The Beginning of Death (part 2)

At the age of eight, I had already killed three kids around my age. I didn’t do it without reason I tell you. I had saved the mother cat and her four surviving kittens. Since that day, they had became my only family and friends. They are the start of my frightening transformation.1

For better or for worse, I don’t know.2

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Leko took out his sketchbook and opened it to a ragged page. He was only half done with drawing Meeko. Every page was of Meeko and her kittens though now they weren’t kittens anymore but he still called them kittens.4

It was four years since he first met them. They were on their own for their mother didn’t care for them anymore but they continued to live under his parents’ trailer. Nothing had changed in those four years. His father was still drunk every night and getting busted for firearms. His mother was still a coward and continued to accept the beatings she received.5

Food was becoming scarce in their trailer. His mother was working two jobs, a bartender at a small bar and a librarian at a public school. Even though she worked at a school, Leko wasn’t allowed to go to school. His father rather spend the money they did have on alcohol and drugs. Leko’s education was worth nothing.6

But Leko was determined. He took care of himself. Every Friday he would go into the school in the afternoon and sneak out textbooks. He stored them underneath the trailer with Meeko and the kittens. He taught himself how to read and write. He had recently discovered his natural talent at drawing. Every drawing was only on cats.7

He looked up from drawing the ears to look at Meeko. She sat in front of him and stared at the sunset. She followed him everywhere when his parents weren’t around. Leko wasn’t allowed to have pets, as they were just another mouth to feed recording to his father.8

After her near death experience, she didn’t like any other human other than Leko. She avoided them at all cost. Leko did the same. He remembered the police cars coming over when the parents of the three boys reported them missing. At first he was nervous about the police found out about him but the nervousness didn’t last long. Cops didn’t care very much about poor boys going missing. Recording to the police, they were no good, trailer-trashed people. 9

The parents all came to the conclusion that the three of boys got together and ran away. No one thought of checking the garbage. The garbage truck came and went with the bodies in the back of the truck now. 10

“Everything went smoothly, didn’t Meeko?” Leko watched at Meeko turned her golden eyes onto him. She gave out a small meow. Leko smiled at her.11

“You and I are very similar. No real family. No one to call as a friend. All alone and confused on how you fit into this world.” He had muttered the last part to himself. Since the death of the three boys he was confused about who he was. Was he a normal boy? Did everyone felt as though they had a monster brewing inside them?12

The last question was the one that he really wanted an answer to. He felt like something took over his body when he smashed the bat into the fat boy’s face. That wasn’t the real Leko. He had been getting murderous thoughts since the beast was released that day. Leko was having a hard time controlling it.13

“I feel like I could kill again,” he told Meeko. “Is that normal for a twelve year old to feel that?” Meeko got up and brushed against his leg. He picked her up and placed her on top of his sketchbook that sat on his lap. Her soft black fur ran through his fingers. His brown eyes looked straight into her golden eyes. 14

“I don’t know who I am. There’s been sometimes where I have blacked out. I don’t remember anything. I wake up in strange places. I’m scared Meeko. Something is taking me away.” Tears were forming. He tried to hold them back but they came streaming out. He cried into Meeko’s fur.15

Why was this happening? He was regretting his life. He wanted to die. He had no problem taking someone’s life but would he be able to take his own? He wanted to end the madness that was going inside him.16

“Meeko…I…I don’t think I can handle this. I want to end my suffering right here and now,” he said. Meeko started purring. He looked into her face. To him it looked like she was displeased about something. Did she understand what he was saying to her or was it just wishfully thinking on his side? He wanted someone to listen to him.17

Her stare made him uneasy for some reason so he looked up at the sunset. Another day was gone. Tomorrow was his thirteenth birthday. He didn’t understand the meaning of birthdays. Why would someone want to know how many miserable years they lived? He had never received a present or even a happy birthday from someone. Birthdays were just another boring day.18

He picked up Meeko and sat her beside him. He got up and brushed off the dirt on his sketchbook. He handed it to Meeko.19

“Please keep this safe for me.” In the last four years he had taught her tricks. She gave out a quick meow and grabbed hold of the book with her teeth. She got up and sprinted under the trailer.20

“Thank you and goodnight Meeko,” he whispered. He opened the trailer door and walked in. It was pitch black but he could make out his father body laying on the floor with bottles and a strange white powder all around him. Leko stepped over his body and headed toward the dinner table. The dinner table could as be made into a bed. 21

He picked up more bottles off the table and wiped it down with a damp rag. He hated living in this pigpen. He wanted to sleep outside but when his father discovered him sleeping out there, he had beaten Leko.22

“If ya are goin’ to sleep like uh dog, I’ll beat ya like uh dog,” his father roared. 23

In three minutes flat, the table was turned into a bed with a few thin blankets. He was about to lay down when he heard a soft whimper from the other side of the trailer. Look tipped toed to see what it was. His mother was crouched in the corner. Leko went to her and bent down.24

“How bad are you hurt?” he asked with no concern. He had tried to care for his mother but he found it hard to care for someone that didn’t even care about themselves. He bent closer to get a better look at her as he dared not turn on the lights.25

There was a cut running from the edge of her mouth to the bottom of her ear. Cuts and bruises were all over her arms and legs. This was the worst he had ever seen.26

“I…I’m…okay…go-o to sleep Le-e-eko,” she said shakily. 27

“You need those cuts to be cleaned,” he whispered. He started to get up to get a rag when her arm snatched out and grabbed hold of his hair. She yanked his closer to her. Leko ground his teeth from yelling out. He hated other people touching him.28

