Prologue: Final Moments
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CHICAGO, IL - WHISKER
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The water is coming down from the sky again. It’s harder than before.
The alley was cold. The kind of cold that seeped into your bones and settled there, stubborn and unyielding, making every movement feel stiff and unnatural. Whisker scurried along the slick pavement, his small paws padding quietly through the shadows as he darted between dumpsters and garbage bins. The towering buildings of Chicago loomed overhead, their windows glinting faintly in the distant city lights.
The cold rain now flooded the streets and now the cold night air makes his usual task of scavenging for food even harder. This city has always been a harsh, unrelenting place, especially during this time of the year.
This is my home. I’ll just make it work. I always do.
He hadn’t eaten much that day—a few scraps of bread, half a hotdog—but he was used to that. There wasn’t much to go around for creatures like him. The humans… they had everything. Warm homes, food, shelter. But not all of them. He knew that. There were others, like him, who lived in the shadows, scraping by with whatever they could find.
And he always shared.
Up ahead, a small group of homeless humans huddled around a burning barrel, their faces hollow, eyes weary from the relentless grind of the city. Whisker paused, his body instinctively tensing. He knew the dangers of getting too close, but he also knew what it felt like to be hungry. To be cold. To be forgotten.
His whiskers twitched as he pulled a half-eaten sandwich from his stash he had hidden earlier under a nearby dumpster. It wasn’t much, but it was something. He nudged it toward the edge of the alley, just close enough for the humans to see, but far enough to keep himself out of sight.
Maybe this will help them.
His small, dark eyes flicked toward the group before he scurried back into the shadows.
Maybe I can make a difference, even if I’m just… me.
He heard the sound of their grateful murmurs reach his ears, and for a moment, there was a flicker of warmth in his chest. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind him that he mattered, in his own small way. Even if the world didn’t see him. Even if no one noticed.
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of the city—exhaust, rotting food, the distant aroma of a nearby restaurant. Whisker’s stomach rumbled, and he pressed his small body against the base of the dumpster, hoping to find something more to eat. He was hungry, always hungry, but there was never enough.
He poked his nose around the edge of the dumpster, the smell of warm food drawing him closer. Inside, there were treasures—half-eaten meals, scraps of meat, and soggy fries. He scanned the area, making sure there were no humans watching. Now or never. He clawed his way up the side of the dumpster, his tiny claws scraping against the cold metal.
When he reached the top, he spotted it—a whole sandwich, barely touched. Someone had just thrown it away, careless and wasteful. He reached out with one paw, gripping the sandwich, ready to pull it free.
But then, his eyes flicked back. They were still there, still huddled together, still hungry. One of them, a man with hollow cheeks and a weathered face, caught Whisker’s eye. His gaze lingered for a moment, and though the man couldn’t speak to him, there was a flicker of connection—a moment of understanding between them.
Without hesitation, Whisker nudged the sandwich off the edge of the dumpster, pushing it toward the man. The man blinked in surprise, then bent down to pick up the sandwich, his lips parting in quiet thanks. Whisker felt a pang in his own chest—not hunger, this time, but something else. Something warmer.
This is right. This is what I’m supposed to do.
But in that moment, as Whisker leaned just a little too far forward, his paw slipped. The world tilted, and before he could react, he tumbled headfirst into the dumpster, the lid slamming shut above him with a deafening clang. Darkness swallowed him whole.
No, no, no.
He scrambled inside the dumpster, his claws scraping against the cold metal walls. The space was tight, cramped, and the smell of rotting food filled his senses, making his head spin. He tried to push up on the lid, but his body was too small, too weak.
I’m stuck. I’m stuck. I need to get out!
He pushed harder, his tiny limbs trembling with effort, but the lid wouldn’t budge. Panic set in, his heart racing in his chest, pounding so loud he could barely hear anything else.
Outside, there was a sound—footsteps. The homeless man must have seen what happened. Whisker heard him approach, heard his muffled voice through the metal, trying to help. But before the man could lift the lid, a new sound pierced the air.
“Hey! Get away from there!”
The voice was sharp, angry—one of the restaurant workers. There was a scuffle outside, the sound of hurried footsteps and mumbled curses as the man was shooed away. Whisker’s heart sank.
No, don’t leave! I’m still in here!
The next sound he heard was a heavy thud—the sound of a trash bag being thrown on top of the dumpster. Then another, and another. The weight of the garbage pressed down on the lid, sealing it tight, trapping him inside.
