CAZine

By Jeremy Essen

Chapter Three

Old Faithful Geyser

West Yellowstone National Park

9:22 am

An overpowering smell of brimstone and charred meat began to drift in through the open windows of the Silverado. Johnny gagged on the odor as he quickly rolled up them up. He could see flashing lights emanating through the thick ash from the ambulances and the Ranger patrol trucks. Johnny parked the truck and slowly got out of it.  Emily quickly did the same and helped Johnny.

“P.E.T.E,” Johnny said as the little robot crawled out of his pocket.

“ Yeah boss?”

“Grab two masks out of the storage case underneath my chair before we can breathe in any of this shit.”

“Got it.” The silvery orb disappeared behind the driver’s seat. P.E.T.E returned quickly from behind the seat with two paper masks clasped in his tiny claws.  Johnny and Emily quickly put them before any more of the ash could intrude in their air space. Johnny grasped Emily’s shoulder as she slid it under his armpit. They slowly made their way over to the flashing lights.

            When Johnny and Emily reached the other ranger trucks, they tried to find a place where Johnny could lean.

“There.” Johnny gasped as pain racked his body. Emily looked left and saw a charred husk of what looked liked a pine tree. They limped as quickly as they could; Johnny’s legs kept refusing to cooperate.  Emily struggled to drag the now limp form of Johnny across what might have been a parking lot. They reached the burnt tree, and Emily more than a little gruffly, placed her painful burden against the former producer of oxygen. Johnny grasped the tree just in time to avoid breaking his nose against the crispy bark.

“ Jesus, Em!” Johnny shouted as the bark dug itself in his skin.

“Oh, quit bitchin’ and moanin’. Stay here. I’m going to go take care of damage control before those assholes from state get here and try to manage this goddamned disaster.”

She sighed heavily and slowly made her way through the ashen air towards the flashing lights. Johnny watched her disappear into the unnatural mist with a growing sense of dread. He could the breathe of a wind pushing through the gray air. Good he thought. Now maybe we can get something done before this damn thing escalates any further.

The smelled of brimstone and seared flesh began to poke through the paper mask. Johnny closed his eyes and began to breathe through his mouth to avoid the stench. It couldn’t be avoided. The stench forced itself into Johnny’s nostrils, making his eyes water and bile rise precariously up his throat. Johnny tried to look up at the gray orb in the sky that was the sun but was instead greeted by the charred branches of the tree.  P.E.T.E clung to the bark of the tree, perched close to Johnny’s shoulder. He stared at the branches of the tree; they seemed familiar in a very eerie way.  The gentle breeze weaved through the charred twigs causing them to rustle. Johnny shivered. The suffocating mist cleared briefly, allowing precious rays of sunlight to find the ground and illuminate the scene of destruction briefly.