Heat Wave

 Sweat ran down Zachary Chapman's face as he began his weekly journey down the sidewalk. Light seemed to glimmer on the pavement by his feet, but really it was just the reflective outfit that he wore to protect him from the sun. It was really easy to get burned during heatwaves like this one, and because of the lack of funding for schools and healthcare, there weren't very many doctors that could treat the burns anymore. It could have been worse for Zachary though. He used to live far east in the city, but there was so much flooding due to sea level rise and harsh storms. He had scraped what money he had together in order to move west, where he was far away from the flooded coastline. Unfortunately, the effects of heatwaves like this one could still be seen here. Trees had begun to die, there was an obvious lack of animals, and houses that were once wooden and painted had been transformed into smooth box-like structures that had been colored white to reflect the sunlight. This insured that they did not burn. Due to the heat, it was dry enough for fires to spring up and eat away at their surroundings. Less water also meant that growing food became harder and harder. That is why everyone visited the town hall every Saturday to pick up whatever rations of food could be supplied to them for the next week.

Zachary knew he was already late and food was running out, but running would make him feel even hotter and he had no car. Not very many people owned cars anymore. Car prices, as well as the prices to have them fixed, had greatly increased ever since oil had begun to become more scarce, and Zachary had no money for a bicycle because most of his money went into paying for his home and for the food he needed. Walking was his only choice if he wanted to keep from overheating.

Step by step Zachary slowly grew closer to the town hall. He passed houses one by one, their white color and boxy shape making them all look about the same. All of their occupants were either inside, or waiting for their rations at the town hall. There was no sound, but the sound of his shoes on the hot pavement. Whatever animals were still around to make noise were probably hiding somewhere out of site where the sun's burning rays could not touch them. There was barely any green, Only that of houseplants in windows and the occasional weed that had found the courage and strength to creep up through the cracks in the sidewalk and bear the full heat of the sun.

As Zachary approached the center of town, he saw what could have only been described as a ghost town. Most buildings had been remodeled to withstand the heat, but not many were occupied. Businesses and shops were silent. Their doors stayed locked. They were all closed. After heatwaves and droughts became more common and severe, and fuels such as oil and coal began to disappear, more and more money was collected by the government and put toward safe housing and food than anything else. The only activity was deeper into the center of town at the town hall.

As he got closer to the center of town, Zachary saw something he had not noticed until now. He saw what seemed to be smoke rising into the sky. A fire in the center of town? There were no trees there. It wasn't until turned onto the next road that Zachary saw a horrible sight. The town hall, the only unrenovated building in town was on fire! People stood out on the street, frozen in horror at the sight. Firefighters did their best to control the fire with what little water they could get their hands on. Despite the heat, Zachary found the energy to run over. He approached a firefighter standing out on the street and asked him what had happened.

"All we know is that some man ran inside screaming about the climate shift. He must have started the fire." The firefighter said, "I guess you're lucky you arrived late. We're still trying to rescue any survivors trapped in there."