Another week, another writing exercise. :D
This time you are going to witness something mysterious, something that could have happened somewhere sometime. As an homage to the Dead Pete Society I named one of the characters the way I did and sealed his fate. Also I challenged myself to write exactly 1k words.
Have fun reading.
2016/07/11 – mystery
It all started a few days ago. The
deluge and the hot weather created the ideal breeding ground for the
toads. When biologist Lauri Anderson went to check up on the animals
and their spawn, however, she found them gone. She waded through the
swamped area around the lake and searched for quite some time, but
the toads where nowhere to be found.
“This is strange,” Lauri told
her colleague Pete Simons on the phone, “they should be hopping
around everywhere.”
“Don't worry,” Pete tried to
calm her, “they have to be somewhere. Let's come back in a few days
and have another look.”
Hesitantly Lauri agreed and returned
home. But she worried nonetheless; all evening her thoughts were with
the missing toads. Something was wrong, she was certain. Therefore
the next day she returned to the lake. For hours she waded through
the muddy waters until her trousers were soaking wet and she was
exhausted. The toads were still missing; not a croak to be heard.
Lauri decided to take samples of the water then flew back to the lab
at the mountain top and examined them.
The findings were surprising. The
water seemed to have reacted to something and turned into hydrogen
peroxide. Shocked, Lauri instantly washed her legs and arms so the
acid came off. Luckily she wore Wellingtons, but her skin started to
bleach and sting already where the hydrogen peroxide had touched her.
“So that's why the toads are gone,” she murmured as she treated
her fingers. “But why did the water react? What's happening here?”
She decided to stay at the lab and
research some more. Maybe the samples would reveal something.
It was almost sunrise when Lauri
heard the noise. A light vibration, the clincking of glass which soon
grew louder into an earth-shattering sound as the cupboards and
machines began to tremble. Books and vials fell over, crashed to the
ground. Lauri almost fell to her knees as everything shook and
violently rocked back and forth. She fled the room and hurried
outside as cupboards fell and almost buried her under them. As the
earth continued to shake she clung to the rocks as if her dear life
depended on it. Trees deracinated around her and crashed to the
ground, the lab collapsed like a house of cards. Lauri realised, she
was not safe here either. Then her glance fell on the helicopter. It
was parked at the cliff and it was slowly sliding towards the edge.
Lauri didn't hesitate long and started towards it, ripped the door
open and got inside. “Come on, come on!” she repeated like a
mantra as she flicked the switches. The helicopter shook, neared the
edge and was about to fall. Lauri held her breath as panic seeped in.
She didn't want to die.
But then the engine roared to life
and the rotor blades accelerated. At last it lifted off and ascended
into the air. Lauri sighed, relieved and steered around the falling
trees.
From a distance the lake seemed to
boil and the village houses shook and collapsed. Here and there she
could see fires. She could imagine the people scream in fright and
anguish. Never had Lauri witnessed such a devastating earthquake.
Steering the helicopter with one
hand, she fumbled for her smartphone and dialled Pete's number. She
worried for her colleague, knowing he lived at the village. For a
long while the phone rang and rang and rang. “Come on, pick up your
damn phone!” Finally it clicked, as Pete answered. But before he
could say anything, she gushed: “Oh my god, Pete! Are you alright?”
“Lauri!” he exclaimed. She could
hear the rumbling of the earthquake and the screaming people through
the phone. “I'm ok, I'm ok. Barely made it out of the house. Oh
god, what's happening? Where are you?”
“In the chopper. Suddenly the
ground started shaking and the lab collapsed,” Lauri cried,
relieved that Pete was alive. “I-I'll get you out of there, Pete –
what's that?”
She suddenly saw a veil of mist
spread from the lake and roll towards the village like a wave.
Unstoppable, it crawled over the already ruined village. Lauri could
only watch. There was a gasp from the other end, which alerted her to
Pete's situation. “Pete? What happened?”
Again she heard a sharp intake of
breath. “Can't...breathe...” he rasped and gurgled. Then there
was a low thud and a clattering noise.
“Pete? Pete!” she exclaimed,
panicked and with tears streaming down her face. No answer. “Pete!”
she cried again. Lauri's instinct told her to steer the helicopter
towards the village and make sure he was alright. But she remembered
the mist from the lake and the hydrogen peroxide in the water. It
wasn't safe to go down there. So she circled and circled above the
village, calling for Pete. But he wouldn't answer.
Finally it sunk in, that he had to
be dead. Lauri wept quietly. But only hours later – when the earth
had ceased to tremble and the mist had evaporated – she dared land
the helicopter and assess the damage. The houses were in ruins and as
she climbed through the rubble she found all the villagers and
animals lay dead on the ground. Some might have escaped the falling
houses, but the mist had killed those who survived the earthquake.
When Lauri found Pete's body just outside his ruined house she broke
down. She cried long and hard; ugly tears swept down her cheeks as
she sobbed and hiccuped beside his corpse. Finally she let out a
shuddering sigh and stood then trudged back to her helicopter.
She flew to the next city, where
there was a university, determined, knowing she would soon return
with new equipment and people to help. As the only survivor of this
disaster she vowed to solve the mystery of the earthquake and the
mist. For Pete's sake, for the villagers' sake, but also for her own
sake – to find a closure and start anew.
