Pyroclastic Flow

Cries of terror and panic rang like bells in Christie's ears as she watched in awe and transfixion as the volcano, Garminovus, retched its hot, toxic entrails into the once ice blue air of the afternoon. Large clods of dirt, rock, tree, and ash were bellowed up into the air, coagulating in the upper atmosphere, slowly choking off the warm rays of the sun.

Around her, Christie felt the power of the surging crowd intensify, slowly dragging her back with rough brushes to her shoulders as terrified people ran from the volcano's awesome power. The sound of shattering glass made her jump as she turned and saw the looting of the cars from the Chevrolet car lot; people in large SUVS and Jeeps crumpled unfortunate citizens with a sick, bloody crunch who were too slow to get out the large cars way in time. Children screamed for their mothers and fathers who had abandoned them, lovers screamed for their partners, and animals howled and snarled in a deranged way as they pulled, bit, and clawed at the chains keeping them from life. The smell of rotten eggs from the misty, yellow clouds of sulfuric acid stung Christie's nose and throat, and she too began to turn and run toward safety with the rest of the crowd.

Behind her, Garminovus shuddered as the lower half of its massive frame imploded and began to surge down the mountain, flattening and dragging along animals, small cottages, trees, rock, and ash, all the while picking up speed in its liquid-like body. The similar roar of a freight train began to reverberate throughout the valley and town, temporarily deafening all life forms within a three mile radius and beyond. As the flow increased in mass and speed, it spread out and began to barrel down on the unfortunate town and its people, now either trapped within their cars on the highway, in their homes under rubble, or too old or handicapped to escape.

Then, it struck.

Christie, now on a stolen red and black Harley motorcycle swerving in and out of the congested traffic, turned as she felt the growing warmth of heat press down on her back, she nearly swerved off the road into the trees. A cavernous, blistering cloud of rock, pumice, ash and debris was engulfing her home town, instantaneously combusting houses, fuel lines, and cars like fireworks exploding on the 4^th of July. Fear strangling her throat and nerves, a large dose of adrenaline surging into Christie's mind made her forget about her surrounds and worry only about survival. Squeezing the clutch for all she was worth, Christie tore insanely down the highway, jumping over smoldering wrecks of twisted steal and dodging fallen trees and on-foot citizens. Behind her, she could hear screams of agony, fear, and pain as people were swallowed by the pyroclastic flow. Victims were instantly cooked alive and reduced to clumps of ash in mere seconds; others were melded to their cars by the extreme heat. On-foot people breathed in toxic hot ash and gases, which instantly disintegrated their lungs and other internal organs, killing them in a short, yet painful way.

And was Christie tore down the hot tar road, she too felt the horrific jolt of the flow surround her, turning her eyes into pools of white and blue puddles running down her cheeks, her hair to be ignited and make her scalp bubble and cook her brain from the inside out. She too felt her spongy lungs liquefy as the hot gases snuffed out her brain cells and other major organs,

But, unlike the others, she didn't have time to scream.