Getting heat stroke without medical help could be deadly. Natalie stared out the window. The ground that had been soaked from the flood just days ago was now bone dry under the scorching sun. She froze for a moment, realizing that maybe nature hadn't completely abandoned them. At least the temperature hadn't spiked until the floodwaters had drained away. If the Great Heat had hit while the water was still a few hundred feet deep, no one would have survived. The apartment buildings would've turned into giant steamers, cooking everyone trapped inside. The boiling water below would only get hotter and hotter. Long before the water dried up, everyone inside would have been steamed alive. Natalie shivered at the thought, remembering how food bloggers used to post about slowly steaming steaks. The image made her shiver. By evening, the temperature finally dipped—from 108°F down to about 100°F. Natalie slipped into her climate suit, ready to head out on another free shopping trip. The past couple of days had been cooler, so people wandered outside in crowds, making it hard for her to move around unnoticed. But now, with the heat spiking, most folks stayed hidden indoors. She knew it wouldn't last. In a few days, people would adjust to the heat, their food supplies would run low, and they'd risk coming back out to hunt for things. If she wanted to move quietly and without interruption, now was the perfect time. After zipping into her climate suit, Natalie decided to test it. She switched off the air conditioner. Within minutes, the room temperature spiked.Lucky was comfortably curled up in her dog bed and shot to her feet with wide eyes, tongue hanging out. She looked around anxiously as if asking. What happened? Is the house on fire? The temperature climbed so high that anyone else would've been sweating buckets. But Natalie felt nothing at all inside the suit. Amazed, she ran her hand over the fabric. "This Harold really knows what he's doing," she whispered with a grin. Still, when she saw Lucky panting hard, she quickly turned the air conditioner back on. This time, she didn't crank it down so low. She set it at 82°F, enough to keep the room bearable. Lucky couldn't stay indoors forever. Sooner or later, she would have to go outside. Even with a climate suit for protection, her body couldn't stay weak. Out there it was survival of the fittest. The ones who lived through the heat would gradually adapt to it.That was one of the strengths of human beings. So Natalie decided that even though she and Lucky didn't need to suffer in the heat all the time, they also couldn't let themselves grow too soft in the comfort of air-conditioning. She planned to adjust the indoor temperature little by little to match the heat outside. As long as she found the right balance, both of them could adapt without ending up with heatstroke. When the room became more comfortable, Lucky sprawled lazily back into her bed. But the moment she saw Natalie getting ready to leave, she jumped up again. "Arf! Arf! Arf?" Where are you going? Are you sneaking off to see that hottie without me? Natalie laughed at the accusing look on her dog's face. "I'm going out to find supplies. Do you really want to come with me? It's scorching hot out there." She scooped Lucky up and opened the window. A blast of heat rolled in, and Lucky's face wrinkled in disgust. "Arf! Arf! Arf!" She howled miserably, wriggled free of Natalie's arms, and bolted back to her bed. She barked twice more over her shoulder. "Arf! Arf!" Close the window! It's too hot! Natalie chuckled and shut it again. Natalie once came across an educational post online. It asked: If a child refuses to listen and keeps trying to stick their hand in the crack of a door, how can you stop them for good? The answer was blunt: Close the door on their hand once, and they'll never try it again. Lucky was the same now.Her curiosity had vanished. She lay quietly in her bed, watching as her human slipped on shoes at the door. Fine, go wherever you want. I don't care if you sneak off to see your hottie. Out there is too hot—this dog isn't going anywhere! ... Once outside, Natalie found a quiet spot and pulled out her car. Sliding behind the wheel, she switched on the AC and let out a contented sigh. She ran her fingers over the luxury interior, gripped the smooth steering wheel, and started humming as she pressed the gas. The powerful push slammed her back in the seat. This was what true horsepower felt like. Finally, after all this time, she could drive her favorite beast again. Patting the steering wheel, she said with a playful grin, "Baby, I know you're thirsty for gas, and I'll make sure you get your fill." That was the main reason for this trip—fuel. The gasoline she had gotten earlier from Bobby was more than enough for her generator and the Ford Transit. But now she also had the Knight XV. This beast of an armored SUV weighed 6 tons, could outrun most cars at 150 miles per hour, and was tough enough to withstand the blast of 30 pounds of TNT. Every bit of it was perfect—except for one flaw. The fuel consumption was monstrous. Her Ford Transit managed about 60 miles per 1.6 gallons. Her RV only burned about 3 gallons. This beast, though, that was another story.