Chapter 4

I went back to the couch, grabbed a slice of watermelon, and took a bite.

Sweet juice burst across my tongue, the coolness sliding down my throat and spreading through my body from head to toe.

The problem was solved, but I knew very well that it was only the beginning. The real trouble had yet to come.

*****

By the third day of extreme heat, everything outside fell apart.

More and more people were dying from heatstroke. Bodies lay scattered along the streets, untouched and unmourned, as if nobody cared anymore.

For a sip of water or a single…