Happy Trails
Bad Kitty: Chapter Two
Artwork by Neutronboar.
Haley Starr: Bad Kitty. Chapter One. Chapter Two.
“Hey, Mom! Can I call Haley?” Elizabeth asked her mother.
Elizabeth Guerreiro and Haley met four years ago at a horseback riding lesson and became the most unexpected of friends. Haley was typically well behaved, while Elizabeth had quite the rebellious streak. Elizabeth, taller than Haley, had tried to intimidate her. Haley didn’t know what to do, so she just stood there.
And she wouldn’t back down.
Awkwardly, Haley tried and did a horrible job at suppressing her nervous smile. The facial expression looked funny to Elizabeth, which caused her to try and stifle a laugh. The two both stood there holding their lips tight with their cheeks steadily puffing up in an attempt to hold it back and maintain control. Together, they burst into uncontrollable giggles, and the girls had been inseparable since.
Elizabeth, who turned ten three months earlier, was just over five feet tall. Her brunette hair, which was tied back in a ponytail and hung down between her shoulder blades, would get blondish streaks every summer from her time in the sun. Thanks to Portuguese ancestry, her skin had a subtle hint of bronzing color to it that could quickly and easily turn into a beautiful tan whenever she spent time outdoors. This was sometimes a point of jealousy for the pale-skinned and easily-burned Haley. The farmer’s friend had a slightly thicker build and was physically stronger due to her size combined with tomboyish, rough and tumble ways.
She was often restless and had a tendency to wander. Having an odd sense that something was missing, Elizabeth always felt like she was searching for something but had no idea what, leaving her unfocused.
Maggie looked and saw that the breakfast dishes were done, and the kitchen counter was clean. Elizabeth had actually completed her chores. She then looked to the clock, which read 10:34.
Maggie smiled and said, “Sure, Honey.” She knew that her daughter was excited to talk with Haley about the previous night.
Elizabeth and Haley would both sense things that they couldn’t quite explain. The feeling of a presence, or a sudden something in the air that just felt different. The two girls referred to these sensations as the ‘spookies’ and would both notice these vibes, but Elizabeth seemed more sensitive to them. They also both seemed able to sense the emotions of others, but Haley, in this case, was far more in tune. Elizabeth had wanted to talk to her parents about those sensations but was always apprehensive.
Elizabeth’s mother, Maggie, was thought of by most to be a bit of a hippie. She worked as a yoga instructor in Mansfield and was all about those positive vibes. She was known for her interests in the metaphysical and was also a devout Christian, which many in town thought of as an odd combination. Everybody loved her due to her genuinely warm, social nature, and even though she often seemed to have her head in the clouds, Maggie was also able to pull her mind into a laser focus when necessary.
She practiced mysticism but never discussed it with Elizabeth. She was worried that if she pushed the subject with her daughter, then Elizabeth would have no interest, just like what happened with the yoga lessons. But if Elizabeth came to her asking, then she would be ready to listen. Maggie had constantly wondered if she was making the right choice but was thrilled last night when her daughter finally came to her wanting to discuss the spookies.
Elizabeth picked up the phone and held it to her ear. “Mom, there’s no dial tone,” she said.
Maggie looked out the window and said, “Hold on a second, Honey. Harry’s here.”
The bright light faded, and Harry’s eyes adjusted. Disoriented by the strange experience, He looked around at the very large and dimly lit, rectangular room in which he stood. Two of the walls that appeared to be made of concrete reflected the pale fluorescent lighting, giving everything a bleak and washed-out look. One of the end walls appeared to be made of metal and across it, about eight and a half feet up, were three square openings. The openings looked like the bottom ends of large utility chutes. The fourth wall was made of prison bars. He was in a ballroom-sized jail cell, but where, he had no idea. And he wasn’t alone.
“Harry, is that you?” Harry turned around to see Trooper Ed Weathers.
Trooper Weathers was down to earth and genuinely cared about people. The townsfolk considered themselves lucky to have him as he was a very personable man who was firm but always kind and fair.
Standing beside him was Mary Saddler, Columbia’s First Selectman. With them also was Frank, a Windham County Public Works employee, Hank Cranston, owner of the town’s general store, two men from the fire department and Ellen, a school bus driver.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked.
“No idea,” Ed replied, “We’ve been here a while. You’re the first new face we’ve seen since last night.”
“We all came here the same way a few moments after the quake,” Hank added.
