by Candy Crum
The monster growled again as it pulled back, vanishing completely in the water. Cass had no idea if it was still there cloaking itself as it had before, or if he’d chased it off. He had no idea what happened at all, but it didn’t matter. He was alive.
Swimming as fast as he could, Cass made his way to the edge of the pool and pulled himself out. He took a deep breath of air, forcing him to throw up the water that had been in his lungs. Jess wasted no time running straight for him.
“Cass!” she said. She wrapped her arms around him before pulling back, her hands on his arms. She looked him over, seeing the blood dripping down his leg. “What happened? I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t see you. I couldn’t find you. All I could see was churning water. I thought maybe I couldn’t see you because of all the bubbles, but that wasn’t it at all. It was like you weren’t even there. Then… Then I saw blood. I had no idea what to think! I tried to jump in, but something stopped me.”
“We need to get out of here,” Cass said. “Now.”
“What happened to you down there?” she asked. “You were under for more than five minutes. You should be dead.”
“We will talk when we get out of here. We need to get away from the water. And away from that thing.”
“Thing?” she asked. “What was it? I thought I heard a growl. Cass, I don’t understand anything that just happened. I’ve never felt so scared in my entire life, and you were the one this happened to.”
“Yes. Thing. I don’t want to talk. Not here for sure. Let’s go,” he said, his voice final.
She didn’t ask any more questions, deciding to allow him to lead them out. There would be a better time to ask questions, and she knew that it wouldn’t be that night. There were so many things that she wanted to say, wanted to ask. Her mind battled between knowing what she saw, hearing what she heard, and feeling what she felt and actually believing it. The memory of the strange voice came back to her. Cass had survived, just like the owner of the voice had told her that he would. Jess was unclear on what had just happened, but she was certain that a door had just been opened that she wasn’t sure she wanted to walk through.
SUNDAY
Italy
Having spent the better part of the past twenty-four hours on conference calls with other seismologists, volcanologists, superiors, town officials, and anyone else they could speak to, Davide, Antonio, and Mark were at a loss. It didn’t matter how much they fought, no one believed them. No one believed the footage. They believed that it was some kind of a sick joke. More than that, their superiors made it clear that none of the footage they had was to be released to the public. They didn’t want a widespread panic over a joke being played by three bored scientists.
Davide was furious, having experienced the terrifying event first hand. In response to their superior’s opinion that they were playing a cruel joke with edited material, the three sent the video they had to a trusted friend who legitimized the video. Jack Sizemore was an expert in film, editing, and special effects. Jack stated that it was impossible that it was edited in any way shape, or form. Still, the scientists were cast aside. Their fears about a ready-to-blow volcano and a massive humanoid creature coming out of it were dismissed entirely. No one even believed them when they said that there needed to be an evacuation for the volcano alone. The three men were undoubtedly on their own.
“So, what do you guys want to do?” Davide asked, his accent thickening with his frustration.
“I’m at a loss,” Antonio replied. “This footage needs to be seen. We can’t allow people to lose their lives when that volcano blows. More than that… More than the volcano itself… We need to be warning people of what could be coming out of it. That was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen.”
“If any of this gets leaked…” Davide started.
“We will be canned,” Mark responded. “But I don’t care. Right is right, and this is all wrong. They are wrong. You were directly next to it. Even closer than we were. You can’t honestly tell me that you don’t want to put this out there for people to see.”
Davide leaned back in his chair, his head falling back as he covered his face with his hands. He sighed heavily, groaning as he did so.
“No. I’m not saying that. I’m just confused. I saw it with my own eyes. You got film of it, and I still don’t believe it. How are we supposed to get others to believe this? How are we supposed to get other people to believe this isn’t manipulated video? We are stuck,” Davide said.
“All we can do is try,” Mark said.
“The volcano is quiet at the moment,” Antonio said. “It was like he, it, whatever it is, got scared back inside after we saw him. There has been some oozing in some places. Magma has broken free in certain spots, and lava has begun trickling out, but we haven’t seen the real blow. We thought that’s what was happening when we were up there, but I think whatever that thing was is what caused the ash to blow out, as well as the escaping lava. I don’t think the mountain itself has decided what it wants to do, yet. Plus, he didn’t finish coming out of there. That is only the beginning. Once he gets ready to come out, as big as he was, that mountain is going to crumble. He is going to destroy everything when he finally frees himself.”
“I doubt very seriously he was afraid. More like he wasn’t quite ready for his grand entrance. The people need to be warned. I saw it. He’s there. He’s real. This can’t go untold. My vote is to release it. Is your vote is to release the footage as well?” Davide asked.
Mark and Antonio both nodded. “Absolutely,” they said in unison.
“Fine,” Davide said. “Let’s let the people in on what’s about to happen. Mostly, let’s pray that they believe us. Otherwise, I fear there will be a lot of people lost.”
