Our latest extermination held more than a little surprise for us. I was out of commission for an entire week, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. What followed was an entirely different nightmare, but that’s a story for later.

After we’d made our way back from the warehouse, I still couldn’t believe that Headquarters had sent me a freaking mentalist to keep me in check. Even worse, though, I was out of booze. Sure, Sandra had told me to keep my shit together, and was still sending Headquarters reports about my performance, but I didn’t give a shit about that. What I gave a shit about was that she was a freaking mentalist. I’d heard all the horror stories about what those freaks can do to you. They can restrain you with the wave of a hand, scramble up your mind and even implant false memories into your brain. I hated the bitch, sure, but now I was also freaking scared of her.

Still, after what had happened during our little encounter with that beast type, and the fact she’d used me as bait, I needed a drink, desperately. While Sandra was tinkering with her new toys and computers, I set out to one of my favorite little corner stores and got myself a bottle of cheap bourbon. Once I’d made it back, I did my best to keep it hidden from her. All the while, I felt like a freaking teenager again, but what else could I do? Sandra was all about peak performance, the right type of food, and getting enough rest. She was into all the things I couldn’t give a shit about. If she hadn‘t been a freaking mentalist, you’d think she’d be a fitness guru. When she’d gone to bed, I popped open my old friend Mr. Bourbon and got myself some well-earned relief.

The next day started with pain. Not so much the pain in my head, but the pain of a kick to the stomach.

“Ouch, what the fuck are you-?”

Sandra gave me a cold, hard stare and held up the empty bottle of bourbon.

“Jesus Christ,” I cursed, rubbing my temples. “Will you give me a fucking break? How about you let me have one goddamn drink?”

She pushed the empty bottle into my face.

“This is not one drink.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I miscounted,” I mumbled.

That landed me another kick.

“Get up. We’ve got work to do.”

“Jesus, how late is it?”

“It’s eight in the morning. The signature data was transferred a few minutes ago. I’m analyzing it as we speak.”

“For fuck’s sake. Why are incidents popping up every single day now?”

Sandra looked at me for a moment and I could see her thinking, but she didn’t answer the question.

“Get ready,” she said instead, and left the room.

I cursed under my breath as I made my way to our big new equipment room. The neatly packed shelves with their little labels, lists and write-ups made me even angrier. What the hell was this? A freaking convenience store? Who the fuck needed any of this? Freaking OCD-riddled bitch.

Once I’d stocked up on my usual equipment, I joined Sandra in the living room, or, as she referred to it, our base of operations.

“So what have we got today? Anything fun?”

“We’re losing time as we speak. Let’s get going already,” she said with a sigh and stormed from the apartment.

“How about you tell me what the fuck we’re up against today first?”

“Today’s signature is located in the western outskirts. It‘s of medium size and is assumed to be a C-class. However, Headquarters couldn’t get a clear reading on it and neither could my analysis software. It’s unclear what type it is. From the looks of it, though, it’s most likely a swarm or vermin type.”

“Isn’t that great, so we’re going in blind, aren’t we? Why the hell did you bother to set up all that shit in our living room if it’s useless?”

Sandra glared at me for a moment, and I could feel the slightest hint of her powers brush over my body. When I cringed back, a slight grin appeared on her face.

We arrived at the location ten minutes later. The area we were in might have been nice once, but it had aged badly. Time hadn’t been kind to my city, and many of the outer areas had gone to shit over the decades. Run-down buildings lined the street. Most of the people who’d lived here had moved on, it seems. It was the perfect breeding ground for all things nasty. The signature, however, originated from one of the few buildings which hadn’t been abandoned. When I saw the small house with its well-kept flower garden and colorful curtains, I couldn’t help but curse.

“The data says the house is registered under one Annelise Muller, seventy-two years of age.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

With that, I went towards the door. While Sandra was busy re-scanning the signature once more, I rang the doorbell. Sure, we could barge right in, but it often paid to play nice.

“We’ve got a signal from inside, but it’s a weird one. I can’t seem to get a clear reading.”

“Maybe that new radar of yours is busted?” I asked as I rang a second time.

“No, something’s wrong with this signature. It’s not a vermin or swarm type, it’s something... different.”

“Shit,” I cursed as I rang once more.

Still nothing. No one opened the door, no movement from inside and no sounds. Nothing at all. Finally, I had enough and threw myself against the door. I heard a loud groan and I could tell the door was barely holding.

“Exterminator 7D11087, what are you-?” Sandra started, but I cut her right off.

“I don’t know what’s going on with your radar or the signature, but the old lady might still be alive!”

