Monster (Cartoon Cat x Reader)

Company

You stayed quiet, creeping through the halls on tip-toe. The need for stealth remained at the forefront of your mind, remembering how the last hunt had gone. You had been stupid then, moving quickly and making unnecessary noise in the process. You were much more cautious this time around.

The maze had changed significantly since the last time you'd been inside it. Admittedly, you didn't really remember much of the layout from the last time you'd been inside it. But from what you did remember, the rooms and hallways were different. You'd resolved to go completely straight this time, or at least as straight as the labyrinth allowed you to. You peeked in every door you came across, but did not enter most of them.

A large majority of the rooms were dead ends. Of these dead-end rooms, a small handful were some variety of barren. A couple had basement feels to them, some looked like abandoned bedrooms you'd find in an old house, but most were just empty carpeted rooms. The rest of the dead-ends were filled with hiding places. Some had closets, beds, tall shelving units, or disguised alcoves. Some contained empty lockers big enough to hide Arnold Schwarzenegger. One room even appeared to be an abandoned store, with rows of shelves piled with all kinds of products. It even had men's and women's restrooms, all filled with empty stalls that could be utilized as hiding places. These rooms you explored and tried to commit to memory.

There were some other rooms that led to other parts of the maze, usually through open doorways or actual doors. These rooms varied far more than their dead-end counterparts. One room appeared to be an abandoned courtyard, though there was no sky to accompany it, that had 5 other entrances. Another room was reminiscent of an art studio, with a few doors that led into more hallways. Another room looked like something straight out of a horror movie, with three doors labeled with red paint. You didn't even bother setting foot in that one.

Unless you had to go through a connection room (as you had begun to call them), you followed the hallway as far down as it would go. All the time, you listened for any sound that would indicate another presence. You kept your eyes peeled for something that seemed amiss. And you were always looking over your shoulder... just in case there was something creeping up behind. You'd thought once that you heard two male voices talking, but they'd faded quickly and you'd not heard anything since.

How much time had passed since you'd been wandering the labyrinth of the second floor, you weren't sure. It could have reasonably been anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours given how strangely time seemed to move in this house. You did know that your legs were beginning to grow tired from being constantly on the move. Still you pushed, not willing to risk a rest. The more distance you put between yourself and your cell, the better. Besides, there were others in here too. Others who didn't know what was happening.

The names from your research popped again into your head, as they had several times during your captivity. All of them had been victims of Cartoon Cat and his games. You wondered if your name had already been added to that list, or if there were people even looking for you. How much time had passed outside in comparison to in here? Did anyone even know you were missing yet? Your footsteps slowed as you followed this rabbit hole in your mind. Just how long had it realistically been outside compared to how long it had felt being trapped inside? Could you even trust your own internal clock?

A clatter in one of the rooms you were passing by jolted you out of your reverie. It was followed by a stifled shriek, like someone caught by surprise. More noise, like muffled whispering, reached your ears. Your heartrate quickened, but it wasn't from fear this time. A warmth you hadn't realized you were lacking bloomed in your chest, moving your legs towards the door at a quick pace.

The room was another connecting room, a dimly lit basement-style space. The door you entered was only one of four, with one door on each of the four walls. Long wooden tables lined the walls, with a large round table in the middle. The rectangular tables on the edges were covered end to end with china dolls, all in varying outfits and styles. The center table, by contrast, was spotlighted by a bright overhead light. Delicate china teacups and teapots were arranged on top of it, with fancy little cakes and pastries spotted between them. One of the teacups had fallen to the concrete floor, leaving shards of fine ceramic in it's place. You assumed that was the sound you'd heard in the hallway.

Your eyes scanned all of this, logging the information away without much thought. Then you focused on the two individuals standing beside the center table. One was a young blonde woman, pale as a ghost and wide-eyed with fear. Her green eyes were locked firmly onto you, as if any moment you'd disappear or start hunting them. The other was a young man, with dark hair and brown eyes. One of his arms was wrapped protectively around the young woman, the other was held up in a defensive position.

You held up your hands placatingly, showing that you had neither a weapon nor anything else for that matter. "Hey, it's okay. I'm friendly, I promise."

The young man's arm slowly lowered, a confused look on his face. "I... don't believe we've met." Despite his attempt to sound casual, you could hear the strain in his voice. You didn't care. It felt like ages since you'd had anyone other than yourself and your captor to speak to.

"We haven't. I've been in this place for... who knows how long now." You attempted a nonchalant shrug, which came across more stiffly than you'd have liked. "I don't even know how long it's been since I've talked to another human person."

The tension in the youth's shoulders relaxed some, though the girl was still shivering and pale. "It is easy to get lost." He conceded, taking a deep breath. "My apologies for the suspicion, but-"

You held up a hand, silencing him. Your ears had picked up something, and you tilted your head to try and hear it better. The youth apparently heard it too, because he looked around carefully.

It was completely silent for the space of a couple heartbeats before you heard the sound again. Screaming. It was faint, too faint to have been nearby. An icy ball of dread formed in your throat, stopping you from making any noise. The girl whimpered, huddling closer to the young man. The scream died out, too suddenly to have been natural, and all was quiet again.

Your breath came in shuddering gasps, and you felt that spark of hope that had been slowly spreading inside you die. There was no doubt in your mind what had caused that scream, nor what had caused it to cease. You swallowed that ball of dread again. "We need to go, he can't be too far away now. Was there anyone with you two?"

"My brother, Gabe. Jamie's cousin Marie. And our chaperone Markus." He responded quickly, still staring at one of the walls in shock.

You grabbed his wrist, pulling the two teenagers with you through one of the doors. "We have to find as many of your party as we can before he does." Your pace picked up, forcing your new companions to jog to keep up. "Because by the sound of it, he's already found one."

The girl, who had till that moment not spoken, finally opened her mouth. "Wh-who is he...?" Before you could respond to the question, someone else spoke up. Someone you had very much not wanted to speak up. You threw out your other arm, putting your own body between the two teens and the creature coming towards you out of the darkness.

"Why, me of course~"