Metropolitan Heatwave

And to think for all the money that was put into the school system for quicker improvements that at the very least, the bus services would not be so late in a state of emergency.

Okay so it was very easy to argue that it wasn't a real state of emergency but standing out under the suns powerful rays in sweltering heat that even made the sky seem as though it weren't blue but orange once you looked up was a good enough reason to get these kids home as fast as one could.

Patrick Henley was surprised to find out that he was the only person crossing his arms and tapping his feet in a fury outside wondering when he'd be able to head home. Even though when he stepped in the door he did have to worry about a ill-tempered father who was itching to invent something to blame on him as soon as he came, but he was willing to put up with such troubles just as long as he could switch on the fans or AC and finally breathe. From then on he could simply shut the door to his room, lock it and commence playing video games as his work was completed for the day.

Of course he was much too old to be held down by such elementary restrictions but when a kid went on for as many hours as he did, they could just about tune out everything in the universe, especially their parents.

It was even hard to spend the day dwelling on whether to use Ninja No#5's final combo on the challenger in the eighth stage of Blood Fury when he was sweating as though he had come right out of a sauna in his jeans and collar flannelT shirt. The heat had even reached the inside of his sneakers and he was hopping around as though he were on a hot beach. Mumbling right next to Ken who did nothing this time but simply roll his eyes and whistle. Pat was usually like this when the weather began to distract him. He was pratically a rabbit when outside waiting for the bus in the inconsiderate cold winds of January, and sitting down on those freezing leather seats had brought out a loud response from him that had him instantly jumping back up. It would be just as funny to see his ass get fried. That is if the two of them ever lived long enough through the heat to even see the buses come in.

" All right, this is dumb. I didn't hear a single forecast about anything so extraordinary this morning and I think all the weathermen around the world need a serious beat down. I feel like I'm actually losing weight from all this."

Ken laughed as he raised his eyebrows and straightened the visor on his baseball cap.

" Hey you shouldn't complain. Remember which guy's stuck out here wearing a hooded sweatshirt through all this mess."

" Then take it off or you'll die genius."

" Don't got nothing' else on under it, and there is no way in hell you'll see me flashing around my fat tatooes. Not like the way you do it."

" Well there's really no ultimate gain to me in having an admirable form round these parts. There are enough jocks around our school to sway the attention of girl's eyes anyways."

Still those jocks didn't have even half the guts to stand out right in the middle of an odd weather phenomenon that only became hotter and was even enough to convince a few of the student body that Judgement Day was actually happening. They continued chatting, pacing around, occasionally cursing and relaxing against whatever part of the brick wall that wasn't 'oven-hot' while most everyone else stayed inside. Some of them were probably dwelling on the fact that the two were idiots for keeping outside.

In truth the AC sucked indoors as well. There was little relief.

Their water bottles which just so happened to be the hardest blocks of ice minutes ago were right then on the virge of becoming luke warm liquid. Pat watched as his best friend since middle school took a gulp.

" Careful. Don't burn your tongue." He laughed and dumped his hot water into the nearest trash can then walking off towards the nearest water fountain.

" Geez I've heard of a hot day but this is dangerous enough to stir fry vegetables in and it's five more months till summer gets here. What the hell is going on anyways?" Ken wiped the sweat off his brow.

Ken had actually paid attention to the morning news. It said highs would be at 50 degrees for the day, and certainly the windy morning had justified more than a simple sweatshirt. He thought he was risking the weather before but not like this. Not the other way around. The crazy kid who had proclaimed that the judgement was coming right in the middle of Spanish class may have had a point. He didn't know if bad temperatures such as this were part of the prophecy but when mother earth became this unstable…it made you just wonder.

He didn't have half the balls that Pat did to stay out in the friggin heat with eyes determined like a hawk to find the bus. He looked as though he was ready to beat someone into submission for the very first seat. Well it had been half an hour. Weather did things to a person's mind, and Pat couldn't stand incredibly hot temperatures. That was all there was to it. He could only imagine how the guy would feel walking around like a lost fool in the middle of the Mojave.

" Hey it is getting to be a little too hot out here. You wanna come inside? This is like frigging murder or something."

" Go right on I'll be just behind you." He said it without looking at him.as he continued searching

It was obvious to Ken what that one meant. He reached out for Pat's arm but Pat moved it out of reach and moved it up to block out the sun rays while looking.

