The night stretched over them, endless and dark. The car's headlights carved a path through the abandoned streets, illuminating crumbling buildings, overturned vehicles, and the ever-present shadows of a world that had long since died.

  Nero sat in the back seat, his fingers absentmindedly tapping against his knee. The initial rush of emotions from meeting Badong and Amira had settled, leaving behind an unsettling quiet.

  For months, he had been alone. Now, he had company.

  But… what now?

  He leaned forward slightly. "Where are we going?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

  Badong kept his eyes on the road, his thick fingers gripping the wheel. "Supplies," he said simply.

  Nero raised an eyebrow. "There's still plenty of food in the malls."

  Badong snorted. "Yeah? And how long do you think that'll last?"

  Nero frowned. He hadn't thought about that.

  Badong sighed, adjusting his grip. "We need fresh food. Fruits. Vegetables. Any damn plant that's still alive. We can't keep eating expired junk forever."

  He shot a glance at Nero through the rearview mirror. "You're a kid. I know these past months, you've been eating nothing but canned meat, instant noodles, and whatever other garbage you could find. That stuff will kill you before anything else does."

  Nero blinked. "I mean… it kept me alive."

  Badong chuckled. "Yeah, and I've been living off of canned sardines and energy drinks. Doesn't mean it's good for me."

  Nero let that sink in. He never considered the long-term.

  For months, his only goal was surviving the next day. He scavenged whatever he could, ate whatever he found, and ignored the fact that he felt weaker every time he woke up.

  Amira shifted in her seat. "Are there even any plants left?" she asked, her voice soft.

  Badong exhaled through his nose. "I don't know. That's why we're looking."

  The car rumbled over broken asphalt, the wreckage of a collapsed overpass looming ahead. Badong expertly maneuvered around the debris before continuing.

  "And survivors," he added.

  Nero perked up slightly.

  Badong glanced at him again. "I know you've been searching, kid. I can see it in your eyes. You're not the type to just sit and wait."

  Nero swallowed. He was right.

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  Every day, Nero walked the streets, checking every building, calling out into the void, hoping—praying—that someone would answer.

  But no one ever did.

  Until now.

  Badong exhaled deeply, gripping the wheel tighter. "I've been doing the same. For months, I drove from town to town, city to city. And guess what?"

  Nero leaned forward slightly. "What?"

  Badong's lips pressed into a thin line. "Most places were empty. But not all of them."

  Nero's heart skipped a beat. "You mean—?"

  "I found signs of people," Badong said. "Campfires. Footprints. Buildings that were scavenged recently." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "We're not alone. We just have to keep looking."

  Silence filled the car.

  Nero sat back, staring at the passing ruins outside. More survivors.

  For so long, he had convinced himself that he might be the last.

  But now?

  Now, he had hope.

  His grip tightened.

  "Then let's keep going," he said firmly.

  Badong smirked. "That's the plan, kid."

  The car rolled forward, pushing deeper into the unknown.

  For the first time in months, Nero wasn't wandering alone.

  The road stretched endlessly before them, swallowed by the night. The car's headlights flickered slightly as they rolled over cracks in the pavement.

  Inside, the air was heavy with quiet thoughts.

  Then, it happened.

  A blur of movement. A sudden flash of black fur.

  "Shit!" Badong cursed, jerking the wheel.

  But it was too late.

  The sickening thump reverberated through the vehicle as the car jolted from the impact. Nero's breath hitched, and Amira let out a gasp.

  For a few moments, none of them spoke.

  Then, Amira was the first to react.

  She shoved the door open and sprinted into the dark, her feet crunching against debris. Nero followed, his chest tightening.

  Badong exhaled sharply and stepped out as well, rubbing his face. "Damn it."

  The three of them stood by the headlights, scanning the ground.

  And then, they saw it.

  A cat.

  Its fur was as black as the void itself, blending into the shadows—the reason they hadn't seen it in time.

  Nero braced himself for the worst.

  The cat should have been dead. Broken. Bleeding.

  But it wasn't.

  Instead, it was sitting.

  Alive.

  Its golden eyes gleamed unnaturally in the darkness, staring straight at them. Its tail flicked once, slowly, deliberately.

  Badong took a cautious step forward. "The hell…?"

  The cat didn't flinch.

  Amira knelt down, her hands trembling. "I-I swear we hit it. We all felt it."

  Nero's heartbeat pounded in his ears. "It should be dead," he whispered.

  Yet there it was. Whole. Unscathed.

  The cat tilted its head, watching them with a knowing gaze. Then, slowly, it stood up, stretched lazily, and began licking its paw—completely unfazed.

  Nero felt a shiver crawl down his spine.

  "This isn't normal," he muttered.

  Badong crossed his arms. "We probably hit something else or it's just a sound of engine."

  Amira hesitated before reaching out. "Careful," Nero warned, but she ignored him.

  Her fingers brushed against the cat's fur. It was soft—too soft for a stray that should've been struggling in a dead world.

  The cat purred.

  Amira exhaled in relief and gently scooped it up. "It's real," she whispered. "It's alive."

  Badong shook his head in disbelief. "Hmph. If it survived getting rammed by a truck, maybe it deserves to come with us."

  Nero hesitated. "What if… what if it's not just a cat?"

  They all fell silent.

  What if this cat was something more?

  The feline let out a small, almost amused meow. Then, without hesitation, it leaped onto Amira's shoulder, curling around her neck like it belonged there.

  Badong let out a dry laugh. "Welp. Looks like it made its choice."

  Nero exhaled. "I guess we have a cat now."

  Amira smiled, stroking its fur. "Then we should give it a name."

  They all thought for a moment.

  Nero eyed its sleek, shadow-like coat and smirked. "How about Eclipse?"

  The cat let out a satisfied purr, as if accepting the name.

  Badong scoffed. "Great. Now we have a weird, possibly immortal cat with us." He sighed. "Fine. Let's get back in the car."

  With that, the four of them—three survivors and one mysterious cat—got back inside, the vehicle rolling forward once more into the unknown.

  Unaware of what the cat's survival truly meant.