AU Fic: Hellfire, Part 1

[cloversworld]

Title: HELLFIRE
Fandom: American Idol (Season 7)
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Death of some minor characters; swear words - lots of them
Read DISCLAIMER

Masterpost

1 -
I'm falling through an empty void



It happened in a split second. Cook felt the earth move from beneath his feet. Then long silence followed. As if time had stopped. The world was calm. Still.

Shallow, restrained breathing was all Cook could hear. Everyone seemed afraid to disturb the mantle of tranquility that draped around the area. It was too quiet that the sound of Cook’s heartbeat echoed in his ears.

They all remained stock-still. Listening. Waiting.

Then just like that, the peaceful scene was disrupted.

The ground shook, vibrating violently. Cook scrabbled for something to hold onto and keep him upright. And fuck. It was almost like… like the earth had turned into a snow globe that was being shaken by a child. There was nothing his eyes could focus on. Everything around him was moving, swaying rampantly.

Screams ripped through the air. People were running amuck. Blurred images of men, women and children went past him. It took great effort for Cook to focus on the task that had to be done. First, he ordered his team to vacate the premises. Once he was certain he got everyone out, he activated the machines to record the seismic activities and send data back to the main headquarters.

“Dave! C’mon! We have to get out of here!” His colleague and best friend, Andy Skib, stood by the doorway, bracing himself against the frame.

Cook didn’t waste another second. He grabbed his backpack and headed out, following Andy to a black, four-wheel drive vehicle parked right outside the two-story building that had housed Cook and his team of researchers for the last four months.

It had started raining mud. Anytime now she would fucking go off, Cook thought. He mentally cursed himself for thinking they would have enough time to get out. But it was too late to regret why he didn’t join the earlier evacuation.

“Did everyone make it out?” Cook had to make sure his team members were safe and when Andy gave a quick nod, Cook slid quickly into the driver side. He could hear the volcano’s rumbling, could feel the ground trembling underneath them.

“We’re the only ones left,” Andy said while buckling his seat belt. Cook paused for a moment, thinking of how adorable it was for Andy to still manage to do what was proper, even in the middle of such a chaotic event. “The rest managed to cross the bridge, at least that’s what Carly said before the radio went off.”

“How bad is it?” Cook was about to look out the window but a large burning rock, half the size of their vehicle, dropped only inches away from where they were still parked. “Fuck!”

“I guess it’s that bad?” Andy said, sounding half amused and half terrified.

Cook stepped on the gas and drove out of the lot, stealing glances at the rear view mirror. The black rain had created a curtain that cloaked the village and he could only see shadows of people running for their lives. Burning rocks were dropping from the sky. The flames that rose from them consumed houses and buildings. And Cook could clearly see the ground had started to crack open.

“Shit.” Cook turned the steering wheel abruptly to avoid the rain of blazing rocks, making the vehicle swerve along the foggy road. Then a deafening sound rose from somewhere behind them, and he felt a rush of hot wind against his skin through the vehicle’s opened window. The muddy rain had gotten thick and black smoke descended upon them, making it even more difficult for Cook to see the road clearly.

A small fire-covered rock had hit the vehicle’s hood, making Cook step on the brake on impulse. The vehicle lurched before it came to a complete halt, throwing half of his body against the wheel, the seat belt cutting through his torso.

Pain shot right through his head and shoulders and Cook could feel something warm trickling down the side of his face. He raised his head and noticed that the windshield had shattered. He turned to ask Andy if he was all right but his breath hitched at what he saw.

Andy’s eyes were wide open, his mouth parted, a shard of glass was stuck on the side of his neck, his shirt covered in blood. Andy was dead.

Another shrill sound cut through Cook’s hearing and he bolted upright in bed, his head pounding. His eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light. He could feel his heart beating rapidly, his skin sticky from sweat. The high-pitched sound came again and Cook blinked to clear the fogginess from his eyes, belatedly realizing that it was his phone ringing. Before he could move though, the ringing had stopped.

