by E S Richards
“It is though,” Riley whined from the window. “Look!”
Sighing, Chase walked over to his sister, leaving his laptop open on the kitchen table, his MLB fantasy team on the screen. He needed to make some serious changes before the games that weekend, what with his star pitcher out for the rest of the season with an injury.
“Look,” Riley repeated as Chase stood beside her. “It is so snowing.”
Chase followed Riley’s pointed finger, squinting his eyes as he looked up into the sun. It took a second for him to see it too, but then he started to notice the tiny white flecks that were floating down to the ground. It definitely looked like snow—but in the middle of July? Something didn’t make sense. Tugging open the back door, Chase walked outside, Riley at his heels.
“This is so weird,” he muttered to himself, turning in a slow circle and gazing up at the clouds. It was about ninety degrees and sunny; it made no logical sense for it to be snowing.
“Ew!” Riley suddenly exclaimed, shaking her head and spitting on the ground. “It doesn’t taste like snow.”
Chase furrowed his brow. In a sudden moment of brilliance, he ran back inside, grabbed a glass off of the kitchen counter and took it outside. Holding it up above his head, he did his best to catch as many snowflakes as possible, filling the glass about a quarter inch deep.
“What are you doing?” Riley questioned as Chase stared into the glass at the substance inside. It wasn’t melting, which meant it definitely wasn’t snow.
“Come back inside,” he spoke to his sister seriously. “Let’s go show Grandma and Pop.”
Following her older brother back into the farmhouse, Riley could tell something wasn’t right. She watched as Chase firmly closed the door and locked it, deadbolt and knob. Their grandparents would be upstairs in the den. They spent a lot of time there now, ever since Jerry—Pop, to Chase and Riley—had fallen ill a few months ago. Riley and Chase didn’t normally stay with them; this was just while Mia was on one of her research trips. It was nice though. Riley always liked spending a few weeks at the old farm—especially during the summer months.
“Hey, Pop!” Chase called as he reached the top of the stairs, already turning to his right and heading for the den. It was nice to be back with their grandparents for a while, but it hadn’t escaped him how frail their grandpop was looking these days. Mia had told him that it was a stroke that caused it all, but the old man wasn’t recovering as well as the doctors had hoped. Something about all the years working on the farm in his youth tiring his body out too much and now it was all catching up to him. He refused to let it affect his morale, though. He and Grandma had breakfast every morning with Chase and Riley, and dinner in the evening too—it was just during the day they chose to sit down and rest rather than playing games outside with them like they had only six months ago.
“What’s the matter, Chase?” Their grandma questioned as the two children walked into the den, noticing right away that Pop was asleep in his chair.
“Oh, sorry, Grandma,” Chase replied in a much quieter voice, taking a seat on the large couch and waiting for her to pause the box set she was watching. His grandparents didn’t have a live television set in the house, so instead hoarded what had to be over two hundred different box sets for the Blu-ray player. Chase figured they must have seen each one at least once by now, but that didn’t stop them having a different one playing every time he came to visit.
“It’s snowing outside,” Riley announced as she joined them on the couch, snuggling close to her grandma and receiving an affectionate squeeze from the old woman. “But Chase doesn’t think it’s snow.”
“Snowing?” Grandma Linda raised her eyebrows and looked at Chase over the top of his sister’s head, waiting for an explanation.
“It’s definitely not snow.” Chase held out the glass for his grandma to inspect, the gray snow-like substance still intact at the bottom of it. “But I’m not sure what it is.”
“Hmm.” The old woman examined the glass closely, poking one of her long fingers inside and touching the material. She rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger and they all watched it crumble into even smaller pieces and float back down into the glass.
“What do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure.” Linda shook her head. “It sort of looks like ash.”
“Ash?” Riley exclaimed rather loudly, waking their grandpop with a start, who coughed and looked around the room with a confused expression before settling and smiling at his family. “Oops,” Riley giggled. “Sorry, Pop.”
“Aha, being woken up to your face isn’t anything to apologize for, Riley,” Pop grinned. “What’s going on here?”
“There’s something falling from the sky,” Chase began to explain again, almost laughing to himself at how silly the statement sounded. “Grandma thinks it might be ash.”
Silence filled the den as everyone watched Pop investigate the substance at the bottom of the glass. Chase turned his attention to the window, squinting up into the sky once more and noticing more of whatever it was floating down from the clouds. Whatever was happening was very peculiar. Life would almost be easier if it were snowing in July, but something told Chase that they weren’t going to get that lucky.
“I think you’re right,” Pop finally said after several seconds. “I think it’s ash.”
“But then…” Chase paused. “Where’s it coming from?”
“There must be a fire or something nearby,” Pop answered cautiously. “Linda, help me up, will you? Let’s go and have a look outside.”
“Here,” Chase jumped up from the couch, “let me.”
