It arrived before the sirens. Before the emergency alerts. Before the sky split open with fire. When civilization collapses in a single night, Alex retreats to the only thing he had dedicated his life to - only to discover he is not alone. The cat has followed him underground. As days stretch into something unrecognizable, the bunker becomes a chamber of memory and doubt. The cat listens to sounds Alex cannot hear. It stares at ceilings before aftershocks and strikes. In a world reduced to ash, and with systems and supplies dwindling, survival is no longer the only question. Some warnings come too late. Other warnings shouldn't be ignored. ---------------------------------------------------------- This is my official entry for the 2026 Open Novella Contest! It is based on prompt #98: You never imagined the end of the world would begin with a one-eared black cat showing up at your door. The first milestone is achieved near the end of chapter 2. In total, chapters 1 and 2 are 2,247 words combined. The second milestone is achieved at the end of chapter 7. By the end of chapter 7, there are 8,077 words.

Every time Tess fails, at auditions, friendships, or love, a flower blooms in her yard. What begins as a delicate marvel soon overwhelms her life. Roses spill over fences, lilies bow toward the pavement, and neighbors gather as if her failures were a performance. All Tess wants is grass again, something still and ordinary, something that doesn't move to the rhythm of everything she couldn't be. One moonlit night, a soft melody leads her to Hyatt, a tiny, quiet prince cursed to live inside the garden. He reveals that to break the spell of the garden and set him free, Tess must perform a final ballet. Accepting her failures and dancing through fear.

Tayla's life should have been full of adventure and battle, and it would have been had she not failed her Crest Champion test a year prior. Now she's stuck at her aunt's herbalist shop, selling potions to the very ranks she once dreamed to join. And her town has just become a hot spot for Crest Champions everywhere. The once-bound dragon Zyrel has awakened after a century of slumber, and he draws dangerous monsters to his cage. The Crest Champions must kill him before he can finally be freed. Tayla plans to keep her head down and avoid the constant reminder of her failed dream, but that changes when an alicorn appears in her garden, claiming they must join forces and release Zyrel before it's too late. There's something wrong with the story of Zyrel's imprisonment, and to uncover the truth, Tayla must join a familiar-and loathsome-face from her Academy days. Dangers await, but the greatest threat she finds in the woods won't be the prowling beasts. It will be herself. -- Shout out to @raizelrose3 for the absolutely amazing cover!!