‹ Prequel: Dead Silence
Dead Wrong
Snowball
The diner was in panic as the emergency crew rushed in. The clearly dead man laid motionless on the table. The female waitress was sobbing as one of the ambulance guys asked her questions. James, on the other hand seemed completely unfazed. He just sat coloring on his menu as they threw a sheet over the body and lifted it onto the gurney.
“Lilly, baby are you okay?” Jack’s sweet voice spoke slowly to me. I nodded my head. I knew that he could tell I was lying. A dead man just spoke to me, and not in the way I’m use to. I thought that I had this thing blocked out!
“Well the diner will be closed for the rest of the day, clean up and such, I’m goanna take you two home now” he said before standing back up.
“Mary you going to be okay?” he asked the waitress. She nodded, drying her tears with a napkin. He gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to us.
“Come on, let’s get out of here” I didn’t need any encouragement to leave this place, I just want to get back home. James followed us out to the car still looking at the menu.
“Lilly…” James asked.
“Yes?”
“What’s going to happen to that man?” shit, how do I say this?
“Well, he’s going to be buried… he was old James, this sort of thing happens”
“How do you know that’s what killed him?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how do you know that he died cause he was old?”
“Well what else is there?”
“I don’t know, just wondering” he said before growing quiet again.
Jack gave me a concerned look before our driveway came into view. I know that James can be a bit weird at times, but he’s harmless. I wish Jack trusted him more. From the car I could see a small white lump curled up on the porch.
“Jack, look…” I said pointing to it. Its head popped up and looked in our direction.
“It’s a cat...”
“It must be soaking wet, I bet it’s cold”
“What the hell is a cat doing all the way out here, it must be miles to the closest house”
“Cats are masters of finding themselves far from home”
“Maybe…” he said turning off the car and getting out.
I walked up to wet creature. It looked at me with silver blue eyes. It was a small fluffy white cat with long hair and a sleek body. It rose to its feet as I bent down to it.
“Lilly be careful, it might have a disease” Jack warned.
James stood back glaring at the feline. It seemed to be a look of hate, but sheer fear at the same time.
“James, he’s nice, he won’t hurt you” I said as I stroked the cat’s head. James stood still and shook his head.
“I don’t like cats, they’re mean!”
“I don’t think he’s mean, he must be hungry, and cold you should help me dry him off” I said picking up the animal. It was light, maybe it was a stray, no it seemed too friendly to be a stray.
James carefully walked over to it. He just stared at it before walking inside. I carried the small cat inside and placed it on the bathroom counter, grabbing a towel I began to dry its fur. It purred as I rubbed it down. As it began to dry his fur began to fluff up. It was a beautiful cat, very unique.
“Where did you come from?” I asked it as I stroked its back. It let out a small meow before standing up.
“You must be hungry, let’s go see what we have” I said before picking it back up and bringing it into the kitchen. Jack was sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled at me before giving the cat a weird glance.
“What’s that thing doing in here?”
“It needs our help” I said setting it down. It circled my feet and rubbed against me leg.
“Well, I guess we can take care of it, but just be careful around it” he said before returning to his thoughts. I opened the fridge and poured a small bowel of milk for it. Hungrily it lapped it up.
“What should we name it?” I asked Jack.
“I don’t know?”
“What about snowball?”
“Sounds good to me”
From the den I could hear the TV on, damn cartoons again. I crept into the room and peered over the couch where James was slumped down watching the TV. Snowball must have followed me, because I felt his tail against my leg before he jumped up onto the couch next to James.
James jumped off the couch, like he’d seen a spider.
“James, calm down, Snowball won’t hurt you, he’s sweet!”
“I. Don’t. Like. Cats” he stated again. Snowball walked over to James and rubbed against his leg. James stood still as a statue and shuttered.
“He likes you though” James gave it another look of fear/disgust before walking off mumbling something about wanting to go to his room.
“Lilly, baby are you okay?” Jack’s sweet voice spoke slowly to me. I nodded my head. I knew that he could tell I was lying. A dead man just spoke to me, and not in the way I’m use to. I thought that I had this thing blocked out!
“Well the diner will be closed for the rest of the day, clean up and such, I’m goanna take you two home now” he said before standing back up.
“Mary you going to be okay?” he asked the waitress. She nodded, drying her tears with a napkin. He gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to us.
“Come on, let’s get out of here” I didn’t need any encouragement to leave this place, I just want to get back home. James followed us out to the car still looking at the menu.
“Lilly…” James asked.
“Yes?”
“What’s going to happen to that man?” shit, how do I say this?
“Well, he’s going to be buried… he was old James, this sort of thing happens”
“How do you know that’s what killed him?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how do you know that he died cause he was old?”
“Well what else is there?”
“I don’t know, just wondering” he said before growing quiet again.
Jack gave me a concerned look before our driveway came into view. I know that James can be a bit weird at times, but he’s harmless. I wish Jack trusted him more. From the car I could see a small white lump curled up on the porch.
“Jack, look…” I said pointing to it. Its head popped up and looked in our direction.
“It’s a cat...”
“It must be soaking wet, I bet it’s cold”
“What the hell is a cat doing all the way out here, it must be miles to the closest house”
“Cats are masters of finding themselves far from home”
“Maybe…” he said turning off the car and getting out.
I walked up to wet creature. It looked at me with silver blue eyes. It was a small fluffy white cat with long hair and a sleek body. It rose to its feet as I bent down to it.
“Lilly be careful, it might have a disease” Jack warned.
James stood back glaring at the feline. It seemed to be a look of hate, but sheer fear at the same time.
“James, he’s nice, he won’t hurt you” I said as I stroked the cat’s head. James stood still and shook his head.
“I don’t like cats, they’re mean!”
“I don’t think he’s mean, he must be hungry, and cold you should help me dry him off” I said picking up the animal. It was light, maybe it was a stray, no it seemed too friendly to be a stray.
James carefully walked over to it. He just stared at it before walking inside. I carried the small cat inside and placed it on the bathroom counter, grabbing a towel I began to dry its fur. It purred as I rubbed it down. As it began to dry his fur began to fluff up. It was a beautiful cat, very unique.
“Where did you come from?” I asked it as I stroked its back. It let out a small meow before standing up.
“You must be hungry, let’s go see what we have” I said before picking it back up and bringing it into the kitchen. Jack was sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled at me before giving the cat a weird glance.
“What’s that thing doing in here?”
“It needs our help” I said setting it down. It circled my feet and rubbed against me leg.
“Well, I guess we can take care of it, but just be careful around it” he said before returning to his thoughts. I opened the fridge and poured a small bowel of milk for it. Hungrily it lapped it up.
“What should we name it?” I asked Jack.
“I don’t know?”
“What about snowball?”
“Sounds good to me”
From the den I could hear the TV on, damn cartoons again. I crept into the room and peered over the couch where James was slumped down watching the TV. Snowball must have followed me, because I felt his tail against my leg before he jumped up onto the couch next to James.
James jumped off the couch, like he’d seen a spider.
“James, calm down, Snowball won’t hurt you, he’s sweet!”
“I. Don’t. Like. Cats” he stated again. Snowball walked over to James and rubbed against his leg. James stood still as a statue and shuttered.
“He likes you though” James gave it another look of fear/disgust before walking off mumbling something about wanting to go to his room.