When she craved silence the most, malicious whispers never ceased to echo in her ears. Niki wasn''t just a pet cat to her, Niki had once saved her life, they had promised to be together forever. To her, Niki was family, a glimmer of hope in despair, a light in the darkness.
Izabe''s voice was hoarse, almost whiny, and her speech was slurred as she called out for "Niki".
The pain in her chest was unbearable, she needed something to fill the void. She let go of Casey''s shirt, clutching the cor tightly to her chest.
"Be." The figure in her arms was cold, shivering. She had gone from wailing to sobbing.
Izabe felt no better after crying. Her body temperature fluctuated wildly, one moment she was shivering like it was the dead of winter, the next she felt as if she was being scorched by mes. The heat made her back itch.
Casey''s heart clenched, he opened his mouth but couldn''t find the words to calm Izabe down.
Casey knelt on one knee, one arm around Izabe''s waist, lifting her up.
Izabe''s eyes were vacant, devoid of any energy. She was limp, as if her bones had been taken out and put back in.
As Casey carried Izabe out of the vet, night had fallen. The oppressive dark clouds overhead made it hard to breathe.
"I want them dead, whoever hurt Niki, I want to kill them!" Izabe spat out each word, her clear eyes filled with hatred.
Casey felt a sharp pain in his heart. He carefully settled Izabe in the car, one hand on the back of the chair, his gaze fixed on her. "Be, trust me, they will get punishment."
"Punishment?" Izabe closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, "I don''t believe in karma or divine retribution, I only believe in myself." Casey gripped her hands tightly, "Be, don''t dirty your hands for them, it''s not worth it."
Izabe suddenly opened her eyes, a mocking expression on her face, "Then tell me what is worth it? Let them hurt the ones I love? I can''t protect the ones I love the most, are you going to stop me? What exactly is worth it? If I could make them feel the pain that Niki went through, I wouldn''t care if my hands got dirty!" Her life had long since been sullied by humiliation, she didn''t care about anything anymore.
If only evil could punish evil, she was willing to be that evil.
She had once been kind, patient no matter how difficult things got. But life had taught her that kind people were often taken advantage of.
She had already died once, she wasn''t afraid to die again. If it meant sending these people to hell, what did it matter if her soul was tainted?
Seeing the murderous madness in Izabe''s eyes, Casey paled and his hand trembled.
"Niki wouldn''t want you to give up your life for revenge, I think, Niki''sst wish would be for you to live happily."
"But Niki is gone, Niki is gone." Izabe''s eyes were like shattered ss, she cried until she lost her voice, the tears had dried on her face, her hair stuck to her cheeks.
Casey stretched out his fingers, gently stroking her swollen eyes, his voice deep and choked, "I know."
Izabe shook her head. He didn''t know, no one did. There was no true empathy in this world, he couldn''t feel her pain, and she couldn''t feel what Niki had suffered in thosest moments.
"Do you know what I saw when I found Niki? Blood-stained pliers, gasoline, a lighter, a bloody knife, four of Niki''s teeth had been pulled out, its mouth filled with either blood or gasoline, do you know how it survived? How can I forgive them and not punish them?" Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Izabeughed bitterly, tears in her voice. She looked down at her right hand, covered in blood. The cor in her hand was unrecognizable, the name on it obscured by the dotted blood.
Izabe rubbed the blood on the cor with her thumb, "I should have acted sooner, I shouldn''t have let these people live this long."
If she took matters into her own hands and punished the wicked, her hands would be dirty. But were her hands, stained with the blood of her beloved pet, not already dirty?
Izabe had always held Niki close, now she needed to find a ce to bury Niki. Usually, pets were buried in the owner''s backyard.
Izabe looked out the window, asking Casey to pull over as they passed a flower market. She walked into a flower shop.
She picked out sunflower seeds, then went to a pot shop and chose the most beautiful pot.
In her eyes, Niki was the most beautiful cat, even in death, it deserved to be buried in the most beautiful pot.
The pot wasrge, and Izabe asked the shop to deliver it to Skyrim. She had just bought a small vi in R City, which was still under renovation.
She had designed many of the decor in the vi herself, including a room specifically for Niki.
The renovation wasn''tplete yet, she hadn''t taken Niki to see it yet, and Niki had left her first.
The pot was ced in the yard, Izabe gently stroked Niki''s body, her heart aching, as she carefully ced Niki in the pot.
"Niki", her lips trembled as she whispered the name, tears streaming down her face.
Guilt engulfed her. If she hadn''t left Niki with Rachel, if she had been capable, if she had dealt with all the threats from the beginning, then Niki wouldn''t have been hurt. Izabe hated herself, hated that she hadn''t protected Niki.
Niki''s greatest wish was for her to be by its side, but she had left it in the care of others for work.
Izabe knelt on the ground and
gently stroked Niki''s neck beside the
pot. Her
nd was filled with
memories of three years ago, when
Niki had saved her from a fire, its small body crashing against the ss, trying to get in and be with
her.
Izabe gently stroked Niki''s ears, eyes, nose, and mouth as she cried uncontrobly.
"I''m sorry, Niki.
"I''m sorry, I couldn''t save you."
"I''m sorry, I didn''t take good care of you, didn''t protect you."
"Niki, don''t be a cat in your next life, it''s too tough being a cat."
Ever so carefully, Izabe ran her fingers from head to tail, gently touching the charred fur. Tears kept falling, unstoppable.