That Fateful Night
by Marcipie

And now, without further ado, I present chapter seven.

xx

"Stop squirming, will you?" Alex snapped irritably.

"Well, quit bumping us into the wall!" Cat hissed in reply. He was currently squished against his brother inside the duffel bag, the strap nestled firmly onto Alex's tense shoulder. She was briskly walking down the numerous white hallways of the hospital trying to find the exit, her nervous disposition simply making her unable to walk in a straight line.

Alex rolled her eyes at Cat's reply and adjusted the strap higher up her shoulder roughly, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction when she heard the small grunts as they were jostled around inside the bag. Dog huffed and crossed his arms as much as he was able in the cramped space.

"Just how is this plan going to work anyway?" The feline elbowed his brother in his attempt to get comfortable and Dog curled his lip at the jab, returning his own arm into Cat's stomach. Cat narrowed his eyes at his brother and shoved him. "Watch it, Dog."

"You started it," Dog shot back, bringing his nose into Cat's face. Alex huffed and sharply jerked the strap, sending both the occupants fumbling for stability again and easily disrupting their soon-to-be argument.

"Renee already explained this just ten minutes ago. Weren't you guys listening?" The young brunette girl hissed through her teeth, flashing what she hoped was a disarming smile at a suspicious nurse who passed her in the hall. Cat leveled a dull glare in the direction of the girl and hoped she could feel the daggers of his stare through the layers of the duffel bag.

"Enlighten me again."

"Oh for God's sake…" Alex heaved a sigh and brightened considerably when she finally located the elevator just as someone was stepping off of it. She quickly sped up her pace and slipped through the large doors as they closed behind her. She released the breath she'd been holding and leaned heavily against the wall of the elevator in relief.

"Well," Alex winced as she tugged the strap off and swung it onto the opposite shoulder. "Her brilliant plan is while I escort your heavier-than-you-look butts out of the hospital, Renee is going to somehow maneuver herself through the hospital, without being noticed by the staff, and meet us at that creepy house tonight."

"Why can't you come back and get Renee and carry her out like you're doing with me and Cat?" Dog asked. It was silent for several seconds before Cat turned to give him an exasperated look.

"Well, Dog," Cat began thoughtfully and tapped a finger against his chin, "let's think about that for a minute."

"Dog, she won't fit in the bag," Alex bit out through clenched teeth and wondered how much longer she'd have to spend in their company before she had an aneurism.

"Oh," The canine mumbled and sent a bashful grin to his brother. Cat rolled his eyes.

"I still don't know how she thinks this is gonna work…" The feline argued again and Alex pinched the bridge of her nose as a migraine began forming.

She hated the fact that Renee was thinking of breaking out of a hospital while she was recovering from a car wreck. She hated the fact that the only reason Renee got into the car wreck to begin with was because of the two brothers in her duffel bag. She also hated the fact that she was currently the one responsible for bringing the two of them to that house. Alex wasn't even sure if she wanted any part of this plan considering it could potentially fall through.

But she promised her best friend.

Alex sighed again and let the back of her head rest against the wall of the elevator. There was silence from all three of them as they contemplated how the next few hours were going to go. She hoped that Renee made it out of the hospital with minimal damage. She prayed that she wouldn't be left alone with the supposed-to-be cartoon characters any longer than she had to. She wasn't exactly a people-person.

Clearing her throat, she decided she had to get one thing straight from the two of them, right then and there.

"Look, you guys," she began softly, "however she plans on doing this, one way or another, you two are going back to that house and you're going to find a way home." She paused a beat when the elevator doors parted with a shrill ping, revealing the ground floor, before she added in a harder edged tone, "Whether Renee gets there in time or not."

Inside the duffel bag, Cat and Dog shared a glance – both bearing expressions of remorse and concern.

xx

Renee released her breath in a huff.

