The Cat God's Game (1)

Kat and Marco’s chests were heavy with pain as their hearts raced. The two had been running nonstop for the past several minutes down the gravel road, heading toward town. Any stray sound from the surrounding cornfields was cause for alarm. The cloudy night sky blotted out the moon, making it difficult to see what lay behind the cornstalks.

Despite how late it was, the summer heat refused to let up. The nightly breeze that would ease the discomfort instead felt like someone duct-taped a space heater to a humidifier.

“I… I can’t…” Marco said, stumbling to a stop. He leaned forward, gripping his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

When Kat noticed he’d stopped, she ran over and grabbed his wrist. “You can’t stop now, Marco!” Kat yelled between pants. “You’ve got to live! You’ve got… to keep going!”

Marco spat out a mouthful of saliva that had built up. “Y-yeah.”

The two resumed running for their lives.

They were the last of their group still alive, or at least that they knew of. Just minutes ago when they were cornered by the zombies, Maria acted as a decoy to lure them away. She had entrusted Kat with the safety of her younger brother; the last of her siblings that had yet to transform into the brain-eating, cannibalistic monsters. Her chances of making it out alive were slim. But still, Kat and Marco prayed that she got away. That she’ll be waiting for them at the safe house at the other end of town, alive and well. She’d welcome them with a huge hug.

“There!” Kat cried out. “We’re almost there! We’re gonna make it! We’re gonna survive!”

Off in the distance, they could see the lights from town; a beacon of hope. It was just down the road, less than a mile from where they stood. They were almost at the home stretch.

“Look out!” Marco yelled.

The two stopped in their tracks. Up ahead was a pair of shadowy figures, almost similar in appearance. Even though they were difficult to make out in the darkness of night, Marco knew exactly who they were.

“Gabriel and Gabriella…” he said.

It was indeed Gabriel and Gabriella. To be more exact, it was their corpses. There was a red X marked on their foreheads, signifying that they had been transformed into the living dead. They mumbled incomprehensibly as they started marching forward, extending their hands.

“This is gonna be tough,” Kat said. She knelt down to the ground. “Quick, get on my back. I think I might be able to jump over them.”

But Marco did not move. He watched as his once siblings inched slowly closer to them.

“Marco!” Kat yelled.

“Go,” he said.

Kat’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“You go. I’ll try to hold them off.”

“I can’t!” Kat said, refusing his request. “Maria told me to protect you!”

“It’s okay, Kat. You did all that you can. It’s fine.”

“But if—”

“My family’s dead!” Marco yelled.

His sudden yelling caught Kat by surprise.

“Do you honestly think I could live with myself knowing that I was the last to survive of my brothers and sisters? That I left them behind so that I could keep going selfishly?” He shook his head. “I can’t abandon them, Kat. So go! Go on without me! I’ll distract them!”

“You can’t!” Kat cried out.

“It’s fine. At least this way I’ll get to be with my family again. So go, Kat. Don’t let my sacrifice be a waste! Live out the rest of your life!” He stepped forward and held open his arms.

“Marco!” Kat yelled.

Marco looked back at Kat. “You know, Kat. There’s something I regret never getting around to say. Kat, I lo—”

Suddenly, a small, child-life figure covered in white fur leaped out from the cornfield and onto Marco. He fell back onto his butt as the figure held him down. “Got ya!” she yelled.

“Darnit!” Marco cursed. “I had a dramatic scene going on!”

Seeing their older brother pinned to the ground, the twins came running, each pulling out a red marker.

“Okay, gotta go!” Kat told Marco as she ditched him.

“Wait! Kat! Come back! I changed my mind! I wanna liiiiive!”

She ignored his cries for help as she hopped over the twins and continued running.

Without Marco slowing her down anymore, Kat quickly made it to town. All the stores had long since closed for the night, outside of the diner, which transformed into the town bar during the evenings. Some of the adults were relaxing outside the diner drinking beer.

“Hey Kat! What’s the rush?” one called out to her.

“Zombies!” she replied.

They nodded and went back to their conversation with the other adults.

Kat stood outside of her mom’s tailor shop. The safe house in their game of zombies. Once she stepped inside, she’ll have won.

“Made it…” Kat said, tired out from all the running she’d been doing that night.

But before she could enter, she saw someone walk out from the front entrance, wearing a familiar gothic lolita outfit and parasol obscuring her face.

It was Maria.

With a burst of excitement, Kat ran up and embraced her.

“Whoa!” Maria said with a blush, surprised by Kat’s sudden embrace.

