Essential Beginnings (2 page)
“This could be it.” Ernie had stepped back away from the counter as well, the beat-up remote still in his hand. He leveled his solemn blue eyes on Mav as he shook the device toward the television. “I told you it was only a matter of time, son.”
“Tank, I know you built that massive shelter up at the lodge for a natural disaster or national emergency, and honestly that was a pretty smart idea back during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But this is nothing more than a tremor compared to what happened in Nepal earlier this year.” Mav and the guys had helped Ernie over the last ten years build what he called a
necessity
. The bunker was actually quite large and ingeniously self-sustaining. It could accommodate a couple dozen survivors for an extended period. He’d gotten the idea for the ultimate prepper’s wet dream after retiring from a lifetime in the Old Corps and living through difficult situations in austere hostile environments that most people couldn’t begin to imagine. He had spent years researching all the available documentaries and then studying everything he could get his hands on about surviving all types of natural disasters and emergency situations. One of Ernie’s favorite calamity scenarios evolved from the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, famous for its massive ash cloud and the now infamous pyroclastic flows. Everyday people had started talking about volcanic activity under the United States and the Yellowstone caldera topped the list. The BBC had even produced a made for television docudrama back in 2005, realistically portraying what the likely consequences would be if the place finally popped its cork after all these years of relative stability. Ernie had predicted on numerous occasions that the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone would erupt sooner rather than later. “An earthquake is a far cry from a massive eruption.”
“This is how it starts,” Ernie cautioned, widening his stance and settling in to watch the live broadcast. Sure enough, the camera cut from the newscaster and his guest to footage of the park. At first the images were beautiful—mature trees, vivid greenery, and a sparkling lake that would make the most amorous fisherman envious. It wasn’t long before the newsfeed cut from the stock footage of the park to a rather shaky airborne clip of an exposed crevice that was quite vast, but that’s all it had been showing over and over since the story broke. There was no steam; nothing to indicate it was anything more than a big crack in the surface of the earth. “The tremors and swarms of seismic activity will rise. There will then be hypothermal events until eventually one or two vents will open, releasing an incredible amount of pressure, but it won’t be enough to forestall the collapse. Ultimately the…”
Mav inhaled deeply, listening to Ernie explain in detail the ins and outs of volcanoes as if he’d been a geologist instead of a tank commander. He’d probably read and cataloged more information about Yellowstone National Park than the employees who worked there, but that still didn’t mean that a catastrophic event was about to happen. Mav had heard the stories for the past ten years, and the one thing that stood out was the fact that there was only one chance in seven hundred thousand of the caldera experiencing a cataclysmic eruption. That was close to the odds of getting struck by lightning. They wouldn’t see something like that in their lifetime, but it was easier to let Ernie have his quirks than it was to debate with him over the future of the planet. He and the guys had all agreed to help out their old Master Gunnery Sergeant when they visited the lodge each year on vacation. Over that timespan they had built new additions and improved the facility according to Tank’s master plan while squeezing in some fishing and more than a little drinking. Needless to say, they had all jokingly agreed that if the shit ever truly hit the fan they would all haul their asses up here. Mav suddenly found that he wasn’t smiling anymore when it came to reflecting on Ernie’s obsession.
“Tank, I’ve got to hit the road,” Mav said, checking his watch. It was going on zero nine hundred and he still had a twenty-five hour trip ahead of him. He’d have to stop somewhere tonight, but his shift at the barracks didn’t start until Wednesday morning. The national news was revealing nothing besides the fact that an earthquake had struck the region. There were no fatalities, although a few hikers had a couple of minor injuries. If nothing else he’d turn on the radio instead of listening to the music on his phone so he could be kept up-to-date. “Why don’t you walk out with me?”
“Mav, would you like a coffee for the road?” Mabel asked, calling out to him from behind the counter. She must have spoken to her son and realized that everything was all right. She had a smile on her face and her eyes kept shifting toward Tank, but she’d look away by the time the old man took notice. They were worse than teenagers. “We don’t want you getting drowsy on the trip back.”
