Delinquent Student and his Pet Teacher

That’s it. His life was over now.

That was all he was able to think even days after what happened. He hasn’t been able to leave his home after that, his leg was still injured and needed to heal. Thankfully, because there was no way he could go to work now. Not with him being around.

His home was left in darkness, his blinds shut all day long. Living on the third floor gave him no assurance that he wasn’t being watched. He knew there had to be someone out there keeping an eye on him.

And why wouldn’t they? After all he’s received the mark of death, there was no way out for him.

Another night had passed, this one wasn’t as sleepless as the others, still awoken by a nightmare puss jumps awake and checks his bedroom in panic, He flinched as the pain of his still healing leg shot through him. Nothing to find around him. He sighs and tries to get out of bed. His limbs felt heavy as he dragged himself to the fridge to look for something to eat. 

Even if he wasn’t able to eat much his fridge was still sooner or later running out of food. He had to get out at some point and there was no one he could ask for help. The only ones he could ask… he had already stabbed them in the back and he wouldn’t want them to get targeted anyways.

A faint almost inaudible shuffling at his door gets his attention and immediately makes his heart race. He runs into the hallway, a kitchen knife in his paw ready to go at anyone any second, he stares at his front door. Nothing. His door was quiet, no shadows moving underneath, nothing seemed changed in his hallway. He’s gotten way too paranoid now.

Still he was sure that he had heard something. He slowly gets closer to the door, knife ready, he inches towards it. Out of the corner of his eyes he notices something on the floor. A card? Almost placed the same way as the one he had previously received. 

Puss’s shock intensifies as he sees the dark mark on the red card and he falls backwards, dropping the knife. Another mark of death?! Was that Muerte at his door? He snaps his gaze toward the door, still no movement at the door. No noises to hear. He tries to calm his breathing and takes the card.

“Come out to play or I will.”

It was the same handwriting, the same ‘ink’ being used, the same name signing the card, “La Muerte”. 

He knew it. He was being watched. He winces as his panic slowly rises. He had to get out there. Muerte wouldn’t let him off the hook so easily and he wouldn’t just let him hide like this as well as it seems.

—

A few moments later his doorbell rings and makes him jump up in the air. He lands on his four paws and stays there for what feels like ages. He listens intently at the slightest noise in front of his door. His paws ripping into the carpet.

He can hear a sigh and he gets closer to the door. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” A faint whisper of a female voice.

Puss quickly opened the door and in front of him stood– “Kitty?!” Both look at each other with wide eyes. “Woah,” Kitty exhales, “So it’s true, you are absolutely miserable... What is that on your face?” She points at him. Puss flinches back, he quickly hides the mark of death which he notices in his hand and kicks away the knife laying next to him. “Uh, This?” He shrugs and strokes over the hair around his chin, which has gotten just a little unruly. “No, wait, what are you doing here?!” He gestures and as she answers Puss nervously looks into the hallway, checking for anyone else. “Yeah, I’m wondering the same thing.” He barely lets her finish before he drags her inside.

Without even being able to protest she was already inside. “What’s going on with… you… Puss…?” Her words slow down as she sees the state of his flat. Dark, without any lights on, messy as all hell and good lord the smell of the trash around the corner.

Puss quickly pushes that aside. “Doesn’t matter, what the hell are you doing here?!” He holds onto her.

She quickly slaps his paws away and explains. “A little birdy told me that you weren’t looking so good. Even told me to get you some food.” She held up a little note in her hand. Full of panic Puss grabs the note and reads it. It’s not the same handwriting, is it? No… but then who could have?

“Who…?” Stunned at the writing in the note Puss overthinks who it could be way too much. “Just so you know, I’m only doing this as a favour for your sweetheart of a neighbour and to see you all miserable like this. Couldn’t pass the chance.” She chuckles.

His neighbour! Puss perked up and turned to Kitty who shrugs. “Told me he hasn’t seen you leave in almost a week, so he got worried.”

“Perrito did?” 

“You know how he is, Puss.” She put her paw on her hip and stood confident as ever in front of him. Relief suddenly courses through him and he almost collapses to the ground. “Oh, gracias a dios…” Seeing Kitty being fine like this and knowing Perrito is fine as well he kneads through his face with one paw.

“Now would you tell me what’s gotten you in a pickle like this?” She lifts up a bag and hands it over to Puss.

Tension snaps right back into him. “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no I can’t do that.” He waves her off and guides her back to the door. “Did you… did the heist at Jack Horners come to bite you in the ass, huh?” She scoffs and Puss freezes. Urgh, she wasn’t exactly wrong. His face folds as he remembers the moment in the alley. If only he had known back then.

“I’m so sorry, Kitty, but you will HAVE to go now.” He’s almost pushing her out the door at this point. Before she leaves completely she kicks the door into his face. Not exactly surprised he holds the door and his now bloody nose.

“Still the same as always I see. At least pretend to be a little grateful that you have people looking out for you, Puss!” She hisses loud enough to echo through the hallway. “Now take your goddamn food.” He gets the bag thrown in his face and Kitty stomps off, absolutely infuriated. “I can’t believe I even came here in the first place!” If she still had her claws he’d be dead meat, he was sure of it.

