Stray

by Ian F Doyle

The dark October night was broken only by the evenly spaced orange glow of street lights. Lisa dozed in the back of the car, exhausted.  Despite the odds, their new miracle slept beside her, occasionally burbling in her own language.  Mark could hardly believe he was a father, kept glancing back to make sure she was really there. That it wasn’t some sick nightmare. 

They’d been trying to have a child for two years before Lisa announced she was pregnant.  Not trusting fate this time they’d undergone all the tests available, until they were sure it wasn’t a cruel joke. Nine months later, there she was.  Little Catherine with all her fingers, toes and bright blue eyes.  The sound of tyres rolling over leaves snapped him out of his reverie and he quickly put the car back on track.  Catherine started a high pitched cry that instantly roused Lisa into alert action.  Throwing him a look she set about calming their baby.

Both of his girls had fallen back to sleep within minutes.  Turning into their estate Mark allowed himself a yawn.  They drove past their neighbours houses, each lit brightly from within. Their warmth leeching out into the cold dark evening.  Theirs was the only house in darkness and as he turned into the driveway he dreaded the fact that it would be cold for Catherine. As the light from the headlamps crept up the driveway they reflected back from two piercing yellow eyes.  He jammed on the breaks.  A thud came from the front of the car, followed by a cat’s high pitched scream.  A scream even louder than that coming from Catherine in the back of the car.  More daggers from Lisa.

“Shit, I think I hit a cat Li.”

“Shh honey, its okay,” she cooed as she lifted Catherine from the car seat.

“Stay here, I’ll go check.”

“Okay, will you run in and throw on the heating too babe?”

“Sure, be right back.”

Mark shivered as he got out of the car, his breath misting in the cold damp air.  The garden was dark, lit only by the cars headlights.  Moving to the front of the car he knelt, there was nothing there.  He pulled out his phone and flipped on the torch, using it to quickly scan the rest of the garden.  Yellow eyes shone from the hedge.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” he called softly, reaching towards the hedge.  “Let me see if you’re okay, come here.”

The eyes stared un-moving.  He edged closer, still pleading softly with the injured cat.  The eyes moved back with an angry hiss.  Claws swiped warningly.

“Babe, the cat’s alive.  Leave it be and grab the stuff from the boot.  We can come back out for it.” Lisa said as she carried Catherine into the house.

Mark followed through the front door. He was startled by a black blur streaking past him and up the stairs.

“What the fu-?”

“Was that the cat?” Lisa asked as she bundled Catherine into the living room.

“Go find it babe.”

“Man that was fast, can’t have hurt it too bad I suppose.  Close the living room door Li, it went upstairs. I’ll grab it and toss it out.”

“Only if it’s not hurt, we can’t toss a poor injured kitty out into the cold.”

“We are not keeping it Lisa.  We have more than enough to look after now.”

“Just get the cat babe,” she said leaning up to kiss him on the cheek before slipping back into the living room.

Mark hit the switch for the landing light but nothing happened. He made his way slowly up the stairs.  He got to the top and the bulb finally came on. He cursed against the sudden brightness.  Barely caught sight of a black tail slipping into his bedroom. 

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” he called as he moved towards the room.

He reached the doorway to their room and pressed the switch for the light.  The bulb on the landing exploded.  Shards stung his face.  The top floor was plunged into darkness.  Mark swore, flicking the bedroom light switch with no effect.  The cat hissed from somewhere in the darkness.  Startled, Mark stepped back into the light that had climbed the stairs.

“You okay babe?” Lisa called up.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry the bulb blew… scared the shit out of me.  Damn cat is hissing up a storm too.”

“Awh, need me to come save you from the big bad kitty?”

“You’re hilarious, I can manage thanks.”

“Go easy on him Kitty,” she called with a giggle before he heard the living room door click shut again.  He jumped as the bedroom light flickered into life.  The cat’s hiss abruptly silenced.  Mustering his courage and trying to fight the adrenaline coursing through him, Mark strode into the room.  Nothing.

“God damn it cat, where the fuck are you now?”

He began to search. Looked under the bed.  Lifted the dirty clothes from the floor.  Nothing.  The curtain across the nursery entrance twitched.

“Ah, you better not be in Catherine’s crib or so help me God.”

He rushed to the curtain and yanked it aside.  A hiss, a sharp pain in his hand.  He yanked it back as the cat leapt from the pole and ran from the room with a squeal.  He could hear it tumble as it missed a couple of steps on the stairs.  His hand stung; there were three long scratches, the middle one slowly oozing a red drop of blood.

“Stupid cat.  Hey Li, it’s run down there watch out.”

“It’s ok, I have her babe.  She’s hurt her leg.”

Mark came down to the sound of purring and soothing nonsense from Lisa.  Sitting in her lap, one leg held gingerly was a medium sized pitch black cat.  It’s fur was sleek and it’s eyes seemed to glow an eerie yellow.  As he came through the door the cat licked it’s paw slowly, strange eyes fixed on his.