“I can’t believe you managed to getaway! I mean, I knew you would, of course! If anyone could get out of a pickle, it’s you, Maria! So, how’d you give the others the slip?”

A red felt tip marker drew across Kat’s cheek.

“...Huh?” Kat said, wondering what just happened.

It was only then that Kat noticed the red X on Maria’s face.

“W-what?! You were a zombie?! But you were inside the safehouse, and zombies can’t go in the safehouse!”

“I went inside to use your bathroom,” Maria said. “You were the one who assumed I was fine and hugged me.”

Kat jumped backward to the street. “Then I want a do-over!” she demanded. “You were just walking out of my house, so I didn’t know! I should get a freebie!”

“Kat out too?” Marco asked.

Marco and the rest of the gang came walking shortly after. Each of them had a red X marked on their face.

“No, I’m not!” Kat argued. “Maria was coming out of my house, so I thought she was still human! It’s not fair!”

“Stop being such a sore loser,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah, ya sore loser,” Gabriella replied.

The other siblings started chanting “sore loser,” as if rubbing the salt in Kat’s self-inflicted wounds.

“I am not!” Kat argued back. “I demand a redo!”

“Um… I think she should get a redo,” Carlos said.

“No way! When I was a stray, Boss always said not to act careless, or else you might get yourself killed!” the young catgirl said.

Marco nodded. “Yeah. What Isabella said,” he said while patting her head.

Isabella smiled brightly from the head pats.

Outnumbered by the objections, Kat relinquished her argument and accepted the loss. Arguing with a bunch of kids over what’s more or less an elaborate game of tag was incredibly petty, after all.

“Okay, okay! Fine! I lost! How about another round? This time your guy’s place is the safe house?” Kat suggested.

Maria pulled out her phone to inspect the time. “It’s getting kind of late. I think we should call it a night.”

There was a chorus of disappointing “awws!” from everyone.

“If you tire yourselves too much, you’ll be too tired to get ready for bed,” Maria argued.

“Okay, fine,” Marco said on behalf of the gang. “But only if we can have an ice cream from pop’s on the walk back!”

Everyone’s eyes lit up on the idea of ice cream.

Maria’s first instinct was to reject Marco’s negotiations, but then she figured everyone had been running around, burning a lot of calories. Plus it was really hot out that night, and she wasn’t entirely against the idea of having a cold treat on the couple-mile walk back to the house.

“Fine,” she smiled.

Her siblings and Isabella cheered in excitement.

“What’s ice cream?” Isabella asked honestly once the cheering stopped.

“What?! You don’t know what ice cream is?!” Patricia gasped.

“Well duh,” Veronica responded. “Isabella used to be a cat, remember?”

“Oh, right,” she said before turning to Isabella. “It’s a super tasty dessert made from frozen cream! It’s best when it’s hot out! You’ll love it!”

Isabella grew excited by the description. “I want some!”

Maria frowned, placing her hand to her chin. “I dunno. Cats are lactose intolerant, so it might not be good for Isabella.”

“What?!” Kat yelled in shock. “They’re lactose intolerant?! I thought you could give them milk!”

“Have you ever given Ludwig milk to drink?”

“Well… no,” Kat replied. “But I’ve been eating cereal with milk every day and I haven’t gotten sick.”

“That’s because you’re—” Maria cut herself off, as she was about to explain that Kat wasn’t exactly a complete cat. But neither was Isabella. Even so, Kat was a human turned catgirl, whereas Isabella was a cat turned catgirl. Maria wasn’t sure if that made a difference or not.

After some mental deliberation, Maria squatted down next to Isabella and placed her hand on her head. “I’ll get you one, but if you start feeling sick, stop eating it immediately, okay?”

Isabella nodded.

“Great!” Kat shouted. “Let’s go to pops!”

Kat led the group to the diner, where they crowded inside at the bar. Each of them ordered vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone. Some of the adults enjoying their beer saw the kids getting ice cream and wound up ordering some themselves. One person even had a scoop placed inside their mug to make a beer float for laughs.

With ice cream cones in hand, the group started heading back to Maria’s, licking their frozen treats along the way. Isabella was hesitant at first in eating it. She studied it in her hands and did a taste test. The moment her tongue touched the ice cream and the vanilla flavoring exploded in her mouth, she was hooked.

Walking behind the group of excited kids were Kat and Maria, enjoying their dessert more slowly.

“You don’t have to walk all the way back with us,” Maria said.

“Bah, it’s fine. Allows me to hang out a little bit longer. Besides, if I run full speed back home I’ll be back in no time,” she said, holding a thumbs up.

