Zed the Cat

His royal name was Zed Pizza Alimonte Nuts Growltiger Noir.

To his precious person, however, he was simply called Zed.

He would remember those beautiful days as if they were yesterday. He could even taste from the tip of his tongue the flavorful sweetness of tuna during Tuna Tuesdays. He could also recall the various Fridays he went on and on chasing a squirrel because it didn't address him by his royal name.

It was disrespectful!

He was a noble feline. He could not have a squirrel chirp at him! Now that he was looking back at this particular memory, he could not help but find it funny.

Now.

Before him lay the carcass of a dead man. "Meow…" He called to the dead only to hear nothing. It was useless. He had arrived too late. He had been running around moving with a single motivation… find a new person. But so far from a long time, it appeared that he was without any results.

It was sunny.

The cat sat on his hind legs as he watched over the dead person. He didn't even know why he was staying like this… Was he mourning? No. That was a human thing. Maybe… he was hoping. Maybe this human was not even dead.

"Meow~!"

He was black, a symbol of misfortune among his species, yet... he was loved. He treasured those days when he was with his precious person. But then the apocalypse happened. Zombies ran about and drove humanity to extinction. It was a tragedy not just for humanity but also for him. But he survived. He endured it all... until... his precious person died.

And now, he was on his way to find a new person. But he was having no luck at all.

He inwardly blamed his own color for the death of his precious person and the long streak of bad luck that he was experiencing.

After a few more minutes of silence, the cat jumped on the bench and began his sleuthing around the bag left by the stranger. He found a few packs of instant noodles. He recognized them at first glance since he had them for some time already. "Nya!" He was happy at his loot.

With impressive movement from his paw, he clawed the packaging open and ravaged the food. He was ecstatic since it had been days since he last ate. Peeking from the bag was a curious object. He stopped his feast and perused what he believed to be a journal.

Since the apocalypse, a lot of changes have transpired. Except for the decay that had spread from the humans, many beasts like Zed had developed sapience. It was a level of intelligence almost on par with the human species. If not for the natural inhibitor called the Language Barrier, Zed would be long already capable of wielding so much knowledge.

As a cat, it was indecipherable for any human to imagine them as self-thinking, aware, and sentient. But there were no humans anymore to debunk such a thing.

He pawed at the fish illustrated over the journal. He missed the taste of fish.

That aside.

Zed felt intimately curious about his discovery. When he looked at the insides of the journal, he realized that it was written in scribbles he could not understand. He ignored the journal and returned to snacking his crispy noodles.

It wouldn't be long before the undead found their way into this beach after the gunshot. He immediately got rid of his food, devouring them in a matter of seconds. He looked at the unassuming journal a second time.

"Meow…" In the end, he decided to bring it with him. The journal had interested him because of the cartoon of a fish in its center. He bit on the corner of the journal and dragged it to his hideout. "Nya…" The journal was heavy, but he managed thanks to his evolved strength brought by the mutation from the radiation sickness.

Sometime after, he arrived at his hideout. It was carefully hidden in a cave-in from the alleyways where the undead rarely congregate considering their herding habits. He used the journal as a soft couch and then placed a relatively nice blanket as a cover for himself.

He spent the night… disturbed. When he opened his bleary eyes, he felt tormented by the fact that he was alone. He was reminded of the time since the apocalypse. He was running. Him and his precious person. He kept going, day after day until he encountered a new tragedy. His person had been killed by the zombies and was ripped apart.

The cat was devastated. He was alone.

He was not trying to find a new person for the sake of his own safety and care, but it was a matter of principle. He wanted to prove to the world that his hooman was not wrong, that it was right for him to be loved, and it was not this love that brought misfortune to his precious person!

The black cat, Zed, was a symbol of misfortune among his species, but he was loved. His person treasured him, and he treasured her. He loved spending time with his person, and they were inseparable.

That was why he was indignant when his precious person was taken away.

He rose from his bedding with the same stubbornness he had with since the death of his precious person. He swore to himself he would find a new person. He would protect, love, and treasure this person.

Though naïve, the cat never wavered on his resolve.

So he left his resting place once more just like the many resting places he had made and abandoned. He glanced at the curious journal and decided to part with it.

And thus, years followed.

In his adventures, he realized that he was in possession of a supernatural ability.

He was in possession of a stubborn life force that could match his resolve. He was naturally immune to the radioactive sickness which instead had mutated him, but the supernatural ability was totally another story.

With such an ability, he grew bolder with his adventures. He crossed the frozen seas brought by the harsh cold winter which was born from the nuclear fallout. Similar winters were occurring in different regions from around the globe.

And then, decades followed.

Meeting various beasts like him who had mutated, he made both friends and foes.

Everyone had their own stories.

Like Zed, other survivors of the apocalypse had their own tales, and life to make sense with. This didn't matter to Zed, however.

In the course of several decades, Zed understood more of his supernatural abilities. The life force that clung to him was actually the manifestation of bad luck which would never allow him to die.

For eternity was the biggest tragedy, he was meant to live until the end of time.

He took the challenge personally and proceeded on his search.

And finally, centuries followed.

Despair had set on him slowly but surely. At some point, he had given up, but his stubbornness carried him routinely as he roamed the world like an undead. There were many fearsome things such as natural disasters and the mutated undead.

He had thrown himself at both with abandon, and every time, he survived unscathed, all of his wounds and injury healed and reverted as quickly as they came.

It was hopeless. When he returned to a familiar place in a certain alley, he realized… He was truly in despair. Zed dug into the cave-in by the alleyway and found a tattered journal.

How it had survived for this long with direct contact with the elements, he wouldn't know.

The Journal-looking thing left an impression on him since it had a picture of a fish. The picture was long faded, but he could still recognize the contours.

The lonely black cat walked in streets empty of any undead. He chose his path smartly. He made peace in knowing of his defeat. He was really a cat of misfortune.

When he arrived at the beach, he sat by the same bench where he picked up the journal.

It was sunny just like the last time he was here, except this time, the long-dead carcass of a man was now gone. He watched the sea in silent contemplation

Suddenly, he heard loud chirping from the sea. It had that high-pitched squeal that Zed was familiar with. When he looked over, he saw a dolphin.

Zed approached with curiosity. This wasn't the first time he had seen dolphins as before the apocalypse, his precious person tended to bring him to dolphin places, water parks, for amusement.

"Meow?" He asked about the new arrival.

"Keh~! Keh!" The dolphin clapped its fins and squealed happily.

Only now did Zed recognize that the dolphin seemed to be dragging a net by his side.

"Meow?"

"Me. Selling. Wares."

The dolphin telepathically connected to Zed.

"You. Buying?"

"Meow…"

Zed flinched at the unexpected voice in his head.

It was a curious and peculiar affair. If it were the old world, something like this would be impossible, but Zed knew better than to reminisce and open old wounds.

"You. Buying?"