Fuck. He gingerly ran a hand over his face. He had another dream. Three years had passed since Andy died but there were still nights when Cook dreamed of that dreadful accident.

Music blasted through the silence, giving Cook another start. He felt around his bed for his cell phone, knowing that he’d fallen asleep talking to his brother last night. It must be an emergency. A quick glance at the clock told him it was almost four in the morning. No one would dare call him on both his home phone and cell phone at such ungodly hour.

“Yeah,” he said, pressing the phone against his ear.

“Dave.” The voice instantly grabbed his attention. “I have a job for you.” The tone was adamant, commanding, and even if it was normal for Simon Cowell to speak that way, there was an edge to the manner in which he spoke. Cook could tell that whatever Simon’s purpose was, it involved something deeply serious.

Two hours later, Cook found himself sauntering through the corridors of the Los Angeles Volcanic and Seismic Research Facility, a division of the U.S. Geological Survey. It had only been ten months since he had returned to work after spending a couple of years completing courses in Computer and Advance Technology. He’d hoped to steer his life to a different direction but it was to no avail. A run-in with a former colleague brought him back to the job that caused him to lose someone that meant more than his own life.

Simon was considerate enough to grant Cook his request to focus on research and stay indoors so he hadn’t really returned to the field to which he was more accustomed. But today, Cook had a feeling that all of that would change, especially when Simon specifically instructed him to proceed to the briefing room instead of Simon’s office.

Cook could see through the smoked glass walls that some members of his former research team were already inside the small room. Carly had seen him and waved, beckoning him to enter so Cook knew there was no turning back.

Simon looked up from the paper he was perusing with Michael Johns when Cook entered. “Dave,” Simon greeted. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Why don’t you take a seat?”

“I’d rather stand, if you don’t mind.” Cook cringed inwardly at the bite on his own voice, but seeing Michael, Carly and Jason wasn’t a good sign that he would like what Simon had to say.

“Very well,” Simon said, taking a sip from a cup with a Starbucks logo. “I’ll go straight to the point.”

“Please do.” Cook could tell Simon was trying his best not to snap back. He watched Simon gather some pieces of paper from the table before handing them to him.

“I know you still prefer to stay indoors but…” The hesitance in Simon’s voice was obtrusive, but Cook held back any snide remarks forming in his head and waited for his superior to continue. “We’ve picked up seismic activities in a town near Salt Lake City in Utah. The initial vibration seemed to originate from Fuller’s Peak in Murray.”

“Fuller’s Peak? You’re joking, right?” Cook pulled his brows together in disbelief. “I thought that had been dormant for nearly three thousand years.”

“Apparently, our little volcano has woken up.” Simon handed him another set of papers that contained a topographical view of the mountain. “A shift on the earth’s core has been detected along the mountainous region in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.” Simon went on explaining the discreet change in the climate for the past year.

After Simon went through the entire report, Cook shrugged and said, “I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”

Simon cleared his throat, exchanged looks with Michael, leaned on the oval table, and locked gazes with Cook. “You’re one of the best on field-“

“No.” Cook did not need to hear the rest of what Simon had to say. There was no fucking way he was going back to fieldwork. It was one of the conditions he had resolutely thrown in place when he was offered a position at the facility.

“Please Cook, just hear what Simon has to say,” Carly finally spoke, her eyes boring holes right through Cook’s forehead.

Jason opened his mouth but closed it quickly and looked as if he was debating whether or not to speak. When he didn’t utter a word, Cook’s eyes shifted to Michael.

“You need to get out there, mate.” A tinge of resoluteness laced Michael’s voice. “It’s time to fucking face your fears or whatever shit’s going through your head.”

Cook met Simon’s gaze once more, Simon looked impassive and Cook couldn’t read his expression anymore. When Simon said, “Just hear me out, Dave,” Cook felt something break inside him and he sank into a chair. A single nod was all he could offer.

