Still Life, With Cats — Kristine Kathryn Rusch

After covering too many war zones, Joshua returns to his grandparents' place to find the house neglected and the patio filled with cats. He wanted a refuge from the death he witnesses, but the cat yowls remind him of the cries of the wounded. No matter how hard he tries, the cats keep appearing.

So, he finally calls for help, help that proves a little weird, a little strange, but maybe just right.

“Like early Ray Bradbury, Rusch has the ability to switch on a universal dark.”

-- the Times of London