Devastation Erupts

by A E Faulkner

  “Well if you’re asking for Jerry, you’re outta luck!” she says, running her hands lovingly along the wheelchair’s arm rests. When Aidan and I just stare at her she chuckles and tosses a hand in the air toward us. “You kids can’t take a joke.”

  She tilts her head to one side. “I’ve got a car you can take. I owe you two a lot, even if Emily doesn’t see that. I want you to be safe. I’ll make sure she gets us out of here and we’re takin’ the rest of the cats with us. I’m not leaving them behind with all this happening. Even though that Jim down the street said he’ll take care of them. I’m not leaving them behind.”

  My eyes narrow when that one word slips past her lips. “Did you say Jim?”

  “Yeah, he just lives down the road, in the trailer park. He went to school with my Emmy. Just a few days ago he started comin’ around, visitin’ the cats. I thought he’d take care of them, but I can’t leave them here after what you told me.”

  My startled eyes catch Aidan’s. There is no more Jim, but we’re not going to be the ones to tell Rose. Especially when she believes he’s worthy of entrusting with her pets. Maybe Emily isn’t so bad. At least we share the same opinion of Jim.

  The pulsing blood sizzles within my veins, electrified by sparks of fury. Jim must have gone home as soon as he left the base. And he must have planned on catching more of Rose’s cats to join him for meals. If she found him on her property, he would have just explained away why he was there. She doesn’t know him well enough to understand what a slimeball he truly is, was. I gulp down my discomfort and glance around the bare walls in search of a clock. They all must be packed.

  Footsteps tread down the hallway, growing louder with each step. The front door thuds shut as Emily reappears. Noticing Rose’s alarmed expression, she rushes to her mother’s side.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” She twists nervously, her shoulders hunched with worry. Rose rubs her forehead.

  “Em, we’ve got to leave tonight.” Rose’s eyes widen. “Go get my keys. Aidan and Quinn are takin’ the car.”

  “What?” The word oozes incredulity. “Mom, you can’t—”

  “Emily! Get the keys so we can send them on their way. I’ll explain everything, but we don’t have a lot of time. Trust me, they did us a big favor by coming here.” Rose’s stern tone commands compliance.

  Defeated, Emily rises and strides out of the room. A moment later, she returns and drops the silver cat-shaped keychain in Aidan’s palm. We both rise, thanking and hugging Rose simultaneously.

  “Git yourselves outta here now! And take care of each other!” Rose shoos us away. Emily stands, her mouth gaping. Our small victory is fueled by adrenaline, and we dash toward the front door, throwing it open and descending upon the light blue Thunderbird.

  Chapter 40

  “I can’t believe it! We got a car!” I cry. “It was almost too easy.” After all we’ve been through, this little win feels like we’ve hit the lottery.

  Aidan smiles, turning the key in the ignition. The engine sputters and our alarmed eyes meet. He twists the key again and we’re met with the same crushing disappointment. Why can’t anything go right?

  Slamming his fists against the steering wheel, Aidan drops his head. The violent act startles me. He blows out a deep sigh.

  “Alright,” he mutters dejectedly. “One more try and then we high-tail it back to your aunt’s trailer in case Jeff and Riley had any luck.” I nod. He gently grasps my hand, as if it’s made of glass, and wraps it around the key. Covering my hand with his, he meets my eyes. “Together?” I nod, unable to hide the smirk tugging at my lips.

  In one movement, we turn the key and the engine purrs to life. Tension drains from my head to my toes and we savor this brief moment of success.

  Smiling ear-to-ear, Aidan announces, “It’s got a full tank of gas!” We buckle up and race back to the trailer park. We pass a few cars, driven by people seemingly out for a leisurely drive. I wonder what the highway would look like if everyone knew what we know.

  We roll into the neighborhood, slowing as we near Aunt Grace’s trailer. Riley and Jeff pace outside, pausing to evaluate the approaching vehicle. They visibly relax when they realize it’s us. Aidan points toward them, “Looks like they failed in their mission. Good thing we didn’t.” He shoots me a sly grin, which I’m happy to return.