=0=

Murray was buzzing with activities when Cook arrived. He heard that the town was celebrating some sort of annual festival.

Simon had arranged for him to stay at the bed and breakfast inn owned by the town’s mayor. The mayor, as Cook had been told, was expected to attend to some guests from a certain magazine so the responsibility to see to Cook’s needs was passed on to the mayor’s personal assistant instead.

Once he went past the gates of the arrival area in the Salt Lake City airport, he immediately saw a blonde woman holding up a sign with his name stylishly written on it. “You must be Brooke White,” Cook said when he approached, offering a hand.

“Mr. Cook,” Brooke said, taking his hand for a shake. “Welcome to Salt Lake City.” She turned, gesturing for Cook to follow. “The mayor sends an apology for not being able to attend to you personally.”

“Oh. No apologies needed. I was told about the scheduled festivities.” Cook followed her out of the airport. A warm breeze greeted him. “Is it normally this warm in early March?”

“Not really.” Brooke led him to a lime-colored sedan. After Cook placed his luggage inside the trunk, he slipped into the passenger side. “It’s funny, you know, “ Brooke said as she started the engine. “Just last week, we had snow drizzling across Murray, but it suddenly started getting warm last Wednesday.”

“What about earthquakes?” Cook studied the areas they drove through. He took note of the buildings, roads, and bridges, tucking it all in the back of his mind, knowing through experience that being aware of these details often came in handy.

“We had a little one early this week. Monday, I believe” was Brooke’s response.

“Little one?”

Brooke shrugged. “The mayor thinks it’s nothing to be alarmed about. We were told it barely reached a magnitude of two.”

“What do you think?” Cook noticed that they had turned from the main road and were cruising through a curving path. There were fewer buildings now and the mountains were in closer view.

“I think it’s weird since we don’t normally have earthquakes in this part of the state.” Brooke had taken a matter-of-fact tone, adding that the last earthquake they had on record had been more than fifty years before and it was too low on the Richter scale to even be remembered. “Do you think we should expect some kind of catastrophe, Mr. Cook?”

“Dave.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Please. Call me Dave.”

Brooke made an almost indistinct snort and when Cook turned to her, his eyebrow arched in question, she just shook her head, saying, “We have a lot of ‘Davids’ and ‘Daves’ in town. My husband, for one. But most people call him Dave Ray. The mayor’s eldest son’s name is also David, but we’ve gotten used to calling him ‘Archie’, which is short for his last name. I think it’s a nickname he earned from school.”

“Well in that case, call me Cook. My teammates do anyway.”

After they crossed a bridge, they went past a sign that said: ‘Welcome to Murray, Utah.’

Whatever Brooke was saying at the time was left unheeded because Cook got distracted with what his eyes had caught through Brooke’s window. “Is that…” Cook paused, his eyes surveying the landscape.

Brooke might have read Cook’s mind. “That’s Fuller’s Peak, alright,” she said before Cook could speak any further.

It wasn’t as relatively high as the Oquirrh Mountains that stretched along the borders of the Salt Lake County. The difference could clearly be determined since Fuller’s Peak was capped with little snow unlike the mountains that stood behind it. From afar, it looked peaceful. Cook hoped it remained that way for the town’s sake.

They turned onto a road filled with people meandering along the sides and even in the middle of the road. Brooke had to press on the car horn several times to get people to move aside. “Looks like you’re in for quite a celebration this weekend” was Cook’s observation.

“First time the town’s got recognized for something,” Brooke said, easing the car to a stop in front of a diner. “We’ve been named the most progressive town by the National Economy Magazine. The mayor is probably receiving the award right about now. You could talk to her afterwards.”

“Remind me to congratulate the mayor,” Cook said, and as an afterthought, he added, “I guess I need to congratulate you and the rest of the town’s residents too.”

Brooke laughed, sounding amused. “You don’t need to concern yourself with formalities, Mr. - I mean Cook. You were sent here for a purpose, so I’m pretty sure the mayor will appreciate it more if you focus on making sure our town is still safe to live in.” She got out of the car and Cook followed suit.

