"What is this, Planet of the Zombies?" April wondered. "This place gives me the creeps. There's no noise."
"Look, kitties!" Jalil said.
"Kitties?" Christopher repeated. "Did you just say 'kitties'?"
"Cats. I said cats," Jalil amended. "Look, there by that doorway."
At least a dozen cats lunged comfortably on a slab of sun-warmed stone beside a doorway that could have easily admitted a dinosaur.
"Hey, look, there are more up there." April pointed. "And there. Jeez. A lot of cats."
They were easy to overlook at first in the shadow of skyscraper slabs of stone. But once noticed, they seemed to be everywhere.
"Anyone ever see The Birds? All these seagulls go nuts and start killing people?" Christopher asked nervously. "These kitties look like bad kitties."
April laughed. "There's no such thing as a bad kitty. Didn't the ancient Egyptians treat them like gods? Here, kitty kitty. Here, kitty kitty.
Jalil said, "You know, watch waht you say. They may be able to talk."
"W.T.E.," Christopher agreed. "Welcome To Everworld."
April diverted toward a cluster of cats in the shadow of a stone lion. Then she stopped, froze, and let go with a scream that jerked the Amazons around, swords at the ready.
Merope was in full combat mode and David not a split second behind her. Then Merope laughed. "Oh, that." She sheathed her sword and shook her head in amused contempt.
April rejoiced us, shaken, white-faced, hands wringing.
"What was it?" David demanded, still not sure he should relax.
"The cats. They were...There's a dead person over there. The cats were eating him..." .