  Riley bounces toward the car as Jeff slaps the hood. “You did it!” Running his eyes along the vehicle, he adds, “And she’s a beauty!”

  We hop out of the car to help load the items Riley’s gathered to bring with us—clothes we left behind when we first tried to go home, before Jim and Dan took Riley, and a small assortment of knickknacks that may someday serve as our only reminders of this place.

  Jeff scrambles to the driver’s seat and yanks the door closed. Aidan wanders to the window, casually leaning on the open pane.

  “What makes you think Rose is okay with a total stranger driving her car?” he asks, eyes wide with challenge.

  Jeff chuckles, wrapping his hands around the steering wheel. “Well, the way I see it, anyone crazy enough to give you two their car, just give away a car, isn’t really lucid enough to care if I’m driving it or not.” I cringe. Although I believe Rose is completely sane, she did hand over her keys to two near-strangers. We spent a stormy night in her basement together, but she slept for most of that time.

  Blowing out a deep breath, Aidan catches my eyes. I raise my shoulders, a silent admission of my nonexistent counterargument.

  Riley, Aidan, and I slide into the car. Jeff hoots with excitement and starts the engine. With no time to waste, he rolls onto the highway and drives north. At least we know the general direction to go.

  “So what happened with Benny?” I say, but what I really want to know is if Benny is okay. One of the year-round residents at the trailer park, Benny is like a grandfather to us. He’s been a family friend for as long as I can remember going to our Aunt Grace’s trailer for summer vacation. From what my parents used to tell us, we’d gone since Riley was a baby. I bet they knew him for about twenty years.

  Shaking away the memories, my ears tune back to the conversation when Riley’s mid-sentence. “So, yeah, he can’t leave. They’re making him stay at the base.”

  “What do you mean it’s no big deal?” I boom. Images float through my mind, visions of Benny strapped to a hospital bed, cringing away from a menacing figure hovering over his immobile body.

  The others stare at me in stunned silence, which only encourages me to continue.

  “They can’t hold him there like he’s a prisoner!” My mind switches gears as fast as the words spill from my lips. “And how did you even find out if he isn’t home?”

  Aidan shifts his eyes from the road, his lips hitched in a smirk. “Did you even hear anything your sister said? She just—”

  “Quinn,” Riley interrupts. “Benny wasn’t home, so Jeff and I went to the neighbor’s place. Remember Cindy? She’s a nurse and she was checking on Benny.” When I dumbly nod, she continues. “Well, Cindy told us that Benny is still at the base because his blood pressure was too high for them to release him. They’re trying to control it with medication, but they felt it was too risky for him to leave, especially with all of this crazy weather that’s been happening in the area, so he’s staying at the base’s hospital.”

  Dammit. I missed some key information when my thoughts wandered. My cheeks flush in embarrassment. “Sorry, guys, I guess I kinda zoned out there for a minute. It all makes sense. I’ll try to keep up from now on.”

  We turn off the main highway, following back roads that curve around sprawling hills and meadows. After about ten minutes, Jeff slows the car, his eyes latching onto something ahead on the right. Squinting, all I see is a farmer’s field. Whatever was growing there must have been chopped or harvested because all that remains is smoothed-over soil and rows of low-lying, browning vegetation.

  “Look at that!” he barks, pointing to the field. Great. Now he’s got
one hand on the steering wheel and no eyes on the road.

  “How about you look at where you’re driving?” I retort. He shoots me a mock glare.

  “It’s just a plowed-over field. What’s the big deal?” Aidan throws his hands in the air.

  Ignoring us, Jeff pulls to the side of the road when we’re right next to the field. What in the world is he doing?

  “Wait, I see it too,” Riley says, her eyes glued to the window. “All those black spots. What are they?”

  “That’s exactly what I want to know,” Jeff says, an expression of concern sweeping across his face. I hover over Riley’s shoulder, scanning the field.

  “We aren’t gonna figure it out from here!” he says. “I’m going to check it out.”

  Suddenly I miss “serious” Jeff. He doesn’t appear too often, but this changing world needs him. “Carefree” Jeff ought to take a back seat right about now.

