The man sucked on the cigarette. With a lightly tapped tip of the ash, smooth smoke blew against the wind. The screams from inside drowned in the background. His name was being called. Just one more minute is all he asked for. A trashcan stumbled. From it, a black cat emerged out the dark. Its hairs were already standing on end. The back of its throat hissed at the man in the instant their eyes had locked. The man approached while the cat stood his ground. It growled and hissed further, ever confident as the man's foot made contact. The feline had been sent flying. He went back and lit his next cigarette as the cat scrambled away. The man enjoyed the silence his tobacco as he puffed and smoked to his heart's content. Moments later, the feline returned. Their eyes locked again with the man growling at the cat's stubbornness. Before he had thought to move, the cat's mouth wrapped itself around a kitten, one who was hidden behind the next dumpster. The mother hurried away with her newborn immediately after. The man released his breath as time had stood still. Back to his own business, he noted. His stick ran out just in time as his minute ran up. He fumbled with the keys, struggling to get them inside the lock of the steel door. He heard a crash with the trash cans. He looked back. More cats. The man sighed and paused. From his lunch container, he threw a nasty tasting fish to the ground. He went inside and didn't look back. [hr] The light turned green. The man rummaged with his lighter. By now, he was barely capable of keeping his hands still. The car behind him honked. Yeah yeah, just one more minute. From his glove compartment, his hand quaked as he grabbed the orange vial of medicine. He gulped two pills with a dry cough. He was tired. The lighter laid in his lap as the car passed him by from behind. He didn't move. By the time the pills had started taking effect, his head finally came up to view the street. In front of him a van. It advertised for its business in great colors that superbly caught his attention. He knew what it was except his mind didn't fully process it. He drove past as his mind returned to the road. [hr] The puff of smoke blew from the man's face once more as his deadpanned face ignored the screams from inside. His mind was once more in bliss, same as the night before. A familiar cat of black came out from the darkness. The man's eyes had locked once more with the animal's. The man blinked in a calm, attentive manner. He reached into his lunch. With a throw, the fish landed right beside the mother who wasted no time picking it up and taking it back into the darkness. A meow erupted from his feet immediately after. It was a different cat, one with a scar on his right eye. He kneeled down and pat him on the head. With his last minute up, however, he continued back inside. He didn't look back. [hr] His last words with animal control were a thank you. He walked away from the bright colored, attention-grabbing van as it pulled away from the back alleyway. The man watched as the numerous cats continued to mew from their cages. He took out his last cigarette and puffed away. [hr] From the lit bed by the window of the hospital room, the man caught his attention to the nurse who had just entered. She greeted the man while the two held a brief conversation. Followed with the promise of a surprise, a cage was pulled by another into the room. It was a cat. The same right eyed scarred feline from before. The man couldn't help but smile. He had thought he had gotten rid of him from his life, but here this stubborn cat was. The ball of fluff pounced into the man's lap. He purred as he was pet in the same spot as before. The man asked if the cat was up for adoption. He wasn't. He asked for who adopted him. It was her daughter. The man sighed. The nurse promised to give him a good home. She also explained to him of her soon leave. Just one more minute is all he asked for. Just one more minute.