Trying their best to answer a grieving mother’s questions, while at the same time trying to soften the blow by withholding some of the details.
The bodies of Crystal and David hadn’t just been shattered like rag dolls from the force of the blast.
Much of the skin had been burned from their bodies by the scalding water.
“Yes, ma’am. She died very quickly. We’re confident she felt no pain.
“No, ma’am. We don’t believe an open casket would be appropriate under the circumstances.
“Yes ma’am. We believe she was having a good time before the blast. We believe she enjoyed her last minutes.”
“Did you know that going to Yellowstone was on what she called her ‘bucket list?”
“No, ma’am. We didn’t know that.”
“When she was very young we actually took her to that same river. She always said it was one of the best times she had in her life.
“She swore that before she died she’d go back.
“I doubt she’d have gone if she’d known it would be the last item she’d ever cross off that list.”
Julianna wasn’t at the news conference.
She was at home in her apartment, and was struggling in a different way.
She’d found both bodies.
She only saw David from a distance, about halfway up a tree a hundred feet from the river.
He looked like a rag doll.
He looked as though his body had no bones.
He looked that way because virtually every bone in his body had been shattered.
And he was obviously dead.
There was no reason to approach him. So she left him there, awaiting local paramedics and firemen who’d pronounce him dead and figure out how to get him down.
Instead of tending to David, Julianna searched the area for more victims.
Some she might be able to help.
Instead, she found what was left of Crystal, with half the skin burned away from her body.
She too, looked crushed, as though she were a piece of paper someone crumpled into a ball.
They were the first dead bodies Julianna had ever seen.
And they affected her so much Captain Richards sent her home for two days.
She hadn’t slept a wink.
She was a total mess.
Her friends and neighbors heard what happened, and kept coming by to check on her.
Each time she forced a smile and claimed to be fine.
And each time they left, she went back to her couch and lay upon it, staring at the ceiling.
When her cell phone rang with a call from Hannah Carson she ignored it.
Hannah and Tony were two of the people she’d worked with a few weeks before when they’d come to the park to gather data.
She’d seen them both on the news since then, but hadn’t spoken with either of them.
And while they’d been friendly enough, and they’d all gotten along well enough, Julianna considered them more acquaintances than friends.
She assumed Hannah was calling to check on her after seeing the news conference and being told at the Ranger Station she was on convalescent leave for a couple of days.
She ignored the call and went back to staring at the ceiling.
Then she got a text message from the same number.
JULIANNA, PLEASE CALL ME. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT. –HANNAH-
Chapter 52
With just a bit of apprehension, Julianna pushed the “call back” button on her phone.
“Hello Hannah. It’s Julianna. From Yellowstone.”
“Thank you so much for calling me back.”
“No problem. I’ve been thinking about you and Tony a lot lately. I saw you on the news. Any word on your baby?”
“No. We’re still waiting and hoping someone in the government steps up and does the right thing. We know he’s out there somewhere, alive and well. So it’s just a matter of time, we think, until we get him back.
“But hey, that’s not why I called you.”
“I assume you’re calling to check on me after I found those bodies yesterday. I’m fine. It wasn’t the best day of my life by any means. But I’ll be okay.”
Hannah was confused. Her television had been off all day. She was tired of seeing nothing but the “Yellowstone Event” on every channel, twenty-four-seven, and needed a break from it.
“I’m sorry. But what are you talking about?”
“You haven’t seen the news conference from the park?”
“No.”
“A new fissure opened up. It caused a thermal explosion and killed two people. I’m the one who found the bodies.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. Are you gonna be okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. But… if you didn’t call about that, what did you call about?”
“I called to see if you believe in ghosts.”
Julianna laughed.
“Now it’s my turn to say, ‘Sorry, but… what?”
“Okay, you’ll have to bear with me while I try to explain all this. It gets kind of convoluted and complicated. But I think it kinda makes sense once all the pieces are in place.”
Julianna nervously said, “Okay…”
“We got a visit from a couple of people who travel around the country doing research, and write books as they go.”
“Okay. With you so far.”
“They’re currently gathering first person ghost stories. They described the book as personal stories from people who actually saw or experienced ghosts, as opposed to urban legends or second hand stories.”
“Okay.”
“They said they spoke to a man named Jonny Rosco, who I believe is your great uncle.”
“Yes. I have a great uncle Jonny. I haven’t seen him since I was a little girl, though.”
“He told the writers that. He said there was a rift between your mother and your grandmother, and your mom refused to let your grandmother or any of her siblings see you.”
“That much is true. I always resented my mother for that.”
“Is your mother still alive?”
“No. She passed away from cancer several years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you know your grandmother was a gypsy fortune teller?”