Suddenly, there was another flash of light, and there stood a confused looking Joey, the man who ran the coffee shop.
Then more flashes occurred. Sophie, the town clerk, Dr. Scott Patel, the pediatrician, school bus drivers, a security guard, and everyone else from the fire department. On and on, it went for the next minute until there were about thirty of the most prominent and trusted faces from town, all standing in this large cell.
Maggie watched Harry get out of his truck while a couple of busses pulled up and parked outside. Trooper Ed Weathers also pulled up to the area and stopped his cruiser. A fire truck with flashing lights but no sirens came onto the street next as Trooper Weathers addressed the neighborhood over his PA system.
“Everybody, I have some troubling news, but stay calm as I deliver it because we have prepared a plan to ensure everyone’s safety.”
The hairs on the back of Maggie’s neck stood up. Everyone who was home was now either standing outside their house or by an open window giving the Resident State Trooper their full attention.
“I’m afraid that the quake last night was deliberate. I’ve been in touch with the National Guard, and they said that we might soon be under a full attack,” the Trooper told the people as a few gasps could be heard from some of the houses.
Maggie immediately began to worry about her husband Ryan, who was out to sea. But it wasn’t the words that made her neck hairs stand. Something felt very wrong about this entire scene.
Trooper Weathers continued, “We have a shelter beneath Town Hall. It’s big enough for everyone and very well stocked. To keep the roads free for emergency personnel, we need you to get on the bus, and we’ll take you to the shelter, but we need to move quickly!”
“Mom!” Elizabeth said in a hushed voice.
Maggie turned and saw just how terrified her daughter looked. She guessed that Elizabeth’s fear was also not about what they were hearing. This was confirmed when the ten-year-old said, “Spookies!”
Maggie then looked back out the window to see everyone hurrying out to the buses. She then turned and immediately took Elizabeth’s hand and said, “C’mon. We need to get away from them.”
They moved through the kitchen toward the back door, and Elizabeth grabbed her gray hoodie off the chair as they went by. Maggie grabbed her windbreaker off of the coat hooks by the back door as Elizabeth zipped up her hoodie. Maggie reached to open the back door but then came to an abrupt stop just short of the handle. They both felt it.
Maggie stepped to the side and slowly leaned over, trying to inconspicuously look out the back window. As she did, the back door was kicked in.
Their neighbors were already rolling down the road in the school buses, so no one heard them scream.
Two men, both of whom looked exactly like Frank, charged in the back door. One went for Maggie and the other, Elizabeth.
Maggie put her hands up and forward, trying to keep her attacker at arm's length, but the man just grabbed her wrist tight and restrained her.
Elizabeth, looking to the man’s right, charged straight at him. Last second, she turned her body sideways and lunged to his left, between him and the back wall. He almost pinned her, but the fake-out threw him off just enough, allowing her to squeak by.
“Run!” Maggie yelled as her daughter booked straight out the back door and into the woods.
The Frank look-a-like ran out the back door after Elizabeth, while a man who looked just like Harry Starr came in the front door to help the other man restrain Maggie. He came in behind her as she struggled with the other man and locked his arm around her neck until she passed out. Then they brought her out to Harry’s truck.
Her mind was reeling as she sprinted down the path through the woods. Haley had witnessed a string of impossibilities in a span of fewer than five minutes. She had no idea what to make of it. So, she kept running. Running down a path she knew so well. A path forged over the last three years by her very own feet.
She always enjoyed playing in the woods and had often used them to make her way to the park in town. As time went on and she wore the trail into the ground, this path became somewhat of a sanctuary to her. She would unwind with an enjoyable walk during pleasant weather or use it to pace away those occasional pesky butterflies in her stomach. And sometimes, her mother would come on walks with her.
"Mom!" Haley said as she trotted to a stop. Her eyes welled up, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees. She tipped forward and put her palms to the ground for support. "Mom," she again choked out softly through the tears. Haley wanted nothing more at that moment than to be able to hug her mother again.
Back in January, Detective Heather Starr was working on a kidnapping case. After locating where the child was being held, the police moved in to rescue the four-year-old and apprehend the suspect.
During the operation, the young boy saw his chance to get away and took it. He crawled out of a window into the backyard and tried to run. With a thin layer of snow on the ground, he had no idea that he had left solid land and ran out onto the thinning ice of a small pond. Heather was coming up behind the boy when he fell through the ice, but she didn't even hesitate and went in after him.
