Monster (Cartoon Cat x Reader)

Valuable Information

All sense of time had left you in the short time you'd been imprisoned in this place. Your days consisted primarily of sleeping, eating, and exercising when your body would allow you to. For all you knew, time could be moving faster in here than it was in the outside world. Your injuries had certainly healed faster than they should have. You estimated you had been completely functional for about a full day.

Cartoon Cat himself had been abnormally absent, only really showing up when he got too bored to do whatever it was he did when he wasn't tormenting you. Generally, this manifested in him blending into the shadows, just waiting for you to realize you weren't alone. He would be in a different spot, at a different size, finding a different way to scare you each time. One day, he'd be short and oddly dog-like with a lot of teeth charging at you out of nowhere. The next, he'd be putting Slenderman to shame; tall, slender, and disappearing from view the moment you caught sight of him.

You had woken up to sunlight that day. It felt like a lifetime since you'd last seen it. It's brightness banished every shadow in the room, leaving you feeling confident that you wouldn't be seeing Cartoon Cat any time soon. It also gave you a chance to see yourself clearly for the first time in a while. Pink scars decorated your skin where your injuries had healed. Some, like the ones you'd gotten when you were captured, were barely visible. Others showed plainly, like they were warning you about dangers you knew all too well. You looked paler than you remembered being, though that was probably just from being in the bright light after seeing yourself only in the dark for so long. Your shirt had plenty of tears from playing Cartoon Cat's little game. Most of them weren't bad, the shirt was still wearable, but those big holes were going to pose a problem. Not to mention, this outfit was likely going to be unwearable once you got out of here. If I get out of here...

You turned your attention to the room now, taking in the colors that had been previously obscured in black and amber tones. Mint green paint, faded and peeling, covered the walls in a sad attempt to brighten up the room. There were white streaks on the room's trim where you or Cartoon Cat had brushed against it, removing the thick coating of grey dust that covered it. The dirty mattress on the floor looked dirtier in the stark, harsh white sunlight.

You sighed, stretching out your arms and back. It was once again time for your "morning" routine. Discovering whatever cartoon logic had placed before you to eat, testing the door and window to see if they were passable yet, and then an exercise routine. This time, breakfast was a plate of still steaming rice pudding with some fruit. Certainly better than some of the meals you'd been provided with. Your captor must be in a good mood.

Ten minutes later, setting aside a now empty bowl, stage two. The window, as per usual, was still firmly cemented to the sill. At least you had a beautiful view of the forest rather than shadows and a streetlight. The skies were blue, not many clouds. You might have to start chipping at the glass today instead of exercising. Onto the door...

You reached a hand to test the handle, and gave a jolt of surprise when it turned easily. The door silently swung open open, shedding light into the rest of the attic. Boxes were stacked in untidy piles against the walls, blocking any windows there might have been and leaving plenty of wide open space. Dust covered the room in a thick blanket, so thick even the silence sounded muffled. The musty smell of old paper, decaying cardboard, and rotting wood filled the air. When you weren't running for your life, A surprisingly calming space, in spite of the age. Then again, it was daytime and you weren't running for your life, so your judgement was probably skewed.

You glanced down at the creaky floorboards, noting with a shiver that the only footprints in the dust were yours. Either Cartoon Cat had been walking in your exact footsteps since you'd played that first game, or he hadn't left any in the first place. The practical part of your mind said that neither option was possible. A creature that clearly had mass and could disturb the air and touch and hurt would have to leave prints of some kind. The paranoid part reminded you that Cartoon Cat was no ordinary creature. Goosebumps on your arms, you pushed both voices from your mind. You had a means of exploring now, and you didn't have time to worry about whether he was capable of leaving footprints or not. A decisive step towards the stairs, and...

"I wondered how long it would take ya to realize the door was unlocked."

You froze in your tracks, hearing that all too familiar voice coming from behind you. Slower and lazier than you were used to perhaps, but there was no mistaking that ominously cartoonish tone. You felt your heartbeat pick up. How could you have missed him, you'd looked all over the room. Where on Earth had he been hiding?

The flooboards creaked, the only indication of movement you had as you stared into the lit room before you. A bead of sweat dripped down your brow. Strange... I'm sweating... so why do I feel so cold? You could sense him behind you now, looming like the Grim Reaper. I don't want to turn around... You turned slowly. He was in a tall mood at the moment apparently, the top of your head barely reached his shoulder. He was further away than you'd expected, too, a solid three feet away instead of the usual three inches. His grin was still in place, but it wasn't as big or sharp as it usually was, either. It was a, dare you say, sleepy kind of grin. Those long, rubberhose arms dangled at his sides carelessly. His normally immaculate fur was sticking up in weird places as if he'd just woken up.

The pounding of your heart lessened, your paranoid thoughts flying out of your head. This was not the site you'd expected.

"Don't look so surprised, darlin'~" So, he'd noticed your confusion. Unsurprising. "Or have you forgotten my being nocturnal?" His smile grew for a moment, his eyes regaining that predatory gleam, and then it was gone like it had never even happened.

"I advise you step back into your room now. I would hate to have to hurt you before our next game begins~" You blinked, and he was suddenly right there. With little choice, you stepped around him and towards your prison. His eyes followed you, watching your every movement. You hadn't done anything, but you'd learned something at least. You'd be very watchful during the rest of today. Maybe... just maybe... there was hope outside of the games....

In a little hotel room, not five blocks away, a man rubbed one of the chips on the mysterious camera he had found. No more waiting, time to find out what exactly this thing had seen. He lifted it up, and hit the power button. It flickered, but turned on. Something like excitement coursed through him. Taking a breath to steady himself, he looked at the screen. "Here goes nothing..."