Pet Food

A 'Daria' Fan Fiction by Brother Grimace

NOTE: This fic was based on an 'Iron Chef' challenge by hey. The challenge - to take another author's fiction and continue it, ten years after the initial events take place in the original fiction. Additional requirements were that the fanfic must be based off the works of another Daria fanfic writer, that any type of ending is okay, and it can be as long or short as the writer desires.

Thanks go out to the bug-guy, for providing an excellent world to escape to in the 'Falling Into College' series.

It was the end of her line, and she knew it.

There would be no escape - not now, not after the many attempts over the past ten years. They watched her closely. Besides - where could she go? Who would take care of her - who could she reach out to without fear of betrayal... or worse, the ultimate fate that awaited 'all of us cute ones...'

The worst of it all was her children. Forced into the dark, dirty 'breeding room' - it was a sick joke - pushed down until you couldn't move and screaming, trying to get past the tearing, shredding pains... then having your children taken away from you as soon as they were born. Never getting a chance to hold them against me... I don't even know if they were boys or girls...

Then, there was the smell. That horrid, insane smell that would come out of the basement, where 'the masters' had hidden their cooling unit and all of their other contraband... She was numb to the smell of burning hair and skin by now, but the way the others screamed and would hurt themselves trying to break free... She tried to calm them, but terror had long taken them too far past reason to be saved.

A cold dread suddenly rippled down her back, and she turned to see her oldest friends - friends... yeah, right! – as they stood in the doorway to the basement, their eyes empty as they looked at her.

Oh, no... No...


"Look, she's no good to us anymore - she's had litter after litter, and we've got enough to keep breeding."

"I'd rather just put her out of her misery - she probably won't even make a good stew..."

"Food is food, Daria. You know that."

Daria picked up the large cage, and the thin black cat with white paws meowed piteously as the human determinedly looked away from the cage as she turned back towards the basement.

I was your pet! I chose you! I loved you! I was your pet...!

The screeching, desperate cries from the cat once known as Bump set off all of the other cats as it could be heard descending down the stairwell, lingering in the air longer than any of the other foul smells in the house...

They could not be comforted.

END

31 March 2006