Cass's POV

People used to say the world would end in fire or ice. I never cared much for poetry, but now I knew they were wrong. The world ended in silence. I'd been on my own since the demons came, and that was how I liked it. Crowds were never my thing. Even before the world fell apart, I kept my distance. People were messy, loud, unpredictable. Alone, I knew where I stood. I could rely on myself, and no one else. The town I was in didn't even have a name worth remembering. Another graveyard, just like all the others. Burned-out cars lining the streets, windows shattered, homes turned to crumbling shells. The air still smelled faintly of smoke, like whatever had happened here wasn't too long ago, but there were no bodies left. Either they'd been dragged away by the creatures, or… well, I didn't need to think about that.

I kept my steps quiet, knife in hand, eyes scanning every corner for movement. Demons had a way of blending into the dark, showing up when you least expected. I'd learned that lesson the hard way. But today, it wasn't demons that caught my attention. It was her. I sensed her before I saw her—maybe the sound of boots crunching over glass or just that instinct you get when someone else is nearby. She was crouched behind a rusted-out car, gripping a crowbar like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. A girl, younger than me, with messy hair and an attitude that reeked of desperation.

City kid. That was my first thought. She didn't even know how to properly hide, sticking out like a sore thumb in the wreckage. She was wearing a ripped jacket that had seen better days, and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the kind that sinks deep into your bones when the world's been torn apart and you're still pretending to hold it together.

Pathetic, I thought. I could've kept moving. I should have. But something made me stop. Maybe I wanted to see how long it would take her to notice me. Maybe I wanted to see if she was going to make it out here, or if she'd already given up.

She stood up slowly, hands raised like she was surrendering before the fight even started. "You alone?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. I didn't trust her, but I didn't feel threatened either. Not yet.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" she shot back, her voice defensive. Sharp.

She was sizing me up. I could see it in the way her eyes flicked over me, judging, deciding. I'd seen that look before. It was the look of someone who'd been pushed too far, too fast, and now didn't know how to survive without biting back.

I turned away. She wasn't my problem. Not today.

"You gonna leave just like that?" she called after me, a mix of frustration and something else in her voice. Fear, maybe? "Not even gonna say 'hi'?" I stopped, but I didn't turn around. "I don't have time for 'hi.'"

It was true. There was no room for pleasantries in a world like this. People didn't just talk to each other for the sake of it anymore. Every word, and every action was calculated, a survival tactic. She didn't get that yet. I figured that was it. We'd go our separate ways, her back to scavenging for scraps, me back to finding a safe place to sleep for the night. But I was wrong. I ran into her again a few days later. Same town, different street. She was leaning over a broken vending machine, trying to pry it open with that same crowbar. I didn't say anything at first, just watched. She had grit, I'll give her that. But grit wasn't enough out here.

This time, she saw me first.

"Still stalking me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she stood up, hands resting on her hips. I didn't bother answering. "You'll get yourself killed with that attitude." She shrugged like she didn't care. "Not dead yet." There was something about her, something that stuck with me even though I didn't want it to. She was annoying. Loud, reckless, too sure of herself in a world that had already torn so many people down. But maybe that's why she was still alive. She was stubborn. I could relate to that. I should've left her behind again, and kept moving. I didn't need anyone slowing me down. But somehow, despite myself, I stayed. Maybe it was because I knew what was out there, and part of me didn't want to see her end up like the rest of them.

Or maybe I was just tired of being alone.