The Burning Dead

Are you ready for a tale?

A tale as old as the hills themselves?

They say the mountain is alive.

It takes breaths from all that is living:

the trees, the flowers,

the grass.

But the mountain is also unforgiving,

and takes what it wants.

It gives back nothing,

not of its own choosing.

It gives back only what escapes.

But why, father?

Long ago,

the evil spirit fought the good spirit.

The good spirit lost

and fled west towards the ocean.

The evil spirit hid here in the mountain,

and never left.

The white man believes

the evil spirits showed themselves in 1846.

The white man is wrong.

Evil spirit came long before they arrived.

And while the evil spirits quieted for many years,

they did not go away;

they slept.

We're almost there, girls.

Ah, still a long winter, I know.

We made it.

Camp will be glad.

You two did great.

Good girl.

We almost didn't make it.

Blizzard's bad.

Rations should last us the winter.

Jacob?

Elizabeth?

Harriet?

What in God's name?

William!

What are you doing?

I have to say, I'm kind of digging my badge.

Makes me feel important.

Were you excited when you got your badge?

Well...

...certainly gets me in the building,

and after seven years of higher education,

I also consider it my "get out of student loans card."

Wow, seven years?

I only went to school for two years,

yet we have the same badge.

Staff-Bright did give me 90 days

to try you out and see if you're worthy

of working here on a permanent basis.

I wouldn't worry about it, Eve.

In actuality, everything constantly changes

on a geologic scale...

...and on my bathroom scale.

Maybe you should try switching

to something healthier than burgers.

Hmm.

Well, that'd certainly be good for my cholesterol,

but, I'm a carnivore, not a herbivore.

Every now and then I need to eat something red and bloody.

Reminds me I'm at the top of the food chain.

Yeah, well, I'm a yogurt whore.

Reminds me that I don't like to kill animals.

Then why do we have incisors?

I'd like to see you chase a deer

and take it down with your incisors.

I don't have to. We've evolved.

I can use tools.

Well, here.

Why don't you use one of these tools.

You got a little...

I thought the volcano was dormant.

It was, and now it's not.

Looks like we have the potential for an explosive caldera.

A caldera?

From the Latin word "calderia."

Means cooking pot.

Sometimes it's referred to as the English word "cauldron."

Witchin'.

What's in it?

Ignimbrite, rhyolite, tuff, and other igneous rocks.

That's quite a brew.

When the gasses are under high pressure,

which they tend to--

Yeah, a massive explosion of magma.

...so please make sure you take your pets with you

as well as any necessary medications,

and shut off any gas lines.

The volcano eruption is expected any time from next week on.

Again, this is not a test.

Please stay tuned in for more news on the evacuation.

We will now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Hi, Mindy.

You okay?

Yeah. Yeah, just...

...going through everything, is all.

Never easy just packing up and leaving, I know.

It's just stuff.

Well, most of it, anyway.

That's cute.

Well, look at this.

Oh, hey, go Mountaineers! - Class of 19--

Oh, don't say it, now. People'll think we're old.

Hey, let me get that for you.

Thanks, Mike.

You, um- you move your family out yet?

Uh...

Rita moved out a few months ago.

It, uh...

...didn't take a volcano warning for her to go.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yeah, well, uh,

at least she and Dillon will be safe.

Yeah.

You know, I'm glad to see you're heeding the warning.

I wish I could say the same for Ben.

My dad is how he is.

Mindy, you know, when Mount St. Helens went off,

57 people lost their lives.

A lot of those were people who refused to leave.

I wish I could help you.

My dad is more stubborn than my daughter is.

At least she listens to me...

...some of the time.

Well, I can imagine so, but I...

...need you to try and at least talk some sense into him.

By staying behind, he endangers the lives of our first responders.

Our rescue teams.

You're just asking me to do something that can't be done.

He doesn't change his mind...

...on anything.

I need you to at least try.

Now, I talked to him and he won't listen to me.

I figured since you're family, you have a better shot.

Some shot.

He hasn't returned my phone calls in ten years, Mike.

Well, maybe it's time you paid him a visit.

Maybe you're right.

Thanks, Mindy.

I- I could get that for you.

Thanks.

You know, I really appreciate you checking up on us, and all,

but don't you have some more important things you should be handling?

I think Deputy Tisdale's got it under control.

At least I hope.

You and your dad are my last stops before I head down the mountain.

Everybody wants the old codger to be safe.

I got him.

What is she... ?

What?

Sorry I couldn't get here earlier.

Blue Betty doesn't do so well over 60 miles per hour.

What are you doing here?

I'm here to help.

You're not supposed to be here.

You are driving right into disaster.

It's dangerous.

Not as dangerous as Blue Betty, huh?

She's harmless.

Well, maybe if you spent...

...your money on state school instead of art school,

you'd have two new cars by now.

True, but now I can draw a really pretty picture of her.

Plus, she's slow, so it saves me money on...

...speeding tickets. Right, sheriff?

That sounds logical to me.

Whose side are you on?

Ryan, come say hi to my mom and Sheriff Denton.

Uh, nice to meet you.

You must be the comic book collector I've heard so much about.

Normally, I don't like to reveal my true identity,

but, yeah, that's me.

Howdy.

Howdy.

As a lawman in these parts, son,

let me give you two pieces of friendly advice.

What's that?

Don't say howdy.

And two,

you watch out for these two ladies.

They are dangerous with a capital D.

Girls, let's get off this mountain.

Devil's Peak don't wait for nobody.

And that includes Ben. You hear me?

You and Grandpa are talking again?

Again, the eruption is expected

any time starting next week.

All residents are urged to relocate to Prophetstown.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA,

will be handling the evacuation.

For more information, please contact local offices.

Lou, come in.

Yeah?

Our girl actin' up?

Yeah, yeah, she is a little bit cranky.

But then, if you ask me, not much more so

than a lot of the women in town at the garden club.