Ninety Degrees Out

Jett kicked Rocky into a gallop and the quarter horse tore up the path after Catherine. He hissed between his teeth thinking about her callous attitude about the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah which would slowly disappear under meters of magma flowing from Mount Yellowstone as it rises between the Tetons. El Capitan and all the other famous landmarks gone. Jackson Hole with its incredible scenery, gone. His many gigabytes of images stored away on flash drives and discs might be the only source of reminders of what used to be.

He hope the people living in and around Yellowstone had evacuated long ago. The only blessing was the lack of an ash plume from this one. The volcanoes of Antarctica were all active once more. The sulfurous fumes producing acid rain of such intensity that the entire scientific community was evacuated by submarines. All other boat and air traffic banned from the island.

He caught up with Catherine as she slowed where Twig Creek began its drop into the canyon.

“Don’t you give a damn about all the people displace by the Yellowstone eruption?” he demanded.

“If they heeded the warnings that have been coming out since the flip, then they’re safe already. Besides, I can’t let myself worry about anything that isn’t directly in my face. Things that don’t affect my survival and that of my community don’t matter.”

“So, the only really important thing about the whole caldera boiling over is the fact there’s no ash explosion to go with it?”

“It is, because with Antarctica on the other side of the world at the equator doing its thing, we’re going to get a fair amount of particulate in the atmosphere anyway. The Russian and Philippine’s explosions are sending their contribution into the upper layers of our stratosphere as well. We’re going to be in trouble in a year or two. I want to be ready for it.”

Catherine dismounted, leading her horse into a clearing off the pathway, dropping her reins to the ground. Jett followed her and landed softly at her side as he eased down. Rocky started pulling up mouthfuls of grass as soon as he turned his back.

Catherine grabbed Arimina’s rifle and slung it over her shoulder. Tucking extra magazines for her pistol into her back pockets, she went back out to the path.

“I hope Erik gets here soon. Do you want to scout ahead, or do we wait?” The set of her shoulders spoke of stubborn determination as she quickly braided her long hair, tucking it under her hat.

“We’ll move a little closer. I don’t hear the bikes anymore.” Jett cycled his handgun, chambering a round. He started toward the wrecked Markham house. “Come on, we might as well scout it out.” He passed her setting a quick pace.

Catherine tugged on his belt. “Just so you know, it’s not that I don’t care about lost lives. The numbers are incredible, especially what Erik has heard from China. They’ve lost almost a billion of their citizens, most of them elderly and children. They’re still finding frozen bodies. Even those who were in the Gobi Desert, with housing designed for freezing nights, couldn’t cope with the sudden deep freeze. If I let myself think about the tragedies and all the heartbreak, I’ll go nuts.”

Jett spun around to study her face. “You aren’t alone there. If I think about the places I’ve photographed and are now disappearing under layers of lava, I’m hard pressed not to cry. All those memories. And the only record the places ever existed are on my flash drives, CD’s, and hard drive storage. I shudder every time we lose power and the few computers we have working go down.”

Catherine pulled him off the path behind a giant Sitka spruce. She put her arms around him and squeezed, and his own came up, a reflex to bring her in closer. It was the first time she’d reached out on her own since her rape. He brought his hand up to cradle the back of her head where it pressed into his shoulder.

“We’ve got so much to be thankful for, but sometimes the things happening around our world are more than I can handle. Thanks for being there. Don’t ever think I’m not grateful for everything you’ve done. Being there when I’d like to crawl into a closet to hide. Coming with me almost everywhere I go. Thank you.” She turned her face up to his.

Without a second thought he took her lips in a gentle kiss. He’d waited so long for this moment. Tenderly he ran his tongue against the plump pink swell of them, letting his heart speak through his actions. His eyes drooped closed and sensation took his heart to a gallop.

Catherine stilled in his arms, and then like a lock clicked open, she responded. A deep throaty moan vibrated through him as her tongue touched his for the first time. Sweet mint and honey, the flavor of her favorite tea flooded into his senses. Her answering whimper tightened his hand as he wove his fingers into her hair.

Her hands came up to cup his jaws as she pulled away from their kiss. Her breath came in quick gasps fluttering against his cheek as her thumbs traced along his cheekbones.

“Let’s take this slow. I’ve got all these feelings bottled up in me. Just hold me for a bit, until Erik and whoever he brings with him gets here.”

He lifted his head, pushing hers against him so he could put his chin on the top of her hat. He had no idea how long they stood there, drinking in the spicy scent of spruce needles. It was Catherine who moved first as they heard the clatter of hooves coming up the path. Her face turned up to his again.

“Are we going to be okay?” Her soft question made him sigh.

“We are. Not because it’s easy to deal with this, but because we’re strong. Stronger together, I think. You have no idea how much you have impressed me with the way you’ve handled everything.” Jett dropped his arms to his sides and reached for her hand.

Catherine put hers in his. “I think you’re right. Stronger together. Let’s get out on the path. Erik found the horses, I think. He’ll be wondering what happened to us.”