The municipal hall was right behind the building that housed some of the small dining establishments and some souvenir shops. There was a small stage several meters from the main entrance where a woman stood behind a lectern and was giving a speech about hard work and economic crisis and some other things that did not register in Cook’s mind.

“Let’s wait here,” Brooke said as they stopped near the stairs leading up to the stage area.

Rhythmic applause rippled through the audience and Cook was prompted to clap his hands as well, belatedly realizing that the woman was done with the speech. He watched the woman dip her head in a cursory bow and take a plaque from the lectern before turning to the gentlemen beside her. Everyone on the stage shook hands and the woman who gave the speech was then led from the stage, a wide smile graced her face when she spotted Brooke.

“Hi Brooke,” the woman greeted and her eyes turned to Cook. She held out a hand to Cook, saying, “You must be Mr. David Cook, from L.A?”

Cook took her hand while Brooke spoke from beside him. “Cook, this is Mayor Archuleta-“

But the mayor was quick to interrupt politely. “Please, call me Lupe.”

“I will if you call me Dave. Or Cook, if it’s easier,” Cook said, his voice held a flirtatious tone. He gripped lightly on the woman’s hand, shaking it genially, before pulling back and shoving his hand into his pant pocket.

“I suppose I’m free for the rest of the afternoon to show you around,” Lupe said, gazing at Brooke questioningly, to which Brooke acknowledged with a single nod.

“I can do it for you, Lupe, if you wish, so you can keep your afternoon free to spend time with the kids,” Brooke offered, her Blackberry at the ready.

“That’s okay, Brooke,” Lupe said, waving a hand as if to dismiss the subject. “Jeff’s got the younger ones for the day and David actually offered to drive me around.” Then she turned to Cook, the smile never leaving her face. “I suppose your boss had told you that you will be staying at our inn while you’re here.”

Cook nodded his acknowledgment.

“It’s not much, but I can assure you that it’s as close to home as you can get,” Lupe added.

“Thank you.” Cook wanted to say more, the words of congratulations for the town’s accomplishment died in his throat, however, when a young man who resembled Lupe a little came up to them.

“Hey mom!”

“David!” The young man gathered Lupe in his arms briefly then pulled back and gave a peck on her cheek. “How did the awarding thing go?”

“You would have found it boring, I’m sure.” Lupe shifted her attention back to Cook. “This is my eldest son, David,” she said, her arm still wrapped around her son’s waist. Then she turned to her son and went on introducing Cook. “He’s a geologist from some science research division in Los Angeles. “

“I’m a volcanologist, actually,” Cook corrected, his eyes shifting from the mayor to her son.

“Volcanologist?” Lupe’s son had his brows furrowed, but then he shrugged and offered a hand. “I guess you can call me Archie, since we have the same name and all.” And he gave a short laugh that sent Cook’s heart fluttering.

Cook took the offered hand, and as soon as his skin came in contact with Archie’s, tiny frissons shot right through his arm all the way to the back of his neck. “And uhm… you can call me Cook.” He barely heard his voice, but then Archie repeated his name out loud so Cook knew he must’ve been perceptible enough.

Archie turned out to be quite an animated talker like his mom. They had given Cook a quick overview of the town’s history and current events on their way to the Archuleta’s Bed and Breakfast Inn, just a few blocks away from the main shopping district.

Lupe had insisted that Cook get settled first and promised to have their inn keeper, Syesha, prepare a late lunch for him before they head back out on the road. “Plus I need to get out of this suit. It’s quite uncomfortable if I may be honest,” Lupe admitted before she left to drive home, leaving Cook with Archie, who happened to be taking up residence at the small inn.

“So what’s a volcanologist doing in this part of the country?” Archie asked when he brought fresh towels to Cook’s room. “There isn’t any volcano around here, as far as I know.”

