The thoughts wouldn’t stop. No matter how much I try to suppress them, it’s as if they swim around my head like a whirlpool. I don't know why I still try at this point, since it always ends in vain. I give up, again, and continue walking absentmindedly down the street. 

 

A loud meow  brings me back to reality. I look up from the ground, and my eyes immediately focus on the dark silhouette of a cat sitting across the street.

 

“Luna…” A murmur escapes my mouth, but of course it wasn’t her. Luna had sleek, white fur. With how this cat blends in with the darkness, it’s obvious that their fur is pitch black. But the way they sat resembled Luna. How she used to wait patiently by my feet when she wanted my attention. A sharp pain of grief runs through me. 

 

I look back at the cat, only to realize that it was gone. I frantically scan around the street, wondering where the cat could’ve gone—pang. The sound of a metal object rings through the area(?). I look towards the source of the noise and see an empty can rolling on the floor and the cat, now sitting at the edge of a windowsill. For a moment, it gazes down at me, but suddenly it turns around and goes deeper into the alleyway, jumping from one platform to another. 

 

Without thinking, I start following the cat, my eyes never breaking away from its figure even for a moment. I don’t know why I’m chasing the cat. I’ve never been down this path before, and I’m probably going to get lost. But something tells me to keep going, to follow the cat until the very end, to reach out to it… So I don’t turn back.

 

Every so often the cat stops in its tracks and looks at me, as if making sure I’m still here. The cat eventually leads me out of the alleyway and onto a wider street. The ground is dimly lit by the surrounding lamps and windows. I see people inside, probably living their best life. The more I look at the never-ending homes and the silhouettes of residents inside, the more my head fills with doubts. Maybe I shouldn’t follow the cat; maybe this was a bad idea after all. 

 

I turn to the cat, as if I could gain some reassurance. But it starts to walk again, faster this time. Without hesitation, I follow suit. Even when I hasten my pace, I can barely keep up with the cat. It doesn’t spare a glance at me while I struggle to prevent myself from tripping on the wet cobblestone. 

 

It feels like I’ve been chasing the cat for ages, but surprisingly, my limbs aren’t sore and I’m breathing at a normal pace. Without thinking much about it, I continue my chase and—

 

I feel something behind me and it grazes the back of my shirt, almost like a tug. I snap my head back and see a person, a familiar child leaning on an open windowsill. I squint my eyes against the bright glow that radiates off of the child, seemingly engulfing the light of nearby streetlamps. The child stares at me with round, innocent eyes. 

 

“Where are you going?” the child asks softly. 

 

I look at the child, too bewildered to respond. How did I not notice them while I was running past? Just a moment ago, the only life occupying the street was me and the cat—

 

The cat. I almost forgot. I turn back around to continue my pursuit, when I feel another tug at my shirt. 

 

“Don’t go,” the child murmurs, as if pleading.

 

I look once more at the child, their eyes now brimming with tears and their grip now tightening around the windowsill. A part of me wants to stay by the child, to look after them. But I resist and tear my gaze away from the child.

 

My feet guide me forward once again, but not to pursue the cat. Instead, I have a feeling I was running away, abandoning someone important.

 

The feeling of anxiety bubbles up in my stomach, but it’s overshadowed by my desire to reach the cat. I’ve come so far now. It’s too late to turn back. 

 

The streetlights barely emit any sort of light, but just in front of me I can make out the black feline. Although it still does not look back at me like before, the cat walks at a slow pace. As if it has been waiting for me to catch up.

 

Suddenly, the cat dashes down the poorly-lit street. I break into a staggering sprint, scared that I’ll lose it again. I try my best to keep my eyes on the cat, but it’s dark. Darker than before. I can barely see past my own feet.

 

I hear my loud footsteps, the cat’s softer ones.

 

And I keep running. One foot. The other. Fast but it’s not enough, I’m so close, almost there, just a little more, please, I need to, I have to, I have to, I have to, I—

 

The cat’s meow cuts through the silence, stopping me in my tracks.

 

The stillness returns and I can hear quick, shallow breaths escaping my mouth. I wait for my eyes to adjust and my breath to return to normal. 

 

I see the cat sitting, staring back at me, and behind it, a void of black. The street that seemingly went on forever ended in that void. There’s nothing, nothing at all. 

 

The cat meows softly and leaps into the pitch darkness. This time, I hesitate to follow. I look back towards where we came from, the buildings lined along the cobblestone street, the streetlights that were no longer as bright, and a wave of clarity washes over me. Even here, there’s nothing, nothing at all. 

 

I take in the dullness of it all for the very last time and step back. Slowly, one foot then the other, until my final step does not touch the ground, but instead falls into the darkness. 

 

The void engulfs me and although I can no longer see, nor sense, I am at peace. Forever.