“Yes. Sometimes when my mom got drunk she ranted and raved about her mother, and said we came from a long line of gypsy seers. That’s what they call themselves, by the way. Seers, not fortune tellers.”
“Tony and I once saw your grandmother, several years ago. She did a reading on me at a carnival here in Little Rock.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But here’s the thing. It was after she died.”
Julianna fell silent. But who could blame her? How does one respond to such a claim?
Hannah went on.
“Your grandmother told us that someday we’d have the opportunity to save the lives of millions by warning the public about the Yellowstone volcano.
“It seemed ludicrous at the time. We were teenagers and the only reason we even went in for the reading was so I could find out if Tony really wanted to marry me.
“Anyway, that part of the reading came true.
“But your great uncle Jonny thinks she had another motive.”
“Um… okay.”
“Your great uncle Jonny thinks her ulterior motive was to save your life.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t either. But Jonny laid it all out for the writers. Rocki and Darrell. I don’t think I told you their names.
“Anyway, Jonny told Rocki and Darrell that your grandmother knew Yellowstone was going to become active in just a few years.
“And she felt so strongly that the public needed to be warned she came back from the dead to appeal to Tony and me to warn everyone.”
“Okay…”
“Yellowstone wasn’t all she knew. Apparently she also knew that I’d go to college and becom
e a geologist. And that someday I’d participate in a survey which would uncover the volcano’s activity.
“She decided I would be the logical one to tell about it.
“And according to Jonny, she also knew her granddaughter Julianna, the one she was never allowed to see, would grow up to be a park ranger. And that you’d be in harm’s way.”
“Wait a minute. You’re saying that my grandmother came back from the dead to tell you to save my life?”
“Yes. It looks that way. And, to her credit, to save the lives of millions of others as well.”
Julianna was stunned. She could find no words.
“Look, Julianna. This makes no more sense to me than it does to you. But I can verify at least my end of it. That your grandmother met with Tony and me when we were still in high school and told us about the Yellowstone Event.
“It wasn’t until your great uncle Jonny added the rest of the pieces to the puzzle that it’s all started to make sense why she would do that.”
“I… don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t blame you. I know this is kind of sudden. But I’m pretty sure I know what your grandmother, and your great uncle Jonny, and surely your mother, would all say.”
“What’s that?”
“They’d tell you to get away from Yellowstone. And sooner, rather than later.”
Chapter 53
Julianna laughed. But it was a nervous laughter. The whole concept of her grandmother visiting her friends after her death left her a little bit unsettled.
“But this is my home. I’ve wanted to be a park ranger at Yellowstone ever since I was a little girl.”
“I know. I remember you telling me that. But the volcano changes everything. You’ve got to start making plans to get out of there.”
“I will. But first we have to notify the outliers.”
“The outliers? Who are they?”
“The people who live around the park’s boundaries. There are dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
“They’re the people who live by themselves in remote cabins and log homes. ‘Off-the-gridders,’ they call themselves.
“They have no means of getting the news. So the Yellowstone Event is something they’re not even aware of.”
“But Jules, if they don’t live within the park’s boundaries, you’ve got no obligation to warn them. Let the sheriff’s deputies and volunteer fire departments notify them.”
“Oh, they’re doing it too. Well, not all of them. But a few are volunteering on their own time to try to spread the word.
“Some of the other rangers are too. We just got word a few hours ago that the Interior Department is getting ready to close the park.
“Once that’s done it’ll take a couple of days to clear out all the campers. Then we’ll secure the park and start looking for the outliers.
“At least that’s what some of us will do. Some will be reassigned to other parks, or will take an indefinite leave of absence to help their families relocate into the safe zone.”
“And how long will it take… to notify all the outliers?”
“I don’t know. The problem is that most of them don’t want to be found. That’s why they moved into the woods to begin with.
“Our plan is to follow the roads as far as we can, then to look for footpaths. Smell the air for burning wood. Look for telltale signs like felled trees and drag marks to lead us to their cabins.”
“Is there any danger involved? I mean, if these people are hiding from civilization will they take kindly to interlopers or trespassers?”
“We’re taking portable bullhorns to announce ourselves when we get close to them. Like every time we spot a cabin, for example. We’ll keep a safe distance and announce over the bullhorn that we’re rangers there to warn them.
“If they’re not friendly and yell at us to leave them alone we will. But at least they’ll be aware of the danger and can make their own decision whether to stay or go.”
“And for the ones who heed the warning and decide to evacuate?”
“Then we’ll offer them assistance. We’ll give them a ride to the ranger station, where the Red Cross can help them evacuate to the safe zone.”
“What about you, Jules? Where do you plan to evacuate to once the outliers have all been told?”
