CYOA Page 95

[lumy12]

Page Ninety-Five

Your 'flight' instinct is kicking in stronger than anything else right now. You turn around and start to run. Run for your life!

At first, it doesn't seem that the big kitty is following you. Maybe it doesn't recognize you as prey. Maybe it's never seen a human, so it doesn't think-- wait -- nooooo -- It's coming! FUCK FUCK FUCK--

You're lucky you got a head start, but FUCK FUCK FUUUUUCK! When you reach the first mobile home, you tug desperately at the door -- and it won't fucking open! The patio-- you tend to have better luck with the sliding doors anyhow -- you lost precious seconds tugging on the front doorknob, but the cougar didn't see you turn the last two corners, so you're okay... I'm okay... I can make it... you stumble in the near-darkness, as the moon is lighting the opposite side. You have no idea where your flashlight is now, or your gun, for that matter; you must have lost them somewhere along the way. You stumble onto the patio deck and feel for the door you know is there somewhere -- out of the corner of your eye, you see the glowing yellow-green eyes of the cougar -- advancing toward you so fast FUCKFUCKFUCK--

You find the door and tug frantically on it... it's not locked, it just won't budge more than two inches! You pull on the handle with one hand and the edge of the door itself with the other. The cougar seems momentarily confused by the railing separating you, but it must have managed to leap or climb over it because right when you un-stick the door (and you really un-stick it: it whooshes all the way to the left, not just enough to admit you but also the cougar) -- an explosion of pain -- in your neck! your shoulder -- it's going to--

No-- You can still run -- what you felt was its claws raking you, not its jaws locking onto you -- you don't have time to feel the fiery-hot pain, or even to close the door -- you run straight back, quite blindly as it's even darker in here than on the patio, slamming into obstacles you can't see -- a chair? a table? then something else that topples over and trips you -- then a wall, or cabinet, or -- whatever -- you've made it to a hallway, with the cougar right on your tail, and you're not sure it can fit in this narrow hallway... until it does--

You're in a bedroom! With a door! You slam the door shut and fumble for a lock, your hand shaking... you're not sure it works, but if it does, you've locked the fucking thing. With the cougar on the other side.

You're safe.

Unless the big cat is strong enough to barrel right through the door... you hear it scratching, snarling... the door stays shut...

I'm safe!

Your upper back -- your shoulder? -- stings, but you're not in excruciating pain, so the slashes probably aren't very deep. Wearing three layers of clothing must have helped with that! In fact, you felt its paw moving over your back, but it seems the only place it connected with your flesh was up there by your neck. You sink onto the small bed, which appears to be corpse-free, if not dust-free... and you're sure you ran through some cobwebs back there... you don't give a shit about any of that. Because you're safe!

You lay down on your side, hugging yourself to try to stop the shaking. It's pitch-black in the room (you probably should have felt around for some curtains to open before laying down) and you keep seeing those eerie scary-as-fuck eyes, glowing right in front of your face. And you thought the kid's eyes were scary?! You take deep breaths, reminding yourself over and over that you're safe now and stop thinking about those eyes already, for fuck's sake!

Great... now you have more fuel for your nightmares. As if the infected and hunters and soldiers aren't bad enough. -And David -- he gets his own special category.

How long is the fucking animal going to wait outside your door? You're not sure if it's even still there or not, and you're not about to check. You feel a momentary prick of terror for Joel, because what if Kitty decides to pay him a visit-- ohhhhh, wait -- he's safe as long as he stays inside. But what if he wakes up and wonders where you are... then goes wandering around to look for you, calling your name... attracting the cougar's attention...

No. Unlike you, Joel's not an idiot! you remind yourself. He may go looking for you, yes, but he'd bring some gear with him.

But what about the horses? Could they fight off this beast? Horses are not predatory animals, but they defend themselves when they have to... right?

Joel would probably wake up if the horses started making a ruckus. But by then, wouldn't it be too late?

You're too freaked out right now to risk opening the door to check on the cougar. You don't even think about that as a real possibility... for a long time. Hours, maybe? Or do you just feel like it's been hours because you're laying there wide awake, tormented by unpleasant thoughts and the sting of your wound?

However much time has passed, it's still dark out when you finally sit up and find some curtains to peek through. You desperately want to be with Joel. Surely the cougar's lost interest in you by now... how long do cats stand guard by mouse holes when there's no sign of the mouse ever emerging?

But in your mind, you still see those fucking eyes. Opening the door is a mildly scary thought... and the thought of stepping outside, with no flashlight and no weapon, is terrifying.



If you feel brave enough to risk venturing out to return to your 'campsite,' turn to page 166.

If you'd rather wait for daylight, turn to page 172.

Comments

carlos

[(Anonymous)]

interesting...