't funny anymore Becca!" a different voice shouted out.
"I SWEAR it's not me!" came the shaken reply.
An ethereal moan filled the room, increasing the panic. Several girls beat against the now-locked door as they screamed for someone to let them out. The séance tradition dated back to the house's founding, but now it seemed 138 tries was the magic number to actually summon a ghost.
"Somebody's got me!" a voice shrieked in the dark. "Let me go, PLEASE LET ME GO!"
Avoiding her hysterical sisters, Rachel moved along a wall towards the room's exit. Though her sisters were as blind as she once was without her goggles, the quick-thinking feline simply adjusted their sensitivity, allowing her a clear view. She soon felt a paw squeeze her rear end, and instinctively swatted it away before turning around…and seeing nothing. Rachel's screams now joined the others as she ran towards the still-shut door. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened, bathing the girls in the light of the hallway, and the stern gaze of their sorority house mother.
"WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE!" a surly hound barked, wielding a large flashlight like a club in her paw. After working this thankless job for over 20 years, the woman's tolerance for BS was non-existent. Unfortunately, she was soon trampled by a flood of girls rushing from the room.
"A GHOST! THERE'S A GHOST IN THERE!" a freshman collie screamed as she sprinted down the hall and out of sight.
After staggering to her feet, the hound soon turned to some of the braver sisters who'd remained behind.
"WELL…?" she inquired, raising her eyebrow.
"Something's in there Mrs. Slater, it attacked us…Honest" Samantha answered, shaking as she clung to Rachel for support.
"Reeeeally?" the old hound skeptically replied. Taking one step in the door she flicked the light switch, illuminating the now trashed event room. Turning again to the girls, she cocked an eyebrow in annoyance.
"But…but…" Rachel began, trying to find the words.
"Now you listen to ME!" Mrs. Slater began. "My job is to keep you immature bitches from overdosing, drinking or getting knocked up. I'm NOT here for your amusement. Now, clean up this mess or I'll...!"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Someone knocking on the front door paused the house mother's rant and she quickly moved to answer it, a gaggle of girls in tow. Opening the door, they saw a campus police officer accompanied by a small crowd of curious onlookers.
"Oh, Officer Herring, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Without a word the red heeler pulled out his phone, playing the latest viral video from the campus social media. The 15-second clip was pitch black, but if the visuals were boring, the audio was anything but: screams, crying pleas for help, and the sound of objects being smashed. The video was titled "Sorority Scare", and the officer's stern gaze demanded an answer.
"It was just a prank" the exasperated hound responded. "Little brats try something new every year to get under my skin. We may have some electrical issues, but I've already called for maintenance."
With an annoyed grunt, the officer turned and went back to his waiting cruiser.
"The rest of you CLEAR OUT! There's nothing to see" the surly hound barked at the onlookers. While most quickly dispersed, there was one fox eager to risk her wrath.
"Rachel!" a white vulpine shouted, bounding up the porch. "Rachel, are you ok!" The sorority mother had to physically bar the doorway to prevent the young man from simply rushing inside.
"Flurry?" a confused voice came from inside the house, the feline's face soon appearing from behind the hound's bulky frame.
"I came as soon as I heard, are you ok?!" he asked, exasperated.
Taken aback by the snow fox's display, it took Rachel a few seconds to respond with an affirmative.
"I uh…I'm sorry for earlier and I got you these for tomorrow but uh…here you go." He stammered, passing a heart shaped box of chocolates and a flower bouquet to the surprised cat. On the sports field or in the club the fox had confidence to spare, but trying to repair a breakup…this was uncharted territory.
"You're not my boyfriend anymore Flurry, you don't need to check on me." Rachel swiftly said, shoving back the gifts.
"But…I don't understand" the vulpine began, his ears and tail drooping. "Those truffles are $100-credits each, the lilies are worth more than a semester's tuition. I can give you anything you want…what am I doing wrong?"
"You CAN'T give me what I want, not with that attitude anyway" Rachel said, before walking away, leaving Flurry dumbfounded at the door.
"Thanks for the chocolates, lover boy" Mrs. Slater said, swiping the box. "Now beat it, visiting hours are over!" she continued, slamming the door in Flurry's face.
