They Left Me to Burn, Now I Own the Last Water

to a stop in a ha

ot cloud. I coughed and he

second, I thoug

e doors

dirty bandanas over their faces and work boots that didn't

st one. Shaved head. Gold front toot

't your tru

before I c

laughed. "S

bers. You didn't even swap them." I took

and down. "Girl like you, alive and healthy, tr

mach d

one did. People traded for wa

I've got heatstroke. I'll be

'll trad

bbed m

g the

across his nose. He howled and staggered

ra

e road. Towar

e old pump island, and I threw myself through the

rot and hot plastic. Empty shelves.

a wo

own and furious, crouched behind the

ted it a

are

gasped. "T

" She racked the shot

kicked th

ast was deafening. Plaster rained dow

station!" she yelled.

Then muttering. A

leaving. They

next to me, b

And no water. My tank went dry a week ag

looking up a

of, I had seen it from outs

," I said. "When d

o months ago. Po

units never drain all the way." I got to m

me. "How do

st. I know every p

to the roof with the sun cooking my n

ed shut. I hit it with th

ater. Sitting at the bottom of th

ost c

ty!" Lupe

I can

ned it through coffee filters and an old

st thing I ha

me finish m

t you ou

fami

r a while. Then she

s not

their trucks and saw the orange dots of their cigarettes.

know we ha

irst win. Sma

ground star

crept to

ge. Armored. Matte black, with the same blue dr

mped into a truck and floored it, and the lead armored t

out. In two minutes, every scav

oor of the midd

steppe

n at the throat. No hat, no sunglasses, no swe

stolen trucks. Th

me in th

he heat. Maybe it was a whole night of

iron off the floo

p it!" a gu

to Gold Tooth, lying in th

caught

old. Li

man in the sui

pull free.

g to sell me

ow. L

Gray eyes. A face

ze dropped

white scar a

wasn't allowed to touch