The Cooling Point

Lena came last with a maintenance wrench in her hand, eyes fixed on every corner as if someone might burst out of the heat haze at any second. “Where’s the cooling point?” Lin asked. “North Ring Stadium,” Daniel gasped. “Temporary intake. Opened this morning.” “Then that’s where we go,” Erin said. “Not so fast,” Lena said coldly. “My brother went there.” Nobody answered. They headed north along a street with almost no shade. Fire hydrants stood open along the curb, the water turning into mist before it ever touched the pavement. Storefronts hung Closed signs in their windows, and beneath one of them someone had written in red marker: No more water. Two blocks from the stadium, the loudspeakers came on.