As the sun climbed to its zenith, the outdoor temperature officially broke past 130 degrees.
The whole city had turned into one giant convection oven.
The birds outside had stopped singing hours ago. Even the lawn had curled up and gone brown under the brutal heat.
Down in my storage room, it was crisp and comfortable.
I fired up my portable butane stove and cooked myself a hearty plate of spaghetti carbonara with meatballs, cheese, and dehydrated veggies.
The rich aroma filled the small space.
Suddenly, there was frantic pounding on my door.
"Elena! What are you doing in there? Are you sneaking food?" Cody's shrill voice cut through the door.
Then Ethan's roar followed.
"Open up! Elena, get out here right now! We don't even have a drop of water left. The tap is running scalding h