Offering his hands to his grandpop, Chase helped pull the old man up. He faltered for just a second once he was on his feet again, just long enough for Chase to notice but quick enough that the old man thought he’d gotten away with it. Chase frowned to himself again. He needed to remember to keep an eye on his grandpop. Mia had warned him about Jerry wanting to do too much, and if there was a big fire nearby then Chase needed to make sure they were all safe. He might only be sixteen, but for a boy his age he’d experienced more than most people did before they were in their mid-forties. The events that had transpired the year before had changed him, and he knew now how much he needed to take care of the people around him.
“You can see it from the window here,” Riley announced once the four of them were back in the kitchen where she’d first spotted the ash. “It does look like it’s snow!”
“You’re right, dear, it does.” Grandma Linda smiled at her granddaughter. Riley was such a sweet child but after everything she had been through, she had reverted back to a girl who acted younger than she was. Losing their parents had affected Chase and Riley in very different ways. Chase was becoming a man quicker than he should need to, but Riley was stuck in the preteen years. She held herself like everything was fine, but deep down it was obvious she was still hurting very much. To lose both your parents at such a young age was a feeling that just couldn’t be put into words.
“Where do you think it’s coming from, Pop?”
“I’m not sure,” Pop replied, turning the key in the latch and preparing himself to step outside.
“Are you sure you should do that?” Chase reacted quickly, putting a hand on his Grandpop’s shoulder and looking the older man in the face. “What if it’s dangerous?”
“Oh, it’s just a bit of ash, Chase,” Pop smiled. “I’ve experienced a lot more than this.”
Reluctantly, Chase withdrew his hand from Pop’s shoulder and allowed him to open the back door. He followed his grandfather out immediately, turning and giving his Grandma a look that prompted her to stay inside with Riley.
“Why can’t we go out?” Riley instantly complained, disliking being left inside while something was going on. She wasn’t completely sure what was happening, but she didn’t like to be left out.
“Just give them a minute,” Linda smiled at Riley. “I’m sure they won’t be long.”
> Pleased that Riley and his grandma were staying inside, Chase followed Jerry around the side of the farmhouse. The old man still clutched the glass of ash in his right hand, more and more of it landing inside as he walked around the perimeter of the farm. The sky had clouded over quite dramatically since Chase and Riley had first been outside. Dark clouds were swimming along the horizon and heading right for them, and the ash fall was becoming thicker and heavier.
“That’s strange,” Pop muttered to himself after they’d almost completed a full circle of the farmhouse. “I can’t see any smoke in the distance. No obvious signs of a fire.”
“Me neither,” Chase replied. “But what else could have caused it?”
Pop opened his mouth to reply but instead was overtaken by an aggressive coughing fit. He bent over double and put his hands on his knees, his whole body hacking as his lungs protested inside his chest. Chase was beside his grandpop in seconds, his hands on Pop’s back to support the old man’s weight. He felt so weak, like his body would give up at any moment.
“Come on, Pop,” Chase spoke in his ear. “Let’s get you inside.”
Walking his grandpop through the back door, Chase cast a look over his shoulder and up at the sky. It was ominous. He couldn’t think of any better way to describe it. He wished his dad was still around. While Riley had been much closer to their mother, Chase had always gotten on better with his dad. On a normal day like today, they would be out in the garden playing football or lacrosse, throwing a ball around in one sense or the other. He missed moments like that so much, but even more than that he missed the advice his dad would always have to offer him. Whether it was about sports, school, or girls, his dad somehow always knew the right thing to say. In their current predicament, Chase knew that would be the same and he wished with all his heart that his father was still around to help him now.
“Oh dear,” Linda remarked as Chase helped shuffle Pop through the door. “Jerry, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Pop waved a hand in his wife’s general direction. He hated when she worried about him and it was even worse in front of the grandkids. “I just need to sit down for a second. Must’ve swallowed a fly or something.”
Helping Pop into a chair, Chase offered his grandma a sympathetic look. Everyone knew she was only trying to help; he could only imagine how hard things were for her right now. While he and Riley had lost their parents, he understood that his grandparents had lost their son. Even at his age, Chase knew that children would eventually say goodbye to their parents. What wasn’t natural was for a parent to have to say goodbye to their child. With Pop still not recovered from his illness, Chase felt the burden of being the man of the house weigh even more heavily on his shoulders than usual. He had to look after his grandparents and he had to keep Riley safe, too. If only his dad were still around…
“Could you see anything?” Riley questioned anxiously. She hopped from one foot to the other, glancing between the window and her Pop who desperately tried to return himself to full health as quickly as possible.
“No,” Chase shook his head. “There isn’t any sign of a fire anywhere. I don’t know where it’s coming from.”
“Is it definitely ash?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Chase paused and looked outside, watching as the dark clouds gradually occupied more and more of the sky. It looked like the curtains being closed at the end of a show, trapping the sun behind them and plunging the world into darkness. If they were at a show, the lights would come on soon and illuminate the crowd, people likely rising to their feet to applaud. But Chase didn’t see that happening. There was no light breaking through the clouds and he worried that darkness might be the reality for some time now.
