The story begins with Julius, who moves into a new home with his cat, Gee. The setting is South Florida, near the Everglades—a fresh location for Julius to work on his latest script. As a writer for award-winning academic film, Julius seeks inspiration in this quiet, eerie environment.
On the day Julius moves in, he brings only basic equipment, luggage, and furniture from his car into the house. The home is described as simple, flat, and old-fashioned—a very old structure renovated for new tenants. Julius shrugs off its age and remarks to himself, "This is perfect: quiet, roomy, and with just a little ominous feel to it."
The exterior of the house is cloaked in vines and overhanging branches from giant trees, their webs glistening in the sunlight. "This is perfect for us, Gee. Isn't that right, girl?" Julius calls to his cat. Suddenly, Gee bolts across the yard, leaping back into the car as though she were running from something—or being chased.
Julius watches her with concern, stumbling slightly. "Hey, Gee, what's wrong, girl? Why are you running back into the car? This is our new home! Come on, you'll get used to it. It'll be good for both of us."
Determined, Julius continues carrying boxes into the house. As he does, he catches a strange smell in the air. "What's that smell?" he mutters before shrugging it off. Inside, as he walks down the hallway, the silence is broken by the sudden cracking of a wall. Julius pauses briefly but dismisses it and continues toward one of the rooms. Gee, however, follows cautiously, stopping suddenly to stare at a corner where a crack runs along the wall.
From the cat’s perspective, something within the crack seems to breathe—a steady, eerie motion—and stares back at her with a disturbing stillness. Gee hisses, her fur bristling as though something threatening were watching.
"Hey, girl, relax," Julius says, picking her up. "You're just nervous because this place is new. You'll get used to it. I love it here." He soothes her with a pat, then carries her back to the car to unload the remaining boxes.
But the unsettling air of the house lingers, hinting at something more sinister lurking within its walls.
As Julius finished unloading the rest of his belongings from the car, he headed back into the house before sundown. Suddenly, along the stretch of the yard leading into the woods, a rattling noise caught his attention. Curious, Julius placed some boxes by his front door and turned toward the sound, wondering what might be lurking in the woods.
"Gee, girl! Where are you? Where have you run off to?" Julius called out for his cat as he cautiously approached the woods. The closer he got, the less movement he noticed, heightening his curiosity. Silence blanketed the air, and Julius froze as he heard a low hiss that sent chills down his spine.
"MEOW!"
Startled, Julius spun around toward the house and saw Gee calling to him from the doorway.
"She was in the house the whole time," Julius muttered in relief, the chills quickly fading. Without wasting another moment, he hurried back inside, shutting the door firmly behind him.
~to be continue
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