The door burst open. "They're here!"
"What!?"
"They're here, the mafia is -" A loud bang. The messenger collapsed as yelling and charging footsteps filled the hallway behind him.
"We can't let them find it!"
"The cat! Get the cat!"
I was scooped off the table and rushed into a separate room away from the chaos. I was set down in a flurry as someone fumbled with my collar, desperately trying to open the small tube attached to it.
"Phil -" she addressed me, her words stumbling over themselves. "Phil get this to the bridge. Understand?" She finally managed to force a tiny slip of paper into my collar. "Across the bridge -"
A loud crash and suddenly we were no longer alone. I bolted from her grasp and fled for a hole in the back wall, earsplitting pops and bangs echoing behind me. I forced my head through, my whiskers catching at the edges of cinder block. I clawed and scratched, and for a terrifying moment I thought I was stuck, until I was met with chilly humid air and the sounds of traffic.
I stood in a dim alleyway, shielded from the road by a towering dumpster. I smelled the rain in the clouds above me, the salt of the road, and a thin crowd of people passing by along the street.
At my back, they were tearing the building apart. I knew what they were looking for: the tiny message that had been slipped into my collar. The cold tube pressed snugly against my chest. Take this across the bridge, she'd said to me. I knew that she was gone now. They were all gone. They were my friends - my family. I would do as she told: take the message across the bridge.
"Where is it!?" A furious voice screamed, propelling me to act.
I slipped out from behind the dumpster and peered at the road. The crowd was moving at a quick pace. Their shoes smelled like leather, metal, and plastic. I slid into their midst and headed left. I weaved through their legs, dodging heels and pointed toes on my way. The bridge was three blocks away, and it wasn't always crossable. Sometimes it reared up like an unruly stallion and turned into an impassable cliff of asphalt. I had limited time.
The world glimmered and flashed with standing pools of water. I passed shops lit with spectacular displays as big as a whole wall, pink and blue lights glowing invitingly against the dreary landscape. The people above me chattered, clicked, beeped on their own sparkling things. I sensed their emotions: annoyance, pleasure, fear. Once or twice, someone called out to me as I hurried past. I paid them no heed. They would not stop me - one does not wonder where a cat goes when he goes there.
At least, not usually. Two men emerged from the crowd ahead. They were of similar height and wore black and white clothing with sharp shoulders. Their dark glasses did not hide their gazes from me: I saw one of them narrow his eyes. Sensing danger, I took a sharp turn to the right.
"Is that -" One of them gasped as I trotted across the street. My blood chilled, but I tried to remain calm, praying they hadn't noticed the peculiar design of my collar.
"Did they really -" They other started. I ran the rest of the way across but I still caught what he said next: "They sent a cat: black, blue collar. I repeat, they sent a -"
They were aware of me. I'd surely be stopped if I kept going the obvious route. Heart racing, I rushed along the sidewalk in the opposite direction, until another alley yawned open on my left. I dashed into it. My fur prickled. Going this way would slow my progress towards the bridge and every second would count. I stopped at the edge of the alley, a brisk wind pushing against me. There were more people at this street, including a few tall figures that lacked any scent. I risked a glance behind me. The two men were crossing the road towards me, looking around intently. They hadn't spotted me yet, but they would soon.
