CHAPTER EIGHT

  Doug Snyder watched the activity developing under Yellowstone. The quake was small, not even registering a full three point zero, but it was in the exact spot to affect the geological makeup of the springs running through the Upper Geyser Basin. Sensors detected a faint disruption, more of a ripple than largescale activity, to the groundwater. Had he not been watching, waiting specifically for this clue, it would have gone unnoticed.

  He scanned the surface water data with bated breath, searching for similar anomalies. One source in particular came from a gage flow tracker along Myriad Creek. It read zero. I should report this directly to Beau, he realized, but there was no time. He picked up the phone and made a call that could get him fired.

  “Yellowstone Ranger Station,” the woman’s voice on the other line replied.

  “This is Doug Snyder, seismologist with the United States Geological Survey,” he explained.

  “How can I help you, Doug?”

  “You just had an earthquake, not large, but focused within the upper geyser basin. You need to get everyone out of that section of the park immediately!”

  “Sir, we receive calls from concerned citizens often, mostly regarding the park’s location over an inactive super volcano. I assure you that our scientists monitor data every single day, and there’s no danger to the park or our visitors.”

  Doug placed his free hand against his temples, massaging out the ignorance he had just heard. Forcing his nerves to calm, he asked, “What’s your name?”

  “Ranger Stewart,” the woman replied.

  “Ranger Stewart,” he explained, “I am not merely a concerned citizen. I am one of those scientists monitoring your data every day as you put it, and now I’m telling you there’s imminent danger to the park. You need to clear the visitors from the geyser basin.”

  There was a pause on the line. “I’m not authorized to do that,” the woman said.

  “Then connect me to someone who can,” he demanded.

  “Please hold.”

  Hurry, he thought, willing urgency to the people on the other end of the line. He waited impatiently, tapping his fingers and fidgeting in his chair while his blood pressure continued to rise. Time was of the essence and every second mattered.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a male voice answered. “This is Ranger Tedesco. Ms. Stewart filled me in, but I’m not sure how we can help. If you’re USGS, aren’t there official channels to follow?”

  “We don’t have time for official channels,” Doug insisted. “Listen! Send someone to the Myriad Creek gage southeast of Old Faithful visitor center. Verify it’s even flowing!”

  “I can dispatch someone, but I don’t understand why that’s a problem.”

  Snyder sighed with exasperation. “Because the last earthquake rerouted the ground water flow. You’re sitting atop a pressure cooker, Ranger Tedesco!”

*****

  Bryan hurried his family to the ranger station and read the sign. They had made it. Old Faithful, the park’s most famous geyser was part of the reason he had dragged his family to the park. He’d wanted to see it since he was the same age as the twins. He checked his watch. The naturalist predicted the next eruption to occur in less than ten minutes.

  “Let’s go,” he urged.

  “We’re coming! Calm down,” Linda laughed, “you sound silly.”

  “If we miss this one then we’ll have to wait between one to two hours for the next.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  He glanced at his kids and smiled. They were actually paying attention to the sights around them, instead of hiding their noses in smartphones. He grabbed his wife’s hand and squeezed. This is the best vacation ever, he thought, and my family needs it. When she had sold the Martin’s home, they both decided they would use the commission to take a trip. Both their jobs had been stressful, and they’d been wound tight as a couple. Even the kids had been bored at home during fall break and needed something stimulating before school resumed in another week.

  A large crowd had gathered near the roped off section and listened intently to the ranger telling the story of the attraction. “Old Faithful erupts around twenty times a day,” he said, “and we can predict eruptions based on the time and height of the last.” He gestured behind him. “Although the average height is one hundred thirty-five feet, it is not uncommon to see a plume reach one hundred and eighty.”

  The crowd “ooed” and “awed” and one person asked, “How accurate are your predictions?”

  “Good question,” the ranger responded. “We have a ninety percent accuracy with give or take ten minutes each time.”

  Seth walked up to his father and tapped his arm. When Bryan turned the boy asked, “What’s this again?”

  “Old Faithful’s a geyser. Hot water will spew up from that hole in the ground and make a fountain over one hundred feet tall.”

  “That’s pretty badass,” the teen responded.

  “It really is,” Bryan agreed.

  “How does it work?”

  “We’re standing atop a giant volcano. Scientists call it a super volcano. The magma underneath us heats up pockets of water and, when the gases build up pressure, the water sprays into the air.”

  Seth suddenly looked worried. “What if the entire thing erupts? Why the hell did you bring us to a volcano,” he asked.

  Bryan laughed, “It isn’t due to erupt for another one hundred thousand years or so. We’re fine.”

  They made it to the railing and joined the crowd. Five minutes remained. He decided to make a game of it. “Let’s make bets. I say that it will erupt right on time.”

  Linda jumped at that. “Five dollars says it’s early.”

  Bryan asked Seth, “What about you kids?”

  “Late,” they both agreed.

  A few minutes later and no eruption. “Well, honey, it looks like you and I both lost.” He pulled out two fives and handed one to each twin.

  Several more minutes passed and then Suzy spoke up. “This is taking forever.” She grabbed her brother’s hand and dragged him away. “Come on, let’s go film TikToks.” She pointed to a grassy area further down the path. “We can see it just as well from there as here,” she said.

  Bryan watched them run off. “What are we doing wrong?”

  Linda knew what he meant and responded immediately. “Nothing at all. That’s normal teenage behavior.” She laughed as Suzy tied her shirt into a crop top and hiked her shorts higher.

  “That’s normal?” Bryan shook his head, “She spends more time dancing and shaking her hips in front of that phone than she does reading. We’re going to have a generation of imbeciles if they don’t pull their faces out of those electronics.”

  “Our parents also thought we were doomed for similar reasons, don’t forget.”

  By now Suzy was dancing while her brother filmed. Bryan shook his head and checked his watch. The geyser was fifteen minutes late. He moved closer to the ranger. Several people in the crowd voiced their speculations, but the man kept reassuring them.

  “This happens sometimes. Remember our predictions are plus or minus ten minutes, but we also sometimes get it wrong,” he said.

  The earth abruptly rumbled beneath their feet, shaking the park and causing people to hold onto railings or each other for balance. All around them people screamed but the tremor only lasted a few seconds. After it subsided everyone broke out in laughter except Bryan. He looked toward the ranger.

  The man seemed worried, but quickly went to work reassuring the crowd around him. “That happens, too, sometimes. Although rare, earthquakes do happen in the park.”

  A blood curdling scream turned every head except Bryan’s. It had come from the direction of Seth and Suzy, and he refused to turn out of fear of what he’d see. No, he pleaded, let them be safe! But a second scream joined the first, so close it caused his ears to ring. This he recognized as Linda’s and the piercing shrill confirmed what he already knew. Their children were in danger. As he slowly turned, he realized a new geyser had formed away from Old Faithful, spewing boiling water from a fresh crack in the field of stark green grass beneath their feet.

  The steaming torrent rained down upon both of the children, burning their hair and melting away flesh. Suzy had been the source of that scream, but had since fallen silent as unbelieving eyes stared down at the smoldering bones that were once hands. They gripped her phone and refused to send it to the grass like Seth’s, with its single lens recording the event or broadcasting live their torment.

  Soon, the crowd fell into hysterics, pushing back to flee the heat emanating from the scorched field. Next to Bryan, Linda tried to push through the multitude of bodies now shoving them both toward the exit. Hellbent on saving her children, the mother clawed against the onslaught, but Bryan grabbed her arms and pulled her toward him. He buried her face in his chest as his own eyes locked on their children, knowing there was nothing anyone could do until after the water finished raining down. There was nothing to do, except watch his children die.