“That fucking thing scratched me, look!”  He held his hand out to Lisa.

“Oh stop being a baby, it’s only a scratch.  Look what you did, the poor girl can’t lower her leg.”

“It had no problem upstairs, climbed the curtain in the nursery.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, she couldn’t have.”

“It did,” he shouted.

Catherine started awake again, crying with all the might of a baby’s lungs.  Before either of them could move the cat leapt down and sat by her, purring.  Her cries stopped instantly, turning to an excited gurgle instead.  The cat sat staring at her, purring contentedly.  Lisa looked to Mark, looked at him with those big brown eyes.  Lip pouting.

“Awh babe, look at that, she loves her.  We have to keep her.”

“No way, that thing gives me the creeps and it’s leaving right now.”

He reached down to grab the cat, with a screech she leapt into Lisa’s lap, Catherine resuming her cries as soon as it left her side.  Lisa knelt with the cat beside the baby, trying to calm her again.  The cat poked it’s head around her back and bared her teeth at him in a silent hiss.

“Baby that thing has to go.”

“No, I’m keeping her.  She’s keeping Catherine quiet and you know I’ve always wanted a cat.  She’ll grow on you as soon as she forgives you for hitting her with the car.”

Recognising the look on her face Mark knew it was pointless to argue.  It was that ‘this is happening and we both know it is’ look.

“Fine, but it’s getting locked in the kitchen tonight.”

“Fine. Go clean up your hand babe, and change the bulb on the landing would you?”  Not waiting for an answer she turned back and started petting the cat with one hand and playing with Catherine’s tiny hands with the other.  The cat licked it’s paw again before turning it’s eyes from his dismissively.

_______________

“Now stay here you little shit, tomorrow you’re out,” Mark said with great satisfaction as he closed the kitchen door on the hissing cat.  He got to their room just as Lisa had put Catherine down in the crib.  He put his arm around Lisa as they both stood watching her sleep for several long minutes.

“Can you believe we made something so perfect?” she whispered.

“She’s just like her mother.”  They quickly fell asleep, the long day having caught up to them both. 

Mark jerked awake.

“Is that the baby, Li?”

“Hmm, no, it’s some cats outside babe, go back to sleep.”

She rolled over and pulled him to her, instantly dozing off again. He lay there for a few minutes listening to the local cats baby-like cries from outside.  Shuddering with each cry he drifted back to sleep.

He woke with his heart pounding, adrenaline pumping through him.  Something was terribly wrong.  He leapt from the bed and ran for the light.  Nothing, the room remained black.  Darker than it should be.

“Li, Li, wake up,” he called.

She didn’t stir.  He ran to her and shook her.  Nothing.  “Li, Lisa.. baby wake up!”

Nothing but her steady breathing in the dark.  Just audible above the rising baby cries of the cats outside.  No, not all cats.  Not all outside. 

He tore aside the curtain to the nursery. It and the pole fell off the wall, knocking him to the ground as the pole struck his head.  Through blurry eyes, the room dimly lit by a nearby street lamp, he found the source of the cries.  The cat sat beside Catherine’s tiny head at the top of the crib.  One black paw rested on her brow.  It looked at him and there was no mistaking it.  It’s eyes were glowing a vivid yellow.  As his head cleared Mark realised that everything was wrong.  The baby cries weren’t coming from Catherine. They came from the cat; every time it opened its mouth, his daughters’ cries poured into the room.

“Get away from my daughter,” he screamed as he lunged at the cat.  The cat leapt at him.  Its sharp teeth dug into his throat.  Pain.

Mark woke with a start.  Panic rushing through his body.

“Babe, whats wrong?  Babe?”

Ignoring Lisa, he ran to the nursery and pulled the curtain aside.  Catherine lay in the crib, gurgling softly to herself.  Not a care in the world.

“Mark your scaring me, what the hell are you-”

“Sorry baby, it must have been a bad dream.  She’s okay. I’m okay. That fucking cat is going now!”

He ran downstairs. Banged open the kitchen door.  Nothing.  He looked around the small kitchen, no cat.

“Li, where’s the cat?” he shouted up the stairs.

“Didn’t you lock it in the kitchen?”

“Yeah, but it’s not here, where the fuck is it Li?” he roared.

“Babe, calm down,” Lisa said as she came into the room, “It must have gotten out, look the window’s open.”

He rushed across and closed the window. “Good fucking riddance.”

Catherine started crying upstairs. They both went to check on her.  Lisa bent to pick her up. Putting her over her shoulder. Patting her on the back.  Mark made faces and noises at her.  Her smile vanished. She slowly licked her hand as she met his eyes.  Hers flashed an eerie yellow.  Mark’s  breath fled in a wordless, horrified scream. 

Cat smiled. In the garden, a sleek pitch black cat began it’s baby-cry.  Bright blue eyes wide with confusion.

Cover Photo by Hannah Troupe on Unsplash