Black Cat

Black Cat

A small black kitten stood alone overlooking from a cliff. When silence took over, the cat closed its eyes and he began to transform into a tall young man. He looked like any other man, except for the black cat ears on his head, for he was a cat demon. Pluto looked at the barren desert wasteland in front of him. He wore an eye-patch over his left eye ever since he lost it a long time ago while the other eye was quite alert to the faintest detail. His ears twitched as the wind softly shrilled through the sun dried tall grass and picked up some sand.

In his right hand was his fully loaded revolver, his thumb ready to pull the hammer back. After a few minutes slipped by, the cat-eared demon placed his weapon back in its holster by his side and let out a sigh. “It’s been three hundred years, huh?” He softly muttered to no one as he pushed some of long jet-black bangs out of his face. Pluto fished out a folded piece of paper from a hidden pocket in his wine-red long coat. He opened it gently, making sure not to rip it, and revealed a photograph. In that snapshot, between the old fold creases, he could make out the image.

There he was, with both of his dark azure eyes, dressed in a black suit. In front of him, sitting on a stool was a woman wearing a long flowing white dress who accompanied him. She had waist-long ivory colored hair with the same colored cat ears on top of her head. A smile graced her face as she held his hand. Both of them wore plain gold bands on their right ring finger.

“Kanna…” His eye closed as he let himself slip back into time.

Around three hundred years ago, Pluto returned back to the city of cat demons in the underworld from an assignment. Do not assume that the underworld is a bleak world where hope is sucked out of all those who live there. The most outer region is where the condemned souls—the human and animal souls of those who oppose the gods—and also where the damned demons live and is the most dangerous area of all. As one travels closer to the center of the Underworld, the districts become safer and the better the inhabitants become. As a whole that world is highly civilized, but they designed their buildings like the ones from Victorian England and the Japan’s romantic Taisho-era.  

To protect the inhabitants and keep the balance of the between the underworld and the living world, there are elite societies in the underworld who watch both worlds. For example, cat demons like Pluto were vampire slayers while fox demons guided souls from the living world to the other world. These demons and humans who worked to maintain both worlds lived in the center of the city. While in the realm of the living, they took on animal forms so they could be tracked or be under suspicion.

Pluto reached home at nightfall. He walked down the main road illuminated by lanterns with demon fire quietly burning. Several windows from various buildings were lit and every once in a while, he could hear some laughter.

Because his family was descended from an influential high-ranking vampire slaying family, he was able to have a large Victorian home in the upper class district. Pluto hoped to be greeted by his fiancé, but he was welcomed back by someone else.

“Hey, big brother, welcome back!” It was Reno, his younger brother. Pluto groaned.

“Hello, Reno. How’s Kanna? I hope you haven’t been driving her crazy now.”

“Oh c’mon, I’m not like that at all. She’s fine and in the kitchen. We’ve been waiting for you to come home ever since the elders have called us a while ago.” The younger brother was about to speak when there was a loud growl. He laughed and he realized that both of their stomachs who spoke.  “Oh man, looks like someone needs some good home-cooked food! To the kitchen we go!” Reno led his brother to kitchen where Kanna waited. She wore a blue apron over her simple white dress. Pluto gave her a small peck on the cheek.

‘In two more weeks’ the slayer thought, ‘we’ll finally be able to tie the knot. I’ll soon be able to retire from this work.’

However, Pluto would never be able to retire. That night, the city was attacked. Though the defenses of the city were legendary, this invading force discovered how to dismantle it like was a simple puzzle. The culprits were not ordinary terrorists, but they were the vampires of the underworld—one of the many races rejected from ever entering the underworld’s city and forced to live on the barren wasteland. Fueled by their rage and hatred of the cat demons and led by their king, they raided the cat demons’ own territory.

Pluto was having a cup of coffee while reading a leather-bound novel by the fireside along with his fiancée in the living room. His little brother was getting ready to meet up with some of his friends for a night out. Just as Reno was heading out the door, the three cat demons felt a sudden sharp chill pass through them. Pluto looked at the windows and saw a thin layer of frost on the windows, in the middle of July.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Reno growled as he out his battle gloves. “How the hell did those bastards get in?”

“Now’s not the time to wonder about that,” Pluto got up and drew out his revolver. He could see a silhouette of someone outside, but the aura was anything but living. A lone shot echoed as smoke floated away from the revolver’s barrel as it hit its target, blowing away its head.

“Kanna,” Pluto held her hand tightly as he spoke to her, “It’s far too dangerous here. I want you to help the other healers while we find and destroy these invaders. I promise to come back and get you. Reno, take her down to the healing center and meet up with me at the capitol.”
His brother nodded and led Kanna outside. Pluto went the other way as he began to clean out the city from the undead freaks.

The two couldn’t make contact with the other slayers through their phones. After combing the city to find the rest of the other slayers, they decided to split up into teams, one to find and escort any survivors and the other to kill the enemy.