  “That would be trespassing,” Aidan says. “Whatever it is, it’s none of our business. Plus, we’ve got somewhere to be. It’s just not a good idea.” He looks to me for support. Before I can back his cause, Jeff throws a door open, calling over his shoulder, “Won’t be the first bad idea we ever had!” he says just before he jumps out of the car and darts into the field.

  “Kinda feels like Jurassic Park when they’re on the tour and one guy just jumps out of the car. After that, all hell broke loose. Or should I say, all dinosaurs broke loose.” Aidan shakes his head. “You know we’re gonna have to go out there. He won’t just come back on his own.”

  All three of us stare outside, unmoving. Jeff dashes about twenty yards into the property and stops short. Sweeping his head back and forth, his expression turns serious as if understanding has seeped into his bones. He scans the ground. After just a few strides of searching, he picks up a narrow stick. Turning toward the car, he motions for us to join him.

  “And there it is,” Aidan exhales. “Let’s get this over with. It’ll be the fastest way to get back on the road.” Rolling my eyes, I can’t contain my annoyance. Why did we let Jeff drive?

  All three of us climb out of the car. Aidan and I trudge toward Jeff. Riley reaches him first, obviously the most interested in his findings.

  Jeff crouches, jabbing the closest black lump with the stick. When he flips the lifeless object over, Riley and I gasp, taking an instinctive step back.

  The iridescent black feathers on its wings and head are perfectly smooth, not one out of place. They’re a sharp contrast to the tiny tufts of black jutting from the once-smooth curvature of its belly. Slight movement catches my eye, but it can’t be the crow stirring. Its thick, slightly-hooked beak is opened as if frozen in a silent shriek. It’s clearly dead.

  Chapter 41

  Grasping the stick, Jeff pokes its belly. As if its contents were secured by a flimsy piece of taut plastic wrap, it splits open. A mini-cluster of legs, antennae, and bean-shaped bodies spill out. They tussle briefly, ensnared within each other’s limbs as they attempt to separate, fleeing their former prison. How can they be alive if they were eaten? Wouldn’t the bird’s digestive juices have smothered or dissolved them? I probably should have paid more attention in Biology class.

  Turning away in disgust, I survey the rest of the clearing. Sure enough, the other nearby black lumps mirror this one’s size and shape. There must be at least thirty of them.

  Leaning closer, Jeff bobs his head in various directions, conducting a thorough visual inspection of all angles. He inches nearer the dead body.

  “Don’t touch it!” Aidan snaps. “You could get some virus or something if that’s what killed it.”

  “I wasn’t planning on touching it,” Jeff huffs. “I just want to see if we can figure out what happened.”

  “I don’t feel so good,” Riley says, thrusting a hand over her mouth. Aidan’s concerned eyes land on me. “Why don’t you two go back to the car? We’ll be there in a minute.” I nod and wrap an arm around Riley’s shoulder, leading us both away from the ground-level grave site.

  She shakes her head, “What do you think happened to that one? Do you think they’re all like that?”

  I hunch a shoulder. “I don’t know. I mean, that one looked pretty healthy. You know, other than being dead and having its stomach split open. How could those bugs still be alive and so active if—”

  Riley pales, raising a delicate hand. “We don’t have to guess. It’s okay.”

  Trudging back to the car, we claim the front seats, indirectly relieving Jeff of his driving duties. Then we sit in silence, looking anywhere but outside.

  Aidan and Jeff return to the car and slide into the back seat. “Ready to go?” Aidan asks a little too cheerfully. Riley starts the car and pulls onto the road. I twist in my seat to face the guys.

  “So, did you find anything back there? You know, figure out how they died?” The guys share a pinched look before Jeff answers.

  “Well,” he stretches his arms casually, as if we’re just catching up on last weekend’s activities. “We checked four more and they all looked the same. Other than their stomachs, nothing was out of place. But some of them,” he runs a hand through his hair. “Some of the others had really swollen stomachs.”

  Aidan nods. “And those were the ones that had hardly any bugs…coming out of them.” He shakes his head and takes a gulp, muttering, “I don’t get it.”

