awkwardly as if to say ‘why didn’t we think to bring weapons?’ then got into a combat-ready stance. The source of the noise was a surprise.
A fat little cat in an old-fashioned three piece suit entered the clearing, pulling a turtle in a red cart behind him. He was also eating a cheeseburger. ‘What ho, Heroes!’ he said cheerfully, with his mouth full. Nobody knew what to do. They were absolutely nonplussed. There they were, poised for attack, only to be confronted by… by this . Assorted Colors broke the tension by dropping to floor and rolling around in a fit of laughter.
‘Um, hello,’ Ros said. AC’s laughter was infectious, and pretty soon all of them were having a damned good laugh. When they’d calmed down, Ros asked the unlikely pair if they could help them.
The cat, who’d waited patiently eating his burger, was licking ketchup off his paw. He flashed them a charming smile. ‘Why yes,’ he said. ‘Which one of you is—’ he fished an envelope from his inside jacket pocket and read the name on it, ‘—Rachel Golden?’ He looked from face to face expectantly.
All eyes automatically turned to Rachel. ‘Uh, I guess that would be me,’ she said, raising her hand.
‘ Ex cellent,’ the cat beamed. He held out the envelope and Rachel bent down to take it, slightly stunned to be getting mail from a talking cat in the middle of the Altworld. McKitten cleared his throat dramatically. ‘Rachel Golden, you have been served.’
‘Uh… What?’ was all she could think of to say, but the cat was already turning to leave.
‘Exactly as I said, my dear girl. Good day to you all.’ He tipped an imaginary hat to the others. ‘Come along, Turtle. A job well done. Lunch at the club I think, don’t you?’ And with that the pair squeaked and wheeled out of the clearing.
Rachel stared at the envelope in her hand, and the ornate handwriting on it. Well, it certainly was her name. She looked around at the others, but they seemed to be as confused as her. She gingerly slit open the envelope with a finger, not sure what to expect. Inside was a single sheet of blood red paper, completely blank on both sides. Just as she was about to speak again, she felt a hot tingling sensation in her fingertips where she was holding it.
Panicking, she tried to drop the paper, then shake it off, but it was stuck to her as if with glue. ‘Hey guys…’ she said, fear rising in her voice, and they watched in horrified fascination as the paper began to turn white around its edges.
‘Rachel!’ Kel gasped. ‘Your hand!’ He was pointing a shaking finger at Rachel’s hand, and the red that was spreading to it from the paper.
The heat was intense now, painful, and Rachel screamed as she watched her entire hand turning bright red. She desperately flapped her arm trying to get it off. The others snapped out of their stupor and lunged forward to try to wrestle the paper off her, but too late: It fell away by itself, now pure white in color as it drifted to the ground. Rachel held up her trembling hand and stared at it in horror. It looked like it had been dipped in blood.
***
It had been surprisingly easy for Toby and his gang to escape. In the end. After about an hour of struggling against their bonds, more urgently as the day got later (they did not want to be tied up in the dark of Altworld), it was finally Pig-face who broke free. ‘’Sno good,’ he moaned, grunting and snorting. ‘Never get loose.’ He took a deep breath to sigh, and that’s when his ropes had just snapped, much to everyone’s surprise.
When Toby was free he stared down at Ratboy in disgust. ‘I should just leave you there, you know that?’ he snapped. ‘Falling asleep on your watch. All of this is your fault.’
Ratboy looked like he was going to cry. HIS watch?? Butbutbut Toby had said that he’d take first watch. He was playing with the Retriever of Sin, and… Oh, what was the use? He let his head fall
A fat little cat in an old-fashioned three piece suit entered the clearing, pulling a turtle in a red cart behind him. He was also eating a cheeseburger. ‘What ho, Heroes!’ he said cheerfully, with his mouth full. Nobody knew what to do. They were absolutely nonplussed. There they were, poised for attack, only to be confronted by… by this . Assorted Colors broke the tension by dropping to floor and rolling around in a fit of laughter.
‘Um, hello,’ Ros said. AC’s laughter was infectious, and pretty soon all of them were having a damned good laugh. When they’d calmed down, Ros asked the unlikely pair if they could help them.
The cat, who’d waited patiently eating his burger, was licking ketchup off his paw. He flashed them a charming smile. ‘Why yes,’ he said. ‘Which one of you is—’ he fished an envelope from his inside jacket pocket and read the name on it, ‘—Rachel Golden?’ He looked from face to face expectantly.
All eyes automatically turned to Rachel. ‘Uh, I guess that would be me,’ she said, raising her hand.
‘ Ex cellent,’ the cat beamed. He held out the envelope and Rachel bent down to take it, slightly stunned to be getting mail from a talking cat in the middle of the Altworld. McKitten cleared his throat dramatically. ‘Rachel Golden, you have been served.’
‘Uh… What?’ was all she could think of to say, but the cat was already turning to leave.
‘Exactly as I said, my dear girl. Good day to you all.’ He tipped an imaginary hat to the others. ‘Come along, Turtle. A job well done. Lunch at the club I think, don’t you?’ And with that the pair squeaked and wheeled out of the clearing.
Rachel stared at the envelope in her hand, and the ornate handwriting on it. Well, it certainly was her name. She looked around at the others, but they seemed to be as confused as her. She gingerly slit open the envelope with a finger, not sure what to expect. Inside was a single sheet of blood red paper, completely blank on both sides. Just as she was about to speak again, she felt a hot tingling sensation in her fingertips where she was holding it.
Panicking, she tried to drop the paper, then shake it off, but it was stuck to her as if with glue. ‘Hey guys…’ she said, fear rising in her voice, and they watched in horrified fascination as the paper began to turn white around its edges.
‘Rachel!’ Kel gasped. ‘Your hand!’ He was pointing a shaking finger at Rachel’s hand, and the red that was spreading to it from the paper.
The heat was intense now, painful, and Rachel screamed as she watched her entire hand turning bright red. She desperately flapped her arm trying to get it off. The others snapped out of their stupor and lunged forward to try to wrestle the paper off her, but too late: It fell away by itself, now pure white in color as it drifted to the ground. Rachel held up her trembling hand and stared at it in horror. It looked like it had been dipped in blood.
***
It had been surprisingly easy for Toby and his gang to escape. In the end. After about an hour of struggling against their bonds, more urgently as the day got later (they did not want to be tied up in the dark of Altworld), it was finally Pig-face who broke free. ‘’Sno good,’ he moaned, grunting and snorting. ‘Never get loose.’ He took a deep breath to sigh, and that’s when his ropes had just snapped, much to everyone’s surprise.
When Toby was free he stared down at Ratboy in disgust. ‘I should just leave you there, you know that?’ he snapped. ‘Falling asleep on your watch. All of this is your fault.’
Ratboy looked like he was going to cry. HIS watch?? Butbutbut Toby had said that he’d take first watch. He was playing with the Retriever of Sin, and… Oh, what was the use? He let his head fall
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