A minute passes and your heart rate returns to some level of normalcy.
Recovered from the close encounter with the wolf, you take one last deep breath and push yourself off the floor, feeling ready to continue. Getting up, you find yourself in a storage room filled with boxes and scattered items. You explore the storage facility and begin pushing boxes out of the way.
Whoever stacked these boxes and shelves must be clumsy, as items and equipment are littered all over the floor. You push a tall box aside and discover a well-stocked shelf with preserved food.
Seeing this food makes you realize how hungry you are as if you haven’t eaten for years. You first reach out to a can of beans but realize there is no spoon you can use, so you decide to help yourself to some of the dried rations, grabbing some of the dried fruit and jerky. Sitting down, you take your first bite of the dried fruit. You nearly become overwhelmed by the strong taste. You are unsure whether it is because of the cryo pod or because you are just that hungry. Either way, you start to greedily wolf down the rations before taking a long drink of the water.
“Meow?”
You double-take and turn to find a… cat? You didn’t expect to see a cat here, out of all places. A surprising encounter, but you definitely aren’t complaining!
“Hello, little guy!”
The orange-furred cat with brown stripes brushes itself past your legs. You instinctively pick up the cat, cradling it in your arms as you pet its soft white underbelly and give it a few scratches on the neck while feeling it purr heartily in delight.
Why would this adorable critter be here in all places? Especially with monsters like that wolf lurking about? You don’t have the heart to leave it behind!
“You know what? I’m taking you with me.”
There is no way you will leave this cat to its demise. It is only a matter of time before some monster comes in and eats it. You finish your meal of dried food with your free hand and then get up, holding the well-behaved cat close as you begin making your way through the storage, exploring more of the place for lack of anything better to do.
On the way, you come across an open journal. Picking it up, you read the entry.
‘Things have gone tense around here. Everyone is starting to feel restless. Luckily, we have Ming here to keep us company. He’s constantly butting into our arguments like some puffed-up peacekeeper, and I don’t know what we’d do without him.
Honestly, having a friendly animal that you can pet without the risk of turning into a latex monster is what we need to keep us going. Hopefully, the science guys can figure out a way out of this mess. I’m worried there won’t be a world to return to after we find the cure.
Putting the page down, you share a glance with the cat. Latex monsters? Like that wolf you just escaped from? Is that what they’re called? And what do they mean by finding a cure? Fortunately, true to the journal entry’s words, the cat seems to be doing its best to help you calm down by being, well, a cat.
“So, you’re Ming, huh?”
“Meow.”
“Nice to meet you too!”
You speak to the cat and give it some more belly rubs. The cat murrs, encouraging you to continue. All your stress and worries fade as your world revolves around petting this adorable tabby. You take note of how soft the cat’s fur is…but then again…wait, is this how you pet a cat? You don’t know how to explain it, but you seem to know how to pet this cat like you know how Ming prefers to be petted.
*Murr*
And Ming seems to think so too.
‘I wonder.’
Trusting your instincts, you guide your hand to the scruff of the cat’s neck to the very top of his head. The cat simply accepts all of it, seemingly content and happy. Strange, maybe petting a cat is easier than it looks? Or are you just lucky? Either way, the cat continues to purr and murr, demanding all the pettings you can give.
You-
‘Huh?’
You felt your fingers brush against something weird that does NOT feel like fur. Pausing your petting, you shift Ming onto one of your arms so you can investigate without putting him down.
“Meow?”
Ignoring the cat, you pull your hand that brushed onto this weird thing in Ming’s fur in front of you. What you discover makes your blood run cold.
Orange goo...or ‘latex’ as the journal might refer to it as. This goo came from this tabby’s own fur. But how? Where did it come from??
‘Wait, that wolf. That thing is made out of…umm, latex!’
That wolf is an animal just like this cat, and if this goo is orange, from this cat.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Meow!”
The cat meows in annoyance as he throws himself onto your chest. Realization hits you. This cat is a latex monster!
“N-no! Get off me!”
You then pull as hard as you can as the cat latches onto your chest, stretching like elastic as you try to pry it off. The cat meows in protest and hangs on as much as it can, refusing to let go. With one strong heave, you throw the cat off as it snaps off your chest and splats against the wall.
‘Did…did I kill it?’
You feel slightly guilty for taking this cat’s life, but it has left you with no choice. It is either you or him, and you will not take any chances.
*Slosh*
Your head snaps upwards as you see the orange goo clawing downwards.
‘NEVER MIND, IT’S ALIVE! DEFINITELY ALIVE!’
You run as fast as your legs can carry as the goo crawls down to the floor and starts to reform, its head taking shape along with its front paws, torso…all the way down to the tip of its tail.
“Meow!”
You shiver in fear as you hear the angry roar of the cat. The cat is not pleased and is not taking no for an answer.
Your first thought is to run out of here and get as far away from that cat immediately as possible, but that is easier said than done. First, you don’t know where the exit is; second, the boxes are stacked up so high that it’s impossible to see the door.
Panicking, you turn around in different directions as you try to make your way through the maze while the cat chases you down. The narrow pathways make it hard for you to manoeuvre or decide the next direction.
Trying to sprint down a path, you wade your way through tumbled boxes obstructing the path. Thankfully it also slows down the cat by a bit.
‘Where’s the exit???’
It has to be somewhere in here. Surely there is another door here? The longer the chase goes on, the more you sense the impending doom as the cat makes its way closer to you bit by bit.