It took 2 hours to clean up the mess in the sorority's event room, but by midnight, the sisters could finally turn in. As Rachel and Samantha got comfortable in their shared room the cat instinctively pulled out her data pad. Being an honor student wasn't easy, and the feline made it a habit to review her notes in bed before falling asleep.
"Oh Rach, can you give it a rest tonight, please?" the exhausted vixen called from the top bunk.
"Sure Sam" Rachel replied, turning off her bedside table lamp. It HAD been quite a day: she could make an exception just this once.
"Thanks Rach, goodnight." Came the sleepy response.
Eight hours later, the entire house was startled awake. Not by their alarms but by the screams of Rachel, the inconsolable cat shrieking in terror.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You're sure you didn't hear or see anything else" the taciturn officer asked his interviewee. Though he wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery, sensitivity was required as his lone witness was barely holding it together.
After waking up, Rachel greeted Samatha with her usual 'good morning'. Getting no response, she got up to see if Samantha had already left the room. She was met with the sight of Samatha's dead body, the eyes of the cold corpse boring into Rachel's soul. Her mouth frozen in a never-ending scream. The vixen's throat had been slit; a bloody razer clasped in her paw. On the wall, crudely scrawled in blood was the phrase "thanks for turning out the light." Now Rachel was giving her story to Officer Herring in the Dean's Office, with Fay and Mrs. Slater in attendance.
"No Sir" came the quivering response. "We went to bed and…and…" she couldn't finish the sentence. Rachel buried her face into Fay's shoulder, sobbing incoherently.
"I see," the red heeler responded, scribbling away in his notebook.
"The answer is obvious," the Dean grimly said. "It's not uncommon for a student to feel overwhelmed, I'm afraid we've another suicide on our hands."
"But Sir" Fay replied, "Samantha would never, she…"
The Dean held up a paw, silencing the collie.
"I'm afraid that's often the case with these things my dear. People can seem perfectly normal but behind closed doors, be anything but." In truth the Dean had his doubts as well: but in the absence of anything concrete he had to do what was best for the University. A suicide could be papered over, a homicide could not. 'We have to keep enrollment up," he thought.
"Mrs. Slater" the Dean said, turning to the housemother. "Please give Rachel different sleeping accommodations tonight, the poor thing's been through hell."
"Of course Sir" the hound sympathetically replied.
The trio soon left the Dean's office, heading back towards the sorority house. The chilly autumn air bit into their clothes while orange leaves blew in the breeze. They were almost to the dorm when a white fox ran up from the porch.
"Rachel! Are you OK!" Flurry anxiously shouted as he approached, seeing the cat unharmed he quickly toned down his voice. "It's all over Spacebook and Flitter, I rushed over as soon as I heard but they said you'd left with the housemother!"
"She's fine," Fay said, trying to pull Rachel into the house.
"She was your roommate right? You can't stay there again!...Come crash with me, I'll keep you safe!" Flurry lived in an expensive off-campus penthouse, with amenities few could dream of. 'She's been there before' he thought with a grin 'she CAN'T refuse.'
"Sorry Flurry" Rachel began, not meeting his gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just want to be with my sisters tonight."
"And we'll be there for YOU Rachel" Fay assured her, two girls disappearing through the front doors.
As they crossed the threshold, they noticed an armadillo in workman's clothing examining the circuit box. The man was a familiar sight across campus, helping maintain the historic buildings.
"Oh Mr. Edgar?" Fay spoke up. "What's broke this time?"
"Hopefully nothing Ma'am" he returned with a smile. "But Mrs. Slater wanted me to check out the wiring: something about lights not working."
As the girls turned to leave the armadillo spoke up again.
"Oh Girls, before you go have you seen my drill?"
"Your drill is missing?" Fay replied.
"Yeah, I know I brought it with me but now I can't find it.
"Maybe someone borrowed it."
"Without permission? Gah! If I find out who, I'll give'em a piece of my mind!" the man shot back. His elderly frame belaying his menacing tone. "Well, everything's good here, I'm off to the basement. C'YA girls." He finished before heading to the stairs.
After the armadillo reached the cluttered basement, he swiftly moved towards the auxiliary circuit box, giving it a thorough checkup. 'Strange' he thought 'everything seems to be working fine.'
