Chapter 1Left Behind in the Heat

When the extreme-heat apocalypse arrived, surface temperatures reached 158°F, and the first group of people began moving to Frostpoint Base.

As a scientist, my wife had two spots to bring family members with her.

Everyone thought she would take me without hesitation.

But in the end, she put the name of her graduate student on the application. "He's my student, and he doesn't have his parents with him. I can't bear to leave him alone in a place this hot."

She submitted the application without a second thought. Her next words chilled me to the bone. "Ethan, you're different. You've been tough since you were a kid. I know you can survive until the second group is evacuated."

I forced a bitter smile and said nothing.

That night, as I watched the temperature continue to rise, I calmly made a phone call. "You once told me you would grant me one wish, no matter what it was. Does that promise still stand?"

* * *

"Sure," the person on the other end replied without hesitation.

I carefully asked, "Could you help me get two tickets for the Noah Ark's Car? I want to leave with my mom in the first group."

These tickets were almost impossible to get. The person couldn't make any promises.

"I'll do everything I can," they said.

Just after I hung up, Sophia Coleman pushed open the door. Her eyes landed on my phone screen.

"Who were you calling?"

I had no desire to lie to her. I answered tiredly, "I'm trying to get someone to find me two tickets."

"There are only a few hundred tickets for the first group going to the base," Sophia said casually without even looking at me. "So you won't be able to get any. Otherwise, I would have found a way for you already."

I tightened my grip on my phone.

Of course she knew how hard it was to get a ticket. Yet she had still chosen to leave me behind and take the graduate student working under her with her.

When I didn't answer, she finally looked up. "Ethan, don't worry. I've already applied for a spot for you in the second group. You'll definitely survive."

The radio was reporting that the temperature was still climbing. I let out a cold laugh in my heart.

Everyone knew that in this extreme-heat apocalypse, every day you waited to leave lowered your chances of survival.

The end of the world was coming. Maybe I was just too anxious, but I still held on to a tiny bit of hope. "Sophia, could you take my mom with you first? You know she supported you for six years. She's old and in poor health. I'm afraid she won't last much longer."

The room fell silent.

The lights were off, so I couldn't see the expression on Sophia's face.

Sophia and I had been married for seven years. But we had known each other much longer than that.

We grew up in the same neighborhood and had been childhood friends. We used to play together all the time.

But during the summer before Sophia started middle school, her parents, Ryan Carson and Lila Carson, died in a tragic car accident.

My mom, Sienna Coleman, felt sorry for her because she had no one left. So she took Sophia in. Back then, supplies were already in short supply, but my mom still managed to raise two college graduates.

Sophia had always been shy. After she took her SAT, she promised me that even if the world ended someday, she would stay with me.

That summer was nowhere near as hot as it was now. But her palm had been warm as she held my hand. It had been enough to make my whole heart burn.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and the memory slowly faded.

After a long silence, Sophia finally spoke, "Ethan, Charles is my most trusted assistant. I have to take him with me. And you shouldn't take those silly promises we made as kids seriously."

I gave a bitter smile and almost lost my balance.

The world was clearly on the verge of an extreme-heat apocalypse. Yet every word she said made me feel colder.

The clouds soon cleared. Moonlight fell across her distant, cold face.

Sophia tapped a file folder against my chest. "Take this for now."

I opened it.

Inside was a divorce agreement.