  “It’s like the bugs did this,” Jeff adds, rubbing his chin. “From the inside out.”

  “Lethal bugs?” I scoff. “I know there are poisonous spiders and frogs, but are there bugs poisonous enough to kill?”

  Aidan’s head drops and he squints his eyes shut. “Guys. It’s like Wes.”

  Heavy silence consumes the car. Aidan’s right. Riley doesn’t ask any questions, but I had told her about the guys’ friend Wes. He was traveling with us to Langley Air Force Base. He didn’t make it.

  Along the way, he became progressively weaker until he just couldn’t go any farther. We discovered he had a tick attached to him. Only instead of the typical red-ringed bullseye rash, his was black. We didn’t have access to a hospital or a doctor, so we don’t know for certain what prevented him from ever waking up again.

  I peer out the window, watching the scenery roll past. Desperate to break the awkward stillness permeating the car, I turn in my seat and scan the baggage nestled between Jeff and Aidan in the back seat.

  We continue along the highway, but we need a clear destination and now’s as good a time as any to set the GPS. Digging out the satellite phone, I follow the steps Bowen showed us to input an address. Foggy details swim through my mind as the screen blinks, awaiting input.

  “Who has the photo of Bowen’s wife?” I ask no one in particular. The address was printed on the back of the framed picture the sergeant gave us.

  Aidan shuffles through the bags resting at his feet. His deft fingers search slowly at first, but turn slightly desperate when he reaches the last one. Breathing out a sigh, he elbows Jeff. “You could help look, too, you know.”

  “You probably just missed it,” Jeff says. “Move aside, I’ll check.” I glance at Riley as her knuckles grip the steering wheel tighter. Worry lines crest her forehead as she pushes a long brown lock behind her ear. Riley’s always been detail-oriented. And Aidan seems like he is too. If she’s not the type to skip right over something she’s looking for, a tingling sense tells me that Aidan wouldn’t either. Unless it isn’t there to begin with. Bile rises in my throat, the blinking screen mocking us.

  Aidan’s questioning eyes slide toward me. I raise my eyebrows and hitch a shoulder in response. With deliberate concentration, Aidan investigates each bag thoroughly, placing the ones he’s checked on the floor. Almost as soon as he discards a bag, Jeff grabs it, tearing through its contents.

  When their little assembly line completes its task, Aidan and Jeff stare blankly at each other. “It’s gone. We must have left it in that asshat’s car,” Jeff mutters, shaking his head.

  �
��Now what?” Aidan’s eyes shift to each of us. “We can’t just keep going without a destination.” Another failure. I look to the sky, seeking wisdom or comfort. Instead, the darkening clouds forecast doom, as if they swirl within an enormous cauldron that’s conjuring the ingredients for an onslaught of lightning bolts.

  “We have to call Bowen,” I utter. “He can give us the address. We don’t have time for anything else. We’ll just have to admit that we lost the picture.”

  A succession of beeps explodes from the radio. I didn’t even realize it was on. Aidan’s hand shoots toward the dash and he cranks the volume up. The pattern repeats before a brief static sound diminishes to silence. A robotic voice, eerily calm, holds our rapt attention:

  This is the emergency public broadcast system. The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed seismic activity indicating that the Yellowstone Caldera is on the verge of eruption. Evacuation zones span as far west as Oregon to Wisconsin and Illinois in the east. These areas constitute the primary and secondary ash zones based upon the current wind conditions.

  Areas along the East Coast should prepare for a population influx as evacuees seek shelter. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

  Chapter 42

  My stomach twists and goosebumps surge along my forearms. A chill sweeps through my body. I focus on stilling my fingers enough to dial Bowen. After a few misdials, my fingers finally get the numbers right.

  We wait, anticipation weighing down the air. The phone rings at least a dozen times but there’s no answer on the other end. I glance at Riley. She blinks rapidly, probably fighting the release of worried tears; her hands twitch as if they are the sole keepers of her nervous energy.

  “He’s not picking up,” I mumble. Letting the phone fall away from my ear, I let the ringing continue though I know it won’t make any difference.