I kept walking, the cool night air wrapped around me like a thin, uncomfortable blanket. My arms crossed over my chest, partly because of the chill and partly because I just needed something—anything—to hold onto. The streets were mostly empty, save for the occasional flicker of headlights in the distance and the dim glow of streetlamps lining the sidewalk. The soft hum of the city at night was all around me: the buzz of electricity from a nearby power line, the rustle of leaves blown by a lazy breeze, and somewhere in the shadows, the unmistakable sound of a cat yowling like it had just lost a fight.
I glanced around, half expecting to see glowing eyes peeking out from an alley, but nope. Just the usual urban wildlife: stray cats and the occasional rat scurrying by as if it had somewhere