I’m stuck. I’m really stuck.
And then… the rumble of the garbage truck.
Whisker froze, his body trembling as the sound grew louder. No. Not like this. He pressed himself against the side of the dumpster, trying to find any gap, any way out. But there was none. He was trapped. He was going to die here, crushed beneath the weight of the city’s waste, just like everything else discarded and forgotten.
The truck’s hydraulic system hissed as it pulled up beside the dumpster, the mechanical arms clamping onto the sides. Whisker’s heart raced faster than ever, his small body shaking as the dumpster was lifted off the ground.
The lid shifted slightly as the dumpster tilted, and for a brief, fleeting moment, light broke through the darkness.
Maybe… maybe I can get out.
But the light was gone as quickly as it came. The dumpster tipped, and Whisker was thrown backward into the mess of trash and discarded food. The truck’s compactor hummed to life, and the walls began to close in.
His small paws clawed at the garbage, trying to find purchase, trying to escape, but there was no escape. The compactor pressed closer and closer, the crushing weight growing unbearable. His heart pounded, his breaths came in short, panicked gasps.
Is this it? Is this how it ends?
But even in his final moments, Whisker’s thoughts weren’t of himself. They were of the others—the humans huddled by the burning barrel, the small acts of kindness he had tried to offer, even though the world had always made him feel insignificant.
I just wanted to help.
The compactor pressed down, and for a moment, the pain was all-encompassing. But then, there was nothing.
Just darkness.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – HIROSHI TANAKA
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The train station was always crowded at this hour. Tanaka stood among the sea of people, his grip tight on the briefcase at his side. His shoulders ached, his body bent from years of work, and the constant hum of city noise filled the air around him. But his mind… his mind was elsewhere.
The weight of regret pressed down on him harder than the fatigue ever could. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn’t bother checking it. He already knew what it would say.
Missed call: Son.
He hadn’t spoken to his son in days. Weeks, maybe. He’d lost track. It was always the same—another missed connection, another conversation left unsaid. His son had reached out, again and again, but Tanaka… Tanaka was always too busy.
Missed call: Son
Too busy trying to provide, too busy trying to make sure his son had a future. Too busy, but never present.
I did it for you.
He wanted to scream those words. I worked myself to the bone for you. But the truth of it was bitter. Wasn’t it for himself, too? To fill the void left by his wife’s death? To keep himself from feeling the crushing loneliness of his own failure as a father?
I’m so tired.
The platform shifted slightly as the train pulled in, the crowd pressing closer. Tanaka barely noticed. His vision blurred, the edges of the world growing faint. Am I… fainting? His heart pounded harder than it ever had before, but not from the work, not from the exhaustion.
It was guilt. It had always been guilt.
The weight of everything came crashing down, and before he could even process what was happening, his legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, his body hitting the cold, hard surface of the platform.
The last thing he saw was his phone, the two missed calls notifications. They all still glowed on his screen.
I should have been there.
The phone buzzed for a third time. Screen glowing again.
Missed call: Son
And then, the world went dark.
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LONDON, UK – AVA SINGH
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The air in the lab was heavy, thick with the scent of chemicals and electricity. Ava barely noticed it anymore. She moved swiftly between her machines, adjusting dials, checking readouts, her mind completely focused on the task at hand. Everything had to be perfect. This experiment was too important, too delicate, to leave anything to chance.
She glanced at the digital clock on the far wall. 11:43 PM. The world outside the lab was quiet, the city of London settling into the stillness of the night. But for Ava, there was no time for rest.
I am so close.
So close to understanding the boundary between life and death, the thin line that separated the living from the dead.
No one believed in her work. Her colleagues dismissed her theories, calling her reckless, dangerous. But Ava didn’t care. She had always known she was on the verge of something great—something that would change the way humanity understood life itself. She had spent years pushing the limits, experimenting with human cells, energy fields, anything that could give her a glimpse into the other side.
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Tonight, it would all pay off. I’ll prove them wrong.
The thought kept her going through the long nights, the failed experiments, the ridicule.
I’ll show them what I’m capable of.
She stood in front of the machine she had built—her life’s work, the culmination of everything she had ever done. It hummed softly, the lights flickering as the systems came online. She could feel the energy in the air, crackling like static on her skin.
This was it.
This was the moment she had been waiting for.
Her fingers hovered over the final switch, her heart pounding in her chest.
One last adjustment, and the experiment would begin. She glanced at the small vial of cells inside the machine, the key to unlocking the secret of life and death.
