Chapter 8 — Summer Never Ends

The year 2026 is still extremely hot, no one knows how many people are still alive out there. Time finally reaches 2027. It is the year that Ly Chi will not live to see. The temperature of 2027 is even higher. The outdoor temperature had even reached over ninety degrees. The air conditioner is no longer working. Supplies are also only one-third left. But luckily we were still able to hold on. At one point, Lam Thu looked at the road outside being grilled until it was endlessly red and distorted, and in despair, he asked me: "Can we really endure until the end of the world is over?"

“Maybe.” I told him, even though I was nervous inside, I couldn't be discouraged at this time.

Lam Thu heard my words, hugged me, and firmly said: "You're right, we will definitely get through it." The year 2027 seems even more unbearable than any other year as the apocalypse strikes. To save on supplies, the four of us started from two meals a day to one meal a day. I could still hold on, but my grandparents were clearly about to succumb. On that day in October 2027. My grandparents didn't know where to find a rope and tried to commit suicide. I stopped them, they hugged me and sobbed: "Gia Bao, you are still young, your grandparents have had enough, they want to save all the supplies for you and Lam Thu, so you can continue to live..."

“No, grandparents, if the end of the world really has no end, then what's the use of you giving the materials to me and Lam Thu, sooner or later they will die, if really sooner or later they will die, I want you to be able to stay with me for a while longer.” I said with red eyes.

My grandparents also had bloodshot eyes. They hugged me, held their heads and cried loudly. Lam Thu also came over, hugged us, her eyes were red. I finally advised my grandparents. Like I said, if sooner or later we have to die, it's better to have our loved ones die together and stay together for a while longer. The year 2027 has passed very quickly. Tet 2028 comes. Our whole family used the remaining ingredients to make a meal of dumplings, then quietly waited for death to strike. The strange thing is, after entering the year 2028, the outside temperature suddenly slowly decreased day by day. From 90 degrees, slowly decrease to 80, then again to 70, 60, and finally lower to forty degrees. On the day the temperature drops to forty degrees. I opened the door to my house for the first time and stepped out onto the street. What meets the eye is a piece of desolation, like a dead land. But I haven't felt the outside air in a long time, it's so good. I held Lam Thu's hand, my grandfather and grandmother, the four of them looked at each other and smiled. At that moment, more people came out from underground, from dark corners with unknown identities. It turns out there are many people like us, still surviving.

“That's great, the end of the world is finally over!”

“We've finally held out this far, so good!”

“We are not dead, we are alive!”

Everyone hugged each other, both happy and crying, congratulating a new life. I cried too. Lam Thu wiped my tears, "Don't be afraid, it will be okay, the end of the world is over, everyone will rebuild their homeland, everything will get better."

“Yes, everything will get better.”

I looked at Lam Thu and nodded. Everything will get better. (End of full text.)