by E S Richards
Chapter 5
“Grab her, Riley. Grab her!” Chase laughed as he watched his sister pursue her favorite chicken—aptly named Henrietta—around the barn. It was such an amusing sight that he could almost forget why they were bringing the chickens inside. The cows would have to stay, of course—there was no way they could be accommodated inside the farmhouse. The chickens would be enough trouble on their own, but Chase knew his grandma was right in suggesting they catch them.
Things had very quickly gotten very serious on the old Clarke cattle farm. Pop was back in his right mind and barking orders, which Grandma then relayed in a slightly more practical manner and sent everyone off on their way.
Chase and Riley had been instructed to bring the chickens inside, while Grandma and Pop renovated the mudroom slightly so they could make that the birds’ new home. They all understood that the ash would very quickly contaminate not only the animals, but the crops as well, and so as soon as they had captured the chickens, Chase and Riley were to start working on digging up Grandma’s garden. With those two tackling all the outdoor problems while Grandma and Pop renovated inside, the farmhouse should be ready to see battle in a matter of days.
Chase was pleased the tasks had been divided that way—he knew being outside and breathing in the ash-ridden air could be dangerous, so he preferred that it was he and Riley being exposed to it. Though he’d much rather it’d just been him, he didn’t want any of his family putting themselves in harm’s way.
“I can’t get her,” Riley squealed as she continued to run after Henrietta, feathers flying up into the air as they both circled the barn. “Chase, help me!”
Rubbing his hands together, Chase stepped forward. Despite the seriousness of their situation, he wasn’t opposed to running around—for want of a better phrase—like a headless chicken for a few minutes.
“All right, Henrietta,” he grinned, “it’s time for you to come inside.” Leaping forward, Chase put on a dramatic display as he steered the chicken around the barn, the others flapping their wings and scampering to get out of the way. Riley doubled over in laughter at the sight of it, tears streaming down her face as she watched her brother try to become the greatest chicken wrangler Texas had ever seen.
“Come on, Riley,” Chase panted after a couple of minutes. “This is going to take both of us.”
With a smile on her face, Riley was more than happy to jump in and help. Together, the siblings positioned themselves on either side of Henrietta, legs wide and arms spread out to make them look even larger to the small bird. Riley started walking slowly toward her, Henrietta’s attention focused on the girl. Little did the bird know that Chase was creeping up behind her, a chicken cage held firmly in his hands.
The second that Riley made a sudden movement forward, Chase was there. Henrietta let out a squawk and flapped her wings, jumping backwards and away from Riley as the thirteen-year-old tried to grab the chicken in her hands. The plan worked perfectly and as Henrietta narrowly avoided Riley’s grasp, Chase was able to stuff her body into the chicken cage and quickly slam the door.
“Yes!” Riley cheered, jumping up in the air and high-fiving her brother. The two of them laughed and celebrated, reveling in the fact they’d managed to capture Henrietta. After that, the remaining chickens were much easier to subdue. Riley believed that on some level they understood what was happening; either that or they’d witnessed everything the pair went through to catch Henrietta and didn’t see the point in resisting. One way or another, all six chickens were in their individual cages within the next twenty minutes, Chase and Riley a touch exhausted but happy with their effort.
“Come on then,” Chase said after a moment, bending down and picking up two of the cages. “Let’s get them inside. There’s still a lot more to be done.”
Accepting that the fun was over, Riley dutifully followed her brother, picking up a couple of the cages, including the one that now held an exasperated Henrietta. They both made their way to the barn door, pausing there to put the cages down for a second. Chase looked at his younger sister and, in unison, they both pulled up the makeshift breathing filters that their grandma had fashioned for them. In reality, they were nothing more than scarves worn over their mouth and nose, but Chase was certain they would make something more permanent over the coming days.
