Arizona Summer

The once cold bath has turned lukewarm. Marlo Blake sits in the tub, her skin turning prune-like. She clutches a copy of Wuthering Heights. Marlo sets the book down, leans over the side of the tub, and reaches for her phone on the floor. Checking the time, she sees it's been over an hour since she first entered the bathtub. She sighs and lays her head back for a moment.  

It’s been sitting at over one hundred and twenty degrees in Lake Havasu City for the past six days, and the power grid is failing. Most of the city has lost energy, including her neighborhood. With the power out, Marlo has been without air conditioning for the past thirty-six hours. Before entering the bath, the thermometer hanging on the kitchen wall reads one hundred and four degrees in the house. 

Thankfully, her phone still has some charge, as she has been using it sparingly. Marlo opens her news app to see if there’s been an update on when the electricity might come back. Instead, she finds an article stating the worst is yet to come. Today will be the hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching one hundred and thirty-three degrees, a record high. The article goes on to say, residents of the city are advised to stay indoors and avoid strenuous physical activity. She scrolls through a list, providing tips on staying cool during the heatwave, most of which she’s already tried. 

Marlo stands and pulls her towel off the hook that hangs next to the bathtub and pats her body dry. She replaces the towel and exits the bathroom. Her long, blond hair is sopping wet and drips onto the floor behind her. The house is unbearably hot, and she immediately begins to sweat.

The smell in the kitchen is ripe; most of the food in the fridge has spoiled. Marlo does her best to ignore it as she enters the kitchen to lie on the cool tile floor. She lowers herself to the ground and notices a floorboard that needs cleaning. She closes her eyes, her head filled with worries about what the day will bring.

Her cell phone rings, and she brings it to her ear. “Hello,” she drawls.

“Did you see the weather yet?” Sabrina says. 

“Just checked a few minutes ago, one-thirty-three. I’m dying over here. I’ve never had to go so long without A/C. How the hell did the pilgrims stand it, Brina?”

She breezes over my comment. “No, not what it's supposed to get to. Check what it is right now.”

I open the weather app and it reads one hundred and thirty-six. “Jesus Brina, it’s hotter than a red-headed roofer in July.”

“Look, I don’t know about you, but I can’t stay in this damn house for another minute. I heard there’s a restaurant up the road that has a generator. Nicky just told me he’s there, but he says it’s packed. I’d drive over there, but I’ve got those black leather seats, so I think I’ll hoof it. Unless you want to pick me up and we can head over together.”

Marlo pauses for a moment to think, unsure if it’s a good idea to brave the heat, though it’s not much cooler in the house. She’s running out of plastic water bottles and water from the tap has been coming out hot. She could go for a cold drink and conversation to take her mind off things.“Sure, give me five minutes and I’ll head out.” 

They say goodbye and Marlo finds an old pair of daisy dukes and a white top, her coolest clothing. She enters the living room, her clothing already damp from sweat. On the entry table next to the door sits her keys and purse, which she grabs before walking out the front door. She turns and locks it before stepping off the porch. 

The gold car sits in the driveway, a sun vizor on the dash. Marlo unlocks the car and reaches for the handle. The metal is so hot it burns her hand. She squeaks and pulls it back. After examining it, she sees several large blisters forming. The pain is so severe her eyes water. She turns to walk back into the house; her hurt hand clutched to her chest and the keys jingling in the other. It’s difficult trying to get the key in the lock with her non-dominant hand, but she manages it and unlocks the deadbolt. When she moves to open the door, it burns her left hand almost as badly as the other. 

“Shit!” she curses. Bunching the hem of her tank top in her hand, she pushes through the pain and tries again. The shirt does little to protect her already aching fingers, and it burns a hole through the fabric as she wraps her hand around the knob. She jumps back, angry that she allowed herself to get into this situation. 

If she can’t get back into the house, she figures she’ll walk and find Brina along the way. Fumbling with the keys in her burned hands, she attempts to re-lock the door. After a few tries, she knows it's futile and decides if she can’t get in, no one else would bother. 

She uses Siri to shoot off a quick text to Sabrina, informing her of the situation and that they’ll have to walk. Marlo walks down Sea Swallow Drive, hoping to come across her friend on the main road. It’s a short distance to London Bridge Road where she could see a car crawling past. 

The tires are melting to the asphalt, leaving a streak of black rubber trailing behind it. She stares slack-jawed at the driver, curious whether he’s aware of the damage to his vehicle. It’s only been 5 minutes, but she’s already feeling the effects of the heat. Moving at a slow pace, she takes a sip from her water bottle that’s almost as hot as the air. It’s far from refreshing, but necessary. 