“How long have you been living here?” Cook tried not to meet Archie’s gaze. Not after he’d been enthralled by the depths of Archie’s eyes earlier. As much as Cook hated labels, hated giving himself one, there wasn’t any doubt in his mind that Archie, like him, batted for the other side.

“Since I was nine, we moved here from Florida.” Archie moved to the window to part the curtains and let streaks of sunlight into the room. “So this year marks our twelfth year, I guess.”

“It’s either you weren’t paying attention to your history or geology class, if you had one,” Cook started. “Or the town has completely forgotten what Fuller’s Peak really is.”

“Fuller’s Peak?” Archie sounded much like Cook did when Simon told him about the small mountain.

“Yeah.” Cook kept his eyes on his duffle bag, debating whether to bring a jacket or settle with the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. “It’s a dormant volcano.” He made a mistake of turning to Archie, whose face was lined with confusion. “It means it’s been sleeping for thousands of years.”

“And you’re here because…” Archie seemed to be fishing for information but Cook didn’t have any to offer. Not yet at least.

“I honestly don’t know.” It wasn’t a lie. Cook had theories, but it was best to keep them to his self and not risk raising a false alarm to a town that had just received a ‘Most Progressive Town’ award. “I was just sent here to investigate the small seismic activities that our monitoring devices picked up a week ago.”

Archie didn’t press on further, but there was a shadow of interest that went past his eyes. And Cook had a gnawing feeling that if he did end up staying in Murray, there would be more than volcano and earthquake problems he might have to deal with.

=0=

The sun was still up when they hit the road. Archie did as he had promised his mom and drove her and Cook around. He didn’t know why having Cook at the passenger side made him nervous, but he couldn’t stop fidgeting on his own seat. And he had no clue why his mom had insisted on riding at the backseat in the first place.

Oh gosh. Maybe his mom had noticed the way he looked at Cook. He couldn’t help it since Cook looked so… so-

The sound of a familiar ring tone broke through Archie’s musing. He heard his mom utter, “No, he’s not with me” and “I thought he’s supposed to be with you.” Archie presumed that she was speaking to his dad. When she had hung up, she muttered, “Dang.” That was enough to give Archie a hunch as to what the phone call was about.

“Let me guess,” Archie said, glancing at the rear view mirror to speak to his mom. “It’s Daniel.”

“Yeah.” His mom sighed before she went on saying that it was Archie’s dad who called to say that Daniel was missing. Again. It wasn’t anything new. His brother had been purposely doing things that often set their parents’ on edge ever since they got divorced.

“I think I know where he is,” Archie told his mom. He glanced at Cook briefly before turning his gaze back on the road. “Uhm… do you mind if we do a little detour?” This was so embarrassing because… because Cook’s a stranger and he didn’t need to be dragged along in the middle of their family crisis and… Dang it. “I’m sorry. It’s just… well, my brother sort of loves to get in trouble.”

“It’s okay.” The sound of Cook’s voice - deep, but melodic and rough around the edge - somehow made Archie’s heart leap, despite the tension he could feel building up from the back seat.

They drove onto a narrowed path that led to an abandoned mine. “Uhm…” Archie was compelled to explain where they were when he noticed the confused look on Cook’s face. “This is where Daniel usually hides.”

Archie was almost startled out of his seat when his mom yelled, “Daniel!” And he saw her pulling her head back in through the open window when he glanced at the rear view mirror once more. “Mijo, can you sound the horn, please?” Lupe said, her eyes fixed on Archie’s. When Archie did what he was asked, three boys soon came through the double doors, one of them was his brother. “Get in the car right this instant!” The authoritative tone his mom had taken made Archie cringe, and he felt bad for Daniel at that moment.

Lupe rattled on about discipline and… and… Archie just turned his attention to Cook. “Sorry,” he said and smiled timidly before shifting the SUV into reverse.

They drove up to the mountains. Lupe kept apologizing to Cook for the delay. “My ex-husband has something to attend to in the city so I need to make an unscheduled stop at his place to pick up my daughters,” she explained after she had introduced Cook to Daniel.