Κεφάλαιο IV
MONDAY
Southern Indiana
Waking up early was never a good thing for Alee Sawyer, though Joe didn’t seem to mind. The twins were almost polar opposites. Their personalities, as well as their interests, varied in so many ways. Joe was always positive, even when things seemed bleak. He always did his best to find a way. They had a wonderful mother that had raised them both to be kind and compassionate above all else. Joe always took her teachings to heart while still keeping a broad sense of humor. He could make anyone laugh and tried to do so as often as possible. He was also quite hyper and very random. A lover of all things books, Joe was well read and loved history and science. Most of his free time was spent either working out or studying. Many times he would spend his evenings in a library studying things that weren’t school related. He enjoyed sports and being active, but his mind overwhelmed that most times.
Alee was just as gentle natured as her brother, but with a much harsher sense of sarcasm. She adored picking on her brother and playing pranks, though she hadn’t been able to as of late due to training for an archery competition. Alee was a hunter. Fierce and swift. She was skilled with multiple weapons, but the bow was her favorite. Practicing for hours every day made her a very accurate archer, allowing her to not only destroy her opponents, but to also make quick, fast kills while hunting. She never hunted for sport and always cleaned and cooked what she killed. Growing up in southern Indiana, it was normal for children to learn how to hunt young. Her maternal grandfather taught her that all animals deserve respect. Even in death, they were there for a purpose and should never be allowed to suffer, especially in their final moments.
Together, the twins made a great team. They were, for the most part, inseparable. Though a few of their classes were apart, they would always catch up to one another between them, and always hung out together at home. Joe had issues when he was younger that worried their parents, but not Alee. It only made her love him more. He would have seizure-like symptoms, going unconscious and even trembling, or violently shaking, but medically nothing could be found wrong with him. Alee became his best friend, and always stuck by his side. Even years later, as they grew older, that
bond had never vanished. The two were so close that Alee could even sense when he went into one of his episodes and come to his side until it was done. All that is not to say that they didn’t enjoy a good argument, or day of nagging one another.
Alee was forced to get up early for the State Archery Tournament. She’d muscled her way through all of the other competitions and had earned her spot in the state finals. Though the twins had school, she needed to get all of her things ready so she could head straight there afterward. Joe had volunteered to help and assisted her in packing and carrying her things to their truck.
Their mother, Grace, was already at work that morning and it was likely she would be there until late. She would miss the tournament, as usual, but Alee understood. She knew why. Their mother worked hard to support the three of them, their father having never been around when they were kids. She was a brilliant woman that exuded love and positivity. Despite the short hands she’d been dealt, she was always optimistic. Grace told Joe to get everything on video, if he could. Even if she couldn’t be there, she didn’t want to miss it.
“You ready?” Joe asked.
Alee had just finished packing her tournament bow into its case.
“Yep. Thanks for carrying my other things down to the truck,” she replied.
“No problem,” he said, taking her case from her and carrying that for her as well.
Both had taken longer than expected to get ready, so making time for breakfast was useless. Instead, they went to a drive-thru on the way to school so they would not be overly hungry by lunch.
Along with being different in looks, personality, and habits, their social standings at school were also different. Though Alee was a little rougher around the edges, she was very popular. Everyone enjoyed her “take no crap” attitude and loved her honesty because it was always delivered with a gentle touch. Joe’s nose was always stuck in a book, so he fit in better with the quieter types, which typically consisted of anyone that was an outcast. Even though he fit in better with those people, he was never really picked on. He assumed it was probably due to his musculature and also that his sister could hit a bullseye the size of a quarter at over a hundred and fifty yards, though he’d seen her successfully make a clean kill from further while hunting.
“Welcome!” Joe’s current events teacher, Mr. Santos, said. “Nice of you to show.”
Joe smiled, knowing his teacher was joking. Mr. Santos was late almost every day. As long as the students didn’t complain, neither did he.
“Yeah, yeah,” Joe said. “Sorry I’m late. Was helping Alee get ready for the big competition tonight.”
Mr. Santos smiled. “Tell my favorite Sawyer I said good luck.”
Joe laughed. “Will do, Mr. Santos.”
“Alright!” Mr. Santos said. “Today we will be talking about the big bad thing in the news. I’m sure all of you have heard about it, but we are going to discuss it. There are a lot of rumors. A lot of fiction. But there are also a lot of fears. There are so many people around the world petrified about what’s going on in Italy right now.”
“What exactly is going on over there?” Joe asked.
Mr. Santos smiled. “Finally. Something I get to teach you. You’re always so well read. Well! Mr. Sawyer. I’m so happy you asked. You know that Mount Vesuvius has been on the verge of erupting for years, yes?”
Joe nodded. “Yes. It’s never done anything, really. Just smoked here and there. A little rumbling every few months to few years. A lot of storms over the area. Nothing consistent, though.”
“Right,” Mr. Santos said. “Now it appears it’s erupting for real. A few days ago, three men – two volcanologists and a seismologist – went up in a chopper after readings were showing consistent mini-quakes and some other pretty indicative signs it may pop. One of them went down to the edge of the volcano; another was filming. Not only did they see the earth break open and magma begin oozing to the surface, but there were multiple lava spews.”