" I don't see the purpose for all this. The darn bus is only coming one way. From Scott Street down to the entrance here."

" And your point being?" Pat rolled his eyes.

" That there's no point in searching for it…let's go inside." He tapped him on the back

" No man…" He shrugged and chuckled lightly

He stopped to realize what his friend had just told him right in his face. Pat's eyes were sharp but he figured that it was the same old weirdo from class that only disagreed with his ideas just for the sake of getting on poor little Ken's nerves. You could pair the two of them up just like Holmes and Watson in the simple fact that sometimes Ken never understood what was on his pal's mind.

The guy would never understand. It was nothing that he could put into words but while Ken was pacing around frantically he on the other hand had kept his feet exhaustedly planted in the same spot for the past half hour with his eyes panning around determinedly waiting. There was something that he knew that he had to take care of before he could finally call it all a day. He knew that ken was going to ask whether running errands for their high and mighty chemistry professor had given him an opportunity to inhale something in the class toolbox that warped his mind but no that wasn't the case, and not for ten bucks an hour cleaning organizing and helping out with her incredibly tedious work. No it was something else. Something that made him disregard the cold for once. Something that made him disregard the heat even more. Even though Northerners like him took such temperatures like Kryptonite. Maybe the heat had fried his brain. He was even hearing voices in his head telling him that he was here for a purpose.

" Now will be your chance. You CAN'T LEAVE! They're coming…You can still save them all."

Now he'd have to put responsibility for his state of delirium somewhere in between the heat and watching all those 80's horror B-Movies.

" I'm serious. This heat's killer."

He could barely hear Ken's voice echo through his head. He tried to shake himself back to normal but it was a killer of a headache. Something strong enough to block out everything that was around him. It felt as though it had been there the whole time. Yeah…who was he kidding? Going inside sounded like a much better idea.

" You CAAAN'T LEEEAAAVEE!!!"

The sound of a grown woman crying like a baby. Sad really. Like she was in trouble or trying desperately to warn someone. It was still enough to startle the crap out of him. As his body suddenly jolted, he received a look of shock upon the face of Ken who was by then more than convinced that a certain someone needed to get inside before he killed himself. The sweat mound dragged his brain-fried companion through the courtyard. towards the doors. Other students ran out to help the pair of nobodys deciding to be civil to someone outside of their pop circle for once. It usually took situations of this caliber to inspire someone to lend out a hand.

He was downing bottle after bottle as though he were going for a world record, but he hadn't really had anything to combat dehydration for the day and normally a person was supposed to take in eight to ten glasses per day for a healthy balance. Ken sat and watched him in amazement The sunlight was shooting right into the bottle but he kept going much to a few peoples' amazement as though he were a being not of this earth.

" You gave us quite a scare back there." Wanda told him straight up. Funny. Who would've thought the haughty brunette could actually show concern. She was much too busy earlier complaining about the seat burning her ass and responding to a wise comment that she'd have not much of a tush to show off to her hunk boyfriend by tomorrow.

Much to her dissapointment, everyone laughed along.

" Well getting past all of that-" the sharp red lipped girl tossed her hair back

" We're going home finally!" The scratchy voice of her lackey Melissa called out from the back seat

" I was going to say it first." She scolded her causing her servant to cower in her seat. It was all laughs even through unbearable temperatures. He didn't even realize what the people in the streets were undergoing. He turned to pop open the window a crack and ended up shutting it fast to keep the heat out. He couldn't breathe….what on earth?

Looking out the window he realized why they hadn't moved for the past ten minutes. The traffic was horrendous. A person cound beat the bus walking. He would have considered that option but seeing people step out of their cars and scream at each other because of the heat had him also considering just how morbid that idea really sounded. It was really killing them. He noticed one-no two people gathered around in the streets because of fainting. Even emergency units were up and on the go. As he focused he could hear sirens ringing in the distance all around him, and all at once. Even the commotion in the bus was reaching a high it had never gained before. Even in a past incident when somebody kicked open the emergency door. No this was getting even more serious than anything he could possibly fathom at the moment.

A ringing was taking over his ears again she was talking she was talking…

" SAAAAAVVE MMEEEE!!! SAAAAVVE MMEEEEE!!"