“Don’t you dare,” she whispered softly and clearly. “Just leave me alone and go get some god damn sleep.” Leko dug his nails into her arm and she let go. The two of them glared at each other.29

“I was just trying to help but forget it. Live your crappy life and be his punching bag but don’t drag me down with you,” he whispered angrily. He got up and quickly got out of the trailer. He didn’t care if he was going to be beaten or not. He had to get out of there. He was so close to losing control of the monster inside him. He crouched down and peered under the trailer.30

“Is there enough for one more?” He asked. A couple meows came as a reply. He squeezed himself under and crawled toward their little nest. His father wouldn’t find him here and no one could touch him here. It was a tight fit but he weighed no more than seventy pounds. 31

“I’m sorry I had to intrude on you but I can’t stay in there anymore. I need a new home.” He laid his head beside Meeko. Her tail curled around his head. The four kittens curled up around him to get some warmth. Tonight was a cold night. He closed his eyes.32

“Will you come with me if I leave tomorrow?” he muttered. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that Meeko and the others were looking at him. He could feel their stare. He felt something wet on his nose. He opened up one eye and saw that it was Meeko. She had licked him on the nose. He smiled and closed his eye again.33

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you all. You mean so much to me.”34

Yes tomorrow he was going to leave. There was nothing here for him. He felt like he was better off on his own where he made his own rules and where no one could place a hand on him. 35

An image of him and the cats living in the woods with a fire burning came to him. They could learn how to hunt and live with other animals and away from humans. 36

Sleep came over him.37

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That night had changed my life. My thirteenth birthday was anything but normal. I hadn’t realized that I had saved and become friends with one of the strongest creatures in the world. I wasn’t aware that they had something special stored for me on my birthday.39

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Leko slowly woke up. His back ached from the hard ground. He opened his eyes and for a second he was confused. Why was he under the trailer? Suddenly the night before flooded his mind and he remembered that he had plans for today.41

He turned his head left and right but he didn’t see any of the cats. He frowned. He wondered where they could have gone. He sighed heavily as he looked back at the bottom of the trailer.42

“Happy birthday Leko,” he said. “I’ll give you the gift of running away.” He laid there for about five minutes. His stomach rumbled but he hadn’t noticed. When you were starving every day, you got used to the feeling of emptiness. He was starting to have second thoughts of running away. There were too many unanswered questions for his liking.43

Where would he go? How was he going to feed himself and the cats? Where would he sleep at night? How was he going to travel? Walking was always an option but the deserts in Nevada were huge and he wouldn’t survive long. Sadness swept over him. He remembered being excited about leaving. But now he noticed that it wasn’t possible.44

As much as he hated it, he had to rely on his parents for the needs in life. He didn’t get much but it was better than having nothing. It looked like he was stuck with them. He shuffled out from under the trailer and into the blinding sun. It took a couple minutes for his eyes adjust. He heard a meow overhead.45

He peered up and saw all the cats sitting on top of the trailer and looking over the edge at him.46

“Good morning, fur balls. You didn’t forget that my birthday was today, did you?” he called out. They continued to look at him and flicked their tails. Leko looked around the park. “Aw well that’s okay if you forgot. I’m the only one that knows about it.”47

He got up and stretched. Meeko jumped off the trailer and landed on his head.48

“Hey! Ouch! Those claws of yours don’t feel all that good just so you know,” he winced. He stretched his arms up and grabbed hold of her. He brought her down so he can look into her eyes. How he loved to look into those golden cat eyes. But he was taken by surprised when he saw that they were bright red.49

“MEEKO!” he cried out. “What has happen to your eyes? Are you alright?” He held her closely to his chest as he sat down to examine her. He ran his fingers through her fur, he checked her paws, her teeth, her ears, but everything was fine except for her eyes. Were her eyes bleeding inside? He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything about health or injuries. He wanted to cry out in frustration.50

Meeko was an old cat but she had always moved as though she was one of her kittens. He didn’t know what he would do if she was starting to break down. Tears were spilling out.51

“Meeko, please be okay.” He held her to his chest. She meowed a couple times and started to struggle against his grip. He let her go and watched her as she climbed out of his lap. She sat in front of him and stared right into his eyes.52

Something was different about her. The way she was looking at him. The way she was sitting. Something just wasn’t quite right. She suddenly gave out a yowl that he had never heard off. The kittens jumped down and landed on both sides of him. All four of them had red eyes as their mother. He gasped.53

“What is going on?” he cried out fearfully. Meeko went into a crutch position. Had they turned rabid? He didn’t know how to tell if an animal was rabid or not. He leaned back from her. Was his only friends turning against him? He stared at her in sadness and in anger. Why would she do this to him?54

She looked at him and then sprang on top of him. He flung his arms in front of his face as her claws dug into his arm. He yelled out when the other four, two on both sides of him, sprang at him with their claws extended. 55

He didn’t want to hurt them. He was still in disbelief that this was happening. He tried to push Meeko and the kittens away from him but they kept at him. Their claws were digging deep into his face, arms, and legs.56

“Stop it!” he yelled out. He had somehow got onto his back and the cats were on top of him. “Please stop it.” That was when things got a little weird. They had stopped. He threw his arms at them but they jumped off him before he made contact.57

He breathed in deeply as he sat himself up. Blood was caked all over his body. To him it looked like he was wearing red paint. He looked at Meeko with betrayal on his face. Nothing was making sense.58

He got up to his feet but he felt light headed and dropped to his knees. Everything was spinning and multiplying. 59

“What did you do to me?” Leko whispered before he blacked out.60