But something was wrong. The machine whined, the lights flickering more erratically now. Ava’s brow furrowed in confusion.
That’s not supposed to happen.
She reached for the control panel, her fingers flying over the buttons, trying to stabilize the energy levels.
And then, all at once, the machine exploded with light and sound. Sparks flew, the machinery groaning as the power surged through it, too fast, too much. Ava barely had time to react before the electricity surged through her body, locking her muscles in place, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
No… not now… I’m so close.
The pain was overwhelming, but Ava’s mind was still racing, still trying to understand what had gone wrong, still refusing to believe that this could be the end.
I was right… I know I was right.
Her body convulsed, the electricity coursing through her, but her mind stayed sharp, focused on the machine, on the experiment she would never complete. Her vision blurred, the world around her fading, but the frustration, the drive, the hunger for knowledge—that never faded.
I’m not done… not yet….
The light faded, the hum of the machine died, and Ava’s body collapsed to the floor, motionless. Her last thoughts were of the unknown, the mysteries that she had come so close to solving, but would now never understand.
Damn.
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – FELIX MORALES
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The building was collapsing.
Felix stood frozen in place as the walls buckled, the steel beams twisting and groaning under the pressure. Dust filled the air, choking him as he stared up at the structure that he had designed, the structure that was now crumbling to the ground before his eyes.
How did this happen?
He knew, of course. He had cut corners, rushed the calculations, trusted the wrong people to get the job done. It wasn’t his fault—he had been forced to do it, forced to accept the budget cuts, the delays. But that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was that his building, the one he had poured his heart and soul into, was falling apart.
The workers were shouting, scrambling to get out of the way as the beams above them twisted and snapped. Felix could hear the panic in their voices, the fear as they realized what was happening. He should have been moving, running, trying to escape. But all he could do was stand there, staring up at the disaster he had created.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He had always been so careful, so precise. Every calculation, every blueprint—he had checked and rechecked them all. But somewhere along the way, something had gone wrong. And now, people are going to die because of it.
I should have done more.
He knew that now, in the final moments, as the building creaked and groaned around him. He should have fought harder, pushed back against the clients, against the contractors who had insisted on cutting corners. He should have stood up for what he knew was right.
But he hadn’t.
And now, it was too late.
The ceiling above him cracked, sending a shower of debris crashing down. Felix barely had time to react, his body moving on instinct as he dived for cover. But it wasn’t enough. The walls were coming down, the floor buckling beneath his feet.
I wasn’t ready.
The last thing Felix saw was the steel beam above him, twisting free from the ceiling and plummeting toward him. There was no time to move, no time to think.
I should have done more.
And then, nothing.
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LOS ANGELES, USA – ARIA KNIGHT
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The car sped down the highway, the streetlights blurring into long streaks of light against the dark sky. Aria gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. She had just finished a gig at a small club downtown, another performance in a long string of performances that were supposed to get her noticed, supposed to launch her career.
I’m so exhausted.
Her phone buzzed in the passenger seat—another missed call, another text she hadn’t answered. Her friends had tried to reach out, her family had tried to check in, but Aria had pushed them all away. She didn’t have time for them, not with everything she was trying to accomplish. The music world was brutal, and if she didn’t give it her all, she’d never make it.
But now, as she drove through the empty streets of Los Angeles, she wondered if it had all been worth it.
Have I missed too much?
The thought gnawed at the back of her mind. She had sacrificed so much—friendships, relationships, her health—all for the chance to make it. But what if making it wasn’t enough? What if she had lost too much along the way?
Her vision blurred for a moment, and she blinked hard, trying to focus. The exhaustion was catching up to her, the weight of all her choices pressing down on her shoulders. She could feel the isolation, the loneliness that came with being so focused on one thing that everything else faded away.
She wasn’t even sure what she was chasing anymore.
I should have called them back.
The thought was fleeting, but it stuck with her. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, her foot pressing a little harder on the gas.
Then, out of nowhere, the lights of an oncoming car blinded her.
Too late to react.
There was a deafening crash, metal twisting and glass shattering as the two cars collided. Aria’s body jerked violently, the seat belt digging into her chest, her head slamming against the window.
The world spun, lights and sounds blurring together in a chaotic mess.
Her last thought, before everything went dark, was of her phone, still buzzing with unread messages.
I should have called them back.