No sooner had the thought left the man's head than the lights in the basement went out. The armadillo flipped the breaker repeatedly, to no avail. "Damn old wires!" he cursed to himself before fumbling for his flashlight. As he searched his belt the sound of a drill cut through the silence. The armadillo swung his light towards the sound and was stunned to see his drill floating in the air, noisily spinning away.
"What the?" he mumbled to himself, unsure if his old eyes and ears were playing tricks on him. His confusion turned to concern as the drill quickly moved towards him. The elderly mechanic tried to back away but was quickly shoved against the wall by an unseen force, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before he could take a gasp, the drill was rammed into his left eye, boring into the poor mammal's brain. The screams of the armadillo were quickly drowned out by the loud whirl of the drill. After 20 seconds, old Edgar was dead, grotesquely pinned to the wall by the long drill bit.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
"We can't do it Becca, not after what happened!"
"Shut up Fay, Samantha would've wanted us to carry on!"
The past hour had been the same back and forth between the two seniors, Rachel silently watching the pair in their room as each tried to convince the other.
"This tradition is 138 years in the making, we can't just cancel it!" Becca said, trying to put her foot down."
"Our sister is DEAD, the house is HAUNTED and the only thing you're thinking of is this stupid party?!"
Desperate to break the gridlock, Becca turned to their new roommate. "Rachel, what do you think?"
The cat shrank back into her chair, not wanting to get involved.
Seeing her sister so distressed brought Becca back to reality. It'd been a distressing day for everyone. With a tired sigh, she continued.
"Ok…we'll…scale it down this year" she started. "Just sorority sisters and current boyfriends, no one else allowed."
Fay started to protest but Becca silenced the canine with her best alpha-bitch stare. The Beast Bash party was synonymous with their sorority house, making any cancellation unthinkable. 'The show must go on' she thought, and that evening it went off as planned.
By 8pm the sorority house was jumping as over 60 costumed partygoers drank punch, danced to music and played games. Rachel didn't feel up to partying tonight, so she was helping Fay operate the snack bar. Though Mrs. Slater would occasionally walk through the party, looking for alcohol, the sisters had it covered: the punch bowls contained normal fruit juice, but the ice cubes added to the cups was not frozen water, but frozen alcohol. It only took a few sips to feel the buzz.
"One cup of red please, extra ice"
Rachel prepared the drink, then almost spilled it when she saw who requested it, the man's white paw deftly catching the cup and steadying Rachel's own with a solid grip.
"Flurry?! What are you doing here?"
"I thought we told Ashley to keep you out!" Fay snarled.
"Yeah, well…$1000 credits opens a lot of doors, honestly, I'm surprised she didn't ask for more."
"Get out of here, or I'll call Mrs. Slater!" the canine shot back.
"Go ahead" Flurry retorted, taking a sip. "I'm sure she'd love to hear about your little ice trick."
Before Fay could tell him off, all eyes turned towards the front of the room as Becca made an announcement. "Attention Party Animals, it's time to commence our annual scavenger hunt." Becca said as freshmen handed out papers to everyone in attendance. The first sister to get back gets her own room next semester, the first guy will get a kiss from every girl in the house."
After taking a sheet Flurry turned to Rachel, flashing a predatory grin. "How about 30 kisses from YOU instead?" He then strode away, joining the quickly dispersing crowd.
While Fay ground her teeth at the fiendish fox, Rachel meekly stood by, unsure of what to do. She'd never seen Flurry work this hard for anything, much less a girl.
'Does he really care for me that much?' she thought, her mind a flurry of emotions. She snapped out of it when Becca came to the snack bar.
"Let's go bitches" she said with a playful smile. "Everything we need is already inside the house."
"Already inside?" a puzzled Fay replied. "But that's cheating!"
"Well duh" Becca nonchalantly said, rolling her eyes. "Why do you think two seniors win every year? Come on Rachel, I heard what Flurry said, just help my boyfriend and I gather the things and we'll keep that creep away."
Yesterday Rachel would've wholeheartedly agreed, but now she was far less sure. Her only response was to meekly nod her head.
