Braxton must have gotten heatstroke. Gritting his teeth, he cursed under his breath, "I should've stayed home. This was a waste." That trip only left him humiliated by Edric, and the water he brought back was almost gone. It felt like he had suffered for nothing. His whole body ached, his head spun, and the sweltering heat pressed down on him like a heavy blanket. What's with this insane weather? Why did the temperature shoot up so suddenly? He cursed silently, his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth. Braxton had been busy for the whole day, having eaten nothing. Too weak to even stand, he yanked open the bag of oats he had carried back, scooped up a handful, and shoved the dry flakes straight into his mouth. He didn't even care about the taste. In his head, he pretended it was juicy, tender meat. ... "Eat up, Lucky." Natalie set down five pieces of barbeque beef brisket in Lucky's bowl. She cracked open an ice-cold beer for herself, grabbed a handful of meats, and dug in—one sip of beer, one bite of meat, over and over. While she ate, she kept turning the food on the grill—pork ribs sizzling on one side, corn roasting on the other. Lucky finished her portion in no time, licking her bowl clean before staring longingly at the meat in Natalie's hand. "These are mine," Natalie said firmly. "They've got salt on them, and you can't eat that."She always cooked a separate batch for Lucky without salt, knowing too much isn't healthy for a dog. "Here—try some chicken wings instead." She dropped two cooled barbecue wings into Lucky's bowl. The dog dug in right away, crunching through meat and bone with happy determination. Soon the table was loaded: beef brisket, barbecue wings, pork ribs, pulled pork, pork chops, steak tips, roasted corn ... By the time Natalie and Lucky had eaten their fill, she remembered the crocodile meat she had stored earlier. She pulled it out, thinking of sending some to Olivia and Harold. They had helped her before, and that crocodile had brought in a lot of supplies. She couldn't exactly explain where these meats came from, but sharing barbecued crocodile? That they would enjoy. Natalie worked quickly—brushing oil, sprinkling spices, and laying the meat across the flames. The smoky scent spread fast. Lucky, belly round and satisfied, waddled back over anyway, nose twitching. "Greedy pup," Natalie said with a laugh, tossing her another piece of crocodile meat. When the meat was ready, she carried a platter upstairs and knocked on the door of Unit 1401. Olivia opened the door wearing only a short nightgown, fanning herself with an old flyer. The moment she saw the grilled meat in Natalie's hands, her eyes lit up and she hurried to take it. "Nat, you read my mind. I was too hot to even think about cooking!" She bent closer, inhaling the smoky air. "Wow! That smells amazing!" Olivia had plenty of crocodile meat herself, but she always boiled it in thin slices to save on fuel. It had been ages since she tasted anything marinated and grilled with spices. "Wait a sec—I'll grab some rations to trade." Natalie stopped her. "No need. This crocodile came from you and Harold anyway. I cooked too much, and I can't finish it all. Tonight's dinner is on me." Olivia hesitated, then smiled. "Alright, next time it's my turn to treat. Thanks to you, our pantry's looking better than ever." She looked at Natalie in surprise. "I've been sitting still at home, and my face is burning red from the heat. Yet you're standing over a grill and still look fine?" Natalie answered honestly. "I've got a generator. I turned on the air conditioner." There was no point in hiding it. The outside unit of the AC was in plain sight, and since Olivia lived next door, she would find out sooner or later. Olivia nodded, as if everything suddenly made sense, and didn't press further. It wasn't shocking that Natalie had a generator powerful enough to run an air conditioner. Her supplies had always been impressive. Even Olivia, who had only recently struck it rich by hunting crocodiles, had managed to get her hands on a generator. As for why she was still hot? Good news: she had traded for a generator. Bad news: she gave up her air conditioner to get it. Of course, no one would give up a generator for just one AC unit. Olivia had to throw in a lot of food, plus a bundle of appliances she thought were useless—like the air conditioner, a washing machine, and a dishwasher—just to land that generator and a little fuel to keep her fridge running. Who could have guessed the weather would suddenly turn blistering hot? Now air conditioners were worth their weight in gold. Olivia grumbled, "I can't believe I have a generator but no AC ... " Natalie actually had extra air conditioners tucked away in her storage space, but there was no way she could hand one over. Even the most paranoid doomsday preppers, like Harold, wouldn't stockpile multiple AC units in one house. Anything that might expose her secret storage space had to be avoided. So instead, she thought for a moment and suggested, "Lots of houses around here have air conditioners. Look around the neighborhood—you'll find one easily." After all, plenty of people had died during the floods, leaving a lot of homes empty. It wasn't hard to walk into one and take what was left behind. Olivia hesitated. "But the heat can't last forever, right? Maybe it'll cool down again tomorrow."