“Honestly, I never thought about it. I mean, I’ve only got one living relative I know of. A cousin who lives in Pittsburgh.
“And I don’t want to live in Pittsburgh. It’s… Pittsburgh, for crying out loud.”
Hannah laughed. It felt good. She hadn’t done much of it lately.
“You have your great uncle Jonny.”
“Yes. I’m sure he’s a nice man and all. But I haven’t seen him since I was a young girl.”
“But through him you could get to know the grandmother you never knew.”
She grew silent as she pondered the possibility. But before she could commit, Hannah offered another option.
“Tony and I would love for you to come and stay with us for awhile.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that.”
“Of course you could. I mean, Little Rock’s a great place. And it’s definitely not Pittsburgh.
“We could introduce you to all our friends, and with all of us working together we could help you find a job. And it wouldn’t have to be permanent. If you decided you didn’t like Little Rock, you could look for a more permanent place elsewhere.
“But it would at least get you to the safe zone while you were weighing your other options.”
“I don’t know. It seems like such an imposition. And we only spent nine days together when you did your survey. You don’t know anything about me.”
“Nonsense. You learn a lot about people when you traipse around in the wilderness dodging bears and wolves.
“Wait a minute. You’re not a serial killer, are you? Because that would be a deal breaker, if you were a serial killer who became a park ranger so you could bury your victims deep in the woods. I’d have to rethink the whole invitation.”
“Actually, I am a serial killer. But I only kill people who give me an invitation to come and stay with them and then withdraw the invitation.”
“Ah, so there we have it. The invitation is still valid.
“Whew! I guess I dodged that bullet, didn’t I?”
Julianna laughed.
“Can I give you a firm maybe?”
“Of course. But whether you take us up on it or not, please remember you’re running out of time.
“I think it’s very valiant of you to put yourself in harm’s way to help others. But remember the volcano’s not going to wait for you. When it’s ready to erupt it’s going to erupt whether you’re finished or not.
“I will. And thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome so much.”
Hannah hung up the phone and suddenly felt very tired and very alone.
She leaned back in her recliner and fell asleep within minutes.
Loneliness and despair, it seems, sucks the energy right out of one’s body.
Chapter 54
Things were looking up for Marilyn and the baby she called Jacob. True to her word, Christie got her an interview for a job as a housekeeper at one of the big resorts.
Being a maid wasn’t the most glamorous job around, but it was steady. It paid well too. And since Christie agreed not to charge her rent if she got her own place in a couple of months, she could even get her car fixed with her second or third paycheck.
Christie was a former street hustler. She and Marilyn used to work the streets together, playing con after con on unsuspecting victims, until Christie tired of the game and went legit.
She wanted to get her friend out of the game, before she crossed that “bridge too far.”
The bridge too far, for street people, is simply doing something one time too many, until it comes back to bite them.
For a hooker, it’s going on a date one time too many, the last time with a brutal killer who
stabs her in the heart.
For a drug dealer, it’s taking one too many risks by selling dope to an undercover cop.
For a gang-banger, the bridge too far is taking a shortcut across a rival gang’s turf one time too many and getting shot for it.
The drug dealer will spend ten to twenty in a super-max prison, wishing he could take back that one transaction.
The hooker and the banger can’t wish they could take back their last decisions. They’re both dead.
Marilyn wasn’t dead yet.
But Christie knew she would be someday if she didn’t get out of the game.
“It’s just a matter of time before that john you pick up realizes you’re not really a hooker and you’re just out to rob him. He’ll turn the tables on you and shoot you dead.
“Or some college kid will find you after you sold him fake drugs and will beat you until you stop breathing.
“Or some drug dealer will shoot you for selling your crap on his block. He won’t care whether it’s real or fake. He’ll say you’re bad for his business and he’ll blow you away.
“You’ve got to get out while you can,” Christie told her again and again.
Marilyn knew it to be true.
She wasn’t as young as she once was. Couldn’t outrun a pissed-off mark the way she once could.
Couldn’t talk her way out of trouble with the cops, now that her rap sheet was half a mile long.
“Are you sure they’ll hire me?” she asked Christie.
“They hired me despite my record. As long as you don’t have any convictions for murder, manslaughter or assault, they consider everything else minor.”
“But we’ll be cleaning rooms with other people’s stuff in it. They’re not afraid we’ll steal something?”
“No. They make you sign a paper where you understand their ‘no second chance’ policy and agree not to sue them for wrongful termination.”
“What’s their ‘no second chance’ policy?”
“That’s what the workers call it. They’ve got a long legal name for it that I can’t remember. But basically it means that the first time you steal from a guest you’ll be fired. And God Himself can’t give you your job back.
The Yellowstone Event (Book 3): A Nation Gone Crazy Page 17