"GREAT! My boyfriend's in the basement getting a trophy. Fay, you sneak into Mrs. Slater's room and grab her flashlight. I swiped Mr. Stone's doctorate, it's in the sauna by the pool, I'll head there. That just leaves you Rachel" the raccoon said with a mischievous grin. "We need a pair of lingerie, grab something cute" she finished with a wink. "Meet back here when you've got the goods."
As the trio split up to secure the items, Becca's boyfriend was already heading back with the trophy, something he'd stolen earlier that day from the athletics department. As he rounded a wall of boxes, he was surprised to see a bloody mannequin pinned to the wall.
"Woah, looks so real" he mumbled, sucking on his eighth 'ice' cube. The decoration was dressed in a maintenance outfit and looked strikingly like an armadillo he'd seen working around campus. "Freaky" he continued, touching the clothes and getting his paw wet with a sticky red liquid. "Looks just like…"
"BLOOD" a voice whispered into his ear. Spinning round, the raccoon wildly shone his flashlight around the cluttered room.
"Who's there!" he shouted, as much trying to intimidate his visitor as reassure himself. A ghostly fist soon smashed into the man's head, sending the raccoon reeling to the floor. Before the mammal could get up, he felt the presence of icy paws around his neck. Though he tried to fight off the unseen attacker, his strength was quickly ebbing away. The struggling soon stopped, the throttled raccoon laying still.
Outside the building, Becca quickly made her way round the edge of the sorority's pool and into the sauna. 'Gotcha' she thought as she pulled the framed doctorate out from under a bench. The raccoon gave a frightened yip when she heard the door slam shut behind her. "Damn wind" she cursed, walking over to open it. She grasped the handle and pulled…nothing. 'What the hell!" she seethed as she yanked on the handle repeatedly. As she kicked the door in frustration, her ears heard the whirl of the heater kicking on, eager to replace the chilly air that had been let inside. 'No No No'…"HELP!" She shouted, desperately banging on the door.
In a matter of seconds, the raccoon started to sweat, her exertions against the door only raising her body temperature faster. It didn't take long for the girl to tire, slowly sinking to the floor as the searing heat overwhelmed her. Four minutes later, she passed out, leaving the sauna as silent as the surrounding patio.
Inside the house, Fay was raiding Mrs. Slater's private room. Carefully opening the door, the canine slipped inside. Fay found the old hound snoring in her recliner chair, a bottle of whisky perched on the side table, next to her target.
'Looks like the rules don't apply to her!' Fay thought before crawling towards the dozing dog. As she reached for the flashlight, Fay was sure the hound would wake up any second, but to her immense relief the housemother continued to snore away, blissfully unaware of her presence.
'Gotcha' she thought, before slinking away and out the door, feeling relieved as soon as it closed behind her. 'Now to rendezvous with the girls.'
She quickly returned to the now-empty event room to await the others. In the span of 10 minutes the canine went from bored to annoyed. "Where the hell are they?" she grumbled before walking over to the punchbowl to get a drink. No sooner had Fay grasped the ladle than she felt a powerful grip on the back of her head, forcing her face into the red liquid. The punch gurgled like jets from a hot tub as the female dog desperately tried to fend-off the invisible presence. Slowly but surely, the bubbles died down: her struggles weakening. The grip slipped away from Fay's head, allowing the now limp dog to fall to the floor.
Upstairs, oblivious to the fate of her sisters, Rachel sat against the wall in her old room. The police cleaned up after the incident, but the gruesome image of her friend was seared into the poor cat's mind. She couldn't unsee Samantha's face nor the bloody message scrawled along the wall. Finally working up the resolve to complete the task, Rachel strode over and opened her underwear drawer…empty. Confused, she opened the next one, also empty. A quick check of her dresser and closet revealed her entire wardrobe missing. 'What the heck is going on?' she thought 'is this a prank?'
As she went to leave, the room's lights went out, plunging it into darkness. The cat immediately switched her goggles' setting for night vision, continuing towards the exit. As her hand reached for the handle, a disembodied voice called out in the room.
"Raaay-Chelll, looks like it's just US now."
Rachel swung around and scanned the empty room, seeing nothing, the anxious cat quickly sped out into the hallway before sprinting towards the stairs. As she ran down the corridor, the overhead lights shut off behind her one after another. It was as if the darkness itself was chasing her. Bounding down the stairs towards the event room, she expected to find her friends inside, yet found herself alone. "Becca, Fay…where are you!" she desperately shouted, only hearing the low drone of music left on from the party.
