By the time she managed to claw out of her grave, her face was tearstained and full of the dirt she found herself suffocated in. The little girl’s skin was torn, and battered from her struggle out of the ground, and she cried, loud sobs filling the quiet of the night. Her name was Sherri Mayfield, and she had just dug herself out of the grave she was put in 8 years ago. 

She clutched her head in desperation, trying desperately to quiet the screaming in her head. Her own screams. Help me! Mama it hurts! Digging her fingers into her ears, she pressed herself against the tombstone, and tried to fold her tiny body into itself. She screamed, louder hoping that the sounds in her head would drown themselves. 

Bright green eyes shined down on the girl, watching from a top the tombstone he was perched on. He waited, not wanting to frighten the little girl more. She eventually ceased her screaming, instead sobbing softly. Slowly, the cat stretched himself, before leaping off his resting spot and towards the little girl. 

Sherri could hear the footsteps coming towards her, and in a panic moved from her hiding place. Tears fell down her eyes more quickly now, as she stood frozen in fear. But to her surprise, it was no adult that had found her. It was a cat. Its color reminded her of the dirt she had just risen from, though it was its eyes that captured her attention. They looked like a pair of shiny gems on one of her Barbie doll’s dresses. The cat stayed in its place, but never lifted its gaze off of her. Wiping the tears off her eyes, she crawled towards the small cat, slowly reaching out to touch its fluff. The cat closed its eyes, beginning to purr happily. It nudged into her, wrapping itself around her. Sherri could feel the warmth radiating from him. I’ve always wanted a kitty… She lowered her face into the soft fluff, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes once more. 

“Do not worry anymore. I am here now.” A soft voice rang in her head. The girl raised her head, startled by the sudden sound. Looking around she saw no one. No one, but the cat. “That’s right. It’s me, I am your friend.” The little girl was stunned. Cats aren’t supposed to speak! Sherri was a smart girl, she knew only humans spoke. And sometimes parrots. Releasing her hold on the cat, Sherri tried to distance herself from the strange creature. She shouldn’t so quickly trust anyone. She couldn’t. Not after what happened to her. “Don’t be scared Sherri. Like I said, I am your friend. I am here to help you, but only if you want it.” Sherri trembled at the words. Help her? Did she need help? The cat began to move toward her again. Slowly, letting her back away if she needed to. Sherri only watched as the cat came to her once again, rubbing its soft head against her torn dress. She found herself gently threading her fingers in the cat's fluff. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Sherri sniffled. The screaming in her head quieted down. To a soft buzz. She could hear the rain more clearly around her. “Help me Mr. Kitty. I’m scared.” The cat began its soft rumble again. Pressing its wet nose against her arm. 

“Come Sherri, I will help you. Can you get up?” The little girl wobbled as she tried to get to her feet. It took her a few tries, before she was able to successfully steady herself. “Good girl Sherri! I’m so proud of you.” The cat's eyes seemed to smile at her. She felt herself gently smiling back. 

“Thank you Mr. Kitty.”

The two made their way out of the graveyard, and across the woods. As they walked Mr. Kitty stayed close to Sherri, giving the girl a sense of security. She felt safe in his presence. Mr. Kitty would protect her. Sherri didn’t feel tired. The cold air around her, didn’t affect her in the slightest. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Sherri was completely numb.

They made their way to a small abandoned shed towards the end of woods. “In here Sherri. We can stay here till you see the sun again.” The little girl nodded, following Mr. Kitty inside the shed. She scooped him into her arms before sitting down. Waiting for the sun to appear once again. 

“Come on Sherri! You know Papa doesn’t like waiting very long!” The little girl giggled, trying to put on her twinkle toes. Her mother stood outside her room, smiling down at her. “Ready to go now?” Sherri nodded her head, bounding towards her mother and down the long stairs. Her papa was waiting outside, with the dangly key’s in his hand. 

“Papa! Papa!” She called. “I’m done now!” 

Tears fell down her face, as the memory forced its way into her mind. Tightening her grip on Mr. Kitty, Sherri let herself cry once again, not knowing what else she could do. Inside the shed, there was no light, so she sat in the dark. It was scary inside the small shed, but she trusted Mr. Kitty to keep her safe. Mr. Kitty hasn’t hurt her. But mommy and daddy didn’t hurt me before either. So what changed? Would Mr. Kitty change too? 

By the time the sun rose, Sherri found Mr. Kitty asleep near a stack of hay. Crawling towards the animal, Sherri poked at the soft bundle of fur. Mr. Kitty twisted, blinking his eyes open to look at the girl. “Good Morning Sherri, are you ready to go now?” Sherri nodded, following the cat outside and back again on the road. She watched as he stretched each paw as he bounded forward. She found it silly, imagining he looked like one of those robot toys she used to see at the toy store. Sherri let out soft giggles at the thought. 

“Sherri,” Mr. Kitty called her from her thoughts. “Do you know why you’ve come back?” The little girl stared back, quiet. She didn’t have a clue. Maybe it was a sign, she was never supposed to die in the first place. Mr. Kitty let out a soft huff, before continuing. 

“Sherri, what your parents did was very naughty. They must be punished.” Sherri stopped following Mr. Kitty, and pressed her fingers into her ears once again. 

“Stop!” She shouted. “Stop! STOP! STOP!” 

Her parents had taken her on a picnic, deep in the woods. She remembers the smell of the pine trees around her, as she sat chewing into the delicate meat of the hotdog her mother had prepared for her just hours before. Her parents hadn’t acted any different, Sherri hadn’t noticed them load the duct tape and rope into the back. She remembered a dollop of ketchup, slowly dripping off her face as she finished her last bite. Her blond curls were pulled back tightly, in order to make sure she did not get any food into her hair. She was using her arm to wipe the little bit of ketchup off her cheek, when she heard sticks crack not too far from where she sat. Her father had left her and her mother, claiming to have accidentally left something in the car. Turning her head, she was met with the sight of her father. Everything after that was a blur. She remembered her mother suddenly grabbing onto her, yelling something at her father. She didn’t know how long she had been screaming for help. Screaming for her parents to stop, but eventually the pain subsided, and her body became numb. She couldn’t remember her parents' faces in the moment, to her they morphed into monsters. Evil horned creatures, with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. That was the last thing Sherri saw, before her body shut down. Their last words rang clear in her head. 

“Sherri, you’ve been very naughty. You must be punished.” 

Sherri thrashed about, throwing her hands everywhere she could, trying to protect herself. Her parents were in front of her again, those words ringing loudly in her mind. She needed to run, she was smarter this time. She needed to get away. She ran as far as her legs could take her, screaming and sobbing loudly. She didn’t notice the thick root in the ground and fell to the ground, scraping her leg. Dragging herself to the tree in front of her, she curled herself up and sobbed. 

It took Mr. Kitty almost 3 hours to find the girl. She had run pretty far, and considering the fact that rest was not a requirement for her anymore, she probably could have run even farther. Mr. Kitty took caution not to startle the girl, and decided to stay a little ways away, in case she freaked out and accidentally hit him. “Sherri,” he quietly whispered in her head. “Sherri, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She didn’t even raise her head, didn’t show any sign that she was listening to him. “Please Sherri. I know you’re hurting. I just want to help you make things right.” Still nothing. “You didn’t deserve what they did to you. Sherri, they don’t deserve to live after what they did to you.” Sherri’s body twitched at that. Before she slowly raised her head. 

“I hate them.” She whispered. 

“Let’s make them hurt, the way they hurt you.”