Another thud, the wood splintered, and the door sprang open. The smell hit me right away. It was a mixture of the typical old person smell and cat piss, a lot of fucking cat piss. I cursed and covered my mouth. Sandra, next to me, did the same.

“Freaking great, I hate cats. Why the fuck did it have to be some old cat lady’s place, of all things?”

“How do you know she’s-?”

“The smell? The freaking food bowls everywhere? Those climbing trees over there? What else do you need?”

“The cats.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I looked at her and cursed.

“You don’t think it’s the cats, do you?”

“I don’t know, but the radar’s still acting up.”

As we continued on through the house, I began calling out.

“Mrs. Muller? We’re here to talk to you about an important issue. Are you there?”

Again, we got no answer and my hopes of finding her alive had already diminished. Sandra was still trying to get her radar to work, but I could see the frown on her forehead deepen.

“Something’s wrong with this signature. I’ve seen nothing like it.”

“Well, if we’re up against a pack of crazed cat things, can’t that fuck with the radar? You know, signal overlap or something?”

Sandra shook her head.

We’d soon finished looking through the entire first floor, but found nothing. No hint of the old lady, and no hint of her cats.

“Here kitty, kitty. Meow meow,” I started as we made our way upstairs.

“Exterminator 7D11087, what are you doing?”

“No clue. Don’t cats react to shit like that?”

Sandra sighed and rolled her eyes.

I didn’t care. If we were up against a pack of cats that had devoured their owner, I wanted this shit to be over with. Calling the beasts out was way better than stumbling into a room full of them.

“Meow meow,” I continued as we stepped into the first room upstairs. I frowned when I saw more food bowls and yet another climbing tree.

“Jesus, how many cats was she keeping here?”

My attention soon shifted from the climbing tree to the cracked door ahead.

“Here, kitty, kitty, come on,” I called out and closed my hand around my gun.

“Come on, you furry fucks,” I mumbled to myself and waited.

Moments later, the door was pushed open and a small furred body appeared. I saw the head of a cat, then more fur. My eyes grew wide when a mountain of twisted, furred bodies pushed itself from the room. At first, I thought it was a pack of cats, but then the true horror sunk in. It wasn’t a pack, it was an amalgamation of cats, nothing but a fused together mess of small furred bodies. Half a dozen mouths hissed at me and claws scratched over the carpet.

When the thing came for us, it looked as if a wave of cats came crashing down on us. I jumped back and brought as much distance between myself and whatever that thing was. I could see Sandra. Her eyes widened, and the air around her crackled. With a wave of her hand, she stopped the creature’s attack. Furred bodies tried to push forward, but couldn’t anymore. Screeches and hisses cut through the air. Coalesced bodies twisted themselves as they desperately tried to move. Sandra closed her hand and the mass of cats was shoved back further.

Right at that moment, I felt the strangest thing. It was almost as if an invisible power was reaching out for me. No, reaching into my mind. My head jerked toward Sandra, but she was frozen.

Then the mass of cats erupted forward once more. Dozens of wide-open mouths hissed in anticipation, and countless paws with extended claws pushed themselves forward. I ripped out my gun and unloaded on the thing. I’d expected the bullets to hit, for blood to pour and for the painful howls of cats. Instead, the bullets were stopped mere inches before they hit and fell to the floor harmlessly.

“What the hell are you-?” I screamed at Sandra, but broke off when I saw the terror in her eyes.

“It can’t be,” she muttered.

Once more, I felt something reaching into my mind, and this time, it was stronger and more powerful. Sandra, next to me, stumbled backward as if stunted. Then I felt the pressure building up around her before her powers pushed forward again. Yet, they had no effect. An emotion echoed inside my head, one that somehow resembled the word futile.

Then the mass of cats rushed forward and reached Sandra. She was thrown to the floor, and I saw her try to crawl back and escape. Within seconds, she was half-swallowed under an avalanche of fur and claws. I saw her wide eyes and the concentration on her face. For a moment, the encroaching mass was pushed back, but after mere inches, all resistance was broken. Sandra screamed, closed her eyes, opened them again, but it seemed useless. Her powers weren’t working, or, I realized, were negated, overpowered even.

I was with her in an instant, shot at the creature, but my bullets didn’t do a thing. Those that hit it peeled away and left nothing but bruises behind. I ripped out the combat knife and went down on the cat-thing with all the strength I could muster. I pushed my entire body against it, and this time, I made contact. The creature screeched, and I saw blood pouring forward. Deeper and deeper I pushed the knife into it, inch by inch, before I tore it sideways. It did little, but it was enough for the thing to let go of Sandra. I saw the scratches and bite marks on her legs, and her expression showed the strain she must’ve been under to protect herself from any worse damage.

