Cat Scratch Fever: The Last Stand

Content from the Novel “Cat Scratch Fever: The Last Stand” by author Jim Woods.

Excerpt from Chapter 2 - Heatstroke

The third time I encountered the cat was probably the most memorable. It was summertime of 2007; my work had recently forced me to move from Chicago to Dallas. Being from the north, I hadn’t felt this kind of heat since I was stuck in that sauna for - well that’s another story (see chapter 8- Sizzling Coupons), lets just say it was hot. Only given one weeks notice our company was moving everyone down to Texas, finding a place to live was proving to be a challenge. The only place I could find on such short notice was a Motel 8 in a small town 30 miles outside of Dallas. Not being able to see the place, I had to make the reservation to stay there before my drive down. I will forever regret that decision.

The drive was 20 hours. 20 long hours of listening to my wife and children tell me about how much they will miss their home. That I have single handedly destroyed their lives and the lives everyone they knew. I reminded them to keep an open mind, but somehow, deep down even I knew this was a bad idea. It wasn’t all bad though.

We had to drive through Dallas to get to the motel. The city was ablaze. People everywhere, the familiar sound of honking horns and police sirens made us feel at home. The city calmed us. The country did not.

As we drove out of town, our spirits high, there was even talk about how this might not be such a bad thing. “A fresh start for everyone” my wife even said. After about 10 miles from Dallas, the mood started to change. Light posts were appearing less and less. The darkness began to set in. It was late and everyone was tired. The kids had fallen asleep at some point between 10 and 20 miles out of town. I looked over to see my wife’s head nodding back and fourth. She’s next to go I thought to myself. As I turned my head to look back at the road, it happened.

There is nothing that can prepare you for this. It can happen to anyone, and it did to me. Looking back at the road, I saw him. He stood in the middle of the road about 10 feet from the front of my Suburban. I remember seeing the dirt in his fur and the tears in his eyes. Thinking to myself, it’s him or the family. Before I could make a decision he quickly jumped over the car. Or so I thought.

Check back often for the second part of this excerpt.