He closes the door and sighs in utter relief. That was the last person he’d want to get involved in this, her and… Perrito. Puss can’t believe Perrito would send her to him. He chuckles at the thought, He probably knew that he would never have opened the door for him.

New energy gets to him. She would never know it but he was so thankful that she showed up when she did. He gathers himself and decides to get to cleaning.

If Muerte wants to play, he’d at least need to be ready for him.

—

It was the next day already, Puss had made it safely to the school even if he didn’t exactly have any classes that day since the school still thought he’d take his time off to rest. There was no way he’d leave his house unarmed at this point, his knife was discreetly tucked underneath his shirt but the students greeting him in the hallways calms his nerves a bit. Everyone seemed a bit worried as they saw him walk with a slight limp towards the teachers office.

Nervously he fumbles around in the teachers office. In his mind he was already thinking about checking the wolf’s classroom. He needed to know if he was here today. 

Walking back and forth he overheard a conversation from two teachers who hadn’t noticed him there yet, since he was almost as tall as the desks around him.

“You’ve already got her around your finger haven’t you?”

“Like a worm in an apple.”

“Just make extra sure none of the dogs hear of this as well. Just be lucky the wolf isn’t around today.”

“He’s not?”

Puss perks up as well, now peeking at the two talking. Ms. Godmother turned to the new younger teacher, “Are you insane? You wouldn’t seriously consider doing this when he’s around would you?”

The other shakes her head, Puss couldn’t remember her name, he only knew she slept a lot in the office space. “It’s about the timing, I can’t get her to suspect anything, if I don’t let it flow in casually there is nothing to gain, you know.” There was quite the poisonous bite to her words.

“Huh, you surely seem eager to lose your job for this.” The smell of Mr. Godmothers cigarette his Puss’s nose and he recoils.

“Pff. He can’t get me fired that easily. Not like he’d care anyways.”

The older woman encouragingly pats her on the shoulder and leaves with a laugh.

Dios mio, the teachers at this school surely are a thing of grace aren’t they? Puss can only roll his eyes, he knew these teachers were incompetent, but this? 

He backs off from what he heard, the most important information he gathered was that the wolf wasn’t here ? Unbelievable.

He starts to overthink again and hopes that maybe it was all just one bad dream he surely would wake up from soon.

At the end of the day he’s still pacing through the school as the last lessons come to a close. Seems those teachers were right, he wasn’t there. He curses that damned dog in his mind but his body could feel the relief. Nothing happened. It was a day like any other, his students happy to see him and cheering for his good health to come back, the teachers the same awful mess they’ve always been and Puss was able to breathe.

The hallways turn empty as most of the students have left already, just the few here and there. On his way back to the teachers lounge he overhears the same voices from this morning again. A bitter and petty tone, absolutely terrible.

“I told you it would be easy.” Puss could hear the fluttering of cash as it was counted in  someone's fingers, he had heard that noise too often to not recognize it.

The older woman in her company laughs with delight. “What about her parents?”

“They don’t know a thing and I doubt she’d tell them.” Both of their laughter sounded disgusting as it rang through the hallway.

Almost two classrooms between him and the door they’re behind but he could still hear their discussion. He sneaks a little closer to hear their ongoing conversation better.

A slight growling creeps into the background noise and Puss feels his fur start to stand up straight. No, no, no, he was just imagining things. The two women in the classroom keep talking but Puss can’t focus on them for the life of him. The colour red in the corner of his vision makes his head instantly snap towards it.

There he was, La Muerte. Walking in his direction.

The growl got louder and louder, it brimmed with anger. Puss could feel his heart beat so strongly it would hurt in his chest, now he’s here?! As the wolf’s eyes meet his, they fixate on him and his angry snarl was pointed directly at him for a moment.

One moment which felt like forever. Puss’s vision started to blur. The wolf turned his head and kicked the door to the classroom open with such force Puss was sure he had broken it. As he realises the wolf didn’t come here for him the numbness in his limbs start to fade and he felt his hands propping him up on the floor. He didn’t feel himself fall down at all.

Another loud slam makes puss jolt, the snarling in the room painted the worst images in his head, flashing together with the images of the blood all over the wolf. His breathing heavy he fears the worst for the two inside.

Should he run? Should he stop him? He’s still frozen to the ground. The mark of death flashes into his mind again, Muerte wanted to see him here today. What would he do if he ran now? Did he want him to wait here? He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer those questions and they kept him paralyzed.

The two women left the room in a hurry, they were alive at least. And maybe unharmed, Puss couldn’t make it out correctly as his vision was still a little blurry. Soon after the wolf steps outside looking after them, a calm demeanour and an emotionless face.

Puss stopped breathing when the wolf turned to him.

“Gato, Gato, I could smell your fear from inside the room.” His face turned into the same cheeky smile that it always had.

One of his paws stepped closer to him. Screw this! Puss’s body moved on its own as he turned around and ran for it. There was no way he could stay any longer in that hallway, he needed to leave fast .

Behind him, Muerte moved slowly after him, beginning to whistle the same haunting tune that puss could immediately feel in his bones.