Eruption by Roland Smith

Author:Roland Smith [Smith, Roland]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780545393140
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2012-03-01T08:00:00+00:00

It was time for Chase to go. He put the dusty poodle down his shirt and started across the junkyard bridge. The short crossing turned out to be a lot harder than he was expecting. The wrecks were hot with steam and slick with ash. And Pepe’s sharp nails scratching his stomach and chest as the little dog tried to get out wasn’t helping matters.

“Knock it off! Unless you want to fall off into the bottomless pit.”

Chase knew it wasn’t bottomless, but it was deep. He couldn’t see the bottom. He got down on his hands and knees, afraid he would slip off if he stayed on his feet. As he crawled onto the camper roof, the pile suddenly shifted with a loud screech. He froze and held his breath.

This is it.

The screeching stopped. The twisted metal held. Chase breathed.

Forward or backward?

He looked behind him. The distance was just about equal.

Dead center.

He didn’t like the sound of that.

In the middle. Halfway. Better.

Pepe had stopped struggling. It was as if he sensed the danger. Whatever the reason, Chase was grateful. It would make his next move easier.

Whatever that move is going to be.

There wasn’t enough room to turn around safely. He’d have to crawl backward to get to where he’d come from. The other problem was that when the camper shifted, the top had settled at a steep angle. He was hanging on to the edge to keep himself from slipping into the crack.

“Just go!” he shouted.

He crawled forward, feeling the pile tremble every time he put a hand or a knee down. The far side seemed like it was a football field away.

If there’s another earthquake … If the crack widens … If I slip …

Chase knew better than to think this way. Fear brings disaster from the inside out. His father had told him this a thousand times. Focus on the moment. Concentrate on survival. Think about what’s right, not what’s wrong. Take advantage of it.

Chase wished his father was there to explain what was “right” about this. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the other side of the junkyard bridge, but he was far from safe. The edge of the road was several feet above him. He would have to stand on the tilted truck hood, reach above his head, and pull himself up. He got to his feet very slowly, looking for something solid to grab on to if the pile started to go. The camper rocked back and forth. Pepe began struggling again.

“Can’t have that.”

He reached into his shirt and pulled him out.

“Sorry.”

He tossed the poodle up over the ledge. Pepe landed with a soft thud and a whimper. A second later, his head appeared over the edge and he started barking indignantly.

“No need to thank me,” Chase said.

He reached up and grabbed the overhang of broken road. Pepe licked his fingers.

“That’s not helpful.”

He pulled himself up, relieved to have his feet off the unstable camper, and even happier to have climbed onto the road.

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