by E S Richards
The eruption would start with multiple smaller earthquakes across the breadth of Yellowstone itself—weeks of this build-up would cause the rock to shift prior to the eruption. The ground would slowly start to rise as geysers reached their boiling point, their water becoming increasingly acidic. Then, in a flash, the rock roof of Yellowstone would crumble and lava and ash would shoot 20 miles up into the sky.
Pyroclastic flows would roll off the main eruption in every direction, masses of superheated ash, rock fragments, lava, and gases. Capable of moving at over 400 miles an hour, the flows would kill anything in their path up to several miles away from the point of origin. Lava flows from the two-step magma chamber would reach out to a 100-mile radius of the volcano, traveling slower than the pyroclastic flows, but still deadly in their own right.
The instant death zone: a 100-mile radius from the eruption point. An area where nothing would be able to survive.
The ash cloud, though, would be the most decimating factor in a supervolcanic eruption. Ash would be pumped into the atmosphere and carried on jet streams for days, circulating through the stratosphere and around the planet. Heavy rain immediately mixing with this ash could cause rapidly moving cement-like slurries and landslides, but the worst part is what the ash would do while still in the sky.
The amount of ash that a Yellowstone eruption could create is capable of killing people, plants, animals, and even crushing buildings. Just a few inches of ash—a depth which would likely blanket most of the northern hemisphere—can destroy farms, clog roadways, cause serious respiratory problems, block sewer lines, contaminate water supplies and even short out transformers. All crops would be destroyed, and along with breathing problems, starvation would be the main killer long after the initial eruption.
Finally, as if that wasn’t enough, the ash cloud would effectively block out the sun and cause an elongated winter. Sulfur aerosols in the cloud would reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere and cool the climate, so combined with the density of the ash cloud, very little heat and light would be able to break through. Ten-year-long winters have occurred in the past following eruptions of supervolcanoes like Toba—and if Yellowstone were on the same scale or larger, the following winter could last for generations.
The chances of such an event happening are small. Incredibly so. But if the improbable—one could argue, if the impossible—were to happen, the world would never again be the same. And after all, it’s happened before…so who’s to say it won’t happen again?
Chapter 1
“Is it snowing?”
“What? Don’t be stupid, Riley. It’s the middle of July.” Chase looked at his little sister, her face pressed up against the window in the kitchen. At thirteen, she was only three years younger than him, but as Chase watched her now, he could understand why many people thought there was a much larger age difference. She took after their mother: bright blonde hair and a tiny frame, much smaller than all the other kids in her class. Chase, on the other hand, was built like an ox. At sixteen, he was already the same size as the guys playing varsity lacrosse and once the new school semester started, he was determined to try out and join them on the team.
“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 disp
lay 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.