Monster (Cartoon Cat x Reader)

Mind Games

You woke up in a room that felt much darker than it actually was. The only light came from the window to your left, from the only streetlight before the forest began. It wasn't much, but the amber glow illuminated the room just enough to see where things were. You were laying on a carpeted floor, opposite a door you assumed to be your exit. There was an old wooden bed frame leaning against the wall to your left, mirrored closet doors to your right. A sad looking mattress sat on the floor behind you, with an indentation that led you to believe you'd rolled off of it. Other than shades of grey and amber, you couldn't make out any colors in the otherwise empty room.

Despite the 'just-moved-in' appearance of the room, it felt sinister. You could still feel eyes on you, though you couldn't tell from where. A thick smell of dust and old wood invaded your nose, making you sneeze. The shadows in the corners were oppressive... anything could be hiding there and never be seen. And you felt sure that thing from before was there, in one of those corners. Watching. Waiting...

Grinning.

You took a deep breath. Several, actually. The dust made you sneeze again, but that was fine. You stood up, stretching and trying to act as normal as possible. After your first encounter with it, you didn't plan on giving it the satisfaction of seeing your terror. Your eyes focused first on the window by the bed frame. Thick glass separated the outside world from you, and you could faintly see the stars above through heavy cloud cover. It was still night, then. Or maybe it was the night after your encounter with the thing. Either way, you knew help wouldn't be coming. Particularly not now. The glass was too thick to break, and you doubted you could lift the bed frame to break it even if it wasn't. The window frame had been melded to the sill over time, so you couldn't open it either.

You looked to the door next, walking over. It was wood, and in the dim light, looked like it might have once been white. Your fingers brushed the door as you reached for the cold metal handle. The wood was smooth, not at all splintery like you had been expecting. The handle jittered, but wouldn't move more than that. Locked. But... there wasn't a lock or even a keyhole from this side...

A chuckle echoed through the darkness behind you, an icy sound that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie. "You won't be getting out that way, sweetheart." The voice was higher than you expected, so much like an old cartoon that you wondered for a moment if the thing had turned one on for kicks, but deep enough to remind you that it wasn't any cartoon. There was a strange quality to it, too, something you couldn't put your finger on. Was it the cold amusement in his tone? Or the way it sounded like he was across the room and centimeters behind you at the same time? You didn't know. The faint sound of your own heartbeat in your ears wasn't doing much to help either.

You turned around without speaking. If you did, you're shaking voice would have betrayed your fear. As it was, your body had tensed up in preparation for fight-or-flight. You almost lost it then and there. Your frenzied memories from last night (or was it the other night?) were fuzzy, but you couldn't forget that face.

He, you could tell it was in fact male now, was closer than you had ever seen him. He'd shrunk in height, but you still had to look up in order to meet his eyes. That grin, that gleam in his eye... still the same lethal amusement you remembered from when you first saw him. It still chilled you to the bone, and you shivered against your will. He must have noticed, because his grin widened and he leaned down to get a closer look at you. "You're scared~"

He was awkwardly close now, and you took a few steps back. Far enough to get away from the wall without being cornered, anyway. But his neck stretched to maintain the distance, those merciless eyes flashing in a way that froze your blood in your veins. This was a creature who knew how terrifying he was, a creature that would use that terror to do whatever twisted thing he dang well pleased. And you were the latest object he would do whatever he dang well pleased with.

"Stop playing around, whatever you're going to do, just do it already." You were surprised how steadily the words left your mouth. Barely any quiver and no stutter. He also seemed surprised, moving his head back into position. Was it just you, or was he taller than before?

This girl hadn't disappointed him yet. She was already giving him a challenge, and showing an astounding amount of courage for someone who had been mad with terror 24 hours ago. To say his interest had been piqued would be an understatement. He was fairly fascinated by her. Sure, over the years, he'd had people come face to face with him and act brave. He'd had people literally go insane from the fear and impossibility they were facing. None who had pulled themselves back from the madness of screaming terror to act so boldly.

He examined her, her wide (e/c) eyes like the eyes of a cornered mouse just looking for a way out. The way she thrust her chin up to stare him in the eyes, like she could actually fight him if she wanted to. Her stiff shoulders and trembling hands. How adorable... Oh yes. Breaking this one would be very fun indeed.

"Relax, sweetheart~ I don't plan to kill you without giving you a fair shot at escape~" He could hear the purr in his own voice, and he could clearly see the small jolt that ran down the length of this girl's body. Hope... it was such an interesting thing. People who believed they had a chance of escape performed more interestingly in his little games. They had the hope to get so far only to see it crumble before their eyes. Seeing them lost in the despair of crushing defeat was so wonderful, it was almost a high.

"What's the catch?" Suspicion clouded those beautifully terrified eyes of hers, and she shifted into a slightly defensive position. Almost as if she had caught on to his observations of her, but not quite.

"Just a simple game! We're currently in a small room separate from the rest of the attic. You make it down to the front door and out of the yard, you are free as a bird. But if I catch you..." He felt his grin widen, putting all his sharp teeth on display. He could see them reflected in her eyes, gleaming a brilliant white as if to spite the shadow over his face. "I'll bring you back here and we can play again... and again... and again... until you're begging for death. And then we'll play even more~"

The growing horror in her eyes as he spoke was incredible... and different. He lived for the fear he inspired in people, and this girl was no different. So what was this feeling in his gut, the strange sour feeling like... regret? He hadn't felt anything like that since he had been on the air. It was a highly unpleasant feeling, one he was positive the game would be able to fix. "All you need to do is get out in order to be free of me, darlin'~"

She glanced around the room, apparently looking for some way to escape. Then she sighed, looking at the ground, before turning back up to look him square in the eyes.

"I'll play."