Chapter 15: Followed

"Where's the car?" Ethan said aloud in a rather panicked voice. "It's not where we left it."

There was a tug on Ethan's pant leg. Looking down, he was staring at a little gray kitten, a larger gray cat, and a black cat. "Cleo, where's the car?" Cleopatra sat on her back legs and pointed her paw at the other side of the parking lot. In that direction was a large pile of burning green car pieces sending a plume of black smoke high into the air. "Cleo!"

Tigerlily gave off an angry sounding meow noise and Suki just kind of stared intently at Ethan and Nikki. Cleopatra looked up with big apologetic kitten eyes. Nikki broke the silence. "She's SO cute, you can stay mad at her when she does that can you?" Cleopatra sealed the deal when she made a short little high pitched meow noise.

Ethan's frown broke into a smile. "Yeah Cleo, next time you borrow the car though, could you bring it back working still?" Cleopatra produced another high pitched meow noise and then climbed up Ethan's leg and his back before settling on his shoulder. Ethan continued "We're going to need some form of transportation now."

"It's taken care of." The voice originated from another vehicle, a large yellow HUMV with a menacing mounted machine gun on the roof, that had just pulled up. "You need a lift folks?"

"Jade! You're back!" Ethan said as he leaned into the window of the Hum-V and kissed his wife. "Yes, the cats blew up my car again."

Jade laughed and smiled a huge smile. "Well everyone get in then!" Ethan and Nikki tossed the three cats in the front seat and all of the weapons and equipment they had just bought into the back of the vehicle.

"Cleo, we purchased you some more rockets for that rocket launcher, tell me that survived". Cleopatra again meowed a high pitch noise and produced the rocket launcher from inside Suki's fur. "What? How is that even possible?" Cleopatra only responded with another meow. Ethan tossed the weapon in the back and then sat down in the front. "Jade, amazing timing, glad you caught up before we left."

"I cut my trip short, I just got a bad feeling something wasn't right back here. Where are we heading?"

Ethan looked over. "We've got to catch up with the Millie, Anna, and your sister. They're heading for the town of Blarg with the key I gave them."

Jade frowned. "In that case, we're going to have to get rid of the mime. It's illegal to be a mime there and he'd be killed on sight. We'd be imprisoned for aiding him."

Ethan looked confused. "What Mime?"

Jade pointed in Ethan's direction. "The one sitting next to you and Nikki."

Ethan looked over by the door. There was a mime sitting next to him. "Woah how long has he been there?"

It was Nikki's turn to look confused. "What, he's been following you for at least a day now, you're telling me you hadn't noticed him this entire time. He was in the backseat in the car yesterday, came into the house with you when you got home, and followed you around there till you went to bed. He stood in the closet while you slept. He helped us move the bodies and handed you the phone when it rang this morning, though apparently he was stuck inside some sort of box or something. He was in the car today when we picked up the cats from Zane's. He even followed us around the store, apparently in some sort of unseen wind storm though, and just now he helped load the back of the vehicle with our purchases.

Ethan asked "Why didn't you say something?"

Nikki said "I thought you knew him and that he was with you."

"No he's not with me, and I hadn't noticed him up until now."

Jade sounded a little irritated. "Well whoever he is, get rid of him." Cleopatra was already in action behind him pulling the piano wire tight around the mime's neck. After a short struggle, the mime slumped over silently. "Thanks Cleo, he would have wanted to go out that way." Ethan opened up the door and pushed the mime out, closing it behind him.

Ethan looked out the window at the body. "I miss him already."

Nikki laughed. "You do not, you didn't even know him."

"I feel like I did, well off we go then. I just had this feeling of loss, its gone now." The Hummer started to move forward, heading for the highway on its way to Blarg. "You know what they say though, a Mime is a terrible thing to waste."

Everyone groaned and Nikki punched Ethan in the stomach just for a little extra emphasis.