Turns Out Cats Are Endgame

[24-hour countdown to the apocalypse. Pets will transform into guardians. Three per person.]The second the notification dropped, the world lost its mind.Spoiled pets got dumped on the street overnight. Dogs people used to cross the road to avoid? Suddenly sold out.My girlfriend showed up the minute she heard.She shoved my three sleeping cats into a carrier, yanked the window open, ready to toss them.I jumped in front of her. "Bella, what are you doing? I raised them."She snapped. "Did you not hear it? Twenty-four hours. You're betting your life on a blind cat and a lame one?"I blocked the window. Didn't move.When that didn't work, she switched it up. "Jaime, be smart. Kill these pieces of trash. That's six slots between us. We load up on real beasts. We'll be safe.""No." I held her stare. "Who says they can't protect me? Bubba isn't lame. Missy isn't blind. They're good cats. Touch them and we're done."She looked at me like I'd lost it.She slammed the carrier down

Through all that noise, the three cats never woke up. Lately, they'd been sleeping more and more.My one-bedroom was crammed with supplies. I was drenched, legs shaking, ready to drop.Didn't matter. No time to crash.I hit the hardware store, bought steel plates, and reinforced every door and window. When the zombies showed up, I'd at least buy myself a little time.When I finally finished, I sank to the floor, eyes half-shut.The lock clicked.My landlord, Alan, stormed in with a crew behind him."Leave the stuff. Get out. I'm not renting to you anymore."***My heart slammed. I glared at him. "On what grounds?"Alan swaggered, twirling the stick in his hand. "Because it's my apartment. I do whatever I want."His guys slammed me to the floor. I couldn't move.I watched them haul out my supplies. Then I watched them set up a custom fish tank in my living room.No clue how Alan pulled it off, but he'd gotten crocodiles.Wires cinched their jaws shut. Their exposed teeth s

Was it just a dream? Did I imagine all of it?Did I seriously think a cat could scare off those massive shepherds?No time to spiral. Thirty minutes left on the countdown.The apocalypse was about to start.***Time was tight. Soon, the virus would spread through the air.Anyone still outside would be the first wave of zombies.I had nowhere else to go. I scooped up the three cats and slipped into the apartment complex security booth.When the countdown started, nobody showed up for work. The guards had stocked up on instant meals.Better yet, there was a full toolbox—hammers, axes, the works.If zombies found me, I wasn't going down without a fight.Seconds crawled. A faint metallic smell drifted through the air.On the cot, the three cats slept like nothing was coming.I checked my watch.5, 4, 3... 2... 1...[Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse World. The game begins now. All players, do your best to survive.]The mechanical voice rang in my ears.At the same second, t

Bella stepped in front of me, staring down with a cruel smile."Jaime, told you you'd be begging someday. Here's the deal—crawl between my legs, and I'll spare them."The crowd laughed. Bella planted her hands on her hips, waiting.I slowly lifted my head.My eyes tightened."Behind you. Turn around..." My voice shook.***Bella sneered. "You're about to die and you're still pulling tricks—"She never finished.Thick blood splashed across half her face.Bright red flooded her eyes. She wiped at them and shrieked, "Who the hell threw water at me?!"A pale face floated up in front of her, nose twitching like it caught fresh meat."Ahhhh—!"The crowd blew apart.A mutated zombie had slipped in and was ripping through people, biting anything it could reach.Bella grabbed Dylan and bolted for higher ground, blowing the whistle at her chest."Don't panic! Get over here! I've got Caucasian Shepherd Dogs. One zombie's nothing!"At her signal, the biggest Shepherd launched forw

"Yeah, just give him the cats! If they can protect you, they can protect everyone. What's so hard about helping people?"A few even reached for me, trying to rip the cats out of my arms."Wow. Okay." I clapped, slow and sharp. "You beg him when you're scared. But when you need me, you'd rather I die. Fine. If that's how you wanna play, don't expect mercy."***"Bubba. Missy. Let's move."I backed up fast, pulled the three cats into the security booth, and slammed the door.While they were busy yelling, a few zombies drifted up behind them.Before the apocalypse, they called me soft for keeping "useless" cats.Not anymore.They think they're so capable? Let them handle it.These zombies were different. They bit with intent—no stopping to feed.Before the lion or the crocodiles could react, over half the crowd was infected.Blood flooded the air, thick and metallic, pulling in more zombies.Alan's crocodiles and Bella's lion got swarmed, throats ripped open.Dylan—already d