Driving through the winding path that settled against the mountainside was something Archie enjoyed doing. The scene was simply breathtaking. Seeing nothing but trees, streams, rivers and intricate landscape untouched by technology still left him in awe.

Soon, they came upon a series of cottages that stood several meters apart, nestled along the lakeshore. Archie eased the Escape Hybrid into one of the short driveways. “We’re here,” he voiced out the obvious once he brought the vehicle to a full stop in front of his dad’s cottage. But Cook took the cue, anyhow, and stepped out. Archie spied his sisters running out to meet their mom who was a few steps away from the front porch.

When Archie got out of the car, he heard Cook say, “My, my. This is beautiful,” and saw Cook gazing out over the lake that stretched out lazily before them, with hands on his hips.

Instead of following his mom and siblings inside, he went over to where Cook stood. “I know, right?” Archie paused beside Cook, eyes likewise focused on the water. “It’s at its best during summer.”

“Hmm. I would love to be here then” was what Cook said next and Archie knew Cook only meant to be polite, right? But… but the way Cook had said it tightened the knots in Archie’s stomach. And he wasn’t that naïve, okay? So Archie certainly didn’t miss the fact that what Cook said somehow sounded… well, suggestive.

It wasn’t anything new. Archie had dealt with forward guys before. There had been a lot of that in college. But Archie was still figuring out if Cook uhm… preferred guys too. So he wasn’t entirely sure whether Cook meant to flirt or whatever. He threw a furtive glance over at Cook, smiling diffidently.

One corner of Cook’s mouth curled up into a half smile, and his eyes, deep green swirling with golden streaks, looked straight into Archie’s own. Archie’s heartbeat picked up pace and he thought he felt the earth move underneath his feet. Then he felt something warm wrap around his arm, and when he looked down, he realized Cook’s was holding him.

“Did you boys feel that?” Lupe’s voice pulled Archie out of his daze.

And Archie uttered, “Huh?” at the same time Cook spoke, “I did.”

“Nah, that’s nothing to be alarmed about.” Archie’s dad stepped down from the porch, waving a hand as if to emphasize what he’d said. ‘You must be the volcanologist Lupe told me about. David Cook, right?” He held out a hand to Cook. “Name’s Jeff.” Then they started talking about minor quakes and what?

Archie felt completely at a loss, especially when his sister, Jazzy, came up to him and asked, “Did you feel the earthquake?”

He almost said ‘no’ but then he knew he’d either sound stupid or be obvious that he was distracted by… by something, so Archie had to lie. “Yeah. Wow. That was something, wasn’t it?”

But then Jazzy rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, “Archie, that was hardly something. It was like… it happened for about two seconds,” then spun on her heel and walked away.

Archie thoughtfully counted up to ten to regain his composure. With his two sisters and younger brother now in tow, Archie drove them all up to the other side of the lake surrounding Fuller’s peak, where Cook wanted to go first.

Once they’ve reached their destination, his sisters, Jazzy and Amber, hopped out and started roaming around with their mom right behind them. Before Archie could follow Cook, who had gone ahead toward the water, Daniel caught up with him.

“Saw the way you looked at him.” The rise and fall in Daniel’s tone clearly meant he was teasing. “Archie’s got a boyfriend,” Daniel sung and before Archie could retaliate, he went off, sprinting toward their sisters.

Choosing to ignore the giggles that his sisters shared, his brother’s smug expression, and their mother’s knowing look, Archie joined Cook at the shore.

It took nearly a year for Archie’s family to accept his sexuality and even then, he wasn’t certain how they would feel if ever he had a boyfriend. He’d had casual dates, but hadn’t really gotten into a serious relationship. His older sister, Claudia, had been trying to hook him up with her friends from New York, where she now lived.

“Hey,” he said casually, when he reached Cook’s side. Cook held a flask and Archie watched him dip it into the river. “What are you doing?”

