*contains graphic violence. Reader discretion advised.*

The footsteps stopped just a few feet away from my door.

I listened intently, hoping to pick up any hints about who the person might be.

" Meow.." What ?!

            I heard the soft purr of a kitten. After about a minute the door opened, revealing a cute white kitten dozing on the door mat. Its white coat glimmered in the sunlight. It must have entered the building through one of the windows in the room beyond.

           The shadow of a tall man loomed over the sleeping figure on the door mat. I inched closer to get a better look. The chain did not allow me to see the man's face. He was standing just outside the doorway. I had hidden the diary under my shirt and dropped the pills into my pockets as soon as I had heard the footsteps. I did not dare make any noise.

          The man bent down and picked up the kitten, holding it by the neck. The kitten opened its wide honey coloured eyes, and let out a screech. He began squeezing it harder, almost strangling it. The kitten was crying and kicking with its tiny paws trying to escape from his firm grasp. He lowered it to the ground, mocking it with a glimpse of escape and then raised it high into the air again.

          It seemed like he was a magician showing his best trick, and expected his audience - me to applaud. He knew I was watching the show. By now, my muscles had become numb with shock and fear. I wanted to cry out loud and ask him to stop what he was doing. But will that change anything?

He left the doorway, the kitten still in his hands and returned a moment later. I stopped breathing when I saw what he was holding in his other hand.

A blood stained wooden hammer.

          My shirt clung to my skin soaked with sweat. My hands were clammy as I shrunk back to the wall, my head hitting the hard surface roughly. I curled up into a ball, my hands grasping my knees for support. I don't want to see this. I don't want to. Please.

           The kitten's screeches resounded through the air. He paused a moment before swinging the hammer and bringing it down. I shut my eyes close. I heard a heavy thud and a final blow before the screech stopped. Forever.

      Silence. Silence that filled me with dread. Silence that seemed so bleak and hopeless. Silence that told me to kill myself. I did not want to open my eyes. I wanted the silence to envelop me in its embrace and take me far away from this place. From its blood and cruelty.

    Loud raucous laughter shattered the silence. The sound filled the space, touching and crawling inside me like the claws of an invisible animal. I opened my eyes.

    Drops of blood was splattered on the doormat. His left hand was still holding the hammer, blood dripping from it. The kitten lay on the floor, motionless, its paws still wide agape. As if realising that his spectator has not yet applauded, he began walking towards me.

As he emerged from the shadows, I realised that something about him was vaguely familiar. Where had I seen him? The memory came rushing to me all of a sudden.

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Author's Note:
This was really painful and hard to write (I love kittens).Tell me your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to vote.❤️

And by the way, have you figured out who this man is?