Hello everyone, friends and critics alike. Here is the prologue to my newest story "Burned." I don't know where it's going yet, but I'll figure it out. Oh, in case anyone was wondering, the "s" on my keyboard works again! Yay! I no longer have to push it three times to get one "s"! Anyway, on with the fic!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunately not even the bed I'm currently sitting on. :(
I was hot. It was hot. Heat waves shimmered up from the ground. A delicate haze coated everything. Sweat slid uneasily down my back. My t-shirt clung to me, almost in desperation. I brought my hand up in a futile gesture to wipe the sheen of sweat from my face. My feet dragged across the concrete. My mouth was desiccated, but I never thought to stop. I had no destination, but no desire to go back either. Even the baking sun couldn't convince me otherwise.
I stopped in the brief shade of a doorway. I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know who they were. I didn't know where to go or who to see. I didn't know what to do. This was such an unusual state of mind for me. All my ideas crumbling like ashes. Everything was so hot.
I forced myself into motion. The oppressive heat beat me down, clung to me, threatening to drag me down to the blistering asphalt. My throat was parched. I couldn't swallow without feeling it grate like sandpaper.
115 degrees, a record high. The city scorched and blackened, as the sun climbed steadily higher. I felt nauseous. I knew I was suffering from heat exhaustion, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't go home. I couldn't bring this upon my friends, my family. Sweat dripped from my forehead to land with a sizzle on the pavement. I started jogging again, feet slapping the flaming earth.
Thirst was a physical ache. My chest constricted in a painful throb. The heat wrapped around me like a physical barrier, becoming harder and harder to push through. I was getting dizzy and had to slow to a walk. A dry searing raked across my throat. My next breath came with a wheeze.
A black car screeched around the corner, leaving rubber smoking on the street. I tried to run, my feverish brain telling me to get away. I staggered, going down, only to push myself back up. I kept going, while everything slid in and out of focus. The haze on the road became the haze in my mind, and I felt myself slipping. Everything… just… burned.
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