At least the voice hadn't done something totally off the wall like adress him with his first middle and last name, but still he was the only numbskull on the bus who could hear her screaming inside his mind. You'd think someone was getting raped from the very pain contained within those words. Well no normal person sitting near him could interpret that either of course. Considering that it was just a level of delusion that he'd never experienced before, he grabbed another small water bottle and chugged it empty. Breathing out and expecting all to be normal once he did .

" SAAAAAAVVEEE MMMEEEEEE!!!"

(Damn it! How bout you can it for a few seconds whoever you are.)

The slap across his head was very audible. Ken turned in his seat just wondering whether or not his buddy still had half a brain left.

"It was just a fly." He lied and turned his head down in his seat. " No seriously…I'm not crazy guys…come on."

As soon as they turned their attention off of him he slouched in his seat… and didn't feel the slightest bit of heat eating up his back as he stared out the window again. Much too strange. Maybe he was much too sleepy and out -of-it to feel anything. He began to close his eyes hoping that he'd be able to welcome a good dream and suddenly wake up by the time the bus reached his street. Although he had no idea how he would survive once he got out he was pretty sure that he would figure it out as soon as he woke up.

His eyes shut gradually….

"SA-AVE ME." her voice began to pout.

"Not again. I'd better wake up this time."

It was too late. He was trapped inside, and forced to watch something (though more original than your typical blonde-murderer flick) still quite bothersome. She was crawling on the pavement away from a trashed stroller than had as much blood splattered over it as there was on her sundress. She stared up towards him with the most desperate eyes he'd ever seen but something feel right. He felt inclined to step back and as soon as he did she begged even harder for him to….

"Please keep them away from me."

Reconsidering the fact that it was just a dumb dream, the side of his mind that welcomed hot fantasies saw this girl who looked young like a high school senior as harmless and allowed her to grab onto him and pull herself up for leverage to stare with her innocent beady blue eyes into his own, eyes that confirmed her desperate need for a white knight. In that case he didn't care if Godzilla was on the horizon. The look he gave right back to her said it. He would definitely protect her.

"YoooOOOOUuuwwWWWiiiIIIiillLLLLlllsssAAvVVMmmeee????!!!" She wrapped her arms around him with a death grip even tighter than his crazy aunt from Mars. Her voice sounded very much like batteries dying on a cassette player and it became stranger by the second. He could barely make out what she just said. Her eyes lit up in almost like lasers but with the colors of crimson red, with cat-like predator's pupils. Her nails across his skin felt sharper than before, and he was already shaking nervously under her grasp. He was pretty sure that if he tried to move that he'd die.

Their voices came on the horizon. It sounded like a mob of them. The sunset skies became a hellish red as he looked up and away from the transforming woman, almost close to pissing down his leg in fear. Their laughs, their taunts, and their chants were becoming more audible. They came up the hill holding their books tablets and torches to the sky as they came. covered under dark blankets in hoods, most of them continuing murmuring their low hums and growls.

"The order…they're coming.."

He slowly turned around to see who was holding him hostage right then. Sharp clawed and skin cracked where blood and dark tissue began to to slowly ooze out from under her skin. Her eyes were still desperate and yet so human while her body was still in total contrast with what he was seeing. As she muttered a low growl, more of her skin began to shed and itch against him. He broke free and stepped back coughing as the fresh air around him was covered by the putrid odor of death, rot and decay. The thick copper-like stench of blood was also present and it changed the color of the hot pavement. He couldn't breathe for much longer and was still backing away as the woman began to scream.

"NO! DON'T LET THEM GET ME PLEASE!"

He was too far out of her reach and not planning to stop for even a second. The masked weirdoes came over here. As the mob surrounded her in a circle with their shadows blocking out her frantic movements and screams he watched with intent eyes seeing her face return to normal and her presence becoming beautiful once again. It pulled him to his feet to see the torches of the supposed cultists rise up to strike down upon and burn her. Even the stench of gasoline was beginning to pick up as well. Maybe he was just too scared of what he had seen to actually step up and do something, but he couldn't hang back forever. Not when he was being called.

"STOP! GET THE FUCK BACK!!" He found himself yelling against his will.

