I’ve never been one to second guess an animal’s nature.
Hello everyone, My name is Ivory Hall. I’ve recently just settled into my own modern house somewhat far from civilization, but to be a bit more specific, I purchased a vacant and privately owned plot of land in Bridger-Teton National Forest (Wyoming) as a way to get away from the difficulties I’ve had in my past. It’s quite a nice place, not another human being for miles at least. Deep in the forest, living on the newly bought inholding, that’s where I feel most at peace, and the scenery is complete eye candy.
That’s beside the point though, I’m not here to bore you with details about my personal life, or the view of my residence…no. There’s a much more serious matter I need to discuss.
I was never too particularly observant of my cat, (a small female calico kitten), nothing has ever really drawn my immediate attention to her, no minor or major accidents, any injuries, nothing. For the most part, she was relatively calm, save for the constant meowing, signaling either the need for attention or that it was dinner time for her. She was a great cat and an even better friend, there was nothing better than for her to curl up and sleep at the foot of the bed, and for her oh-so-audible greetings.
Was though… Was
My concern began when she disappeared. I had no damn idea where she would have gone, at first, I was convinced that she was simply hiding out in the house for weeks on end like she usually does, however, after continuous weeks of searching for her, I was led to believe that she somehow got out of the house, which was odd since she has a fondness of staying inside. The moment that weeks turned into months, I got worried, both flyers and countless hours of searching for months with no leads on where she could be broken, as I’ve had that cat with me for most of my life.
I gave up…
It had only been two weeks since she turned up on my doorstep in the night, wet, shivering, and covered in dried blood that seemed to be matted to her fur…or…what was left of it anyway. “Fucking Christ…” I whispered in complete shock, at first glance, I was unsure it was even my own cat, yet upon further inspection, however…I could conclude that it was indeed my cat, just by the color of what little fur there was left, and the size of her build. Immediately to emergency care she went, the poor girl looked like she was hanging on her last thread, and honestly, from the way she both moved about and appeared… I was not too hopeful that she would make it.
The results of her appointment turned out as expected, broken bones, and multiple scars, it seemed that wherever she ended up…she had been roughed up pretty fucking bad, after examination and treatment, she was finally able to return home. For the past few days, I’ve decided to keep a close eye on her. Employed remotely as an IT specialist provides me plenty of time to monitor her, as appointed by the veterinarian. For the most part, everything seemed fine, she had spent most of her time sleeping and wobbling around. Everything appeared to be alright, but…eyes can sometimes deceive, and oh, how mine did.
Again, I had never been one to second guess an animal’s nature…but things are always subject to change.
It was the wobbling, starting as a simple sway back and forth, that has now turned into harsh and violent jerking…almost as if she was forcing herself to move around, but had forgotten that she had legs. it was terrifying to even watch.
It seemed so unnatural, and the way she watches me from countertops, eyes that felt so human-like, and especially the meowing, which seems to be, at this point, just low and scratchy hoarse tones forced from her throat…overlooking it, for the time being, was the last thing I should have done.
I usually sleep with my bedroom door open, in case of an emergency, I’ll have a quick exit. Just hours ago this night, however, I was startled by sounds of crackling, and what seemed like a sound I can only explain as the breaking of bones, coming from right outside the bedroom door…it was so damn close. “What the fuck!” were the only breathy words that seemed to be able to escape my mouth, jolting up curious, but more disturbed and scared shitless more than anything, I grabbed for my phone in the darkness, I needed a source of light, I needed to see whatever the fuck was making that horrid noise outside my bedroom. I had made what I felt to be a mistake, I had barely gotten my hand around my phone before what sounded like crawling and scraping, raced away from my bedroom door, and down the hallway at what seemed like incredible speed. Shining the light emitting from my phone confirmed to me that, whatever it was, was now gone. I was petrified, frozen in place.
After hours of constant reassurance that its all in my head, I’m finally able to muster up the courage to even fucking move. I’m trying to convince myself that it could have been a wild animal that had broken into the house, and is most likely still here, or that I may have a rat problem now, but for some reason…as I sit here, typing this… I feel nauseous, I feel a sense of dread like none other, my heart is racing fast and my mind even faster, everything keeps leading back to the odd behavior of my cat, and for some unexplainable reason, I feel like letting her in was…unwise, nothing about what had just occurred seemed like it could be justified by anything normal.
I suppose I’ll have to wait this night out, and explain the source of the noises to myself tomorrow morning. I’m going to try to get what little rest I can at this time. Will keep you all updated.