Once he was satisfied they were both properly protected, Chase pulled open the door and led them outside. The sun was setting and with it came an uncomfortable chill. He would’ve hardly believed it was a beautiful summer day just five or six hours earlier. The light was fading fast, darkness creeping in a lot quicker than usual due to the cloud of ash which hung above them. The usually starry sky was obstructed, very little natural light shining down from above and the whole atmosphere had an eerie and uncomfortable feeling to it.
Chase and Riley didn’t stay outside any longer than they needed to, making their way in through the kitchen door and into the relative warmth of the farmhouse. Chase gave Riley a nod and then returned outside to collect the final two chickens, ensuring the barn was securely closed behind him as he finally left for the night. The two cows had been moved into the barn, a rarity for the summer months, but a better option than leaving them outside in the field. Chase offered them a weak smile as he gave them one last look. Milk and Shake—both also named by a young Riley—clearly had no idea what was going on, but he hoped they survived nonetheless.
Returning to the kitchen with the last two chickens, Chase could see that Riley had already moved the first four over to the mudroom. He paused for a second and made sure the kitchen door was also firmly locked before making his way through the farmhouse to the mudroom at the front. It was scarcely used these days, especially because the farm was no longer in use. Back in the day, it had been where Pop would leave his dirty shoes and the equipment that couldn’t stay outside. Now it was home to Chase and Riley’s bikes, plus a few other bits of scrap that served little use, but Grandma didn’t want to throw away.
“Special delivery,” Chase announced as he entered the room, holding the two chicken cages up in front of him.
“Ah, excellent,” Grandma Linda smiled. “Bring them over here, Chase.”
Seeing what his grandma had done to the mudroom, Chase was immediately impressed. About a third of the room had been cordoned off, a makeshift fence quickly put together to separate the area from where the bikes and other things still sat. The ground was covered in hay and old newspapers, and an old bookcase had been repurposed into small huts for the chickens.
“This is a palace!” Chase announced as he deposited the last two chickens into their new home, both rushing out of the cages and to the farthest corner they could reach. “They’ll never want to move back out to the barn after living here, Grandma!”
Linda laughed. “I do try. Did you get the cows sorted in there okay?”
“Yeah,” Chase nodded. “They’re fine. I’ll make sure to keep checking in on them though. “Where are Pop and Riley?”
“They’ve gone out the front to dig up my garden,” Grandma replied. “I told Pop not to go, but he didn’t want to send Riley out on her own.”
“I’ll go and swap with him,” Chase offered. “I don’t think he should be outside at the moment.”
“Just wait a minute will you, Chase?” Grandma Linda called her grandson back, holding his attention for a few more moments. “I want to talk to you about Pop.”
“I know he’s not very well, Grandma,” Chase offered, knowing how difficult this topic had to be for his grandma. “I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry.”
“I know you will, darling,” Linda smiled, increasingly grateful for her grandson. “But there’s a bit more going on with him than just the after-effects of the stroke. There’s that, but I feel like his mind is deteriorating as well. Most of the time he’s the man he always has been, but at times it’s like he’s not there at all. It’s hard to explain.”
Chase looked at his grandma with a great deal of bo
th pity and admiration. He knew she was referring to Pop’s outburst at dinner following the announcement of the Yellowstone eruption. Chase had already had his suspicions about the mental state of his grandpop; in a way, that outburst had only confirmed them. But even still, he knew he probably didn’t understand the half of it. His grandma was the one who would have been dealing with it, in addition to everything else she already did. She was a magnificent woman, something Chase came to realize more and more as he spent longer time with her.
“I know what you mean,” he nodded seriously. “I’ve noticed that too. But don’t worry, Grandma, I’m here to help. Like you said yourself; we’ll figure everything out and get through it. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you, Chase,” Grandma smiled. “I’ve always known I could rely on you.”
“Rely on Chase for what?” Riley loudly interrupted as she and Pop entered the mudroom, both carrying a basket of vegetables. “Not for digging these up, that’s for sure. Wanted to relax a bit did you, big bro?”