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PARIS, FRANCE – MIRA INOUE
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Mira stood on the platform, her eyes distant as she stared down at the tracks below. The crowd around her moved like water, flowing past her without notice, without care. She had always felt like that.
Out of place.
Drifting through the world without really being part of it.
Her thoughts were elsewhere, as they usually were. She had spent her whole life lost in her own head, dreaming of things that didn’t exist, seeing the world through a lens that no one else seemed to understand. Her art had always been an extension of that—a way to express the things she couldn’t say, the things she couldn’t explain.
But no one had ever really understood.
The train approached, its headlights cutting through the dim light of the platform. Mira’s gaze shifted, watching as it drew closer, but her mind was still miles away. She had felt something earlier, a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.
A sense of foreboding that she couldn’t shake. Something is wrong.
She hadn’t wanted to take the train tonight, but it was the only way to get home. Still, something about it felt… wrong. But what else was new? She had always felt like she was on the edge of something terrible, something lurking just out of sight.
Then she felt it in her gut at first. A stabbing pain as she grew cold. She was falling and watching the world spin, as fell down towards the ground.
I knew it.
Then it went black.
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NEW YORK, USA – LUCAS REID
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Fire.
The flames roared, consuming everything in their path. Lucas stood in the middle of the inferno, his breathing heavy, his body drenched in sweat. He had already saved two children, pulling them from the burning building and handing them off to his crew outside. But there were still more people trapped inside, and Lucas wasn’t about to leave anyone behind.
He wasn’t that kind of firefighter. He wasn’t the type to wait for backup, to follow the rules, to play it safe. He did things his way, and his way had always worked. He had saved more lives by breaking the rules than by following them.
But today… Today was different.
The building was falling apart around him. The fire was out of control, the heat so intense it was hard to breathe. His crew was shouting at him over the radio, telling him to get out, to retreat. But Lucas wasn’t listening. He never listened.
There was still someone inside. He could feel it. His instincts told him there was someone left to save.
Someone’s there. I just know it.
He pushed through the flames, the smoke stinging his eyes, his lungs burning with every breath. The walls were cracking, the ceiling groaning under the weight of the fire. But Lucas pressed on.
Just a little further. Just one more.
And then, the floor beneath him gave way.
He fell, crashing through the collapsing building, his body slamming into the debris below. The pain was immediate, sharp and unforgiving, but Lucas didn’t cry out. He just lay there, staring up at the flames as they consumed the building above him.
I wasn’t fast enough.
He could hear his crew outside, calling his name, shouting for him to get out. But there was no way out. Not this time.
His last thought, as the fire closed in, was of the people he had saved.
Two lives.
He had saved two lives today. And for Lucas, that was enough.
It was worth it.
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CHICAGO, IL, WHISKERS
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Darkness.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no light—just a void, cold and suffocating. Whisker lay still, the weight of garbage pressing down on him, the crushing metal walls of the compactor closing in.
His heart raced, but there was no way out. This is it.
His paws scrabbled uselessly against the cold, unyielding metal, but he was too small, too weak to stop it.
I don’t want to die.
There was no light, no escape—just the cold realization that he would be crushed here, under the weight of a city that would never even know he existed. He had tried. He had shared what little he had. And yet… it was all slipping away.
Please, no….
Suddenly, a faint noise broke through the void—a deep, mechanical hum. For a moment, he thought it was the garbage truck’s compactor, but no… this was different. It felt like it was coming from inside him, a low, vibrating pulse that grew stronger, pushing through the darkness.
His limbs felt strange, heavy. The pressure lifted.
What’s happening?
The world was pulling away, the cold of the dumpster fading, replaced by something else. Warmth. Light. A low hum thrummed beneath his skin, resonating deep within his bones, and before he could even try to understand, his eyes snapped open.
Whisker’s breath came in short, quick gasps as his body jolted back to life. He wasn’t crushed. He wasn’t in the dumpster.
The cold, crushing weight had disappeared. Instead, he felt stone beneath his hands. Human hands. Wait, human?
His mind reeled, racing to make sense of the sensation, but everything felt wrong. He pushed himself up, the unfamiliar weight of his new body throwing him off balance as he scrambled to his feet.
What is this?
The room around him was dimly lit, the stone walls glowing with strange markings that pulsed with a quiet, unfamiliar energy. His hands—his human hands—trembled as he stared at them, the strange, intricate tattoos on his skin glowing faintly.
His heart pounded in his chest, but he wasn’t panicking anymore. He wasn’t in the garbage truck. He was… here. Wherever here was.