Luan exhaled, the lingering panic still weighing on his chest, then immediately turned toward the driver's seat.
"Celine! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked urgently, his hands trembling as he checked the seatbelt wrapped around his sister's body.
Celine, still frozen and holding her breath, could only shake her head slowly to reassure him. "I… I'm fine."
Once he was sure Celine was safe, Luan hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Wait here and stay calm; I'll be right back," he said before pushing the car door wide open.
The evening air, which was starting to cool, swept over her as Luan's footsteps echoed on the asphalt.
The intercity road felt eerily quiet during those twilight hours, with only the roar of the wind and expanses of wild grass lining both sides of the road. Right in front of the car's bumper, a domestic cat with dull orange fur stood calmly in the middle of the road without a shred of guilt, as if unaware that its life had just been hanging by a thread.