"RAAAY-CHELLL" the voice returned, emanating from the doorway behind her. The cat backed into the room, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and whatever was making that sound. As she frantically kept her head on a swivel, the cat saw blood begin to appear on the wall. First as incoherent splotches, but then as shapes and even letters, as if someone or something was painting while walking down the wall. The phrase 'I SEE YOU, CAN YOU SEE ME?' was scrawled on the wall, causing the cat to shriek. A new phrase of "SCAREDY CAT!" soon appeared, swiftly followed by "WHO CAN PROTECT YOU NOW?"
Rachel backed away as far as she could, soon putting the punch table between her and the ghostly author, her eyes never leaving the bloody words. As she continued to round the table, she tripped over something, dropping her to the floor.
"Oh my God…FAY!" she screamed, quickly moving to try to rouse the motionless canine. "Fay, wake up, PLEASE wake up" Rachel pleaded, tears streaking down her eyes.
"RACHEL!" A familiar voice called out. "RACHEL WHERE ARE YOU!"
"I'M IN HERE, HURRY!" Rachel responded, pulling her friend into a sitting hug.
Flurry burst into the room, sprinting towards the cowering cat. He soon pulled her up and wrapped her in a hug. "Are you ok?"
Rachel's only reply was to sob into his shoulder.
"Shhh, there there" the snow fox assured her while patting her back. "I'll keep you safe Rachel, you can count on it!"
"We have to get out of here!" Rachel said, finally finding her words. "We have to get help."
"Help? For what?"
"Fay's dead, and the others, they could be…be…" the cat trailed off, finally getting a look at the fox's face. Though his muzzle held a reassuring smile, it didn't reach his eyes. Those pools of blue she'd gazed into so many times before were frozen-over. They KNEW something…something terrible. Rachel broke off the hug and backed away from the vulpine, eyes widening, her body beginning to tremble.
"Rachel? What's wrong." Flurry said. The smile on his face slowly morphing from warm and comforting, to a sour rictus. "I see…well, I knew you'd work it out eventually."
The cat's back hit the wall, her eyes not leaving the fox in front of her. "You…you killed them! You killed them all!"
"I did it for us Rachel, can't you see? Those other girls were nothing more than a crutch. I HAD to do this, to show you how vulnerable you really are…but don't worry, I promise that with me by your side, you'll never be scared again" he finished, holding his arms open for a hug.
"YOUR CRAZY!"
"Crazy…?" the perplexed fox shot back "Sure…I'm crazy about YOU" he continued with a laugh. "It was hard finding a cloaking device that could fool your goggles, but I did…I'd do anything for you!"
"Get away from me!"
"Can't do that Rach" Flurry said, taking a step towards her "Not when we'll be spending the rest of our lives together."
"The cops, they'll arrest you!"
"For what?" he mockingly replied, walking over to a nearby closet. "Oh, you'll love this one Rachel" he said, grasping the handle "Let's see what's behind door number one!"
As he opened it, the body of Mrs. Slater fell out of the closet, welts and bruises covering her frame.
"It would appear that after 20 years, the old hound finally snapped. Hell, just 4 years here was enough to drive ME up the wall." He then pulled out a needle and flashed it to Rachel. "You know babe, I'm something of a medical expert myself, and my diagnosis is this crazy bitch, in a drug-induced rage, killed the others before suffering an overdose." Flurry jabbed the needle into the hound's neck before giving her a swift kick to the gut.
"Those chocolates weren't for you!" He barked before turning back to Rachel. "I actually have you and your friends to thank for helping me pull this off" the vulpine said, producing several empty plastic bags. "If y'all hadn't gone to that blood drive, I'd never be able to sell this" the fox continued, wiping the handle of a knife before placing it in the hound's paws. "When the cops match the blood on the blade to the mess in here, they'll fill in the blanks for us."
Flurry soon produced another syringe to show Rachel. "This one's for you, one bump of this and you'll sleep all the way to my family estate. It's a frozen hellhole up there, but don't worry, I'll keep you warm" he finished with a smile, a smile that Rachel did not return. 'What's her problem?' he thought, putting the syringe back into his pocket.