The frigid water stung as the heat was rapidly being pulled from their bodies. Heather knew she had no time as the numbness was immediately set in, and she was losing control of her arms and legs fast! She took hold of the boy and, with every ounce of willpower she could muster, pushed him back up onto the thicker ice for her approaching partner to reach the young one and pull him to safety.
But the courageous detective was now in serious trouble. Even though she was tall enough to reach the bottom, she couldn’t feel it. Heather's limbs would no longer respond to her mental commands as she started slipping below the surface. Then suddenly, her partner's hand had a firm grasp on her collar, and he pulled her out as an ambulance team arrived to help, but despite their best efforts, many hearts were broken that night when the hypothermia claimed her life.
Haley's thoughts settled slightly as her mind went through a few memories of her and her mom here on her favorite wooded path. The detective quite often used the woods to teach Haley about situational awareness and connecting dots. "Always take note of what's around you," her mom would say. Heather would often lead her daughter to an unfamiliar area and then suddenly place a hand over her eyes and say, “Describe the area around us.”
“Always take note of what's around you.”
The memory of those lessons snapped Haley back to the present. She pushed herself back upright and climbed to her feet. Strong as the young farmer was, she was really feeling the weight of the rig on her back. Using her brown bandana, Haley wiped the tears from her face and then reached down to dust off her coveralls.
The cool breeze blew against her skin, and she knew her T-shirt wouldn't be nearly enough when the temperature dropped in just a few short hours. Haley took a good look around to make sure she wasn't still being followed and removed the rig from her back to take a rest. After a couple minutes, tired though she was, Haley put the rig back on, tightened the straps and started for town.
Nearing the halfway point, she saw a cat just up ahead, sitting in the center of the trail, illuminated by a sunbeam.
Haley stopped.
Normally, she would have been thrilled to see such a beautiful cat, but due to the earlier events, Haley was taking nothing for granted. The cat was gray in color with slightly darker lines of gray creating just a hint of stripes. The fur was about medium length and got lighter, almost cream color, around the snout from where the whiskers extended. The eyes were a gorgeous and mellow yellow with specs of vibrant green.
Haley made eye contact with the cat. Considering what happened with Hayseed, she was not sure what to make of the feline before her now. Keeping eye contact, Haley could sense nervousness coming from the cat as well as what felt like…concern?
The mysterious cat stood up, and the sunbeam faded as another line of clouds made its way across the sky. With the sunlight gone, Haley suddenly noticed that she could see right through the cat. I should be scared, she thought, but I'm not.
Even though she detected no malice from the translucent feline, the young farmer was far from at ease. She looked to the ground, sighed and looked back up. "Are you gonna talk to me, too?" she asked with a hint of both curiosity and irritation in her voice.
"Yes," said the cat in the same voice that came out of Hayseed. The gray cat sauntered down the center of the trail toward Haley, and as it came closer, it began to glow. The more that it illuminated, the less definition Haley could see until the cat looked like it was made of nothing more than a swirl of gold and purple light. The glowing silhouette then began to elongate and change shape, taking on a humanoid appearance. At this point, the glow died back, and the definition returned. The cat was now a beautiful woman standing before Haley.
The woman, although just a couple inches shorter than Haley’s dad, looked quite tall from Haley's perspective.
She appeared to be Egyptian in heritage with long black hair, high well defined cheekbones, beautifully bronzed skin and those same tell tail eyes as were seen on the cat. Soft yellow pupils with specs of green. Haley thought that looking into them was like gazing into a gemstone.
"I'm sorry," the woman said, "I know this is all very disturbing, but we don’t have much time.”
Haley stood in awe at the sight of the ghostly figure. She couldn’t believe this was real. Or that anything she had seen in the last fifteen minutes was real. She was drained, exhausted, and now, she was getting fed up! She closed her eyes and shook her head as her adrenals kicked back in, and that flame just below the ribcage began to burn hotter once more. Haley opened her eyes.
"Who are you, and why do you look like a ghost?" she demanded with her usual spunk starting to return.
"I'm trapped," the woman began, "and cannot fully manifest into this plane. I am the goddess, Bast."
"Goddess?" Haley scoffed. "Am I supposed to bow or something?"
"No," Bast replied firmly. "I am not The Creator. Do not worship me."
"Well then, what do you want? Who were those weirdos chasing me, and most of all, what’s wrong with my dad?”
