Sunlight streaked through the treetops all the way to the ground, the rays incandescent and painful, yet not quite as irritating much as the edges of Rick’s mind felt at the moment. His consciousness came to him with aches that lingered and pierced into his thoughts from all angles. Everything seemed out of place and disjointed. Nothing made sense. His brain scrambled to piece together what was happening as his aching body greeted him.

Opening his eyes, the first thing the man saw was the ash-haired feline woman. Just like that, the slumber in his thoughts vanished. For a fleeting moment, he had hoped that what had happened last night had been no more than a dream. But she was no dream. Naked, she lay half on top of the young teacher, keeping him pinned to the ground under her weight while squeezing him against herself. Her soft, supple self.

Rick thought, for a second, of how tender she was, how calm she looked, and how peaceful it all felt. And yet, it took but a moment to note the bloodstains on her claws, face and neck, and of how her body thrummed with strength even as she slept. Her grip on his body felt entirely impossible to move, yet she was relaxed. A light snore mingled with a purr that was far too tranquil for the violence she’d unleashed the previous night.

After the sights came the smell, and it slapped him on the face with a damp cloth that carried a stench of blood and sweat. It was primal, intense, saturating his throat. Rick was clearly not in a situation where he could do anything about it, either. Especially since her grip on him tightened whenever he twitched or tried to wriggle away.

There was a startled sound nearby, but he was unable to see where it originated from due to the current angle. Rick knew he must have passed out last night at some point. How? He wasn’t sure. It must have been a hard crash from the adrenaline of the day. What of the others? He had to check.

Turning to the feline woman, he kept his grumble silent. If she was keeping him bound, might as well see if he could wake her up. Wriggling, Rick reached up to the woman’s head and slowly felt his way around until he found those two triangular, furry ears he’d been stroking the night prior. It took only a moment of scratching, but the reaction softened. She relaxed, purring. Her arms tensed and hugged him closer for a moment before she sighed and slowly released him.

It took some wriggling, but when he’d managed to escape her immediate grasp, she stirred, opening her blue-green orbs and staring at him. The pout that followed was disarmingly cute, if not for the dried blood staining her jaw and claws.

“Purrrr,” she muttered in apparent indignation. Rick hesitated, but only for long enough, at least until it was clear she wasn’t about to do anything about his escape. His eyes darted towards the source of noise that had caught his attention moments earlier.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw trails of blood that had not been there last night, ones that lead into the vehicle. What had happened? Dread rushed through him. His gaze turned to the bus. Several people were peeking out with pale faces, showing rings under their eyes. Each of them was no better for wear than he was. Their gazes angled to the feline woman for a moment, and then at Rick.

Said feline was, instead, bending down and licking the blood out of the fur on her hands, appearing entirely unperturbed and uncaring about the others. She was being slow and methodical, clearly intent on having a tongue bath.

Rick turned towards the others. Of the storm of emotions welling through him, there was a growing sense of numbness to it all. What should he even feel about this situation? No, now was not something he should even be asking himself. He didn’t even know what had transpired. That was more important.

“What happened?” He asked the young… Tomas? Tomas, right, the student with a well-built body and glasses thick like a bottle’s bottom.

The sophomore’s face glanced at the professor and shook his head. “After you fell asleep, she approached the bus, stepped inside. Some people screamed, they tried to defend themselves, attacked her, and…”

His head gestured at the pile of bodies. There were two new ones in the lineup.

Rick’s stomach lurched, but he kept it down, responding with a grimace.

“We were nothing to her, one casual swipe from her was enough.” Anger and fear flared across the young man’s face, his expression becoming grim. There was an attempt to glare at the feline, but he did not dare to, certainly not wanting to risk starting anything.

The young teacher could only nod. He took a long pause to calm his emotions and head back to where he’d been sleeping and sought his backpack. He noticed the feline’s eyes were on him as he moved, though she appeared uninterested for the time being, continuing on her self-cleaning while Rick put the pouch with chocolates into the bag and pulled out a bottle of water. He needed a long gulp or four to clean his throat of the smell and took the chance to think things through more carefully.

He needed a plan.

What now? What would they do? How could they proceed? The monster woman was right there, uncaring and unmoving. She’d kill them all if she wanted to. She was the most important piece of the puzzle. Her presence could mean their end… but could it also be their salvation?

Determination swept through him. He moved towards the vehicle, stepping inside. Waiting a second to let his eyes adjust to the dimness, he focused on those gathered there. Most everyone was present. The mood was grim, their looks distraught and distant. Rick nodded once and clapped his hands, drawing the other’s attention.

“We won’t last. We need to locate help. I am volunteering to head out right here, right now. And if I’m lucky, I hope to get the lady out there to follow me.” A heartbeat of silence. Every pair of eyes on the bus was looking at him as if he’d grown a new head. It didn’t stop him, he continued. “If anyone else has a better idea, or wants to join, this is your chance.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Alice spoke up first, scowling deeply. The bags under her eyes were heavy.

“Do we have an option?” The response came from Mr. Gabriel, the old man slowly standing up. “It’s gutsy, but she’s the spookiest thing out here. Count me in.”

The woman next to him gawked. “Grandpa!” She proclaimed, hissing under her breath and reaching out to grab his arm.

“Don’t you ‘Grandpa’ me. Been in worse places. This is a time for action, not to pussy around and wait to die.”

The words fell on those gathered like an avalanche. Everyone remained quiet, glancing at one another. There was a heaviness that draped onto the shoulders of each individual. Rick waited for a heartbeat before speaking up again. “Anyone else?”

“I’m not leaving my gramps to go alone,” the woman spoke with a sigh, standing up and looking at Rick with iridescent sky-blue eyes, her expression heavy and tired. The teacher struggled to remember her. She wasn’t one of his students, that was for sure. She looked too spunky for him not to remember her. “Name’s Catherine, Kat for short. And no, the irony isn’t lost on me.”

“Welcome aboard, Kat.” Rick nodded, turning to the others on the bus. “Anyone else?”

“I’ll go.” The voice came from right next to the teacher. Tomas, the bespectacled young man, had glimpsed at Kat and then at Rick before nodding firmly. “I’ll go,” he repeated, as if to convince himself.

“… very well, then.” With a sense of weariness, the teacher glanced at the rest of the bus. “We’re going to need to prep food and water. Doubt we’ll have enough for more than a couple days, so if we’re not back soon…”

A grim nod.

If they weren’t back by then, they’d likely be dead.

And it was time to get moving.