Written for the Halloween challenge for "Discovered in Fallen Leaves" on the discoveredinalj livejournal community to the prompt "a black cat."


Doyle claimed afterwards he'd seen some kind of a big black cat running off, a tiger or panther or something. Bodie laughed, but without much conviction. He didn't mention he'd seen something too, something he firmly told himself was only a dog, probably an Alsatian, limping around the corner.

The prisoners had vanished. The door of the holding cell was still locked, and none of the security systems had been breached, but they were gone. Nobody could understand how two handcuffed men who'd both been put through serious CI5 questioning could have got up and walked away. The kid, especially, wouldn't be doing any walking for some time. He hadn't been particularly stoic, unlike the big man, who hadn't made a sound despite the best efforts of some real experts at digging for the truth. But the kid's screams and curses had all been for his partner. Not one scrap of information, or even a whimper about his own pain.

Bodie didn't believe a word of the rubbish the informant had babbled about super senses and mystical powers. He believed in armalites and fists.

But the prisoners were gone.

And Doyle said he'd seen a black cat.

-- THE END --

October 2007