The Melted World - Worlds of Creators: Book One

1 - The Fallen World

The skies burned in balls of fire. Flames incinerated the atmosphere with the appetite of small suns, feeding on Earth's gases. The air agonized in silence, disappearing in heat waves. Trees on the ground stood still, wooden sculptures frozen in time, their leaves drying up and falling dead. Although it was winter, the day blew warmness on people's faces, a taste of summer in the wrong time. People looked for shelter, they escaped the hellish breezes, cursing at the world for the broken promise of eternity.

Colin put his jeans on, he buttoned his gray t-shirt and rolled a deodorant under his armpits. He washed his face to remove the sticky perspiration that accumulated all over his pores, no matter how much he cleaned them. To him, the slime on his body strangled his dignity, threw his soul in the mud, the worst effect of those fiery days.

A ghost haunted every room, the phantom of heat, ignoring opened windows and plentiful ventilation, turning breathing creatures into living carcasses. The office had an air-conditioner, plenty of work to do, a place to stay where he didn't melt down just by going to the kitchen. Better than staying home.

"Dad, I decided to go. I have nothing to do here, and it's too hot," he said, picking up his backpack on the living room's coffee table.

"I see," Frances said, peeking out through the window. "Will anybody give you a lift? I heard only a few buses are running today."

"I don't know about that. Mr. Alden called me a while back and told everybody's at the office. I'm on my own, though. If I can't get there by bus, I'll walk."

"You'll melt in this heat, son. Stay here, why don't you? Everybody is staying home because of those flames. If your boss fires you, so what? We'll give you cover," Frances said, sitting down on the couch, his eye pouches darkened by the endless nights of bad sleep.

"I know, I know, thanks. The thing is, I also want to be there for the company, you know?" Colin said, placing his left hand on the door's handle.

"It's Angeline, right? Yeah, don't hide, your eyes can't lie. Invite her over to have a good time with us. Don't go to work. It could be our last day on Earth, come on!" Frances said, opening a big smile and spreading his arms to his sides.

"Ah, don't start with that, ok? She's got her own life to bother with, she's not into hanging out with guys like me..."

"Hey, 'guys like' me? What's that supposed to mean? Who said that to my sweet little boy, huh?" Colin's mother, Sarah, said, entering the room with a bag of potato chips on her belly. "I don't like it already, I want apologies!"

"Nobody said that, it's just me being realistic..." Colin said, turning his eyes up with the new interference.

"Nah, nah, nah, that's not what I heard. Are you in love with this girl or not? Or is it with your dear Mr. Alden?" Sarah said, throwing in more chips in her mouth and then putting a hand on her waist.

"Sarah!" Frances said to reprimand her, although smiling at what she said of Colin.

"Hey, hey, wait, I just want to go to work, ok? I want to do my part in keeping the world up. I'm sure it's everybody's wish that we all survive these days, right? Then we've got to work, otherwise where's food coming from and everything? Is that wrong? Huh? Is that wrong?"

"To hell with the world! It's the apocalypse, my dear, it's time to be free!" Sarah said, throwing a few bits of her chips in the air.

"And your plan for the apocalypse is to eat crap?" Colin replied coldly.

"Eat and drink, yeah, haha! And I have other plans as well..." she said, looking at Frances with one raised eyebrow and a lascivious grin.

"Then suit yourself. I'll get to work instead, because that's what I like to do. You'll be fine, I'll be fine. Agreed? If the four riders come down from the sky, I'll be sure to get back to you guys before they reach the ground, ok?"