Somewhere within, the fear of getting too close to the mob of evil monks had disappeared. His hand reached out towards that 'damsel-in-distress with a hidden personality, as soon as it did, light erupted from within her body sending out furious winds that blew back the crowd around her. Their robes flew off only to reveal walking skeletons whose bone structure deteriorated under the power of the light and crumpled to ashes on the ground gradually, unable to hold up their weapons any longer. They screeched to their very doom.

It was that very blast heading back down the street in his direction that was enough to shock him awake. He breathed in and out rapidly as he looked around only to discover everything the way he had left it. He was still hot and sweaty on the bus surrounded by a group of complaining, antsy students. Enough to convince a guy to drift off again but then agaion he didn't want to go back to sleep. A certain someone was in his dreams. What freaked him out the most was that she looked so familiar. Damned heat wave, and now he couldn't even recognize people that were in his own science class. It wasn't the very first time he'd had a dream about Alice Bennett. Though she was a shady girl who made you fell as though she'd been summoned from the darkest depths of the underworld to tempt men, he had to admit she always came looking hot when showing up at school and ever since first semester when he'd met her at lunch, she stayed in his dreams. He heard that her mom was a former cop and a real tough one too. So he decided to keep his fantasies to himself and never act upon them. Soon the dreams became too much for him when he found that he didn't have the courage to keep talking to her. They weren't fun anymore. They felt important. The more he tried to shut them out the louder they became, until today. He felt she was calling him, but that was silly. Nice girl like her had absolutely no need for a dork like him in a million years.

"Where did you go? Are you still listening to me?"

How on earth could he have not recognized that voice of hers? She was still calling to him and he was pretty sure that he was wide awake. Looking up e could see a crowd forming up as people left their seats to get up and push forward, fighting for an overhead view of what was going on outside. A few pulled open their windows only welcoming in the cruel humidity. Pat kept to his seat not making the slightest move. Part of him knew in his minds eye what was already happening though he found it hard to believe until he found the back door of the bus left open. Forces of the unnatural had weakened it's bolt and let it slide open and out. He stared out into the 'hot-as-hell- abyss hearing her voice screaming…but wiat that was bullcrap. The dream was over wasn't it? The echo of her desperate voice was ringing through his head yet at the same time he thought he could hear her right outside. Not just in trouble but beckoning for someone.

Anyone but him.

He remembered well what had happened the last time he let her seek refuge under his arm…

The commotion on the bus went from pure exictement to shreiks and yells. Between that and her haunting voice he couldn't focus at all. The yells drove him up the wall to a point where he could no longer hear his own thoughts. So innocent…she didn't deserve to die…

He jumped off the back of the bus landing carefully, and rubbing his eyes as he fell under the sunlight as he rushed to find a car for cover, but it was no use trying to wake up now…

Peering over the back of the station wagon he could see her running away from her car in front of the school bus. Items fell out of her purse as she moved at full speed. But to him it seemed like slowmotion. In fact, everything fell into slow motion. Especially that ball of fire behind her---ball of fire?

The only explanation that he could come up with was that the scorching rays were powerful enough to go beyond heatstroke and set the businessman coming out of an ice cream parlor ablaze. As his clothes and skin became entrails of ash falling through the air behind him. He continued slowly pursing the group of panicky students through traffic. Pedestrians and drivers did absolutely nothing but stay back and watch the weirdo. Pat didn't even have the nerve to call the guy an idiot for not considering stopping dropping and rolling. Who knew if he was actually suffering or enjoyed getting burnt by then. He decided it was best to keep his distance.

The order is coming. He shouted through the flames to the best of his ability as he tried not to trip while walking, but they were all still running away from him. They didn't understand at all. Some humans were so foolish. Didn't they want to be saved. When they saw the sun was coming on that morning with such incredible force they refused to welcome the ultimate coming. Instead they declared emergency and warned people to stay away from their mother's awesome light. What fools they were…some people didn't deserve the divine anyways, and if that was the case then they would have to experience it first hand. But which one of the stupid teenagers that had to go first was a big question. He saw the blonde one in the dress rushing ahead of the pack. Her hand was probably still burning from when she hit him square across the face with one of her things. Yes! She needed to know the great spirits love most of all!

The flaming menace (as Pat had now mentally dubbed him) was getting even closer to Alice. She was on the ground and not getting up. He could only think of one thing to say abut about that.