"Rachel, I'm doing this for us, can't you see?" Flurry said, advancing towards the terrified cat. He was within arm's reach before something caught his ankle.
"Rachel, RUN" Fay screamed from the floor "Get help!"
'You're still alive?!' Flurry thought in disbelief, before kicking the canine's head, knocking her senseless. Turning back, he was dismayed to see the kitten had skipped out on him. However, the cloaking suit wasn't his only card to play. He'd paid a fortune to Suneel in preparation for this. The IT major had been 'correcting' his failed report cards and drug tests for years now. Hacking into the sorority's system proved simple. With his wristcom, Flurry quickly locked all exterior doors and windows, trapping everyone inside. As fate would have it, the event room's music box began to play one of his favorite spooky songs. With a grin, he strode over and cranked it loud.
"I know you can hear me pretty kitty" his voice echoing throughout the dorm's intercom. "This'll be our song" he finished, activating his cloaking device and beginning the chase. The lyrics of SKYND's song Robert Hansen carrying throughout the building.
You better run run run…You better run run run
In the main entryway, Rachel struggled to open the front door, the keypad refusing her demands for an emergency exit. "Here kitty kitty" a voice sounded behind her, causing her to scream and run down the hallway. Rachel ran into the library, through the dining room, into the kitchen before exiting into the storage room. Ducking behind some boxes, the cat pulled up her wristcom but was dismayed to see its signal blocked.
"Boo" a voice whispered into her ear before unseen hands tore off her goggles. "I'll help you out Rach, my paw's right in front of you. Take it, and I'll lead you outta this dump. I've already packed your clothes."
Rachel responded by sprinting to her left, quickly opening the door and reentering the main hallway. Her swiftness caught the snow fox completely by surprise. Flurry always assumed she'd be helpless without her goggles. If he'd taken the time to ask, he'd have known she made a habit to memorize the building in case her goggles ever failed. As long as she was inside the dorm, she knew exactly where she was going.
'Come on girl, think, THINK' she thought, running down the hallway, a hand on the wall. Feeling the basement door ajar gave her an idea, she quickly ducked inside, making sure to slam it against the wall, she needed Flurry to quickly follow her inside.
"Come on Rach, this is getting old" the invisible voice said, charging through the dark door. The vulpine was so focused on snagging his girl that he didn't even see the leg sticking out from the doorway, tripping him. With a surprised shout, Flurry swung his arms wildly, trying to steady himself. He only managed to grasp a piece of the door before tumbling down the stairs.
"GAAAAAAH!" he screamed, slamming into the concrete floor. Attempting to stand, he quickly realized he couldn't feel his legs. His only consolation was the sound of Rachel struggling with the door. He'd pulled it closed, and it locked behind him. 'I can still do this' he thought, using his powerful arms to drag himself up the stairs, fantasizing about bringing his kitten home.
"Somebody, Anybody, Help!" Rachel screamed, banging against the door. Her sensitive ears picked up something slowly climbing the stairs, the sound of Flurry's voice giving her the chills.
"Flurry, how many times have I told you, 'I' will find you a suitable mate" Flurry said, mimicking his overbearing mother.
"Mommy, I want this one, she's AMAZING!" he continued.
"No…you need a vixen of good breeding, not some mangy stray."
"But Mommy, she's smart, and cute, and hot…oh SO hot…we'll give you a dozen grandkits…at least!"
"Well my son, when you put it like THAT, how can I refuse?"
"EXACTLY, as a cat she's PURRRfect."
"HELP!" Rachel screamed, the insane fox's dialogue adding a new level of creepiness to this already fucked up situation. She soon felt a paw around her ankle, pulling her to the ground. Rachel tried to wiggle away but quickly found herself trapped as the mangled vulpine pulled himself onto her.
"We'll be so happy together Rachel!" Flurry said. The blind cat feeling a cold wet mass dragged across her face as the fox slowly licked her cheek. With a swipe, the feline slashed her claws across the man's face.
"Ahhh" Flurry shouted, momentarily pulling back. Yet Rachel's ears soon heard the fox madly cackling away.
"Gee Rach, if you wanted to play rough…all you had to do was ask!"
