Abbott was so furious his hands were shaking. The power and internet had been down for so long—what security cameras could there be? This family was just making things up to defend themselves. He snapped, "If that's the way you want to put it, then what proof do you have that I bullied your kid? Any cameras? Any evidence?" A big burly man grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up. "I'm the evidence!" he growled, then slammed another punch straight into Abbott's face. The boy hid behind his grandmother and added fuel to the fire. "Dad, he said he was going to kill me just now!" Abbott froze."What?! You little brat! I never said that! That was the woman who said it!" The man's eyes narrowed. "Woman? What woman? I think you're just begging for a good beating." The blazing heat made people have short tempers and become restless. Hearing Abbott talked nonsense about some woman only made the big guy angrier, and he hit him harder. The old woman fanned her grandson and cheered the fight on. "Hit him! Harder! How dare he bully my grandson!" ... Meanwhile, Natalie was humming a tune, following her map as she cleared out the remaining malls. Each time she finished sweeping one clean, she marked a check on the map. When she finally checked off the last one, the sky was fully bright. The range at which she could enter and exit the space had grown to about 160 feet now. Satisfied, she stretched and got ready to head home for some sleep. Along the road, she saw plenty of people rushing back to their homes. During the Great Heat, daytime meant danger. Before, a swing of 10 or 15°F between day and night didn't matter much. But now, with the extreme heat, even a one-degree rise could push someone past their body's limit and kill them. Some people might be fine at 127°F, then suddenly collapse and die at 129°F. That's why, as soon as the sun rose, people rushed home and stayed still in bed, waiting for nightfall. Only when temperatures dropped a little would they come back out to search for supplies. Natalie watched the sun climbing slowly into the sky and sighed. It had only been five days since the Great Heat began, yet people had already adjusted to a new way of living. Survival of the fittest—that old saying had never felt truer. On her drive home, she passed more than a few who had already fallen, unable to withstand the heat. When she reached her neighborhood, she stored her vehicle away and walked inside. She hadn't gone far before someone grabbed her ankle. Natalie looked down to see a face, sunken and yellowed, with cracked lips struggling to form words. "Help me ... Please take me to a hospital." How? This man is already delirious. Before she could pull her foot free, his grip loosened. He collapsed completely, his last breath gone. Natalie let out a long sigh, quickened her pace, and made her way home. The moment she stepped inside, Lucky came bouncing toward her. Caught off guard, Natalie stumbled back as Lucky crashed into her with all her weight. ... "Lucky! You've gotten heavier again!" Natalie scooped the dog into her arms. Just from the weight, she guessed Lucky had to be pushing 90 pounds. For a small-breed dog like her, she was only supposed to weigh around 30 pounds—40 at the very most. But Lucky's body had filled out like a medium-sized dog already. At this rate, was she going to grow as big as a golden retriever? Natalie studied Lucky's silly face for a while."Other big poodles look elegant and majestic. If you grow any bigger, you'll look like a giant white pig!" She gave Lucky a shake and said, "You'd better think this through!" Lucky ignored her human's complaints. She wiggled happily in Natalie's arms, tongue out, trying to lick her face. "Ugh, get off me, you silly dog!" Natalie laughed, setting her down. She went to change into loungewear. But when she came out of the bedroom, there was Lucky, wobbling toward her with her food bowl clamped in her mouth. "That's your way of reminding me it's dinner time, huh? Silly dog—you only ever think about eating." Still, Natalie checked the time. It really was about time to feed her. She looked at Lucky's rounder body and decided to scoop only half a bowl of dog food.Lucky tilted her head, confused. "What are you looking at? That's all you get. No more!" Lucky's eyes widened like she couldn't believe it. You were out all night, and this is all you brought back for me? When she didn't start eating, Natalie's lips twitched. Finally, she sighed and added a little more. "Arf! Arf! " Lucky whined, making pitiful noises. Natalie couldn't understand the sound, but the sad face said enough. With a groan, Natalie added yet another scoop. By the time she was done fussing, the bowl was back to nearly full again. As Lucky crunched away happily, Natalie shook her head. Am I spoiling this dog too much?Before she could think more, someone knocked on the door. "Nat, are you home?" Olivia called from outside. Natalie walked over and opened it. Olivia was smiling. "Finally! I came by earlier, but you weren't home." She held out a glass. "Here, lemonade. Drink it to cool down before you get some sleep." Natalie was caught off guard. She hadn't expected Olivia to take it so seriously. The other day, Olivia had only said they'd share lemonade as a way of convincing Natalie to accept a jug of water. She hadn't thought Olivia would actually bring it over.