The air was heavily perfumed with ash and smoke. Blood was splattered across the walls of homes and shops while severed limbs litter the cobblestone roads. Chunks of stone and wood were thrown carelessly as the vampires paid no expense of ridding themselves from their enemies. Most of the invading undead were exterminated, but their lord was no where to be found.

Pluto ventured to the main square alone. Most of his bullets were spent as he searched for the mastermind behind the attack. The crackling of fire quieted down as he approached the large water fountain where the statue of the founder of the vampire slaying organization stood so proudly.

His ears pricked up as he sensed a new aura, one so strong and filled with bloodlust that even a seasoned vampire slayer like Pluto would shudder. The slayer turned around to see the statute was decapitated. A figure stood in front of the fountain and he held the statue’s head. The dark red highlights shone from the vampire’s pitch black hair. He wore a black long sleeved shirt with crimson embellishments along with a cloak.  His skin was pale, like any other being of his race, and his fangs shone brightly as he laughed.

“So much for the great cat demons,” the vampire spoke as he threw the head down to the ground and spat on it. “They couldn’t so much protect their own part of the city. They’re losing their touch nowadays.”

“You’re him, aren’t you?” Pluto growled, “You’re the ringleader of this madness.”

“No, I’m the Queen of France,” the vampire sarcastically replied. “I have had enough of your damn kind for too long now. All of you will die tonight.”

“Not while I am here.” Pluto growled as he jumped high into the air. In a micro-second, his revolver flew out as it began to rain bullets at its opponent. Chunks of flesh and blood splattered the square. The vampire simply laughed as more holes were being bored into his body.
Pluto’s eyes went wide as he saw to his horror that his opponent began to regenerate his wounds faster than he could fire his bullets. Only a very high leveled vampire had this kind of power and Pluto began to wonder what other abilities the ringleader had. His opponent sprung up to meet the cat demon face to face.

The two quickly began to let their fists fly at each other without mercy. Pluto took out several small silver crosses from his coat’s inner pocket and flung them like shuriken at the vampire. Though the projectiles slowed down the opponent’s movement as it burned through his flesh, the vampire kept on attacking. Their fist fight lasted for several minutes. Then suddenly, they stepped back as they wiped the blood from their wounds.

“Such a powerful opponent,” the undead lord chuckled, “we could always use someone of your caliber.”

“I’d rather die than to join your damned ranks. We will pay you back tenfold for this.” Pluto panted as he tried to regain some strength while he could.

“So be it then.” A hiss escaped the vampire’s lips as he charged straight at Pluto. The undead exterminator would have instantly fired his gun at his opponent’s skull, if only he hadn’t run out of bullets and all of his other weapons. Pluto braced himself as he was slammed into a brick building. Pain tore through his entire body and standing up was almost impossible from the heavy trauma. Suddenly, something cold gripped his neck like a vice. The vampire gave him a cold smirk as he held the cat demon in the air with his left hand. More pain began to seer through Pluto’s body as the vampire slashed at his torso with his kukri knife.

“It looks like we’ve done enough for now. Let this be a warning to you and your kind: get in our way again and we will destroy every trace of your kind possible. But before I leave, there’s something I need to take care of.” He pulled Pluto closer to his face and with his free hand. Without a single qualm, he ripped out the cat demon’s left eye and dropped him to the ground. Like a little child torturing insects for entertainmet, the vampire watched in delight as his opponent flailed and screamed from the pain for some time. Then he cupped Pluto’s face and spoke to him.

“I want you to grow stronger for the next time we meet. You gained my interest, cat demon. Remember my name, Damien, and I hope to challenge you again.” Damien laughed as a spell circle glowed underneath him and he left without a trace.  Pluto’s eyelids grew heavy and he remembered nothing else.

Several weeks later, Pluto stirred from the bed in the healing center. Reno sat next to him, reading the newspaper.

“Reno…” Pluto spoke softly. “What happened?”
He closed the paper and had a grim face as he told Pluto the details since the attack.

“Where’s Kanna? Is she back home?” Pluto looked around, but his vision was blurry. His little brother sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Pluto, we can’t find Kanna anywhere. There’s no trace of her save for her ring.” He quietly placed the gold band into Pluto’s palm. “I’m sorry.” The ring slipped from his palm, and dropped to the ground with a ring that echoed the room.

Pluto’s eye snapped as he returned from his trip down memory lane to sense something all too familiar. “To hell with you, Damien,” he said blankly as he pulled his revolver out. A swarm of vampires flung themselves at the hunter. “I will make you wish you never met me!” Several vampires got the revolver’s barrel shoved down their throats for a dose of gunpowder and explosive bullets while others were riddled with multiple crosses.

In a matter of minutes not a single vampire was left alive. Pluto wiped off some their blood off of his cheek with his thumb. He walked on their corpses, ignoring the sound of their bones cracking and innards squishing as he crushed them with his boots. His single blue eye became hollow and blank as bloodlust flowed throughout his body. “No vampire deserves mercy and they will all die by my hands!”