The Burning Dead

1

Are you ready for a tale?

A tale as old

as the hills themselves?

They say the mountain is alive.

It takes breaths

from all that is living:

The trees, the flowers,

the grass.

But the mountain

is also unforgiving,

and takes what it wants.

It gives back nothing,

not of its own choosing.

It gives back only what escapes.

But why, father?

Long ago,

the evil spirit

fought the good spirit.

The good spirit lost

and fled west towards the ocean.

The evil spirit hid here

in the mountain,

and never left.

The white man believes

the evil spirits

showed themselves in 1846.

The white man is wrong.

Evil spirit came

long before they arrived.

And while the evil spirits

quieted for many years,

they did not go away;

They slept.

We're almost there, girls.

Ah, still a long winter, I know.

We made it.

Camp will be glad.

You two did great.

Good girl.

We almost didn't make it.

Blizzard's bad.

Rations should last us

the winter.

Jacob?

Elizabeth?

Harriet?

What in God's name?

William!

What are you doing?

I have to say, I'm kind of

digging my badge.

Makes me feel important.

Were you excited when you

got your badge?

Well...

...certainly gets me

in the building,

and after seven years

of higher education,

I also consider it my "get out

of student loans card."

Wow, seven years?

I only went to school

for two years,

yet we have the same badge.

Staff-Bright did

give me 90 days

to try you out

and see if you're worthy

of working here

on a permanent basis.

I wouldn't worry about it, Eve.

In actuality,

everything constantly changes

on a geologic scale...

...and on my bathroom scale.

Maybe you should try switching

to something healthier

than burgers.

Hmm.

Well, that'd certainly be good

for my cholesterol,

but, I'm a carnivore,

not a herbivore.

Every now and then I need to

eat something red and bloody.

Reminds me I'm at the top

of the food chain.

Yeah, well, I'm a yogurt whore.

Reminds me that I don't like

to kill animals.

Then why do we have incisors?

I'd like to see you chase a deer

and take it down

with your incisors.

I don't have to.

We've evolved.

I can use tools.

Well, here.

Why don't you use

one of these tools.

You got a little...

I thought the volcano

was dormant.

It was, and now it's not.

Looks like we have the potential

for an explosive caldera.

A caldera?

From the Latin word "calderia."

Means cooking pot.

Sometimes it's referred to as

the English word "cauldron."

Witchin'.

What's in it?

Ignimbrite, rhyolite, tuff,

and other igneous rocks.

That's quite a brew.

When the gasses

are under high pressure,

which they tend to...

Yeah, a massive explosion

of magma.

...so please make sure

you take your pets with you

as well as any

necessary medications,

and shut off any gas lines.

The volcano eruption is expected

any time from next week on.

Again, this is not a test.

Please stay tuned in for

more news on the evacuation.

We will now return to our

regularly scheduled programming.

Hi, Mindy.

You okay?

Yeah.

Yeah, just...

...going through everything,

is all.

Never easy just packing up

and leaving, I know.

It's just stuff.

Well, most of it, anyway.

That's cute.

Well, look at this.

- Oh, hey, go Mountaineers!

- Class of 19...

Oh, don't say it, now.

People'll think we're old.

Hey, let me get that for you.

Thanks, Mike.

You, um-you move

your family out yet?

Uh...

Rita moved out a few months ago.

It, uh...

...didn't take a volcano warning

for her to go.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yeah, well, uh,

at least she and Dillon

will be safe.

Yeah.

You know, I'm glad to see

you're heeding the warning.

I wish I could say the same

for Ben.

My dad is how he is.

Mindy, you know,

when Mount St. Helens went off,

57 people lost their lives.

A lot of those were people

who refused to leave.

I wish I could help you.

My dad is more stubborn

than my daughter is.

At least she listens to me...

...some of the time.

Well, I can imagine so, but I...

...need you to try and at least

talk some sense into him.

By staying behind, he endangers

the lives of our first responders.

Our rescue teams.

You're just asking me to do

something that can't be done.

He doesn't change his mind...

...on anything.

I need you to at least try.

Now, I talked to him

and he won't listen to me.

I figured since you're family,

you have a better shot.

Some shot.

He hasn't returned my

phone calls in ten years, Mike.

Well, maybe it's time

you paid him a visit.

Maybe you're right.

Thanks, Mindy.

I- I could get that for you.

Thanks.

You know, I really appreciate

you checking up on us, and all,

but don't you have some more important

things you should be handling?

I think Deputy Tisdale's

got it under control.

At least I hope.

You and your dad are my last stops

before I head down the mountain.

Everybody wants the old codger

to be safe.

I got him.

What is she...?

What?

Sorry I couldn't

get here earlier.

Blue Betty doesn't do so well

over 60 miles per hour.

What are you doing here?

I'm here to help.

You're not supposed to be here.

You are driving

right into disaster.

It's dangerous.

Not as dangerous

as Blue Betty, huh?

She's harmless.

Well, maybe if you spent...

...your money on state school

instead of art school,

you'd have two new cars by now.

True, but now I can draw a

really pretty picture of her.

Plus, she's slow,

so it saves me money on...

...speeding tickets.

Right, sheriff?

That sounds logical to me.

Whose side are you on?

Ryan, come say hi to my mom

and Sheriff Denton.

Uh, nice to meet you.

You must be the comic book

collector I've heard so much about.

Normally, I don't like

to reveal my true identity,

but, yeah, that's me.

Howdy.

Howdy.

As a lawman in these parts, son,

let me give you two pieces

of friendly advice.

What's that?

Don't say howdy.

And two,

you watch out

for these two ladies.

They are dangerous

with a capital D.

Girls, let's get off

this mountain.

Devil's Peak

don't wait for nobody.

And that includes Ben.

You hear me?

You and Grandpa

are talking again?

Again, the eruption is expected

any time starting next week.

All residents are urged to

relocate to Prophetstown.

Federal Emergency

Management Agency, FEMA,

will be handling the evacuation.

For more information,

please contact local offices.

Lou, come in.

Yeah?

Our girl actin' up?

Yeah, yeah, she is

a little bit cranky.

But then, if you ask me,

not much more so

than a lot of the women in town

at the garden club.

Oh, you would know.

You've been up there starin'

at her for how many years now?

Ah.

More than I care to remember.

Why don't you get down

from there, Lou?

Get over to a safe zone.

Hell, got over to Prophetstown

and get some of Carol Ann's

famous apple pie.

We'll take it from here.

Ah, no, I think I'll just

sit tight a little bit longer.

Gotta stick with

my old girl here,

Mount St. Barbara.

Nobody calls it that anymore,

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