"I can't believe this…" She groaned and slumped down into the flat pillow of her gurney. It seemed as if anytime she even set foot on the floor a nurse would burst into her room with some medicine or to check up on her. She was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Don't you guys have other patients to annoy?" Renee growled and threw the covers off of her legs with a grunt. She waited a second before she swung her legs over the side. Swallowing thickly, she carefully stood and clenched her teeth as the stitches stretched painfully over her stomach. Using the bed as a crutch, she carefully made her way around to the opposite side and sighed. At the rate she was going it was going to be longer than a few hours for her to make it out. Pulling the open ends of the thin gown around her, she retied the string around her lower back and made an impromptu dress. Examining her handy work, she let out a huff and ran a hand down her face.

It would have to do for now.

Renee struggled into an upright position and surveyed her room carefully. There was a set of windows in the corner but she was definitely in no shape to climb out. Especially seeing as she had no idea how high up she was. With her luck, she'd end up slipping and falling to her death by accident. The girl cringed and shook her head.

Moving her gaze to the door, she hummed thoughtfully under her breath. If she decided to just waltz out she was sure to be surrounded by nurses immediately. Or perhaps there would be a moment or two where the hallway would be clear of the staff and she could just hobble towards the nearest elevator. Abruptly laughing under her breath at how she would look staggering through the hall, she snagged her cell phone from the bed and quickly made her way to the door and pressed her ear against it.

Silence.

Taking in a deep breath, she wrapped her fingers around the door handle and eased it open as quietly as she could. As soon as a crack in the frame was made, she heard a voice just beyond the door and instantly slammed it shut in a panic. Her cheeks lit up in embarrassment and she ran a hand over her face as she leaned her back against the door.

Thoughtfully tapping her finger against her chin, she frowned as she turned to face the door again. Her heart beat almost thunderously loud in her chest and she winced before she cradled the handle in her palm. She casually pulled the door open again and listened hard for any sounds of anyone nearby. When no noise reached her ears, she exhaled unsteadily and quickly slipped through the small slit in the door. Holding her breath, she began lightly padding down the hallway while praying that no one would spot her.

When she was halfway down the hall, she located the elevators and breathed a sigh of relief. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she looked around with wide eyes just to be sure no one heard her before she inched her way to the double doors. She slapped her palm over the button and grinned when it lit up. She couldn't believe she was just waltzing out and none of the nurses were around to stop her.

"Did you get room 34's pain killers yet?" A muffled voice suddenly hit her ears and she stiffened. Eyes wide, she craned her neck around enough to look down the curved hallway and felt her heart jump at the pair of shadows that were heading towards her. Biting her lip, she whined in the back of her throat and bounced on the soles of her feet.

"I haven't had a second to but I'm on my way there right now." The second nurse uttered distractedly and took a turn into a separate hallway but the first nurse continued on her path toward her. Renee immediately began pounding the button on the wall as if that would speed up the elevator's arrival. Alerted by the sound, the nurse glanced up in confusion and her eyes widened at the sight of Renee, who was plastered against the wall and furiously slamming her fist on the elevator-call button, and she hurried over to her.

"Oh, ma'am, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be resting!" The nurse scolded her and Renee gulped.

"Well, I was, uh…" Glancing around quickly, she saw a vending machine sitting in the corner of the hallway and her eyes lit up. "Looking for a snack! And I found one! I had no idea that there were vending machines…on this floor." Renee babbled on and hobbled her way toward the sitting area while the nurse followed her cautiously with her arms extended as if she expected the girl to collapse any second. Putting on a show of patting her hips down, she turned to the nurse with a sheepish grin.

"What is it, honey?" The nurse eyed her nervously. "Are you in pain?"

Renee blinked before she sent a glance down to her abdomen. "Oh, no I'm fine, I mean… I just…" The elevator suddenly arrived and the sharp ping rang through the hallway as they slid open loudly. Renee grimaced and laid a hand against the vending machine. "I… I forgot to… I forgot to grab some money before heading out here. It's such a hassle. Do you think…um…" Renee paused and put her fingers against her stomach. "Would you mind running back to my room for me and grabbing my wallet?"

