"Fuck, its so hot." Ken wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked up the sun, looking like it was closer than usual. "This is not normal." He was coming back from his shopping trip, it was pay day and he wanted to buy a new gaming laptop for months.
"Once I get home, I am locking myself in my room and turning on the a/c for hours while gaming." Just thinking about it made the heat more bearable.
His house was coming into view now, all he had to do was cross the road but, "Dammit, why are there so many cars when its this hot!" He used a paper to cool himself down even just a little. He waited and waited but the cars just kept coming, there was no end to it.
"Ok, this is just ridiculous, there is usually not many cars passing through our little town, what the hell-" He looked to his right and knew why there were so many cars rushing in the opposite direction. "Holy shit!"
He dropped his 40k credit laptop and ran in the opposite direction at full speed, though his full speed was laughable as he was never active, he was a shut in who did his work online. He pulled whatever strength his body could muster up.
"Fuck fuck fuck, what the hell is going on!" He was already out of breath but he knew, stopping meant death. He looked back again and saw the heatwave rushing at him, killing all the things in its path. He pushed his body further, almost tripping multiple times, even blood started coming from his mouth, the heat was already affecting him, even from far away.
"Hah hah hah hah, think, think, think dammit." He spotted the lake where him and his friends always swam for fun. It was not that deep but it was his only option, the heatwave was getting too close. He pushed himself one more time, reaching the lake and jumping in.
'I need to go deeper...fuck, this is going to hurt like hell.' He dove deeper as the heat passed by, at first there was nothing but the water instantly became blazing hot, burning him. This sensation, it was a pain he only got from touching fire or charcoal but this was way worse.
He wanted to breathe, to run but he knew, this was better than death. Air was running out but he refused to leave until he eventually passed out. His body slowly floated back up allowing him to breathe, lucky for him, the heatwave was long gone.
"GAAAH!" He woke up gasping for air, he noticed his was floating and that he was no longer burning, "I am alive?... how did my unlucky ass survive that?" He got out of the water and walked back to the open area and what he saw made him throw up.
"ugh, they are everywhere." Dead, melted bodies were everywhere, the smell was unheard of.
He covered his mouth and nose with his wet shirt, trying to block out the horrific smell. The bodies were unrecognizable, melted into twisted shapes that barely resembled humans. Cars stood abandoned on the road, their metal warped and paint bubbled from the intense heat.
"My house..." he whispered, his legs shaking as he started walking back. The streets he'd known his whole life were now alien and hostile. Trees were blackened husks, their leaves turned to ash. The asphalt had partially melted in places, making his steps stick slightly.
His gaming laptop lay shattered where he dropped it, the plastic casing warped beyond recognition. But that seemed meaningless now. He needed to find out if anyone else had survived, if his family was okay.
His phone was ruined from the lake water, leaving him completely cut off. The silence was deafening - no birds, no distant traffic, not even the hum of air conditioners. Just the occasional crack of cooling metal and his own ragged breathing.
"Hello?" He called out weakly, his throat raw from the superheated air he'd breathed earlier. "Is anyone there? Surely someone survived, right?"
The only response was his echo bouncing off the empty buildings. He fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what had happened. Their quiet little town had become a graveyard in mere minutes.
"What do I do now?" He asked the empty street, his voice cracking. "What the hell do I do now?"
He got up and ran back home, kicking down the locked door without hesitation and immediately calling out to his family but no response. He stopped in the living dream, breathing heavily while looking around at the damage. His body began shaking, no response only meant one thing but he refused to accept it.
He walked over to his parents room and before he even entered, the smell already hit him. The sight awaiting him made him stumble backwards, retching up whatever was left in his stomach. His parents, his one thought of hope, were nothing but charred flesh melted into their bed. The heat had been so intense it fused them with the mattress springs.
"No no no..." He collapsed against the wall, sliding down as his legs gave out. The smell of cooked meat and burned hair made his head spin. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Just hours ago he'd told his mom he was going shopping, promised to be back for dinner.
His father had been reading the newspaper in his favorite chair, commented about the unusual heat. His mother was planning to make his favorite dish tonight to celebrate his new laptop. Now they were... they were...
"I should have been here," he choked out between sobs. "I should have... I could have..." But deep down he knew there was nothing he could have done. The heat wave was too sudden, too intense. Even if he was home, they all would have died together.
He knew better than to look in the other rooms, he just knew.
He stumbled out of the house, unable to bear the sight any longer. The sun still in the sky now felt like a god, like it was mocking his loss. He started walking, his feet moving without direction. He had nowhere to go, no one left to turn to.
"Why?" He screamed at the sky, his voice echoing through the dead town. "Why did I survive when everyone else...?" The question hung in the air, unanswered. The gentle lapping of the lake water in the distance was his only reply.
As he sat at a tree, his mind blank and heart aching with loss, he heard a distant sound that was getting closer. "wait, is that..." He got to his feet way too quickly that he almost fell back down. He ran in the direction of the sound until it finally came into view, a helicopter that was circling the town, as if looking for survivors.
"HEY! I'M HERE!" He waved his arms frantically, jumping up and down despite his exhausted body screaming in protest. "DOWN HERE! PLEASE!" His voice was hoarse but he shouted with everything he had.
The helicopter seemed to hover for a moment, then began descending towards an open area nearby. The wind from the rotors whipped up ash and debris, forcing him to shield his eyes as he ran towards it.
Two figures in what looked like hazmat suits, but more advanced, jumped out, scanning the area with some kind of device. When they spotted Ken, they rushed towards him, their voices muffled behind their masks.
"Are you hurt? Are there any other survivors?" One of them asked, checking him over with quick, professional movements.
He shook his head, his voice breaking. "I... I haven't found anyone else. The heat wave... everyone..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
"Jesus Christ, another one," the second figure muttered, then spoke into a radio. "Command, we've got one survivor. Young adult male, appears stable. Bringing him in."
"Another one?" Ken's eyes widened. "There are other survivors? From other towns?"
They guided him towards the helicopter, but his legs suddenly felt like lead. He turned back to look at his town one last time, at the house where his parents... He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"We need to go," the first figure said softly. "Whatever attacked... it's not done yet."