Up ahead, she spots a head of blue curls and picks up the pace. She reaches for Sabrina and taps her shoulder, making her jump. “Boo.” She says jokingly. 

Sabrina glares at her. “Took you long enough. I’ve been standing in the damn heat for what feels like forever.”

Marlo apologizes and they walk along in a comfortable silence. They make it a respectable distance up the road, panting as they walk. Once again, Marlo checks her phone for the temperature and it’s steadily rising. It’s reached a shocking one hundred and forty-one degrees. Sabrina walks slightly ahead and Marlo looks down at her feet. Sabrina’s brown sandals are melting as they walk, strings of plastic stretching with every step. Marlo looks down at her own shoes and notes they, too, are melting. 

Their steps are slowing, exhaustion setting in. They come across several people sitting on benches, the curb, the sidewalk. Their skin is beet red, and their heads hang lazily. Marlo notes that Sabrina is looking ill and suggests they take a break. They move to sit on the curb as one bystander rises.

His clothing and flesh have melted to the bench and peels off as he stands. He screams loudly as they watch in horror. His flesh hangs in ribbons, swaying in the warm breeze. The man faints and falls face-first to the sidewalk, only to be woken again as his flesh sizzles on the concrete. The person accompanying him moves to help him stand when they also faint. Their skin melted to the bench as well, leaving two human skin ass prints behind. 

“What should we do?” Marlo screeches at Sabrina, peeling her eyes away from the scene before them. Sabrina sways where she stands, eyelids fluttering. Marlo stares wide-eyed as her friend falters, knees buckling beneath her. She falls sideways, aimed for the blacktop. 

Marlo rushes to her, trying to catch her in time. She grabs her torso, but Brina’s legs touch the asphalt and stick to it. Sabrina wakes with an ear-piercing screech, flailing in Marlo's arms. Marlo forcefully yanks her up, tearing her skin from the asphalt. A patch of quickly drying blood and burned flesh remains, the air filling with the smell of cooked pork. 

Sabrina sobs into her arms, shaking as shock sets in. They take a few steps, Sabrina’s arm draped across Marlo’s shoulder. After a few feet, Sabrina begins to lag, unable to continue. Fading in and out of consciousness, she sways again. This time Marlo is prepared to catch her. 

Marlo leans sideways and grabs her in a fireman’s carry, heaving her over her shoulders. Her phone is in her pocket and Marlo can’t reach into her jeans to call for help. She’ll have to make it to the restaurant. Sabrina leaks blood from her open wound into Marlo’s hair, turning the golden locks red. Her steps grow heavy as she marches on; her vision fading in and out. She is exhausted, dehydrated, and can feel a heat stroke coming on. Her heart pounds in her chest as she struggles to take a full breath. 

They move forward a few yards before Marlo feels like she can’t go any further. Sitting down is not an option. The restaurant is still ten minutes away, and it feels as if there’s no end in sight. Marlo looks to her right. The shore of the lake is a way off, but closer than the restaurant. If she can hold out a few more minutes, she can get them in the water and cool off. 

She turns right and heads for the water, cutting through closed businesses and powerless homes’ yards. Carrying Brina through the sand feels impossible. Every step is like climbing a mountain. Her lungs burn from the exertion. Her feet kick sand up over the top of her tennis shoes and it hits her legs. The urge to lie down grows stronger with every strenuous step.

They reach the shore, Sabrina hanging limply down Marlo’s back. There’s an abandoned umbrella on the coast, a blanket lying underneath. Marlo shuffles towards it, her feet dragging, her skin dripping with sweat that leaves a trail that immediately evaporates behind them. She drops Marlo onto the blanket roughly and sits for a moment. She fights against the darkness threatening to consume her. 

After a moment, Marlo stands over Sabrina and checks her pulse. It’s weak, but it's there. She strips her of everything but her undergarments. She throws the clothes in a pile at the edge of the blanket and strips herself but keeps her shoes on. With the last of her energy, she lifts Brina, carrying her like an infant, dropping her on the wet sand. Marlo backs up a full step and sprints into the water. At first, she doesn’t feel the heat of it, but as she gets further in it burns as if it were boiling. Marlo screams and attempts to turn back, scrambles for the shore, but trips over a piece of driftwood. Her whole body goes under the water, and everything goes black.