Escaping Darkness (Book 2): The Cloud

by Richards, E. S.

  THE

  CLOUD

  ESCAPING DARKNESS

  Book 2

  By

  E S Richards

  Mike Kraus

  © 2019 Muonic Press Inc

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  www.MikeKrausBooks.com

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, without the permission in writing from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

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  Special Thanks

  Special thanks to my awesome beta team, without whom this book wouldn’t be nearly as great. Thank you!

  Escaping Darkness Book 3

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  Chapter 1

  With her rucksack fully packed and the maps she spent hours poring over stuffed firmly in her back pocket, Mia was ready to leave. She’d scoured Helena Regional Airport for anything and everything that she deemed valuable and was as equipped as she would ever be to face the terrors that the Yellowstone supervolcanic eruption had inflicted on the world.

  What she was about to walk into was almost certainly the most devastating event of her lifetime. Nothing like this had happened for hundreds of years, the natural disasters destroying areas directly around them, but never the whole world. She remembered watching the footage of the tsunami that had decimated Thailand when she was a child, seeing the houses it had brought to the ground and the hundreds of miles of devastation it left in its wake. She remembered the earthquakes that shook the country during her youth, one that had even woken her in the night as she slept in her bed just outside of Houston. She had run into her parents’ room with tears streaming down her face, begging for the world to stop moving.

  As she got older, Mia visited the sites of many other volcanic eruptions. She’d documented the causes of them, the factors which had contributed to the pivotal moment, and the aftermath that had followed. She’d witnessed close to ten eruptions in total, but none of them had claimed more than a hundred lives at most. None had been newsworthy for more than a couple of days and none had changed the course of human existence.

  This time, Mia knew that wouldn’t be the case. No one was going to be safe and no one was going to be able to escape what had happened. But, despite all the fears and reservations she carried, Mia at least knew she was ready. The same, sadly, could not be said for all of her companions.

  Jorge was a valuable asset. Looking over at her fellow scientist, Mia nodded to him and saw that he looked extremely prepared. Patrick, father to ten-year-old Allie, also looked ready to take on the challenge. He knew he had to do what was best to protect his remaining daughter and as a result he was prepared to take on the world. The farther Mia cast her gaze around the airport lobby, though, the less organized the group became.

  There were five more people who were now also a part of her team. The three college students Mia had previously thought would be an important addition didn’t seem to be taking the mission as seriously as she’d hoped. Jadon, Jesse, and Marcus had all agreed they wanted to leave the airport with everyone else, but while the others had gathered supplies and prepared themselves, they had found an old football and thrown the ball around with little respect for the magnitude of the task they were about to undertake. Mia didn’t care for that kind of attitude and could only hope that once they saw how real things had become outside, they would snap into action as they had when the lahars came.

  For all her faulting of the three boys, Mia still prized their group well above Angelica and Michael. The two airport employees had offered little—except knowledge of where they might find things inside the building. They didn’t seem to care about getting ready to leave, both aware that their hometown would be the first destination on their route and only concerned about getting there. Mia could tell they were both scared, but it angered her that they weren’t acting as team players. They would be offered the protection of the group as they traveled to their hometown, but Mia was determined to ensure that they offered something in return.

  Of everyone within the group, they had been the least enthusiastic when Mia had asked the question of everyone earlier that day, trying to determine who, if anyone, would be accompanying her.

  “I think we should be ready to leave within the hour,” Mia had announced sort of out of the blue, unsure how to break the news that she was leaving. “It’s not safe to stay here and so Jorge and I are going to move out. Anyone who wants to come is welcome to, but I’m not going to force you.”

  There was a pause for several seconds, people looking at each other with questioning eyes, uncertain of what to say.

  “Where are you going?” Jesse had eventually asked. The fact that they couldn’t stay in the airport forever hadn’t escaped him, but he was also unsure how he would make it back to his family on the east coast.

  “In the long-term, back to Texas,” Mia replied as nonchalantly as she could manage. She knew the journey was over two thousand miles and would take them several weeks to make. But no matter how ridiculous it sounded, she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. “But the route will take us through many other cities I’m sure.”

  “Texas?” Angelica interrupted, her voice not masking how stupid she thought Mia’s idea was. “How on earth do you expect to make it there?”

  “However possible.” Mia shrugged, doing her best to ignore the woman’s attitude. “That’s where my family is and I intend to make it back to them.”

  “But you can’t just walk across the country,” Angelica argued. “Especially not after what’s happened.”

  “I know that,” Mia replied, her patience slowly wearing thin. “But I’m going to plan a route and I’m going to find a way. If you don’t want to come, that’s fine; like I said, I’m not going to force you. But,” Mia paused, surveying the room, “I’d highly recommend coming with us if you want to survive.”