"Idiot! Get up and run! Save yourse-"

" That's your job…"

It wasn't Alice. It was some other woman. Sounded a bit older and a little more gruff. The voice thing was really getting on his last nerves. He might as well have had Obi Wan telling him to use the force right then, because if he heard correctly someone was asking him to actually get up in front of the pyromaniac Absolutely NO-

" You will GO!!"

After that the ringing had reached such a high pitch that it had taken out his hearing. The horns honking, the panicky screams and the sound of rustling flames were all gone. His eyes stared blank and pale out at a scene that he could make absolutely nothing of. An old man hadn't realized that would have been the best time to duck back into his store and shut the door. He had stood there pointing the whole time, and serveth him right, the pyro was coming in his direction, arms flailing holding a book in his broiled hand. Pat snuck closer using the cars as cover to get a closer look but soo wished he hadn't.

The cops were waiting for something odd to happen as traffic had already gone nuts, and the weather was already causing some to believe that it was the coming. Now one of those weirdoes had literally set themselves on fire. The heavy set bearded street cop straightened his bulletproof vest which he wore on the outside. His sweaty twitching hands slowly reached for the browning automatic in it's holster while his nervous skinny rookie partner already had his out, but the look on his face made it hard to tell wheter or not he was actually going to use it. It felt a bit easier to rule humanity out of the best judgement issue. Especially when the flaming weirdo had litterally slapped fire upon the old 24th street market cashier Mr. Miagi.

She could only watch as the flamed stranger chanted rapidly with eyes that were focused like an eagle upon the suffering old man but yet empty and hollow. He continued to scream out that the order was coming and for the old man to become one of his followers. Although she was still feet away from the nutcase. With the lay she hurt her leg it would be a hell of a task to try and escape. She was already beginning to see her life flash before her eyes.

Anything but to go back with him. She knew they were calling and if shewent back to them who knew what sort of weird punishment they would have in store this time.

It was beyond belief. They were actually standing there while the stranger had just lit seven pedestrians on fire. Who only had a few seconds to scream before they crumpled on the hot pavement dead. Both officers raised their guns approaching the pyro. They only yelled the warning once.

He heard the shots go off on the right side of his head, and watched intently with eyes frozen on the pyro as he swayed left and right from the impact of the gunshots that lifted him up in the air back against the window of a Chinese buffet much too close to Alice.

" Fools. Such puny mortals will never understand how feeble power becomes in their hands."

He slapped himself and shook his head wondering what had just come out of his mouth. It was too late to wake up. It was his cue…

He only ducked as the pyro screamed out a powerful blaze towards the approaching officers who were still firing until the fire that came out o his mouth like a dragon engulfed both men. They dropped their guns and ran around screaming, hopping, and flapping their arms until they burnt down to their bone structure and fell to the pavement in ashes.

One of the the Browning Mark III drark chromed automatics was burnt to useless bits on the pavement but he'd seen the other one fly right out of the heavy set officer's hands before he was blown away. Sneaking in between cars he found on the ground. Of course it was a better weapon of choice than the steel cane of yet another old man that had been incinerated. His hand slid across the the smooth grated handle handle pulling up what appeared to be a rather big mechaism for his young hands. Still he wasn't the slightest bit nervous about his mission. His mind just returned to target practice years ago in the back country woods of his home state. He never shot an animal but the men would brag that he was darn good. Waking out of that flashback made the thing feel about as light as a plastic toy water gun.

His arm came up slowly the aim could not possibly get any more dead center than it already was, even though his target was so far away. Did he have any qualms? Of course not. The fake disciples of the order deserved nothing more lenient than shots to the head. Regardless of the distance between the two he could almost see the idiot up close. The crybaby of a unshaven, mangle-haired office worker steamed up his spectacles as he paraded down the block occasionally screeching like a dying bird. That look he was giving was probably wondering why no one would join his cause.

The pyro's head slowly turned. His target acquired once more. She still wasn't getting up but merely crawling away. Alice.

"NOOOO!!! YOU MUST STOP HIM!!!!" The voice over screamed insde Pat's head again.

The pistol fired at an unusually rapid rate. The way the body had jerked back only showed that there was hidden force feeding into those 9X19's. as they raced through the man's head. Dead center. The next one was quick to follow up, actually ripping the head off of the neck as it sent the pyro sailing backwards. As brain splatter and tissue fell into the view of the sun they quickly became burnt black pieces that dropped at the feet of the pyro's slayer.

