The truth was I heard their screams through the crack in the door….

“ What would you like to order?” asked the waiter.

“I’ll have the steak special please,” the man demanded.

“Anything for the dame?” asked the waiter. 

“No thank you, I’m vegan,” reported the woman

“… Then I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place,” the waiter mentioned

“What- do you mean by that?” asked the lady.

“The special will be right with you,” said the waiter.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT,” She repeated with more exasperation this time. “WHeRe HAve You tAKen Me Joe?!” 

“ You’ll see,” the partner said in a cool tone.

I followed the waiters’ echo towards the kitchen, “one steak special for the gentleman of booth 6” he announced. He grabbed the sauces needed for the dish and went to retrieve the missing ingredient.

“COW NUMBER 78 STEP OUT,” he shouted at the speaker.

“OHH, it’s Mhyy Turnnn Ihymm so excihitedd” said the cow. 

From what I heard it’s never been her turn, doesn’t even know what it means for it to be her turn. 

She happily complies to wherever they’re taking her. She arrives at booth 6, and the man started clapping, afterwards, I heard the sharpening of a knife followed by an “OWWWW THAT HYURTS” from Bessie  “AHHHHH” shrieked the woman before she ran out of that place, but before she could completely leave, she saw me and crouched to pet my scraggly fur. Meanwhile, her partner’s psychotic laughter filled the room, and it multiplied as more people were receiving their food. The shrieks from the animals mixed with the amusement from the people were terrifying. I found myself running from the scene accompanied by the lady. 

We made it to her house; it was way bigger than the box I slept in. It was odd because there were socks all over the place and shoes way bigger than her feet, by the front door. She placed me down gently and began dialing a number on a telephone.

“He’s insane, he’ll kill me if I stay in this house,” she said. 

I couldn’t hear more than a whisper from the other person on the line but when she hung up she seemed better. Quickly though, she grabbed a suitcase and started packing.

“We’re going to get out of here soon, don’t you worry. Your grandpa is coming for us. And afterward, you’re going to get a nice bubble bath,” she said with a semi-smile. Which was also semi-filled with fear and with sorrow.

A car pulled up towards the driveway, and she froze. Quietly she grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went to look through the blinds. When she did her heart fell at ease. It must’ve been “grandpa” because right after she scooped me up and we stepped out to find an old brown car with an even older chauffeur. 

It was hours until we stopped at a place called “open 24 hours.” I don’t know what it was but the food was delicious. Outside, there were small houses with hungry people inside, it was very different from the city. I don’t know why, but I was so willing to leave with this lady, I don’t even know her. For a second I thought that she wanted to eat me like the people at the restaurant, but my panic was soothed as I remembered that she was vegan. 

When I was back in the car, I fell into a deep sleep and woke up in a bathroom. The tub was filled and there was a smell of lavender and vanilla. I hopped in eagerly and then the suds started forming. She was right, this is a nice bubble bath. The lady drained the water and toweled me dry and by the end of it, I was a brand new cat. I stepped out and heard a conversation taking place in the living room…

“We have to do something about that restaurant, we have to make sure it gets closed! I don’t care if I have to die a million times over as long as that place gets shut down. What they’re doing is horrible,” shouted the woman.

“I know Abby, but what can we do? In the city, your husband knows where I live and he knows where you used to live too. If we go back there Joe will find us!” protested “grandpa”.

“Then we’ll just have to move to a different place, there’s a vacant apartment right next to the restaurant. I can move in there and I’d be able to collect evidence against them. Please just let me do this.” she begged. 

“I don’t know, but if this is what you want to do then you have to be careful, please, I can’t lose you too,” he sighed. 

“You won’t.” she said, and then went in for a hug. 

“Meow.” I said while wrapping my body around their legs and we all hugged together. 

Later in the afternoon, it was just me and her in the kitchen. I guess she suddenly remembered I don’t have a name and chose one on the spot

“PEPPER! That’s your new name, it matches with your grey fur.” she exclaimed. Pepper. All I’ve ever been called was “damn rat” and “pest”. Pepper is a nice change.