  It was a carefully veiled warning, delivered in a way that made it sound threatening—something Mia was perfectly aware of. She wasn’t interested in messing around or trying to convince people. If they didn’t want to come with her that was their choice, but she found them foolish for not understanding she was their best chance for survival. Especially after everything that had already happened.

  “We’ll come,” Patrick announced, gripping his daughter’s hand and stepping forward. “Do you think we could go somewhat close to Seattle? It’d be nice to go home after all of this.”

  “Of course,” Mia smiled at Patrick, grateful for his cooperation.

  “We don’t need escorting back home,” Patrick quickly continued. “But if we could even head in that direction somewhat that would be incredible. I know it’s the wrong way,
but...”

  “No, that’s fine,” Mia stopped the man, wanting to save his pride. “We can’t simply cut across country back to Texas, like I said, so looping through other cities will be necessary. I haven’t got the route completely planned out yet, but I was thinking of traversing the west coast anyway. As important as it is to get home, we also want to discover just how far this eruption has reached.”

  “Thank you,” Patrick beamed, squeezing his daughter’s hand a little tighter. Mia could see how appreciative he really was and was pleased she was able to help. After watching his wife and other daughter drown in the lahars, she felt this was the least she could do for what was left of his family.

  Looking further around the airport lobby, Mia’s eyes settled on the group of three boys. They were nudging each other and whispering quietly, quite clearly trying to come to a decision about what to do. Mia calmed herself and waited, giving them a chance to decide for themselves from the information she had already provided.

  “Okay,” Jesse spoke up again once the whispering had stopped. “We’re in.”

  “Great,” Mia grinned. “Where are you guys headed?”

  “Wherever you are,” the young man replied. “Texas works for us. We’re all from places on the east coast, so that’s basically in the right direction.”

  “Awesome,” Mia grinned again, “it’ll be good to have you on board.”

  With five of the seven now coming with her and Jorge, Mia turned her attention to Angelica and Michael. While Angelica had argued against her idea initially, Mia could see the cogs turning in her head. Michael hadn’t responded at all, but he too had to be aware that the two of them had little hope if they were left in the airport by themselves. So eventually, and without any further words needing to be said by Mia, they both succumbed and agreed to take on the journey as well.

  Despite being able to get everyone to work together, Mia still didn’t feel like she’d assembled a proper team. She found it strange and irritating that Angelica and Michael were so reluctant, especially as they both lived within a few hours’ walk from the airport. Their journey was going to be dangerous no matter how short it was though, and she wanted people around her that she knew she could trust completely.

  Although she had spent her entire life working as a scientist—a career regarded as a relatively solo endeavor—Mia had always understood and valued the importance of teamwork and cooperation. It was something her parents had ingrained into her from a very young age, encouraging the strong and powerful relationship she had shared and treasured with her brother. They had never fought—rare for two children so close in age. Instead their bond had been filled with nothing but love, something she still carried despite Brogan no longer being around. She knew she wouldn’t have reached the point in her life that she was at without his support, and the support of her other family members and friends. They were her team, and while she couldn’t be with them right away, she knew all she needed to do was rally her new team together and that would be enough to get the group on their way.

  “You sure we can do this?” Jorge asked quietly as Mia moved to stand by his side, the appearance of their party not escaping him either. He may not have been as invested in teamwork as Mia was, but he was invested in his own survival and cared very much if he was going to be put at risk by the actions of others around him.

  “We don’t have a choice,” Mia replied, placing her hands on her hips and sighing. “They’ll just have to learn to pull their weight or risk being left behind. We both have places to be and nothing is going to stop me from getting there.”

  “Me neither,” Jorge nodded. “Let’s move out then. I’ll leave the big announcement to you.”

  Mia couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly at her companion. She remembered him avoiding taking blame from time to time in the lab, always eager to make the positive announcements but shying away when something serious or negative had to be said. It wasn’t a characteristic she admired in the Spaniard, but she knew it wasn’t the time to broach the matter. If Jorge didn’t want to blow the starting whistle, she was more than happy to do so in this case. Anything to get her out of the airport and one step closer to reuniting with her family.

  Coughing loudly, Mia cleared her throat in an attempt to attract everyone’s attention. Jorge, Patrick, and Allie were all already looking at her, and thankfully the three boys also turned their heads. Angelica and Michael were sitting farther away and whether they heard Mia or not, they did not turn their heads.

  “Is everyone ready?” Mia asked loudly, raising her voice to a level she knew no one would be able to ignore. Even the former airport employees took note then, looking up from the game of cards they had been playing. No one answered though, the question seeming mostly rhetorical. Mia looked back over her shoulder at Jorge who shrugged slightly, gesturing for her to continue.