The body was not finished though….

The flaming menace had charged towards him. Pat did not even feel hi enemy's swipe yet the very wind generated in his adversaries charge was enough to send him back against the sidewalk, and struggling to get up. The firey hand seemed to come down a bit too quick for him to even move,

But he'd rebounded from the fall and moved back just in time to only catch a flicker upon his shirt continuosly ducking as the pyro advanced up in his direction. After getting up on his hands and knees his lucky left had found the pistol grip once again as soon as he raised up the weapon one handed , he didn't hold back for even a second.

Pointing and unloading at different supposed weak spots of the body with incredible speed he had completely blown away the pyro's body who had finally settled feet away from him against the rusty metal of an old Cadillac. Shedding away pieces of what was once just another confused man who was made a subject of the order. In fact that reminded him of something.

The pregnant woman that the pyro had attacked was still there. Oh how well that was orchestrated. Looking at the hopeless position she was in before was more than enough to convince him that he was just hurting another innocent person, but those well law serving officers had absolutely not a single clue who they were grasping and pulling back into the shade of the right sidewalk of the street. Her hair tousled as she struggled around frantically in their grasp. Supposedly over traumatized from her less than normal experience. She looked like she wanted to kill that menace for what he could have done to her baby but he sensed too much malice within her heart, and those malignant eyes outdid his own professional stare that he could see through the windows reflection of a corner store. A sentinel. Probably came to make sure the heat wave and attack went through as planned. She was even a spirit carrier telling from the weight she was holding. Even though she was probably not one of those witches successful in giving birth to false angels she was still too dangerous.

"Well say hello to late 'tragedy' woman. IF that's what you really are….no… a monster."

It seemed as though one of the rounds had actually gone through one of the cops trying to hold her back as she stood behind her. It was becoming hard to tell when only before he could have sworn he could outdo an eagle in keen eyesight. She had surely erupted into the ball of fire that he predicted. Blood poured out from her womb and out from her mouth she had indeed barfed out a seed of death. Or what he could make of one until the ringing in his ears finally disappeared.The voice of his instructor faded..and the sounds of chaos returned to his ears.

He had finally come awake. His eyes shocked to discover the bloody mess before him and the litter of gun cartridges across the street. Especially where he was and what was in his very own hands. That wasn't even the worst discovery. Looking through the foggy mist he could see them approaching in their suits they looked as though they were holding submachine guns or rifles at him. Something that was much to unreal for a kid of his age to ever believe in but it was actually happening. He wanted to say that he didn't do anything to deserve it but Pat didn't know if that was actually true. He dropped the pistol.

RATATATATATATATATATATAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ken fainted. Only a select few on the bus could actually stand there and watch him as the bullets rattled through his body sending him floating for a few seconds in mid air until he dropped to the ground hard and lifeless. Screams filled the streets and the hot air as those who were left to observe the scene ran away without the assistance of police that needed the scene clear. She still couldn't move, and trembled seeing that shadow come over her. Another SWAT cop giving her cover as he aimed and asking her if she could move. Well of course a lot easier than her savior. This was a real emergency. If he wasn't in shape then who would help her fufill the mission she was sent on? She'd never seen anyone so courageous yet so skilled. It was not even black art that turned him from a clumsy youth into an experienced gunfighter out of nowhere. If so she would have felt it. No it was energy that she could not point out the source to. It could have very well been his own hidden power. Perhaps destiny brought him to her. She didn't know. Even though he apparently looked as dead as a doornail she decided to stay close anyways. Wandering off on her own would probably make matters worse.

His eyes could only stare up at reality for a few seconds. Who knew where his mind was except towards the random comments that his attackers made as they approached him with arms still pointed and ready to finish him off. Their angry remarks became a mess of useless comments but there was one that he could still make out…

" You will never defeat us. The time has come for all of you people to face your destiny-"

Yessiree. It was nothing like the usual bit of tough guy solider talk that policemen exhibited towards their victims. It sounded more like a threat.

Arrright. Please peeps. Review for me. I've got work to catch up on while still trying to figure out how to fix up this thang. Any outside comments would appreciated. Plus I'd like to know how to fix up this daggoned storray.