“Shut up,” Chase laughed, pushing his sister playfully to one side as she walked past him. “It’s a change to get you working finally.”
“Pfft,” Riley huffed as she made her way to the pantry. “Whatever.”
Chase rolled his eyes at his sister, though the whole exchange did nothing more than amuse him. “Here,” he turned and spoke to Pop instead, “do you want me to take that?”
“I sat out in the dark and dug all these vegetables up myself, thank you very much, young man,” Pop swatted Chase’s hands away. “I think I can manage to carry them through to the pantry.”
“All right, all right,” Chase laughed and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Seems like I’m really getting it in the butt for not helping with the harvest.”
“And rightly so!” Pop lashed back with a chuckle, the old man joining in with the banter. “Don’t run away though; I’ve got a job you can help me with in a second.”
“Okay,” Chase nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
Watching Pop follow Riley out to the pantry, Chase thought for a moment about their situation and what his grandma had said. It was strange how he could be so fine one minute and all muddled up the next. He vowed to keep a close eye on his grandfather over the coming days and monitor how he reacted to certain things.
Perhaps it was just the shock of the news that made him react the way he did earlier. It wasn’t something he’d noticed that closely aside from that. In all honesty, Chase was more concerned about the gravelly cough Pop now had. He didn’t want him outside breathing in the toxic air when his immune system was already weak. Pop wasn’t the kind of man who would ever admit he needed help, which made Chase’s job more difficult, but not impossible. He would just need to keep a close eye on the old man and try to make his life easier whenever possible, hopefully without his grandpop catching on to the game.
“You ready?” Pop said when he walked back into the mudroom. “Linda, Riley could probably do with some help putting all that stuff away in there.”
“Sure,” Linda nodded. “Where are you guys going?”
“Down into the basement,” Jerry replied. “I want to check on the backup generator.”
“Oh, good idea, I think there might be some extra fuel out in the barn still.”
“Yeah, there is!” Chase confirmed, remembering the canisters he had moved to one side in order to make room for the cows. “Do you want me to go and get it?”
“Maybe later,” Pop replied. “Let’s go and see what state it’s all in first. It must be well over a year since I’ve been down there.”
“Okay, lead the way, Pop.”
Flashing his grandma a quick and reassuring smile, Chase followed Jerry out of the mudroom, leaving Grandma Linda to go out the other and help Riley stock the pantry. It was a very good idea to check on the backup generator. Everything on the farm ran on power from either the solar panels, which covered the roof, or the small gas generator that was only hooked up to the kitchen stove. The solar panels were without a doubt the most modern thing about the farmhouse, Jerry having them installed shortly after the hurricane a few years ago that ripped up all the electrical wires. If those had gone down, they would be forced to rely on the backup generator now, and Chase doubted it had been serviced in some time.
In fairness, the farmhouse didn’t require a great deal of power in the summer months usually. Each floor had carefully placed windows, meaning natural light flooded through the house during the hours of daylight. Electricity was only really required to heat the water for bathing and to cook the meals—and even then, they barbequed most nights in the summer. Life on the farm really was as easygoing as one could humanly make it.
Trudging down the stairs to the basement beneath the house, Chase hoped that things would be easy with the generator. It was already pretty late and he could feel his eyelids growing heavier by the minute. The afternoon and evening had definitely not gone the way he had pictured them.
“Where’s that damn light switch?” Jerry muttered to himself as he ran his hands along the wall, cautious not to walk down any more steps until the way was illuminated.
“Oh, here.” Chase found it on the brick wall behind him and flicked the switch. “Let’s go and see what we’re dealing with, shall we?”
Chapter 6
“What do you mean you were there?” The panicked traveler Mia was speaking to put a hand to her face in shock, stepping back slightly as if Mia had been infected in some way. “How are you alive? How did you get here?”
