Heat Wave Leads to Apocalypse: The Beginning!
“It’s hotter than hell out there today,” Jonah muttered as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The thermometer outside his apartment had read 112 degrees when he left for work that morning.
His coworker Dana nodded in agreement. “Yeah, this heat wave just won’t quit. And they’re saying this could be the new normal within a decade.”
“Don’t remind me,” Jonah sighed. Ever since temperatures had started rising precipitously five years earlier, there had been ominous warnings that devastating climate change was imminent. Most people tried to ignore it, but as each year grew hotter than the last, the threat was getting harder to disregard.
When Jonah arrived home after work, his girlfriend Sam was watching the news. “Another record high set today,” the reporter announced grimly.
“How long can this go on before the planet just becomes uninhabitable?” Sam wondered aloud. Jonah just shook his head. They’d had this conversation before. No one knew exactly where the tipping point was, but it felt like they were getting close.
Over dinner, Jonah’s sister Rachel called with an invitation to go to the beach over the weekend. “I don’t know Rach, isn’t it supposed to be 115 on Saturday?” Jonah asked dubiously.
“Yeah, but who knows how many beach weekends we have left before…well, you know,” Rachel said ominously. She didn’t have to articulate the fear they were all feeling - the fear that rising temperatures would soon make large swaths of the planet too hot for humans to survive.
Jonah felt a chill go down his spine despite the stifling indoor heat. She had a point. This might be one of the last chances to enjoy the beach. “Alright sis, we’ll see you there,” he agreed reluctantly.
As Rachel hung up, Jonah turned to Sam. “How much longer can we keep acting like everything’s normal when it’s clear the planet is on a collision course with disaster?”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know. But we have to try and live our lives despite the fear. Staying hopeful is the only way we’ll make it through this.”
Jonah nodded, knowing she was right. But as temperatures continued to rise, hope was getting harder and harder to hold onto. The apocalypse felt like it was just around the corner. And unless a miracle happened, the Earth they knew and loved would soon be gone.
The next day was brutally hot, as predicted. But Jonah and Sam packed up their beach gear and headed out to meet Rachel and her boyfriend Jake anyway.
The beach was nearly empty when they arrived. The sand scorched the soles of their feet as they made their way to the shoreline. No one was swimming - the ocean was bathtub warm now thanks to the heat wave.
Instead, they sat in the shade under a large umbrella, chatting half-heartedly. It was too hot to do much else. After an hour, Sam begged to leave. The heat was giving her a headache.
As they drove home, they passed an electronic billboard with an ominous warning: “Extreme heat advisory - take precautions.” Jonah shook his head. Precautions wouldn’t matter if things kept accelerating like this.
Suddenly, they heard the wail of sirens. An ambulance sped by, followed by a fire truck. Jonah’s stomach dropped. “Let’s turn on the news,” he told Sam grimly.
They turned on the radio just as the announcer said, “-a dozen people were hospitalized for heat stroke today as temperatures soared to 115 degrees downtown.”
Sam gave Jonah a frightened look. “Do you think this is only the beginning?” she asked quietly.
Jonah reached for her hand, more to reassure himself than her. “I hope not. But I think we have to start preparing, just in case.”
The truth was, he didn’t think this was the beginning. It felt like the beginning of the end. The world as they knew it was unraveling right before their eyes. And if they didn’t act soon, the approaching apocalypse would claim them too.
That evening, Jonah and Sam had Rachel and Jake over to discuss the situation.
“I think we need to come up with a plan,” Jonah said. “Stockpile emergency supplies, figure out a place to go if the city becomes unlivable…”
“Whoa, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” Jake said though he looked uneasy. “It’s just a heat wave.”
“No, I don’t think we’re overreacting at all,” Rachel said. “Haven’t you been watching the news? This isn’t normal. The climate is changing dramatically. It’s time to wake up and prepare for the worst.”
Jake still looked skeptical, but Sam jumped in. “Look, there’s no harm in being overly cautious. I’d rather do that than ignore all the warning signs and be caught off guard if things go south quickly.”
“Okay, good point,” Jake conceded. “So where do we start?”
“Non-perishable food, water, batteries, generator, emergency medical supplies…” Jonah grabbed a pad of paper, ready to make a list.
“Don’t forget weapons,” Rachel added grimly. “If law and order start to collapse when things get bad, we need to be able to defend ourselves.”
Jonah shuddered at the thought but wrote it down. The idea of societal breakdown, of utter chaos, was too terrible to contemplate. And yet they had to be ready for every scenario.
They spent the next few hours making plans, each suggestion more sobering than the last. When Jake and Rachel finally left close to midnight, Jonah felt exhausted but motivated. For the first time, he felt like they were facing this crisis head-on.
He put his arm around Sam on the couch. “Do you think we really have a chance if the worst comes to pass?” she asked softly.
Jonah kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we have each other. And we’re going to fight like hell for our future.”
Sam nestled closer. Outside, the heat of the day still radiated from the pavement hours after sunset. The world was changing in ways no one could have predicted. Their lives would never be the same. The apocalypse was coming - but tonight, hope endured.
To be continued…