Isla stood still while the cold wind moved through her short hair. The silence was peaceful as her ears focused solely on the subtle sounds in the environment. The wheels rumbling against the concrete road, the faint ringing of wind chimes in the distance, and her heart beating calmly. She was patiently waiting for her food as her stomach gurgled with hunger. Suddenly her ears caught the sound of rustling leaves in a nearby bush beside her. Isla ignored the rustles at first but the sounds only grew louder making her turn her head.
A black cat jumped out from the bush and stood still staring at Isla with the same astonishment Isla had on her face. The cat’s tail stood up and her pupils were extremely dilated barely showing any colour. Isla turned back her head and continued to enjoy her peaceful moment. The cat still had her eyes fixed on Isla and Isla could sense it. Her stomach twisted a little as she glanced at the road again in search of her delivery. She turned towards the cat and this time her eyes felt different. Isla stepped closer and looked intently. Her eyes were completely black. She gulped as she noticed a small red circle light in the corner of both of the cat’s eyes. The lights were bright and they were blinking in sync every few seconds. It so perfectly resembled a camera’s recording light that it sent shivers down Isla’s spine. “They are not eyes,” Isla realized while the red blinked in front of her. She stepped back with an inaudible gasp escaping her mouth while the cat was still dead staring at her.
The road was empty and the night was still silent. Isla couldn’t comprehend what she just saw. She was ready to believe she was hallucinating because of starvation but the red lights kept blinking. Fear bubbled inside her stomach blink by blink as she struggled to decide her next move. “I can come back for the food,” she thought to herself and started walking back to her building’s door. Every footstep she took, the cat took as well following her closely. Isla didn’t look behind but she could feel the cat’s gaze on her. She stopped and turned around to face the paused cat. The lights still blinking. Isla tried to make the cat leave but the cat didn’t move at all.
Isla walked even faster, confusion flowing through her veins. She looked around for other people but there was no one. It was like everyone had disappeared into thin air. Her eyes stopped at the CCTV camera on top of her building’s entrance. The same red light blinking in the dark night. It felt like the camera was aiming directly at Isla. She turned around and the cat was still there. Panic rose inside her as she searched for other cameras around her. Every camera she spotted was fixated on her. It felt like a million sniper lasers were ready to shoot her any second. Isla quickly went inside locking the cat outside the door. The cat stared at her through the glass while Isla went up the stairs. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. She avoided the cameras on the stairs and went inside her room.
Finally, inside, she leaned on her room’s door trying to collect herself. “What just happened?” she pondered when suddenly her phone rang loudly in the silence making her jump. She looked at the unknown number and assumed it was the delivery guy. Before she could pick up the call, she noticed a small red light in the centre of her phone’s front camera. Isla immediately threw her phone away. Her hands trembled with fear as the ringtone echoed in her room. She stood still while the wind from her window made the curtains flutter in the silence. The peacefulness was gone and she didn’t know what to do. Her stomach still growled but she no longer wanted to step out of her room. Isla managed to move after her phone had finally stopped ringing repeatedly. She went straight to her window and at the same time, the black cat appeared at her window sill. Isla jumped in fear again but quickly managed to shut the window in panic. The cat’s fake eyes pierced through Isla’s soul. She drew the curtains and switched off the light. The night was getting tense. She looked around the ceiling in doubt even though she knew there weren’t any cameras in her room.
She quickly went to her wardrobe and started shuffling through her clothes in a hurry. Her phone was now buried under the pile of clothes she threw out. She stood up and went to her desk drawers. One by one she emptied the drawers but she couldn’t find what she was looking for. “How did they even find me?” Isla thought to herself while searching through her bookshelf. After reaching the top shelf, her hand reached to the corner and grabbed the small box she was looking for. The box was made of metal and had golden engravings on it. She opened the box revealing a black button inside. “I have to leave,” Isla whispered to herself and pressed the button immediately exploding into million pieces. “This life you found me; but never again…” Isla spoke while painful tears flowed down her burnt skin.