The Temperature of Vengeance

The heat waves in the air stabbed into my skin like countless burning needles. I slumped behind the villa's iron gate, my fingertips still lingering with its cold touch—but that faint chill was no match for the scorching heat above fifty degrees. My vision blurred, and my skin prickled with sharp stings—that was the warning of being steamed red and on the brink of melting under the extreme heat. I summoned the last ounce of strength to lift my head, and there she was—Moira Thompson, my closest friend—standing just beyond the door. Her face was blank—no hesitation, no regret—only a cold, ruthless indifference. "Moira, open the door... please..." My voice was hoarse; each word burned like swallowing searing gravel. Moira didn't move; she simply stared at me quietly, as if I were nothing more than garbage set to be burned. I know why she did it—for the supplies my father left behind, for this villa that can shield against the extreme heat. So all those years of friendship meant nothing in the face of the apocalypse. My consciousness slowly drifted away, leaving only Moira Thompson's cold face in my mind, alongside my own skin, steamed red and melting under the extreme heat. "Buzz—" A faint vibration suddenly buzzed in my ears, like a cell phone alarm. I shot my eyes open as blinding sunlight poured through the cracks in the curtains, landing on my face. This wasn't the scorching sunlight outside the villa, but the gentle morning light streaming into my rented room's bedroom. Instinctively, I touched my skin—smooth and cool, without a single trace of burn from the extreme heat. I sat up and looked around; the familiar desk, wardrobe, and the painting on the wall—all exactly as they were in my rented room before the disaster. With trembling hands, I picked up the cell phone from the bedside and lit up the screen. The date is—the 15th of June. A full week remained before the heat disaster that plunged the world into hell. I... have been reborn? A wave of overwhelming surprise and dread crashed over me. I covered my face, tears spilling uncontrollably. This time, I won't be anyone's pawn. Moira Thompson, what you owe me, I will reclaim piece by piece, every last bit.