"Well –"

"Please? I – I really want some Doritos."

"Um," The nurse did nothing but stare at her before she sighed softly. "Of course, sweetie." Her tone barely hid her annoyance but she simply turned and walked briskly back in the direction of Renee's room. As soon as she was out of sight, Renee deflated and laid her hand against her forehead.

"Oh man, that was terrible. Doritos? Really?" Renee groused before she quickly made her way back to the elevator doors. She managed to stumble inside of them just as they slid shut and she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Leaning against the wall of the elevator as she pushed in the button for the ground floor, she raised her eyes to the ceiling and frowned.

"I'm gonna get a lot of bad karma for this."

xx

The silence in the car was killing her.

The awkward strain was wearing on her nerves and she almost wanted to dump them on the side of the road and drive on home without once looking back. As it was, the two in the backseat weren't helping the tense atmosphere. Cat was crouched against the door, his ears barely peeking out over the window as he glared at the floorboard. Dog appeared to not know the importance of laying low or he just didn't care either way and kept his face firmly pressed against the glass as he eagerly watched everything and everyone that passed.

Guess being a dog didn't change much in different dimensions.

Alex tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she peered around her surroundings. She had been driving aimlessly around town for about half an hour and hoped to just arrive at that abandoned house by chance but so far luck hadn't been on her side. She exhaled noisily through her nose and sent another glance into the backseat.

"So… Do you guys know where the house is?"

Cat's eyes raised to hers, an eyebrow raised. "Why would we know? We don't live here."

"Wow. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Alex bit back a grin when Cat's eyebrow twitched.

"I can't just magically obtain the information by snapping my fingers." Cat irritably mimed the action with a raised hand.

"Well, darn. And here I thought you were finally going to be useful." Alex teased and she couldn't stifle a snicker when the feline's ears flattened against his skull at her remark. Dog briefly pulled himself from the window when a thought came to him.

"Wait, wasn't going to this house a prank? Shouldn't you remember where it is?" Dog asked and Alex sighed before she scrubbed her palm across her forehead in annoyance.

"Yeah, but Renee is the one who drove there. I didn't pay much attention to where we were going." The girl admitted and Cat rolled his eyes. He leaned against the door and pressed his chin against the crook of his elbow as he stared out the window.

"Big surprise there." He muttered and Alex shot a glance in the rearview mirror before she stomped on the brake pedal. Dog quickly adjusted his balance to avoid slipping from his perch while his brother was abruptly thrown into the floor of the backseat with a dull thud.

"Oh, my gosh, those darn brakes. You alright back there?" Alex droned sarcastically.

"…Terrific." A low voice uttered from somewhere behind her and she couldn't help but grin smugly in response. It wasn't a second later that Alex's cell rang in her pocket. As Cat hauled himself back up onto the seat, she fished the phone out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Whoa, hey!" Cat suddenly yelped and Alex nearly dropped the phone in surprise. His golden furred hand abruptly reached around the seat and snatched the cell from her fingers before she could even process what had happened. She sat dumbly in the seat with her hand still in the air and blinked. Glancing back in the rearview mirror, Alex caught Cat's scowl. "Are you nuts? I don't want to be in two wrecks in the same week!"

"Oh." The girl mumbled before replacing her hand back on the wheel. "Then you talk to them, you wuss." Cat huffed indignantly before holding the phone up to his ear as his free hand rubbed at the sore bump on his head.

"Who's calling?" He demanded and ignored the combined glares of the other occupants in the car.

"Um…Cat?" A familiar voice meekly responded and the feline wasn't sure if he should be relieved or annoyed. Slumping back against the seat, he released a sigh.