“That was not your father but an imposter. I cannot maintain this projection for long, so we must be quick. Our sphere is being invaded by people from beyond our own universe. Reptilian beings with unspeakable appetites and intentions. They came with advanced knowledge of both mysticism and technology. They used this to bind all the Earth gods who would have posed a threat and are now replacing people with strange copies, empty shells that they project their consciousness into and control from another plane of existence. I do not know what they are planning to do next, but they must be stopped before they gain too much foothold."
Haley threw her arms out wide with her palms up as she leaned forward slightly. "You gotta be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "This has got to be a Halloween prank or a bad dream!"
"I'm sorry, but no. This is very real," Bast went on. "Many of your fellow townsfolk have already been taken. You are going to have to stop the invaders.”
"Me!?" Haley responded, unable to believe her ears. "What am I supposed to do? Scare them with more potatoes? I hardly got away from them to start with."
Bast said, "Your vibrations resonate well with that of felines. I will lend you my energy, awakening abilities within you."
"You'll lend what?" Haley started to ask, but Bast’s eyes suddenly began to glow with a soft golden light.
The farmgirl felt her fatigue beginning to fade. The hairs on the back of her neck stood outward as a tingle made its way up her spine, but in place of a chill that would normally be expected with such a sensation, warmth was instead present. She began to feel the world around her. Like an extension of herself, feeling it beyond her own skin, similar to how she would sense the emotions of others or strange energies around her, but much stronger and much more intense.
Then it all pulled inward.
She suddenly felt like her body was made up of millions of tiny electric bubbles. After a few seconds, the fizzy sensations died down, and the young farmer felt more like her solid self. She took a couple of deep breaths and began to feel comfortably lighter on her feet.
“What was that?” she asked.
"You are now in tune with your energy field," Bast explained. "You can use it for accessing abilities that few others are yet able. Try it. Feel your vibrations. The essence of who you are."
Haley, going with it, closed her eyes and focused. She began to feel a tingle in the center of her being, and it became much like the fizzy sensation from before.
"Yes!" Bast exclaimed. "Now increase it. Raise it and direct it."
The young farmer felt those fizzy sensations expand. It seemed to become magnetic. She immediately found that she could spread this sensation throughout her body by her very whims. Haley willed it up her torso and into her right arm. As if on instinct, she mounted the potato gun to her gauntlet, raised her right arm and funneled the energy into the gun. A blue glow began to emit from inside the barrel.
Fixated on the sight and her mouth partially open, Bast looked mesmerized. The goddess was thoroughly impressed, stunned even, by how quickly Haley was able to grasp the concept. "Now release it," she said breathlessly.
Haley, who truly was mesmerized by the experience, did just that.
They both watched as a blue plasmatic-looking orb with streaks of purple, shaped much like a kitten, rocketed ahead from the barrel of her potato gun. In a fraction of a second, the blast hit a tree about twenty feet away, giving the maple a shudder as a small but potent concussive burst was released from where the strange small ethereal kitten contacted the tree.
Some leaves fell loose, Bast smiled in satisfaction, and Haley's jaw dropped in astonishment as they watched a few small bits of bark fall from the point of impact. Haley looked up to see an unhappy squirrel dangling from the end of a tree branch. The squirrel pulled itself up, chattered angrily and turned to scurry off.
"Sorry," Haley called out sheepishly to the squirrel as Bast began to laugh.
With a warm smile, the goddess said, “I suppose it’s best to be mindful of who and what’s around you before doing that again,” as a hint of her Egyptian accent slipped out.
Haley looked down as she let out a small chuckle. The farmgirl then looked up at Bast and matched the goddess’ warm expression with a smile of her own. After a couple of seconds, Haley’s face went from peaceful to worried as she noticed that Bast was beginning to fade from view.
“We’re out of time!” The Egyptian goddess began to speak faster. “There is a wizard somewhere in your town. Find him! I believe him to be an ally. Look to my cats for help, learn from their experience and may The Creator watch over you.”
The voice trailed away, and the apparition of Bast was gone.
Haley just stood there a moment. All of a sudden, she once again felt utterly alone. Her eyes began to mist up a bit as they dropped down to the custom-made potato gun strapped to her forearm, looking at her mother’s badge number. The young farmer closed her eyes tight for a moment and then opened them, looking down the trail before her with new determination.
"I'll find you, Dad," she vowed and then continued south toward the park.