The cat soon felt powerful paws close around her neck, relentlessly squeezing away.
"It's for your own good Rachel" Flurry said as if she could reply. "It's a dangerous world out there. The system is full of creeps who'd LOVE to take advantage of a sweet kitten like you" he continued, upping the pressure. "But don't worry, I'll keep them away!"
Rachel's mind raced, desperately seeking an escape, her life flashing before her eyes. Luckily, as a trained medic, an idea soon sprang into her head. Quickly, she started patting Flurry's pockets. 'Keys…a phone…my goggles…THERE!' she triumphantly thought.
"…and we'll have a whole litter of kits and GAH!" the fox screamed, feeling a needle jabbed into his neck. "Rachel?!" he said in disbelief "What did you…do…thaaaat…foooooorrrrr" he finished, collapsing on her. With a desperate heave, Rachel pushed away the unconscious fox's frame. Riffling through his clothes she soon returned her goggles and using his wristcom, unlocked the building.
Rachel tore through the front door like a bat out of hell. Before she knew it, she was in the street…a bright light racing towards her. Overwhelmed, the cat feinted in the middle of the road. She wasn't conscious to hear the squealing brakes of the police cruiser or the shouts of Officer Herring, trying to rouse her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Two days later, Rachel awoke to the sound of beeping. Squinting her eyes open, she saw the interior of a hospital bedroom. Various tubes and sensors were connected to her body. A doe nurse soon walked in.
"You're awake!" she excitedly said.
"What happened?" Rachel inquired, she remembered escaping the sorority house, but everything afterwards seemed fuzzy.
"Oh you poor thing" the doe sympathetically said. "You're lucky Officer Herring found you when he did, you were pretty banged up." Seeing the clearly distressed feline, the nurse tried to raise her spirits.
"I do have some good news though; a couple of your friends did make it out alive. In fact, one of them's been asking to see you. Do you feel up for a visitor?" she said, receiving a vigorous nod from the cat.
"I'll send them in," she said with a smile, before departing.
'Fay? Becca? Oh, thank heavens someone else made it out of there!' she thought, giving off a weak smile, a smile that died on her face when she saw a vulpine wheeled into her room. The only thing keeping her from letting loose a scream was the simple fact the arctic fox looked far worse than she did. Flurry wore a full-body cast, leaving only his frosty eyes peeping out from behind the plaster. An older snow fox grasped the wheelchair handles, pushing the invalid right beside her bed.
"So, you're the kitty that's got my brother so lovesick?" the fox said, shaking his head. "If I'm being honest, I expected someone a bit more…well…more" he disparagingly said. Not getting a response, he continued. "I'll be brief, Flurry here insists I give you one more chance to come with us."
"Fuck Off!" was her only response.
"Thought so" the fox said, with an amused chuckle. "Sorry bro, but it looks like this one got away."
"GmmgMgmgmm" came the muffled protest from inside the cast.
"Settle down bro, you don't want to bust ur bandages again!" the fox chided. "Mom's gonna freak when she sees you like this!" Turning to Rachel, he continued. "Flurry stitched-up that old bitch for the killings: the cops've already filed their report. Let me be plain: don't correct them, and you'll never see us again."
"GMMGMGGMMMGGMM" came from the bandages, Flurry violently disagreeing.
"I can't stop Romeo here from sending fan mail, but I can keep him away physically…deal?"
"He KILLED those people!" Rachel said, tears streaking down her face. "You can't just walk away from this!"
"I can and I will" the fox nonchalantly said. "Open your mouth, and the first thing we'll do is unplug that white collie upstairs. She's expected to come out of a coma in a few days, but depending on YOU it could be never!" Seeing Rachel's eyes widen in shock, he pressed his advantage. "And that's just the start! We know where your mother lives, if you blab to the cops, we'll get her next."
Silence was the only reply as Rachel sobbed in front of the foxes, pushed far past her emotional breaking point.
"Glad we understand each other!" the vulpine said, before wheeling his broken brother away. "Good luck being a combat medic Rachel" he shouted as he left. "If you made it through Flurry's little fun house, the Army'll be a piece of cake."
Rachel watched them go, the emotional tension threatening to tear her apart. She'd made it out alive, but at what cost?
-End