"Well, it's certainly not Alex." He grumbled back in reply and nearly grinned at the driver's narrowed gaze on him from the front seat. Dog leaned over and raised an ear to listen.

"Cat, quit being a douche." Renee snapped and Dog snickered. Cat irately shooed him away and switched the phone to his other ear. "Listen, I –"

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't a good news kind of call?" Cat mumbled and he heard Renee huff out a strained laugh on the other end. Alex wordlessly pulled the car off the road into a nearby parking lot. Twisting around in the seat, she watched Cat with a frown.

"Well, I guess it isn't, in a way." The girl admitted over the phone and he heard a slight hitch in her voice that had Cat abruptly straightening in the seat. Dog and Alex glanced at each other. "I, uh… I wanted to apologize to you and Dog."

"What's she saying?" Alex demanded and the feline silenced her with a wave of his hand.

"Apologize for what?" Cat replied with a frown. "Look, why don't you just tell us this when –"

"Because I don't know if I'm gonna see you before you leave!" Renee hissed. Cat rubbed the back of his head and glanced out the window.

"Well, to be honest, we kind of hit a bit of a bump ourselves." The feline confessed. The silence that followed made him wonder if she'd hung up on him when her dull tone drifted through the receiver.

"…You've gotta be kiddin' me."

"Hey, ask her where the house is." Alex suggested and Cat sighed when he heard a hard thud over the phone – Renee must've slapped her forehead with her palm.

"Yeah, we can't find that creepy house with the magic eight ball and all we've managed to accomplish is get on each other's nerves for the last hour." Cat told her with a glare at the girl in the front seat and Alex responded with a cheeky grin.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are impossible. Can you tell me where you are now?" Cat sat in silence for several seconds before he gave a long, suffering sigh. He faced the window and peered out. He scanned the roads briefly before he raised his gaze to the nearby buildings that ran high into the sky.

"Well, it appears we're in a parking lot." There was a brief pause before Renee's hesitant voice drifted over the line.

"That's not… I meant which part of the…"

"Oh my gosh, give me the phone!" Alex demanded and Cat handed the cell over with a frown.

"How many times do I have to remind you two that I have no idea where anything in this town is?" The feline spoke through gritted teeth and Alex waved him off. Holding the receiver against her ear, she faced the front of the car with a grin.

"Hey, bud, how's it going?" There was a sigh that answered her and she frowned. "Hey, he was the one that grabbed the phone in the first place –"

"No, no, that's not it." Renee murmured and Alex's brow furrowed. "I, uh… I ripped open my stitches."

Alex's groaned. "Are you serious?"

"I wasn't watching where I was going and I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. I fell pretty hard and the next thing I knew…"

"You're such a klutz." Alex muttered and hand over her face. Renee huffed out a laugh.

"Shut up, I know."

"So what's the plan now?"

Renee hummed under her breath. "Well, seeing as you don't know how to get back to the house without me, I'd say our next bet is for you to pick me up."

"Oh good, then you can deal with these two in all your bleeding glory. They're starting to get on my nerves." Alex told Renee and sent a teasing grin to the two brothers in her backseat. Cat's eyes narrowed in response and Dog frowned.

"Wait, did she say bleeding?" The canine began and Cat shrugged.

"Alex, be nice." Renee huffed.

"I am being nice! I haven't kicked them from the car yet. I'd say that's a new high for me on the scale of candy-coated sweetness." Alex nearly dropped the phone when Cat leaned in between the front seats with a wicked grin.

"In that case, you're on the wrong side of the spectrum, sweetheart." Alex furrowed her brow at him.

"Oh shut it."

xx

Oh my gosh. I can't believe I finally finished this. What on earth was I thinking taking such a long hiatus without warning?

No excuses. No real reason. Just pure unadulterated laziness. If I still have anyone following the updates on this story then this is your lucky day! But if not, then here's something to occupy a short minute of your time.

The next chapter will surely be the end of this. At least one can hope. Thanks for sticking around!