My Cats Ruled the Apocalypse

After that feast, I collapsed into bed, cycling between eating and sleeping, dreaming of food even in my sleep.But my bliss didn't last long. The next morning, a persistent scratching at the door jolted me awake.I opened it to find—of course—Leo and Luna crouched on the doorstep.Leo had a fish clenched in his mouth; Luna had a bird pinned beneath her paws, both looking up at me pitifully.As soon as I opened the door, they rushed to shove their catches into my hands.My heart, frozen all night, melted instantly. But remembering the countless days they'd gone hungry, I swallowed hard and forced myself to stay firm."No. I can't take care of you anymore. Don't come back."I slammed the door in their faces, cutting off all sound from outside.From behind the door, I hovered like a sneaky voyeur, tiptoeing to peek through the peephole. Tears streamed endlessly down my cheeks.Day one: the cats refused to eat.Day two: still nothing.Day three: absolute starvation…I watched

It was the first time I had ever seen Leo open his eyes. Black as pits, they glowed with an eerie golden light.He curled comfortably in my arms, lazily lifting his head to face the three Tibetan mastiffs.Their jaws gaped wide, saliva dripping onto my forehead, yet the pain I expected never came. The mastiffs froze in place, completely still.They stopped, their eyes locked on Leo's golden gaze, mesmerized. Then, as if under a spell, they scrambled backward, tails tucked, retreating in utter submission.Vicky's prized mastiffs—strong, wolfish, and terrifying—now cowered like defeated dogs. The smallest one even trembled so badly that it leaked yellow urine.Everything happened too fast. The two of them stood frozen, mouths agape. When Vicky finally snapped out of her shock, she slapped each mastiff across the head in frustration."Attack her! She's just a woman with three cats—what are you scared of? Was all my money wasted for nothing?"But the mastiffs, ferocious as they were

Three zombies stumbled into view. I dragged my cats under the bed and curled up beside them, holding my breath, not daring to make a sound.On the first floor, a resident was so reckless that he lit a candle while showering. I knew he'd be the first to become zombie chow.The zombie had once been a beggar, mangy hair, yellowed, rusted teeth. Starving, it tore into that resident's belly with sharpened nails, feasting with savage delight.The other two zombies weren't far behind, climbing walls, dragging men and women through windows, one after another, into their jaws.Screams echoed endlessly. The entire neighborhood had turned into hell.Then, without warning, Dominic's lion leaped from upstairs.At his command, the lion obeyed perfectly, lunging at the zombies with jaws wide.Humans, just turned, couldn't withstand a beast's fury. One swipe of the lion's paw, and chaos was subdued within minutes.Silence fell. Dead, oppressive silence.The previously loud residents went qu

Leo's golden eyes glowed like pure 24K gold. He lifted his chin with an air of suave confidence."Mama, I bit off all the zombie heads on this street. How's that? Solid enough?"Who was speaking?"Ahhh! Mo… M-Monster!"Luna licked her blood-stained paw, her crooked leg looking stronger and more commanding than ever."Mama, don't call us that. We're all your little kitty cats."I repeated silently in my head, 'They're my children, not monsters. Not monsters. It must be the system's blessing that lets them talk.'"We don't belong here."Even after steeling myself, I jumped when Leo spoke again.They came from thirty years in the future.The apocalypse had lasted a long time, with zombies and nature locked in an endless evolutionary battle. The zombies evolved first. Then, the guardian pets evolved.Some pets became powerhouses, others agile predators, and some even developed supernatural abilities.Cats, however, were extraordinary. They were the only species that could grow