Our vacation lasted a week, and then we packed up, again, and left towards the city. This time to a dinky old apartment, right next to “Maison de la Mort”. It smelled like what my buddy Carlos smelled like after 10 days of sleeping, well it only smelled like that when we first got in there. Abby sprayed this odd liquid all over the house 3 seconds after stepping in. It was like water but it tasted really bad. That night she stayed up for the whole time, she was looking through this thick pair of glasses I assume were  to spy on the restaurant and also to see if her ex was looking for her. Every time she saw a man walk into the building she jumped to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. No one rang or tried to come in thankfully, but that wouldn’t even have been the scariest thing of the night, because below us the screams from the animals could be heard from even up here on the 13th floor. 

After that night I knew I couldn’t let my Abby stay up all night just to collect evidence and protect herself. I had to protect her and get details about this restaurant myself, it was the only way. I came up with a plan, I was to go in there and talk to the animals, like a one on one for details about the owner and the customers. Wait, I think I haven’t thought this out completely, how will I get in? 

SHIT. How’d I fall asleep? I was supposed to brainstorm. I need some self-discipline, I’ll worry about that later though, for now, all I need to think about is how to get into that god damn restaurant. That’s when I saw my ticket to the restaurant. 

The answer was the mice, they always go in and out of that place, I just have to convince them to let me in. With the window open, I took my opportunity and proceeded down the fire escape, I was face to face with them for a second. And by the next, they had already scattered to their holes and crevices in the alley. 

“WAIT! I am not here to eat you, I want to make a trade,” I said.

“You, a cat, want to make a trade with us?” said a tiny kind of voice in between the trash can and wall.

“Yes,” I said hopelessly.

“What exactly are we trading,” the tiny wall mobster said.

“I want to get in the restaurant. Nay, I NEED to get in the restaurant,” I said.

“And what do we get if we get you in?” he asked.

“Fresh food, I assume you’d like that,” I said.

Whispers filled the dank alleyway and finally a decision was made. 

“It looks like we have a deal. Come by again at night and we’ll let you in. Remember to bring the food though,” the mouse mobster said.

“Okay, see you tonight,” I said and trekked up the fire escape again. 

It started raining, I packed the food I was going to give them, kissed Abby goodbye, and made my way down once more. It was dark out and smelled of raw meat outside. I placed the food on the lid of a trash can, as they instructed me to and then they gave me the signal to go inside…

It was incredibly humid there. There were lamb, goats, cows, ducks, geese, chickens, pigs, fishes, and even horses.

 “Why are you all so happy?” I asked

 “Because we are well fed and have a home,” answered the cow.

 “Yeah, unlike you,” added the chicken.

 “But you have to watch each other die almost every day” I answered in shock. 

“That life man, I bet your kind is dying every day too” answered the pig. 

“You should listen to Larry, he’s the smartest of all of us,” whispered a rat.

“Doesn’t seem so bright in my opinion,” I whispered back, making sure no one heard me. 

“This isn’t all to life guys, there are places you can go where none of you have to die and they feed you and groom you and are super nice,” I said.

 SHIT, In that instant the door started creaking and I knew I had to get out of there asap. I went back through the portal in the wall that had transported me in the first place. 

I couldn’t believe the animals there. To just accept the life they’re in, RIDICULOUS! They have to know that there’s more to life. But, to disprove their philosophy and strip them of the false narrative they’ve been creating for themselves all this time is not for the faint of heart. Once all the animals have an uprising they’ll be able to escape and I will be helping Abby. I must do it, for Abby. 

The next day I came back to the restaurant again with goodies and photos. I knew They must see it to believe it, they would never understand otherwise. When I walked in I was greeted by boos and yells for me to get out, this only led to the chef coming in and me having to run away without even saying anything to them. When I came back at the same time the following day, they were all quiet. I was afraid they would make a sound again but they didn’t.

“What are these,” the pig asked.

“They’re photos of farms and fields on which animals like you all should be living,” I responded in an insightful tone. 

“Farm? Like us?” the other animals asked amongst themselves.

“Yes, where you are living now is too small for all of you, imagine if each of you had your own space and didn’t have to live in your shit,” I said.

“There are places like that?” the horse asked.

“Yes, I am not lying. You just need to get out of here to do so,” I responded. At that moment I knew I had finally broken their image of home and gotten through to them.

“How do we get out?” all of them asked.

“I am not quite sure yet, but I’ll come back every day so we can talk until we have our plan,” I answered. A number was called over the loudspeaker and I knew that was my cue to leave. 

