>< Chapter 3 ><

I ran as fast as I could. A part of me was scared that if I turned around I would see that man running after me again. I clenched my hand on the sword. At least this time I'm the one with the weapon. As I quickly stopped to catch my breath, I looked back. Something was following me, but it wasn't the man. It was the black cat. There are myths that black cats are bad luck. Maybe this cat is responsible for what just happened. Oh well, that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is getting back to my apartment.

I looked around for any street signs or stores that could tell me where I was. I'm pretty sure that I'd dropped my phone back there. I know one thing for sure, though. I'm not going back. As I looked around the area, I saw the faint outline of my old highschool. It was on the other side of town from the gas station. I must've run pretty far. My apartments were actually pretty close to where I was. It was about a 5 minute walk. I started walking, occasionally looking back at the black cat. It was still following me. I don't know why, though. It seemed like it hated me at first. I wonder what's changed.

I finally made it to my apartment complex. I checked one last time for the cat. I didn't see him. But then again, he was a black cat, not to mention that it's dark out. I sighed as I walked up to the gate. The no pets allowed sign stood out to me the most. It was for the best that the cat had stopped following me. Still, I couldn't help but worry about it. I mumbled the pin as I input it. " Five.. seven.. three.. nine. Done. " The gates slowly opened, and I walked through. I walked down to the 3rd building, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. I yawned as I unlocked my front door. As soon as I got in, I collapsed on the couch. I turned on the tv, tossed the sword onto the floor, and then unbuttoned my jacket. I was exhausted.

I was starting to fall asleep on the couch when I heard a soft thump on my door. I ignored it at first, but it continued. Finally, I rolled onto the floor and stood up. I swung the front door open. What did I see? The black cat. It ran right past me into my apartment. " Hey..! " I closed the door and ran after it. It ran into my bedroom, under the bed. I crouched down and looked under the bed. I could see the cat's green eyes glowing. " Please come out.. " I sighed. The cat took a few steps forward, and then stopped. It looked uncertain, but then started walking again slowly. As soon as it came out I grabbed it. " Time for a bath.. "

I carried the cat to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and placed the cat on the counter. I turned on the water, filling the tub with lukewarm water. The cat watched me closely as I dipped my hand in the water to test the temperature. I dried my hands off on a towel before picking it up again. As I carried the cat closer to the water, it started to wiggle. I set it in the tub and as soon as I did, it leapt out. Now the floor had water all over it. Just another mess for me to clean up, I guess.

I picked the cat up again and put it in the water. I held it down this time. It meowed and whined in agony. I didn't let it go, though. The cat needed this bath. Suddenly, I got thrown back onto the bathroom door. I slid down to the ground. All of the breath was knocked out of me. A bright light blinded me for a few seconds. As the light started to fade away, I saw the outline of something in the tub.

It looked like a man. He just barley fit in the small bathtub. I was beyond confused. How did this guy get into my bathroom? Where did the cat go? Is he the cat? I took a deep breath. He climbed out of the tub and stared at me. " PUT ON SOME CLOTHES, WOULD YA? " I screamed while throwing a towel at him. I was sure that my face was red. I didn't need to look in the mirror to know that. The man wrapped the towel around his waist and stared at me silently. He brushed back his black hair. " Happy now? " He asked , looking down at me. I felt small and helpless in front of him. I didn't know why. I nodded. " Good. " He walked past me, opening the door to the bathroom and walking out.

" Hey, wait just a minute. " I called after him. This man wasn't just going to appear in my apartment and not give a single explanation. " What do you want? " He asked, slightly turning so that he could look back at me. I got up, brushing myself off quickly. " Who are you, and how did you get in here? " He yawned. " I'm Wren, and I came through the front door. Now leave me be.. " He walked out of sight after that. I thought back to the man who had the sword. He wanted someone named Wren, and said that they were the cat. At first, I thought that he was a lunatic, but maybe this was the person he was after. Does that mean that this Wren guy is the cat?

I decided to find out. I found Wren lounging on the couch watching TV. He was still wearing the towel, thankfully. I sat on the other side of the couch than him. I'd prefer to keep my distance for now. " Hi again. " I said in a sort of friendly way. It's probably best to try to not make an enemy in this situation. " Hey. " He didn't take his eyes away from the TV. " I have a few questions for you. " " Well I don't want to hear them. I'm busy. " This guy's pretty rude. I grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. He turned towards me, and glared intensely at me. I didn't know what point he was trying to make, but he just made himself look stupid. It was only then that I noticed the gash that he had across his chest. It looked serious. " Are you okay..? " He raised an eyebrow, and I pointed to his wound. " Oh, this? I'm fine. "

" Oh, if you're so fine then I guess you wouldn't mind me doing this. " I punched him in the chest, right where the gash was. I know, that was a horrible thing to do, but I wanted to get the truth out of him. He grunted and held his chest in pain. " Not so fine now, are you? " He slowly raised his head. His forest green eyes were beaming with rage. His expression scared me. It looked like he wanted to kill me right about now. He suddenly grabbed me and threw me onto the floor. He was so fast that I hardly had time to react. He was on top of me now, breathing heavily. He had me pinned down to the floor. With his weight holding me down, I couldn't move.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***