“Ah well,” Linda chimed in, trying to alleviate the tension in the kitchen. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. I’m sure it’ll have all blown over by the morning. Chase, why don’t you help your pop back upstairs, and Riley and I will get started on dinner?”
“Okay, Grandma,” Chase smiled. “Come on, Pop; let’s go back up to the den. Leave all this nonsense for another day.”
“It’s not nonsense, you know.” Pop spoke somberly once he was back in his chair in the den and Riley and Grandma were well out of earshot. “Something serious has happened.”
“I know, Pop,” Chase replied quietly, sitting down next to his grandfather. “But what?”
“Mia will know,” Pop replied. “She always seems to know. Have you spoken to her?”
“No,” Chase replied honestly. “I’ll give her a call now.”
Pulling his cell from his pocket, Chase pulled up Mia’s number from his contacts. He couldn’t get online for some reason, but maybe he could still make calls. He held the phone to his ear and waited for the dial tone to start ringing, but nothing happened. Looking at the display Chase read the message on the screen: Caller unavailable. Maybe she was just on another call; Chase didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. He shot his pop a look and the two of them waited in silence for a couple of minutes before Chase tried again. But the same thing happened.
“Here,” Pop said, reaching to his side and pulling over the landline. “Try on this.”
Dialing Mia’s number, Chase struggled to stop his fingers from shaking. Something didn’t seem right. He’d never seen that message on his phone before, and Mia always answered their calls, no matter what she was doing. Lifting the landline to his ear he closed his eyes and waited, but there was nothing. No dial tone. Not even a beep to signify that Mia was on another call.
“There’s no answer,” Chase said eventually, handing the landline back to his Pop. “Now I’m concerned.”
“It’ll be okay,” Pop replied after a second. “Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out and get through it. Just,” he paused for a moment, holding Chase’s attention. “Do me a favor and don’t tell Riley or your grandma. I don’t want either of them to worry more than they already are.”
“I won’t, Pop,” Chase nodded, agreeing with his grandpop wholeheartedly.
“Good lad,” Pop smiled. “Now, go and see how they’re doing. I’ll be fine up here on my own for a while.”
“Okay,” Chase said slightly uncertainly. “If you’re sure.”
Leaving the den and making his way back downstairs, Chase paused for a moment just outside of the kitchen. The fact that his pop thought something strange was happening troubled him, but the fact that he couldn’t get through to Mia made it even worse. He didn’t have a clue what it was all about but he was determined to stay strong and get everyone through it, no matter what was happening. His parents were gone and, for the time being, so was Mia. It was time for him to step up and truly be a man.
Chapter 2
“Mia! Mia, wake up!”
Mia’s eyes fluttered open to a familiar voice in her ear. Jorge was shaking her shoulders, desperately trying to wake her. Her head felt heavy and groggy, and a pain was starting to work its way through it, starting at her left temple. Lifting a hand to her head, she felt that it was wet and when she took her hand away, she noticed it was covered in blood. What had happened? How long had she been unconscious?
“Mia, come on. We’ve got to get out of here!”
The urgency in Jorge’s voice coursed through her like an electric current, bringing back the knowledge of what had just happened. Yellowstone. The plane crash. She was alive? But where had they ended up? She groaned and looked around the cabin. There weren’t any lights on and all she could make out was Jorge frantically trying to get her out of her seat. Where were Tyler and the pilot? What had happened to them?
“Come on, Mia,” Jorge spoke again, reaching across her body and removing the seatbelt that held Mia in place. “We need to get out of here. Now!”
“Okay,” Mia mumbled, forcing herself to her feet while pressing one hand against her temple in an attempt to stop the blood flow. “Okay…I’m coming.”
Allowing Jorge to take the lead, Mia fumbled through the plane towards the
door at the rear. She didn’t turn back to look for Tyler or the pilot; the lack of their presence told her as much as she needed to know. They were dead. They hadn’t survived the crash, but she had, and she had to get her head screwed on right.
“Hold this.” Jorge handed Mia a bag as he stepped closer to the door, throwing his weight against it in order to free them both from the plane. Mia did as she was told and took several deep breaths, calming her heartrate and preparing herself for whatever was on the other side of the door. She didn’t know how far away from Yellowstone they’d managed to get. They could still be well inside the kill zone for all she knew. But whatever was outside, Mia wasn’t going to let it stop her.
“Wait!” Mia exclaimed just as Jorge managed to push open the door and a sharp gust of wind flew into the plane. She scrambled backwards away from the door and tugged open the emergency first aid panel just outside the cockpit. Reaching inside, Mia pulled out two filtration masks that were designed to purify the air you breathed. They were also made with built-in eye protection, something she was immensely grateful for. “Here,” Mia spoke, throwing one to Jorge and attaching the other one to her face. “We can’t breathe the air.”
Jorge nodded, affixing his own mask before picking up the bag that Mia had dropped and returning to the door. “Are you ready?”
“Do it,” Mia replied after a moment, knowing no amount of time could prepare her for what they were about to witness. With a grunt, Jorge pushed at the door so it swung fully open, revealing exactly where their plane had crashed and what they were dealing with.