“I need to test the water’s acidity level,” Cook explained, pouring some of the water into a handheld gadget.

Archie watched the numbers on the device change. “Is it bad?” he said, noticing the creases on Cook’s forehead.

“I dunno.” Cook shrugged. “I’ll have to send this back to the main headquarters so they can compare this from the readings they took months ago.” Cook’s eyes wandered around the area. “Would you know when those trees died?” He pointed at the trees in the distance.

“Not sure.” Archie never really paid too much attention to such details. “Maybe they died during winter?” A small groan of disappointment escaped Archie’s mouth when he heard his mom and sisters approaching.

“Can we go the hot springs, mom? Please” came Amber’s voice and Jazzy echoed her request. “I have a bathing suit packed. Maybe we can go swimming.”

Lupe looked like she was torn between wanting to acquiesce and needing to decline. She shifted her eyes on Cook. “Would you mind another detour?”

“Not at all, go ahead.” Now Archie could tell that Cook wasn’t only trying to be polite or courteous, he was genuinely nice. And patient.

They drove another five minutes to get to the area where the hot spring was. The place wasn’t at all fancy and… and Archie wasn’t sure if it was even hygienic since it was open to the public. He didn’t understand how his sisters could even think of getting in the water when… when they don’t even know who’d been there.

So when Lupe, Daniel and the girls had gone ahead, Archie lingered, watching Cook take pictures of the scenery. He was entranced with how observant Cook was, noticing the difference between cluster of trees and unusual rock formations and-

A scream filled the air, sending a rush of bloodcurdling chill throughout Archie’s body. It was Amber. Archie would recognize her voice anywhere. He dashed toward the forest, heart beating wildly against his chest. And… and Cook was running beside him.

When they came upon Archie’s family, their eyes were all on the ground. Archie followed their gazes and noticed there were dead squirrels and rabbits all around.

“Are they dead, Daniel?” Amber’s voice quivered, her arms wrapped around their mom’s waist. When Daniel poked on one of the dead creatures with a broken branch from a tree, Amber screamed at him, “Don’t touch it!”

“Maybe there’s some kind of an epidemic around,” Archie suggested, but he had a feeling something weird was going on.

“Well, let’s just get going, okay? Dan, can you take Amber with you?” Lupe said, then she turned to Cook, her face was defined with worry and concern. “Do you think this has anything to do with the minor quakes and abrupt climate changes, Cook?”

Cook shrugged. “I’m really not sure. I don’t want to speculate.” But Archie could tell there was something Cook wasn’t telling them. He didn’t know why, but he could read it in Cook’s eyes.

The unsettling feeling weighed heavier on Archie’s gut when they got to the hot spring spot. Steam billowed around the area. Archie could feel the heat clawing at his skin. Strong, foul odor nipped at his nostrils. He wasn’t sure if it was normal. He’d been to the place only twice before at a friend’s dare. And that had been years ago.

“Pee-eew.” Jazzy pinched her nose. “I don’t think I’d wanna go in there.”

“Oh c’mon, Jazzy. Be adventurous.” Daniel had shucked off his shirt and had taken off his shoes and socks, leaving him with his running shorts on. He backed off a few meters. “Watch me do a cannonball.”

Archie could hear her sisters cheering. But he was no longer paying attention to his siblings’ banters. There was something not right, something that made his chest constrict. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining things but he thought he saw the water bubble for a moment, like it was boiling. “Cook?”

The other man likewise gazed out into the water. Eyes focused. A single line sat on his forehead. Then Cook turned, blurting, “No, don’t,” just in time to grab Daniel, who was about to jump in.

Soft wind blew past them, clearing some of the steam hovering above the water. Then Jazzy and Amber screamed.

There were two bodies floating at the other side. A quick look gave Archie a safe assumption that it was a man and a woman. Archie dared another glance and all he could see were the people’s backs, all bare, red and blistered, as if burned.

continued on Part 2