I’ve always loved cats, but something happened to me that made me question everything I thought I knew about them. It started on a dark and stormy night, as cliché as it sounds, when I was walking home from work.
I heard a faint meowing coming from an alleyway, and being the cat lover that I am, I couldn’t help but investigate. I peered into the darkness and saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at me.
I should have turned back. I should have listened to my instincts and left the alleyway. But I was curious, and I took a step forward.
That’s when I smelled it. A pungent, musky odor that made my nose itch and my eyes water. It was the kind of smell that made you want to cover your nose and run away. But I couldn’t. I was frozen in place, staring at the glowing eyes in front of me.
Suddenly, the cat leaped out of the shadows and landed on my chest. Its eyes blazed with an unnatural intensity, and its fur bristled with an aggressive energy.
I tried to push the cat away, but it clung to me with sharp claws and teeth. Its fur brushed against my face, and I gagged at the overpowering smell. It was like nothing I had ever encountered before - a sickly, animalistic odor that made me feel sick to my stomach.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was what happened next. The cat started to speak to me, in a low, guttural voice that sounded like it was coming from deep within its throat.
“Stay away,” it hissed. “Leave this place. You are not welcome here.”
I was terrified, but I couldn’t move. I was rooted to the spot, unable to break free from the cat’s grasp.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the cat disappeared back into the darkness, leaving me alone in the alleyway, shaking and covered in sweat.
That was the first time I encountered the cat, but it wouldn’t be the last. It started to follow me, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing just as quickly. I started to see it everywhere - on my way to work, in the park, even in my own backyard.
And every time it spoke to me, warning me to stay away, I felt a sense of dread wash over me. I knew that something was wrong, that this cat was more than just a stray animal.
One night, as I was walking home from work, I saw the cat again. This time, it wasn’t alone. There were dozens of cats with it, all staring at me with the same glowing green eyes.
I knew then that I had to leave the city. I packed my bags and left that same night, driving as far away as I could.
But even now, as I sit in my new home, miles away from that alleyway, I can’t shake the feeling that something is watching me. Something that smells like a cat, but isn’t a cat. Something that wants me to stay away, no matter what.