Yellowstone

Chapter Seven

Upper East Side, New York, USA

July 2017

Georgianna van der Linden

"Are you sure you can't drive faster?" I yell at the taxi driver who has recently told me that his name is Kevin – as if I care. We have been stuck in traffic for nearly two hours already, meaning my flight is due to take off in an hour. My foot won't stop tapping against the floor as my leg shakes uncontrollably while the traffic lights forever stay on red.

"Even if I could where would I go? There are miles of cars backed up along the roads. The best thing to do is to just sit and enjoy the view." He says, me making me roll my eyes and bang my head against the window. "Love, if you break that window and we survive this then you are buying me a new one. No scratch that, you can buy me a new car. One of the most ungrateful passengers I've ever had," I don't think I was supposed to hear that last part but I did.

The towering skyscrapers loom over us, most of them looking abandoned unlike the streets where there is barely any room to move. People are act liking animals, brawling all over the place, fighting for cabs and breaking into cars. Just by looking at them all, you really would believe that the end of the world is near.

"- the first number of deaths has been reported. The death toll currently stands at one thousand five hundred and three people, the majority of those deaths in the immediate area of Yellowstone National Park, spread across the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, the worst affected areas being in Wyoming..." I hear a newscaster on the radio announce.

When I first heard about the volcano, I assumed that if it did erupt then only a handful of people would die and that the newscasters were trying to scaremonger. Now I'm not as sure.

Momentarily, I wonder about my parents and begin to question whether they will really be okay. I've already had over ten missed calls from them today, all of which I have ignored. They are probably hoping that I will crawl back to them, that this volcano will make us like the family we were before. Well that is not going to happen.

That night, a little over a year ago is when it all started. When I avoided all contact with them. It was the early hours of the morning and I came crawling home drunk and high with someone that I am pretty sure wasn't Richard. At this point, home was still my parent's suite in the hotel that they own (although I was close to finishing signing the contact to my current apartment). The drama started when the stranger and I started knocking over vases and other antiques in the lobby. It wasn't on purpose; they were just in our way.

The receptionist who was on duty that night soon called security on us both but before they had chance to catch up, the guy and I had already made our way into the elevator.

"Do you want to do another line?" the guy said to me, holding the packet of white powder which was in his pocket.

Too drunk to answer properly, I just nod at him, leading him into my parents hotel suite. I knew they would be asleep, after all it was something like four in the morning so I didn't worry about dragging him in.

"Oi, don't turn that light on," I say to the stranger who I have brought back with me. He had walked over to the kitchen and was about to turn the light switch on.

"Fine then. Coke in the dark sounds fine with me." he begins to empty the remaining contents of the package on a sheet of paper, neatly ordering it into lines. "Come here you," he says to me and hesitantly I walk over. He hands me a sheet of paper with my line on while he lowers his own face towards his. Before he has time to snort it, the front door is knocked and two security guards walk in.