“I don’t understand why that’s huge news,” Sara, one of Joe’s classmates, said. “I mean, it’s a volcano. An active volcano. I understand it’s terrible for anyone around it, but why is it in international news? Why are we talking about it in here?”
“Because this isn’t any normal volcano,” Mr. Santos said. “This thing destroyed Pompeii two millennia ago. It’s a big deal, but there’s more. The three men that went up there caught something else on film. That is why they are so worried. I’m going to show the video, but first I’d like to explain it. The first thing you should know is that this thing has been passed around like crazy. It has been put in the hands of experts, and apparently it’s legit. This video is supposedly real, if those experts are in fact real, and are in fact experts. That means it hasn’t been edited. Hasn’t been tampered with. This is actual footage. Second. The thing that they saw coming out of the volcano…”
“Coming out of the volcano?” Joe asked.
“Indeed, Mr. Sawyer,” the teacher replied. “Davide Palmieri was standing on the edge of the mountain. There was a hand that grabbed hold of the mountain on Davide’s side. This next part was determined by comparing his body size versus the arm. The hand was estimated to be roughly the same size as the chopper they rode in on, possibly bigger. Do you realize how big that creature would have to be?”
“Creature? Was it a monster? Or something else?” another classmate asked.
Mr. Santos shrugged. “Given the size, I’d say ‘monster’ is a rather generic, but understandable and relatable adjective. However, it’s most certainly humanoid, so the descriptive term ‘monster’ is not quite accurate. Personally, regardless of all the crackpot theories, and the quote-unquote video experts, I think the video is faked. That being said, there are a lot of people who don’t. They fully believe this is one hundred percent real.”
“So, what is this supposed to mean?” Joe asked.
“One of… Fated.”
Joe shook his head, confused. It was a man’s voice he’d never heard. An incredibly weak, very faint whisper.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Santos replied. “But there are a few Greek historians getting everyone worked up about it all. They all differ a bit on their history, but when boiled down, they think the same thing. That the father of the Greek god, Zeus – Cronus for those of you that aren’t experts in Greek mythology – is returning. Thousands of years ago, Zeus and his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, trapped Cronus in a pit with all the other titans. It was called Tartarus. They were able to access it through a mountain by the same name near Olympus.”
“This sounds more like a history lesson,” Sara said, laughing.
Mr. Santos laughed as well. “It kind of is. There’s no way to discuss the present issue going on here without teaching you the past. At least the past they are quoting here. So, as I was saying, the Greek historians truly believe that Cronus is returning. That it’s him rising from that volcano because somewhere down the line, he promised something very similar.”
“I thought the titans were killed,” Joe said. “I’ve read a lot on Greek mythology, and I thought that Cronus was killed.”
“It doesn’t matter what you’re researching, Joe,” Mr. Santos said. “When it comes to any kind of mythology it’s all open to interpretation. It all changes from person to person. None of the sources you find online will be exactly alike.”
“Cronus…”
Joe jumped a little, knocking his notebook off the desk. The voice had returned. Still weak.
“You alright, Joe?” Mr. Santos asked.
“Yeah!” Joe said, worrying he might be going crazy.
“Cronus!”
“Joe…”
“He’s coming…”
A chill ran down his spine, freezing him where he sat. He felt dizzy and nauseated. Something about that voice, about the words that he spoke and the way he spoke them disturbed Joe. A slight tinge of fear settled in.
“Alrighty,” Mr. Santos said. “We’ve talked about it a bit. We�
�ve introduced it a little. Now I’m going to show you the actual video footage. Once it’s finished, we can talk some more and get thoughts and opinions.”
Joe shifted in his seat, no longer wanting to be there. The voice had scared him. If for no other reason, for his sanity. He looked forward, the lights going out, and the white projector screen lighting up. On the screen Joe could see Mr. Santos typing in a website, which he quickly scribbled down. The website loaded and Mr. Santos clicked the link to play the video.
“The man filming was American, so they spoke in English, though the accents are heavy. The video is Italian, and from an Italian website, so there are subtitles for them. Even with those, you’ll still clearly see everything.”
Everyone turned to watch, but no one was more invested than Joe. He didn’t even care when he’d walked in, but the terrified and almost helpless voice made him fearful.
The video began and Joe couldn’t see much. Black smoke blew the opposite direction of the chopper, but still wafted back in their direction. He saw Davide lowered onto the side of the mountain, then saw him fall to the ground.
Joe soon found himself hanging onto the edge of his seat. He watched every second. He saw the lava spray, thinking very much along the same lines as Davide himself, that it would ooze back down. Then he saw the fingers widening. His heart began to speed up, his anxiety growing. Mr. Santos could almost swear the video was fake, but it was the most terrifying thing Joe had ever seen.
The colossal head then rose from the depths. Slowly turning. Joe’s head began to ache, his heart raced, and a thin film of sweat beaded up on his forehead. The man that the Greek historians truly believed to be Cronus opened his eyes. Though it was filmed from overhead, Joe could clearly see into those black orbs.
Joe fainted, falling into the floor next his seat. He began tossing and turning, everyone frantic that he was having a seizure.