Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
While it was tempting to run up to his room and shut himself in, that didn’t fix the greater problem. He’d have to leave his room eventually, and this would begin all over again.
“Meow. Meow. Meow.”
Luke jumped and twisted, but between the darkness of the hallway and his watery eyes, he couldn’t make anything out. It sounded like he was fucking surrounded by big cats. In his mind, he could see house cats the size of people, walking on their hind legs, their tails swishing back and forth, narrowly missing knickknacks and priceless vases.
“Meow.”
“What’s wrong, Luke? Meow.”
Luke jumped, turning his head toward the voice. “Who is that? Sorry. I can’t see anything. My eyes have almost swollen shut.”
“It’s me. Meow. Annod.”
“Annod? Did the neighbor’s cats get in the house?”
“Ummm…yes?”
“Shit!” Another fit of sneezing interrupted his curse. “I need…I need…to get them out of here. I can barely breathe.”
“Ummm…”
Luke didn’t wait for Annod to say anything else. He stumbled to the front doors and jerked both of them open, so the cats had a quick and easy exit. Now he had to come up with a way to herd them outside.
Hissss…
It sounded like an enormous cat was standing right next to him, ready to bite his head off. Luke turned to tell the thing to scat, but he was pretty sure he sneezed right on the poor creature. A great yowl pierced his ears, and a breeze ruffled his clothes as the cat ran out the door.
That was one.
But he couldn’t sneeze on all the cats.
An idea occurred to him, and he cackled. He could have been mistaken for a Halloween witch. Stumbling and sneezing, he crossed the hallway and wound his way into the kitchen. He remembered seeing what he needed when he’d been searching for a bowl to capture the spider.
Dropping to his knees on the black and white tile, he dug through a cabinet until he found the treasure he sought. With his hand wrapped around the slender neck, he thrust it into the air as if he were Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. Instead, his sword was an empty spray bottle.
“Ummm…Luke? Meow? What are you doing?”
“I found the perfect way to get rid of the cats.” He shoved to his feet and moved to the sink, where he filled the bottle with cold water. After screwing the lid on, he gave it a few test sprays to make sure it was on the mist setting and then began his hunt.
He stumbled his way through the first floor, bumping into nearly every piece of furniture and wall possible. He was moving blindly. Tears slipped down his face, and his nose dripped, but he ignored both. Every time he heard any movement or the softest meow, he wildly sprayed the water, spritzing the entire region. Claws scrabbled on the hardwood floors and the pissed-off cats hissed.
He tripped over what might have been a footstool and was in danger of falling flat on his face, but a pair of hands grabbed his hips at the last moment and put him on his feet.
“Annod?”
“It’s me.”
“Thanks. Can you help me get to the next room?”
“Can you not see?”
“Nope. Completely blind.”
“Oh. Oh! Okay!” It seemed like relief and excitement mixed in his voice, but Luke didn’t have time to think about it. With Annod at his side, they hunted down every cat, while Annod made sure he didn’t run into anything else during their trek through the first floor. Little giggles followed him through the house as they chased the cats together. Luke would have been laughing too if he wasn’t still sniffling and sneezing.
When they’d cleared the entire first floor, Luke leaned on the wall, gasping for air. He lifted the water bottle and shook it near his ear. It felt light. Had they emptied almost the entire bottle as they’d chased the cats from the house?
“Are they all gone? Do you think we should check the second floor?”
“Ummm…no. I think they’re all gone now. I’ll go shut the front doors so they can’t get back in.” Light feet jogged through the hallway, and the double doors slammed shut, locking them safely away from the cats.
“Thanks for all your help,” Luke said as soon as he heard Annod’s returning footsteps. “I appreciate it.” Luke rubbed his eyes and nose. He was going to need a shower and a shit-ton of antihistamines before going to bed. At least he knew he was going to be knocked out until his alarm went off.
“Are you okay? You didn’t seem scared of the cats at all,” Annod observed.
“Oh, I’m not afraid of cats. I like them, actually, but from a huge distance and when they’re not hunting birds. I’m horribly allergic to them. My eyes water and get puffy. My nose gets stopped up. Plus, there’s the sneezing. I can’t be in a house that has a cat.”