I did as I told them and came back every night with help from the mice. Abby started to wonder where all the food she bought would go, but she never really minded. After weeks of planning, we finally had our plan. The horses were strong enough to break through the chains that held them in place and they could just step on the chains of the other animals and let them loose. After being let free the cows were to bud their head against the door to let the rest of them out. The timing had to be perfect though, it’s a rare time when the owner isn’t in the restaurant, and we didn’t know how long we would have to wait for the perfect opportunity. I made friends with the animals and felt sad when by the next day they were gone. One time I got so caught up in talking that I didn’t realize that the doors were opening. I guess they didn’t either.

It was the owner who came in, he was not an easy man to handle. I knew that if I didn’t get away it would be my doom. The mice had left me so going from there was no hope, so I tried hiding. It was no use, the owner spotted me, and immediately I was filled with terror. I ran as fast as I could across the kitchen. The cooks went into disarray when I passed by them, and several sauces and pasta noodles went flying. The hot food burned as I sped past it trying to avoid the pots and pans that they were in. A butcher’s knife went flying towards me and hit a man’s leg. The bowl he was holding fell on me, but I kept going. I was not going to stop as long as he was after me. I still haven’t helped the animals enough. I can’t leave them with a dream that I will never be able to make a reality. My body was in pain, it was burned and bruised. That’s when the doors of hope opened. And I went through them, not knowing where I would end up, I didn’t care, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Through those doors was a second hell, the eyes of crazy people consumed me and I was frozen with shock. And that’s when he got me,

“LIMITED-TIME SPECIAL, CAT. ANYONE WANT A TASTE,” he shouted toward the booths, and immediately the auction started. $50 became $100 and kept rising until a man named “Carnivorous Joe” won the final bid of $1000. 

I was taken to the back, they chained me up to a table and took off all my fur, and then moved my chain onto a platter where I was to lay on a bed of lettuce and be eaten with special sauces they had prepared on the side. And off I went, past many booths covered by curtains until I made it to my final destination. 

“Thank you for my meal,” said Joe.

WAIT I RECOGNIZE THAT VOICE I thought, before I had time to think he picked up the platter and asked if he could have me for takeout. And they placed me in a box and after that my whole world became muffled. 

I woke up to pounding sounds and a conversation…

“ABBY I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, LET ME IN,” he screamed 

“HOW’D YOU FIND ME???!!!?!?,” Abby shrieked.

“How wouldn’t I, you’re my one and only, I will always find you,” he said eerily

 “GO, AWAYYYY PLEASE,” she said mixed with sobs

“Why so soon? I even brought you your cat, isn’t he precious to you?” He said

HE WAS USING ME AS BAIT, ABBY DON’T OPEN THE DOOR I BEG OF YOU PLEASE ABBY.

The clinks of the metals unlocking scared me, I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t have a plan. 

“Now that’s a good girl,” he said.

“GIVE ME MY CAT” she screamed 

“Ah ah, not before I have some fun,” he replied. 

He opened my box, and from within it retrieved a steak knife, 

“Now Abigail, you made me so very sad when you left me. I have to return all the feelings you made me feel” He said.  

I was watching when he lunged at her with the knife in hand and pierced her skin like it was a cake. There was a shock in her eyes but not for long as she knew if she did not act quickly he would best her. As a counterattack she stabbed him back in his right shoulder, they were both bleeding now but the fight went on. He was visibly angry now and went in for a second stab, but rather than a stab it was more of a slash and he slit her throat in one fell swoop. I strained against the chains but it was no use. I was stuck to the cement block in the take-out box. She was still fighting when Joe seemed to slow down and walk toward me. With the bloody knife that he used to kill her, he started slicing me up too.

What they say about seeing your whole life flash before your eyes is true. I started having flashbacks of my old life and I knew one as well as the animals that I met in my short life. The last words I heard were “Good-bye Pepper” and I hope that Abby knew that I was saying goodbye and thank you…

EPILOGUE: 

The restaurant was not as safe as it seemed. All the cows were sick from E.Coli, so all the guests who ever ate beef were sick with it as well. The chickens started singing every day and angered the owner so much he was to have them all killed. Before this, though, the angry horses broke free from their chains and pushed the doors of their little home off its hinges. All the animals escaped and when authorities saw them they went to investigate the restaurant and finally shut it down. The animals were then relocated to a farm called the “Xaron Farm” where they live happily… for now.