Maria smiled and licked her ice cream. “So, school’s starting up in a week.”

“Bleeeegh,” Kat faked barfed. “Don’t remind me.”

To Kat, that summer vacation seemed to come and go. It was a nonstop gauntlet of challenges, starting with her becoming a catgirl and dealing with the fallout from it. She had gotten to meet and befriend a literal Kingdom of Cats, and even attended one of their naming rituals. Not to mention her daily training regimen to get reacclimated with water so she could enjoy the community pool again.

“And don't forget the catnip incident,” Maria reminded her.

“Argh! I've been trying to forget about that!” Kat yelled. “Now I gotta start all over in forgetting again!”

“Sorry,” Maria chuckled.

“But yeah,” Kat said, licking her ice cream. “Sure has been one eventful summer.”

“Did it live up to your expectations as the ‘final summer vacation’ before graduation?”

Kat pondered for a moment. “It sure as heck didn't turn out how I planned for things to go.”

“As often is the case with life,” Maria commented.

“Uh-huh. But as a whole? Yeah. It's been a lot of fun.”

Maria smiled. “I'm glad you got your wish in the end.”

Suddenly, Kat stopped walking. “However...”

Maria turned, looking at Kat with confusion. “However?”

“I still haven't found that stupid cat god!!!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, echoing out across the cornfield.

Everyone stopped, turning their attention to Kat to see what was going on.

“Not once have I gotten any sort of lead to finding that jerk! The only other time it popped up was when Boss and Isabella ran into it, but nothing for weeks now! No signs! No other cat or person running into it! Nothing!”

Marco sighed, then chomped the rest of his ice cream cone. “You still going on about finding that cat god? I thought you'd accepted the fact that you're a catgirl for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah,” commented the other siblings.

“I have not!” Kat yelled. “Every day I've been looking all over! I've even asked the Kingdom of Cats for help, too!”

Isabella nodded. “It's true. I often hear the others complain about Kat bothering them all the time asking about The Cat God.”

Taken aback, Kat slumped her head. “Have I really been that annoying to them?”

“Uh-huh,” Isabella answered without hesitation.

Kat knelt down on the ground in despair. “So that's how it is, huh? I'm a bother, huh?”

Maria got down and patted Kat on her shoulder, with Carlos coming up shortly after and copying her.

“There, there,” Maria said.

Marco couldn't help but laugh. “Man, you sure are blunt, Isabella!”

Isabella tilted her head in confusion.

“Just because it's true, doesn't mean you need to let her know. Now she feels bad and depressed.”

“Oooh,” Isabella said, before lowering her ears. “I didn't mean to make her feel sad.”

Gabriel and Gabriella leaned on each of Isabella's shoulders.

“Sometimes when you know something you say is going to make someone feel bad, it's best to lie to them,” Gabriella said.

“Yeah,” Gabriel added. “Instead of saying that she's been a bother, tell her that everyone is perfectly fine being harassed all the time.”

“Or that her fur really does look nice.”

“Or that her being a catgirl isn't weird at all.”

“Or that her breath doesn't reek of fish.”

“Or that she isn't stupid for a teenager.”

“Or that she's cute.”

The twins kept listing off thing after thing, each one feeling like a slap to Kat's psyche. Finally, after one too many, Kat released her claws.

“So that's what you really think of me, huh?!” she said, glaring at the twins with her fangs exposed.

The twins gulped in fear, then sprinted into the cornfield to escape her wrath.

“You're not getting away that easy!” Kat yelled, leaping into the cornfield after them.

Marco, Veronica, and Patricia fell to the ground laughing from both the barrage of insults directed at Kat and them facing retribution for their actions. Isabella stared in confusion, only to join in on the laughter as not to feel left out.

Maria approached her and put a hand on her hand. “Don't listen to those two. They were purposely giving you bad advice.”

Isabella crooked her head again. “Huh?”

A minute later, the twins came running out of the cornfield exhausted. They collapsed on top of one another on the ground, with Kat hopping out from behind the cornstalks.

“Is that all ya got?” she chided the pair.

Neither had the energy to react.

“If anything, having become a catgirl sure did multiply your already-endless energy,” Maria commented.

Kat stood proud at the comment. “You know it!”

The group resumed walking to Maria's family's farm.

***

“It's late,” Marshmallow said, pacing back and forth outside the entrance to the property.

“It's fine, Marshmallow,” Boss replied.

“I don't care if she's a catgirl now! She's still a kitten, and all kittens need to be back home before sundown!”

“She's with Kat and the other human children, so she'll be fine.”