  “It’s time to go,” she continued, keeping her voice steady and her tone firm. Mia wasn’t in the mood to deal with nonsense or disagreements. She’d spoken to the group once before and they had all agreed they wanted to join her and Jorge on their journey. If anyone had changed their mind now, then that was fine, and she wasn’t going to try and persuade them otherwise. “Gather your things and follow me.”

  Mia didn’t look back over her shoulder to find out if people were following her or not. She just started walking, heading for the exit and securing her rucksack firmly over her shoulders while pulling a thick scarf up over her nose and mouth. For a few seconds, all she heard was the sound of her own two feet and breathing, but then bodies started to move behind her. They were coming. Finally, she was leading her team out into the aftermath of the disaster.

  After only ten minutes of walking, they had all been reminded of exactly how serious things were.

  Chapter 2

  “What’s in this one?”

  Riley held another old photo album up to her grandma, enjoying going through all the old books they had uncovered in the spare back bedroom. She’d found old report cards for her and Chase when they were younger, drawings they had scribbled when they were barely able to hold a crayon and pictures from their early days. The one she held in her hand now looked more recent, an absence of tattered edges and layers of dust signifying it hadn’t been shelved for more than a couple of years.

  “Give it here,” Linda smiled, enjoying the time she was sharing with her granddaughter. “Let me have a look.”

  It was peaceful to have some time not thinking about what was going on outside, even though it was always at the back of everyone’s minds. That was the whole reason they were sorting out the back bedroom, really. The hole in the roof above Riley’s room was growing bigger and bigger and so they had decided to move her out of there until Chase could fix the roof. The move had been quite distracting though, and instead of organizing and clearing things away like they were supposed to, Riley and Linda found themselves sitting back on their heels as they reminisced about times gone by.

  “This is the most recent album I think,” Linda spoke softly, flicking through a few pages and seeing photographs taken no more than two years ago. “It’s got ones from that trip we all took to Cancun.”

  “Ooh, let me see!” Riley exclaimed, reaching forward and taking the album from her grandmother. What she hadn’t expected to see in her excitement was a picture of her dead parents staring back at her. They looked exactly like she remembered them, the vacation only a few months before they died. In an instant all the excitement faded from her and Riley was trapped in the memory of what she had lost.

  It felt like only a matter of days since she had been running around the pool with her mom and dad at that hotel they’d stayed at. It had been such an incredible trip; Grandma and Grandpop had come too, along with Mia of course. Together, the seven of them had spent nine wonderful days playing games in the sun, swimming and diving in the sea, and exploring the local area. None of them would have even considered that it’d be the last trip they made, Riley’s parents’ liv
es ending just a few short months later.

  Thinking back to all the memories she had shared with them, Riley winced again as she remembered how she had refused to say goodbye to her mom before she left. It was her biggest regret in life and one she would never forget. But she also knew she had thousands of happy memories she should focus on instead. There were the swim meets they had always attended, cheering her on from the crowd. The barbeques they’d hosted in the summer, all their friends and neighbors gathering in their backyard and celebrating the Fourth of July like it was meant to be done.

  Then there were the quieter moments, the ones that Riley realized she treasured the most. The times when it was just the four of them, no one else around and no other distractions. Just Riley, Chase, and their parents—a proper family—like they were supposed to be.

  “Please, Mom,” Riley begged, holding on to her mother’s arm with both hands and trying to drag the woman back. “Please can we go in?”

  “No, come on, Riley,” Lauren sighed, “you’ve already done enough today. It’s time to go home.”

  “Aw please,” Riley whined. “It won’t take long.”

  “What does she want to do now?” Brogan laughed as he and Chase approached, their giant sticks of cotton candy finally disposed of. “The hall of mirrors, eh?”

  “Can we, Dad?” Riley turned her attention to her father, hoping to have more luck with him. “It’s the only thing we haven’t seen.”

  “The only thing?!” Brogan put a hand over his mouth in pretend shock, making Riley giggle. “At the rate you’ve been dragging us around this park, I can definitely believe that.”

  “So we can go in?”

  “All right,” Brogan smiled. “Let’s make it quick though. Your mom is right; we should be getting home soon. There’s school in the morning, remember.”

  “Yay!” Riley exclaimed, ignoring the latter part of what her dad had said. It was the final day of summer and she was determined to enjoy it to the fullest. The day had been perfect so far. The last day of the traveling circus had finally come around and she had been determined to do every ride and every experience just one more time. Even though they’d been twice already over the summer, there was nothing like the very last ride and she wanted to make it count.