“We managed to turn our plane around,” Mia replied, explaining what had happened to her for what had to be the third or fourth time. “Jorge,” she said as she glanced over to the right, but her companion was off speaking to someone else, the pair of them both mobbed as soon as they entered the main lobby of the airport. “That’s my friend over there—” Mia pointed him out. “He’s a very skilled pilot and managed to get us out of danger just in time.”
“So, the ash cloud isn’t still coming for us?” someone else asked, pushing forward to occupy Mia’s field of vision.
“No,” Mia’s face turned serious. “It’s still coming. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Why are you all still inside?”
“Where would we go?”
“There’s nowhere to go! It’s too dangerous out there.”
“Calm down,” Mia tried to slow the conversation down. When she and Jorge had finally found people in Helena Regional Airport, it hadn’t been what they’d expected. There were perhaps thirty to forty people left behind, a mixture of workers and tourists who had been visiting the area. They’d all witnessed the explosion, watching from the windows as the supervolcano erupted and shot lava and hot ash high up into the sky.
Mass panic had immediately filled the airport. According to several reports, people had tried to flee immediately, taking whatever vehicles were left outside and speeding as far away as they could. That was why so many were still left inside. There weren’t any cabs or buses to take them to the city or on the usual tourist route to the National Forest. They were stranded and too afraid to set foot outside.
Mia wasn’t surprised. To someone with no prior knowledge or experience with volcanoes, this was surely a doomsday scenario. They’d all heard the stories of Pompeii—the volcanic ash raining down on the city and burying everyone alive in a matter of seconds. Though those tales had technically been disproven several years ago, they were still what everyone remembered about the incident. With that in their heads, it was no wonder people were too afraid to set foot outside, but Mia knew Yellowstone was a different kind of eruption. While many people thought the worst part was over, she knew the more deadly effects were all still to come.
“Why didn’t your plane crash, then?” another voice from the semi-circle that surrounded Mia piped up, everyone desperately believing that she and Jorge had all the answers. “The one on the runway nosedived right after takeoff.”
Mia looked at the man cur
iously. He spoke more quietly and slowly than everyone else, less panic and worry present in his voice. Perhaps it was his age. Mia guessed he was close to seventy; the cane that was clutched in his right hand gave away that his body was no longer in its greatest shape. But his eyes also suggested a lot of wisdom and for some reason Mia was drawn to him, wanting to provide him with an adequate response.
“I don’t know,” she started, craning her neck slightly to see if she could see the runway through the large window at the end of the lobby. Unfortunately, too many people blocked her view, but there were the telltale signs of a wreckage out there. It made her shudder, memories of the wreckage she had watched her brother and his wife pulled from over a year ago filling her head. She had to fight against it. Now was not the time to mourn her family.
“Perhaps the pilot just panicked,” Mia suggested, though she knew it wouldn’t bring anyone any comfort. “At that velocity, I can’t think of any technical reason why the plane would fail. But then, I’m not an engineer or a pilot. You might be better off asking my friend about that.”
The old man ran a hand through his beard in thought, glancing over his shoulder to where Jorge was entertaining another crowd. He looked to be enjoying the situation much more than Mia was, throwing open his arms and really getting into the descriptions of their escape. He had always been a showboat. Back from when Mia had first met Jorge, she remembered that about him. Always chasing the limelight and rarely allowing himself to sit behind the curtain. It wasn’t a characteristic that Mia shared, her interests and passions lying much more with the data and the stories that it could tell her.
“Never mind about the plane,” yet another person butted in. “What do we do now? How do we get out of here?”
“Well…” Mia paused to think. She didn’t like that her decisions would ultimately become the decisions for most of the people around her. She could only give them her opinion; she didn’t want to make the choice for them. “I think I’m going to stay here for a bit and plan a route. I think it’s too dangerous to go outside now. The ash cloud is creeping in behind us and will blanket this area in a matter of hours. Walking out into it could be deadly, especially if you breathe it in. I think it’s best to stay inside and fully prepare for what is about to come.”
