Shadow

Shadow

     Logan Harper opened his eyes and all he could see was fire. He got to his feet, scooped up his meowing cat, Shadow and went out his bedroom door. He dropped the cat outside from the second floor window. Fire filled the hallway to his sick brother’s room. He ran to the room without thought and put his hand on the knob and immediately burned his hand. He put his hand under his shirt and twisted the nob. As soon as the door was free, a huge ball of backdraft blew him back against the wall. Set ablaze and arm broken, he ran outside knowing his sick brother was gone.

***

     “Baby, wake up.” Amanda said.

     “Is my brother ok?” Logan asked.

     “The fire started in his room and spread throughout the house. He was gone before you even woke up. They said it started when Joe lit a joint while having his oxygen tank on. I’m so sorry, baby.” She said as she burst into tears. “If it wasn’t pouring rain, you’d be gone too. I would be lost.”

     “Where is Shadow?” Logan asked.

     “She is fine. At your mom’s house. The firefighters found her soaking wet on your chest.”

     “I need Shadow right now.” Logan said.

     “Okay, baby. You lost an arm and it’s been weeks since you been awake. They said I could take you after a few tests. Do you want to go to your mom’s and eat?” She asked.

     “Of course, get me out of here, I’m fucking starving.” Logan said.

***

     Shadow will know what to do. Logan thought.

     “What did you want?” Amanda asked.

     “I don’t care, anything will do, and I’m just fucking starving.” Logan said.

     “Jeez, calm down.” Amanda said.

     They headed toward Logan’s mother’s house.

     “Shadow! Come here, girl!!” Logan said.

     Shadow opened her eyes and jumped across the living room furniture and into Logan’s lap.

     “Good girl.” Logan said. He got close to Shadow’s ear and whispered, “We’ll have another chance, right?”

     Shadow just rubbed her warm head against Logan and started to purr.

***

     Logan and Amanda came home from work at the same time one day and noticed a cat in the bushes.

     “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” Amanda said.

     The cat didn’t budge. Amanda opened her lunch bag and pulled out her half eaten tuna salad and put it on the ground. After getting a few good whiffs of tuna, the cat came out slowly to investigate the bowl. One black paw came out from the bushes, then an orange paw. The cat was half black and orange right down the middle. Her eyes appeared black when she came from behind the bushes. Once the cat’s face touched the sun, her dilated eyes started to go back to normal and revealed one brilliant green eye and the other was a deep ocean blue. One tentative step after another, she reached the bowl and scarfed down the tuna.

     “Look how beautiful she his?!” Amanda loudly whispered to Logan.

     “She is a unique looking cat.”

     After the tuna was gone, the cat started to purr loudly and rubbed herself through the couple’s legs. After a few runs back and forth, Amanda reached down and picked the cat up.

     “Hello, Shadow. Welcome home.”

     “Home?! Wait now, we need to see if she is someone’s pet. Look at her, she’s clean and healthy.” Logan said,

     “Let’s take her in and see how things go. I’ll check tomorrow if she belongs to someone around the block. Okay?”

     They kept Shadow after that night. No one claimed her after a week of flyers and calls to all the local pet shelters. She became part of their family. Part of their life.

***

     “It’s been weeks since the fire. How come you haven’t done anything yet?” Logan said while looking at Shadow.

     Shadow looked up with her big bright eyes and stopped purring. She walked up and put her paws on Logan’s chest and started to purr in front of his face. Shadow laid down and they both fell asleep.

     In the middle of the night, Shadow stood over Logan and put her lips right by Logan’s. Shadow’s eyes started to glow different colors and the room went cold. Logan opened his eyes just in time to feel something go in his lungs and see his cat glowing brilliantly. Then it went dark and silent.

***

     Logan Harper opened his eyes and all he could see is darkness. He looked at the clock and it was 3:04 am. He threw back the covers with the arm he lost in the fire and realized he was back in his room. Heart racing, he ran out of his room and down the hall into his brother’s room. Flinging the door open, he watched his brother reaching for his lighter with the oxygen tank on.

     “Joe!” Logan yelled.

     “Hey, what are you doing up?”

     “You’re going to blow up the fucking house, Joe! Your tank is on!”

     “Fuck. I thought I turned it off.” Joe said.

   “I’m happy to have you back, Joe.” Logan said. “Get some sleep. I’ll check on you in a bit. Shut that tank off when you smoke. Bad things can happen”

     Logan went back to his room and noticed Shadow on the bed barley breathing now.

     “Shadow!” Logan said loudly.

     He watched her eyes close and chest stop moving. Logan picked her up and thought about all the crazy shit that happen since they got her. Maybe this was the last gift she could give? Logan thought.

      The phone rang.

     “Hello?” Logan asked.

    “Is this Logan Harper?

     “Yes.”

      “Amanda Connor has been in an accident.” The voice said.

The End