- 7.
July 7th, the heatwave arrived as expected.
I turned on the AC and humidifiers, setting them to 79°F, and looked out at the plants wilting in the heat, grateful everything was in place.
The TV was filled with reports of heatwave–induced incidents: floods and extreme heat in the US Midwest, continuous high temperatures in the Rocky Mountains, and 85 heatstroke deaths in India. Businesses shut down, schools closed, with only large chain supermarkets still operating.
Netizens began to panic. Some cursed the dreadful weather, others resigned and stayed home, while some sensed something amiss and started stockpiling supplies.
By 8 PM, it was dark, but the temperature showed no signs of dropping.
More people, to be safe, began going out to buy drinking water.
The three lounging at home saw related posts too.
Chloe snuggled up to Ethan and whispered:
“Brother, should we go out and buy some water too?”
“My wife loves hoarding stuff. We have everything in the basement. Why bother?”
“I’m carrying your son. I just want something good to eat!”
Ethan impatiently tossed his phone to Chloe.
“With money, you can buy anything, right? Just order delivery.”
Their son grabbed the phone and ordered a bunch of stuff.
But the heat outside was so intense, eggs cooked in minutes. Their supplies didn’t arrive until 10 PM.
Seeing what they’d bought, I was shocked it was just three gourmet meals and a heap of snacks and drinks for kids.
Ethan cursed the delivery guy, while their son, dizzy with hunger, scooped up a melted ice cream from the floor and stuffed it in his mouth.
“Greedy ghost! Just like your worthless mom!”
<
“I’m rich, how could I let you starve?”
Ethan slapped the kid on the head, prompting the son to throw takeout at him. The food was scattered everywhere, making it inedible.
Chloe gently tried to calm things down, but the malice on the son’s face remained.
In my previous life, Ethan left all the child–rearing to me. He’d occasionally buy the child food or take him to an amusement park when in a good mood. When not, he’d complain about being the sole breadwinner and tell the kid to come to me. Over time, the son grew to resent me.
Now with me gone, the two are stuck with each other.
The son, though bad, wasn’t stupid. He quickly saw through his “good dad’s” facade.
With Chloe as a catalyst and the shadow of apocalypse survival, they had a long way to go.