“Have you seen what some of those human children are capable of? I've watched their roughhousing! I know the things they're teaching Isabella! They're turning her into a delinquent!”

Boss didn't comment on that particular accusation.

“And then Isabella relays whatever weird thoughts to the other young members of the Kingdom of Cats! Soon they'll all be delinquents!”

“I do not think it'll come to that, Marshmallow.”

Marshmallow stopped pacing. “Yeah... Maybe I'm just overthinking things.”

WOOF!

Marshmallow jumped from Charles Bark-ly's loud bark.

Boss knelt down and scratched Charles Bark-ly behind the ear, who wagged his tail and stuck his tongue out. “Sounds like he agrees with you.”

Marshmallow glared at the dog. He didn't quite trust it, recalling how hostile it was when they first arrived at Maria's family farm. But somehow Boss managed to get it to go against its instincts and befriend everyone in the Kingdom of Cats. What Boss did to achieve such a feat, Marshmallow didn't know. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to know, either. He went back to pacing, silently complaining how long it's taking Isabella to come home.

Ever since she and Boss were transformed by The Cat God, Marshmallow felt a sense of guilt. The only reason it happened was because he’d let her give him the slip that night. Even after Boss said he was solely responsible, being the one to let her continue walking with him that night and engaging with The Cat God, Marshmallow continued to blame himself. Worse yet, after failing to act as a leader for the Kingdom of Cats during Boss' absence, he felt the need to try and prove his worth. As a result, he’d more or less designated himself as Isabella’s guardian as an act of penance.

“Where is she,” he fretted aloud again.

Boss couldn't help but think Marshmallow was acting like an overbearing mother cat.

Moments later, Boss could see the group heading their way out in the distance. “Here they are.”

“Where?!” Marshmallow shouted.

Boss pointed with the hand holding Charles Bark-ly's leash. “Just down the road.”

With that, Marshmallow ran down the road to greet his “daughter,” and scolded her for staying out so late.

Kat saw Marshmallow running full speed toward them. “Uh oh. The worrywart is running up.”

Isabella scrunched her face up. “Ugh,” she murmured, aware of what was to come.

Maria and her siblings watched Marshmallow approach Isabella, who knelt down before him. All they could hear was a series of “meows” and “hisses” from the cat.

Isabella, on the other hand, could understand perfectly well. “It's not that late! And I was with Maria and the others! Ugh! I'm not back talking!”

She stood up, crossing her arms with a huff as she followed Marshmallow back toward the farm. “I'll see you guys later,” she pouted.

Boss walked up to the group, watching Marshmallow march Isabella back to the guest house, giving her an earful.

“Goodnight, Isabella,” he told her.

“Nightboss,” she mumbled quickly, kicking the dirt in front of her.

Charles Bark-ly whined as he watched Isabella walk on by in her depressed state.

“Charles Bark-ly!” Kat cheered, opening her arms for a hug.

The moment he saw Kat, he went into a murderous rage. He let out a series of barks and snarls, desperately trying to escape Boss' grip.

Kat fell backward onto her butt, scared by the sudden change. “How come he still wants to murder me but he's fine with all of you guys!” she cried, missing the love he used to show her.

“I could show you how I did it,” Boss commented.

Kat jumped up. “No way! I'm gonna get him to love me again by myself!”

She reached out to let Charles Bark-ly sniff her hand, which triggered him to try and bite it off. Kat quickly snapped her hand back with a high-pitched yelp.

“Evening, everyone,” Boss said, turning his attention to Maria and the siblings. “I take it you all had a fun night, considering how late it is.”

They all replied with “yeah” in unison.

“Taking Charles Bark-ly out for a walk?” Maria asked.

Boss nodded. “I ran into your father on the way out here, so I offered to take over for him.”

Maria took the leash from Boss. “Thank you,” she said.

Maria turned to her siblings. “Alright. Everyone needs to rush back to the house and get ready for bed.”

The siblings moaned and complained, stating how it wasn't that late, and that it was still summer vacation.

Without breaking her smile, Maria continued. “If you're not climbing into bed before I reach the house with Charles Bark-ly, then you'll have extra chores to do tomorrow morning.”

They gulped, knowing she was serious. Without a moment to spare they bolted toward the house.

Maria couldn't resist a little chuckle. “Thanks for walking back with us, Kat.”

“No problem! Wanna hang out tomorrow and get lunch at the diner?”

She nodded. “Sounds good. See you then, Kat.”

“Night!” Kat replied, as Maria left the two of them.Finally, she turned and said “You take care, Boss,” before putting her hands behind her head.

“Have a good night, Kat,” he said.