The cat thing, however, had now focused on me. In an instant, I was surrounded by furred bodies, and then covered by them. I didn’t have the same abilities as Sandra, and I could do nothing against the assault. I was thrown to the floor, tried to stab and slash, but it was futile. Every attack I tried was pushed back and negated. Within moments, my protective armor was torn apart, peeled off my body, and I felt claws and mouths dig deep into my flesh. I screamed in pain, ripped out my gun again, and shot blindly at the mass on top of me. Then I felt them being pushed back and felt Sandra’s powers all around me. Finally, I could escape.

I was covered in blood. My hands were shaking and for a moment, I almost dropped the gun and combat knife. Then I shot again and again. This time, fur and flesh exploded, but even that wasn’t enough. Whenever a cat was gone, bloated, furred flesh took its place. Once more, the thing came for us and once more I felt claws and teeth dig into my body.

At that moment, I heard Sandra scream. When I looked over, she was levitating. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, and her face was covered in sweat. Her invisible force exploded outward. The furred mass was hurled back and thrown against the wall of the room. Sandra fell to the floor. She was panting, shaking, and I could tell she’d used all of her powers. I had to make this moment count. I clenched my teeth, pushed the pain back, and fought myself to my feet. A moment later, I threw my tethered body forward. The combat knife was still in my hand. I raised it high before I drove it deep into the still stunted mass in front of me. I tore through it and created a huge, bloody gash. Yet, the wound was already healing, and I watched as new flesh pushed forward. That’s when I ripped out a grenade. I activated it and pushed it deep into the fleshy crevice I’d created. Then I threw myself back, right on top of Sandra.

The explosion rattled my body to the core. My eyes were ringing and my head was throbbing. I rolled off Sandra and stared back to where the creature had been. All that remained was burned fur, flesh, and blood.

I lay there, panting. Sandra stared at me, but then her eyes grew wide again. I pushed myself to my knees, then my feet. For a second, I almost passed out under the effort, but I knew this wasn’t over. Not all the cats had been destroyed. Some were still alive or, at least, part of them. I could see bits and pieces converging, crawling back together and sinking into one another.

“Oh no, you won’t fucker!”

I stumbled forward, gun in hand, and shot anything that was still moving. I had to reload twice before I was done.

By then, Sandra had gotten up as well. She came to my side and together we made our way into what we discovered to be the bedroom. I gagged when I saw the remains of the old lady. Her body had been torn apart and twisted into a ghastly idol. Before Sandra could do anything, I rushed forward and destroyed the twisted creation.

“What are you-?”

“Fuck this,” I spat. “No one deserves to be turned into something like that!”

I was about to turn back and make my way out of the room when I noticed a small, glowing orb on the floor. It had been hidden below the idol. I hesitated for a moment before I reached out for it and picked it up.

“You got any idea what this is?” I asked Sandra.

She stared at it, but shook her head.

“No, but I can analyze it back at base and see if it’s of any importance.”

All I could do was nod. For a moment, I scanned the walls and saw the cryptic markings all over the wallpaper, but my vision grew blurry. I staggered and would’ve fallen to the floor if not for Sandra.

“It’s the same,” was all I could bring out.

Sandra, who’d looked around as well, nodded.

“Yes, it’s the same writings as the ones in that urban development area. More importantly, we’ve gotta get out of here. You’re bleeding. Badly.”

With that, she led me from the room. The moment we reached the stairs, I made her stop.

Staring at the still twitching remains of cats, I reached into my pocket. I got out a flamer. For a second, I looked at Sandra, but she said nothing. I activated it and threw it behind us. The bedroom went up in flames. As Sandra led me down the stairs, the flames slowly spread through the entire second floor. I didn’t care. Burn it all to the ground, just to be sure.

When we were outside, I felt my legs getting weak. They cramped up and for a moment, I fell to my knees. Sandra stood next to me, staring at me with a mixture of worry and anger.

“Always so reckless. If you hadn’t…”

Her voice trailed off.

“Sorry, that’s not fair.”

I would’ve looked up if I still had the energy for that left, but all I managed was to stay conscious.

“Thanks for saving me, Exterminator... No, Dylan. I didn’t expect to encounter a creature like this here and without your help, I would’ve been dead.”

As she got into contact with Headquarters to request immediate help, I saw a stray cat nearby. It eyed me curiously for a moment before it hissed and hurried away. As I looked after it, I felt my consciousness fading. As my eyes followed the damned cat down the road, I thought of one last thing.

Fuck monsters and fuck cats.