Wading through another pile of boxes, you lose your footing as you tumble to the ground.
Fearing you are leaving yourself vulnerable, you push yourself up in a hurry.
“Meow!!”
With one mighty cry, the cat jumps onto a box and jumps towards you, taking the opportunity.
*Splat*
Something gooey splats onto your back and starts to crawl down it. Glancing behind you, you can see the familiar orange goo coating your body. The cat is taking over you!
“Get off!” you yell as you fling your hands to try and peel the goo off your back.
The goo rumbles in annoyance as two tendrils wrap around your wrists and pin you down to the floor, limiting your ability to fight back. The goo starts to crawl down your hips, coating (to your relief) over your boxers, forming a cat-like tail as it crawls onto your legs.
Instinctively, you flail your legs in a vain effort to throw off the goo. The goo crawls downwards as it flows down to your foot. You watch in horror as the goo on your feet transforms into kitten-like paws as the goo continues its assault by climbing up your torso.
“NONONONONONO!”
You try to free your arms from your restraints as you fight for your life, but this results in the cat restraining your arms further by spreading its goo onto your arms as the goo starts to crawl up your neck. When the goo reaches your neck, you begin to feel faint as something else starts to take hold, sending you into a confused daze.
You feel like a fool for falling for the cat’s cute antics, deceived by its harmless appearance. Still, it is nothing but a latex monster in disguise. You feel so scared. What is going to happen to you? What is the cat doing to you?
The goo then coats your arms while the goo on your hands forms into cat-like paws. You involuntary push up onto your knees as you watch the goo crawl over your chest, its colour turning white as the excitement grows stronger with each passing second.
You recall the text of the journal entry, this cat is turning you into a latex monster! You want to severely tear this goo off you, but your body refuses to listen! This is how it ends? Are you really going to turn into this ‘latex monster’? What will happen when it is all over? Will you die? Will this horrible creature infest your body and steal it from you?
You watch as the goo on your chest solidifies into a white belly as the fur grows, stealing your body further. Your thoughts slowly become weaker as your head spins as you struggle to concentrate. You feel the goo start to crawl down your head as you struggle to focus…you are fainting…
‘I don’t….’
You barely register the goo dripping down your head.
‘...want to…’
The goo fills your vision.
‘…die…’
Your last thought as darkness takes you…fallen prey to the deceiving cat.
…
…
…
Light fills your vision…
You barely register what is happening as strange impulses and desires fill your mind. You feel…
Curious…
Boxes…
Mysterious boxes…
Boxes? What is important about boxes?
Your vision takes shape as you see a neatly packed box labeled ‘Ming.’ Ming? Is that your name? No, no… it’s not…you don’t recall your name being Ming. Regardless, the urge to open the box overwhelms you as you use your hands…no paws, to open the box.
You reach inside the box, curious to find what’s inside, as your triangular ears flick in wonder. Were…were you always able to do that? You don’t think so…
‘MOUSE!’
Oh, wait… it’s just a mouse toy… not a real one. You then throw the mouse down to the floor, batting it with your paws as your tail flickers.
‘Wait…I don’t have a tail!’
You are very confident that you don’t have a tail…you never had one…why is this so important?
On instinct, you leap toward the toy as you flick it into the air, catching it with your paws while lying on your back. Everything about this feels…alien…you try to concentrate…but you just feel so tired…you then spring up on your feet as if you have endless energy.
‘Did I do that? But… aren’t I tired?’
You try to gather what this all means, but you just involuntarily walk back to the box to look inside. Maybe if you just rest…maybe you could…figure out…
…
…
…
You awake…light fills your vision once more as your thoughts slowly return to you…
What just happened? The last thing you recall is you were opening some boxes…playing with some cat toys…wait…
‘The cat!’
Now you remember! You were taken hostage by the cat as it was using your body for its own pleasure! You quickly check your hands to find they are human ones… You are back to normal.
Relief fills you as you feel the weight on your chest fade away. But if you are back to normal…where is the cat? The sounds of tapping can be heard as you quickly shut your eyes, pretending to be asleep. The tapping sounds grow loud as the cat walks past you to somewhere in this storage room. Waiting for a bit to ensure the cat is gone, you open your eyes to look around without getting up.
Looking to your left, you find the box you opened with a few cat toys spilling out. You then spot a polaroid picture not far from the spilled box as you squint at it to make out… a human girl with an orange tabby, the same cat that took you, hostage.
The distant sound of the bell can be heard as you look to your right to see the cat playing with a ball among its newfound possessions. The cat’s possessions range from all kinds of cat toys…the ball, the mouse, a few feathers, etc.
Waiting for the cat to tire itself, you think about the picture you found. Who is that girl? Does she own this tabby? Why would she play with this cat? Was it a typical cat before? If so, then why is it like this? Just like those latex monsters? The journey entry seems to imply that Ming is an average cat, nothing more.
Refusing to take any chances, you wait until the cat stops playing with the ball and takes a moment to rest. Once you are sure that it has fallen asleep, you quietly explore your way to the exit. Unfortunately, the sound of the door opening catches the cat’s attention.
“MEEEOOOOWWW!!!”
Not wanting to experience being taken over by the cat again, you quickly shut the door as the sound of scratching can be heard.
“Meow…”
The cat meows as it calls you back, not wanting you to leave. Your heart aches at the cat’s cries, but you quickly snap out of that guilt. You will not fall prey to it.
And with that, you turn to leave…leaving the cat behind as you head on to face the next upcoming challenge.