“A coffee to go sounds good, Mabel.” Mav flashed her a smile and then nudged Ernie in the arm, but that went unnoticed as well. His gaze was fixed on the screen, even though nothing more had happened. The newscaster was recycling the story until Mav was sure he could recite the coverage word for word. “Tank, I don’t know how much more of an invitation that woman can give you. She—”
“You shouldn’t leave.” Ernie set the remote on the table behind Mav and then continued to put him in an awkward situation. So much for making a clean getaway. “You’d be driving just north of Yellowstone and that’s the last place anyone should be traveling right now. I know you and the boys have been placating me over the years, but I’m asking that you stay a day or two until this thing settles down.”
“Tank, come on.” Mav could see Mabel putting a lid on the disposable Styrofoam cup she’d poured his coffee into and he figured she’d be coming around the counter at any moment. He didn’t want her to hear what Ernie was spouting, or else she might think he’d gone around the bend. “Don’t do this. I’m scheduled to work on Wednesday morning. It would be almost impossible for me to get another officer to take over my shift at this late date. I’d have to work Christmas and New Year’s to even tempt another trooper to cover me on so little notice. Don’t you think that if this was an indicator of something bigger that FEMA would be on television advising everyone to evacuate the immediate area?”
“What is there to evacuate over a hundred mile radius from the park? Where would they all go?” Ernie was like a dog with a bone and now Mav found himself wishing he’d left yesterday with the others. This wasn’t the note he wanted this trip to end on. “It wouldn’t surprise me if FEMA actually gave a press briefing saying that this earthquake has released the pressure of the plates and things were back to normal. FEMA knows that any acknowledgement of the Yellowstone Caldera erupting would only cause widespread panic throughout the whole country. Hell, it would create mass hysteria.”
“Exactly,” Mav said, trying to point out that all the research Ernie had done over the years had done exactly that. It obviously didn’t penetrate because he kept talking.
“One more day then,” Ernie requested, his voice lowering when he caught sight of Mabel coming their way. At least he was smart enough to keep her from hearing his irrational theories. “Give me tonight to show you some calculations and if by morning nothing else happens or you think I’m crazier than old shithouse Rat, you can hightail it out of here and still make your shift.”
“Here you go,” Mabel said, handing Mav his regular cup of coffee—tall, black, no sugar, and no cream. “I spoke to Derek. He and the family are just fine. They didn’t feel a thing and didn’t know anything about the earthquake until I called with the news.”
“And how is that cute grandbaby of yours?” Ernie asked with a finesse that surprised even Mav. “The last picture you showed me had to be over a month ago.”
“Well,” Mabel began, a flush settling over her cheeks, “you’ve had the boys here and I didn’t want to intrude on the nights you came by for dinner. You only get to see them once a year and I know they’re like your family.”
Something on the television must have caught Ernie’s eye. He looked over Mabel’s shoulder, getting the older woman to turn around, and then pointed up at the screen. Mav was grateful for the reprieve because he didn’t want to make Ernie upset after he’d already made his decision to head back home. As much as he’d have liked to stay—the reasons being anything but Yellowstone—he had responsibilities to get back to and he wasn’t one to thwart them.
“…do confirm that there has been unusual seismic activity over the last week, but it’s been relatively quiet since this morning. The Teton Fault borders the Yellowstone volcanic plateau and may have been only relieving the pressure between the two, which is actually good in preventing anything noteworthy of happening beyond this morning’s event. We can determine from the reports that we’ve been receiving that things are now status quo and the park can return to normal operations with certain minor exceptions.”
Mav gritted his teeth when Ernie made a sound of confirmation for his benefit. He didn’t need the reminder that Tank had believed that FEMA might actually say those exact words. It was probably the damned truth, and yet he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling that Ernie might be right this time.
Everyone in the diner seemed to lose interest after that and they finally returned to their meals. The low murmurs of conversation started back up and life in this small town got back to normal, leaving Mav to struggle with making a decision he’d thought he’d already made.
“We’ll miss you, Mav,” Mabel said, turning back and lifting her arms for a hug. He returned the gesture, ensuring that he had a firm grip on his coffee. The older woman even kissed his cheek before pulling away. “You have a safe trip back home.”
Ernie waited until Mabel walked back around the counter with a promise to show him some pictures when he stopped by the diner for dinner tonight. Mav was just about to slip his shades on when the bell above the door chimed, revealing Henley Varano in all her glory. Damn, but that woman was a downright natural beauty. Devoid of any makeup he could detect, her innate glow only served to accent the light in her eyes. Her long, dark brown hair hung down her back in waves and her shade of olive sun-kissed skin gave a hint of her Italian heritage. She had perfectly arched eyebrows, classically high cheekbones that most women only wished they’d been born with, and a dash of freckles across the bridge of her nose that gave her an impish appearance. She was anything but mischievous and he usually bore the brunt of her razor sharp wit. Her radiant green eyes met his before she immediately looked away, taking the light with her.
“Ernie, I figured you’d still be here,” Henley said, jingling the keys in her hand. She stayed near the door. “I’m stopping over at the grocery store to pick up some fresh dairy and produce for the new guest that’s arriving later this afternoon. Is there anything you need?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. Let me grab a pen and a piece of paper from Mabel. I’ll let Mav fill you in on what’s happening.”
Mav held his coffee in one hand while his keys and shades were in the other. He studied Henley and noticed that she’d crossed her arms, her own set of keys closed tightly in her fist. He didn’t understand why he made her so defensive when he’d made a point to be kind to her and not spar with her this year as he’d done in the past. She’d been a rather well-known fashion model back in her day, so he would imagine that she was used to men appreciating her beauty. He’d never been lewd and Ernie would have hit him upside the head if he’d been anything other than a perfect gentleman; however, it was in Mav’s character to be a bit of a challenge to warm up to. Henley always appeared so relaxed around the other guys and her superior attitude toward him was starting to give him a complex.
“Yellowstone experienced a six point one earthquake earlier this morning,” Mav said, taking the time to explain to her what was going on, and not only because Tank had instructed him to either. Henley lived up at the lodge in one of the cabins on the back of the property, so she was well versed in Ernie’s obsession with prepping. He wasn’t the type that would ever consider going on that television show about doomsday people, but Mav was pretty damn sure that he would receive a perfect score on their readiness scale. “He thinks it’s going to be a catalyst for the caldera springing a leak.”
“Let me guess,” Henley said with a trace of a smile. “He doesn’t want you to leave today.”
“I wish I could stay longer to ease his mind that I’m not going to get taken out by an eruption, but I’m back on duty at the post on Wednesday. FEMA has already come out with a statement that everything’s fine.” Mav didn’t know why he was explaining his reasoning to Henley when she most likely didn’t give a shit what the hell he did or didn’t do. He looked over to see Ernie scribbling his list on Mabel’s pad, but Mav couldn’t bring himself to leave without saying goodbye. “Tank’s going to give you an extensive list of items that he already has ten of, but he’s going to stock up a little more to top off the pile. Do me a favor and have dinner with him tonight, all right?”
“Have you thought that maybe he’s using this morning’s events to keep you here just because he doesn’t want you to go?” Henley asked, her gaze also landing on Tank. The green of her eyes softened and Mav suddenly saw a side of her he hadn’t witnessed before. “Look, Mav, he loves you like a son. He gets lonely up here sometimes, but especially right after you and the guys leave. It gets harder for him every year.”
“I know that,” Mav admitted, honestly surprised that Henley would share that with him. He didn’t know what made him say the next words, but they’d come out before he could stop them. “Which is why I’m considering moving here sometime next year. Sheriff Ramsey mentioned in passing that he was considering retirement next spring and I’ve already spoken to him in private about my interest in the position. I would appreciate it if you could keep that quiet until Ramsey’s spoken to the town board.”
“You’re moving here?” Henley seemed shocked more than anything and Mav wasn’t certain how to react to that question. It wasn’t like she would have to deal with him any differently than she did now. His local presence didn’t necessarily require her to change her perspective. She usually left him and the guys alone when they were in town anyway. “I guess I didn’t take you for a small town kind of man.”