AU Fic: Hellfire, Part 5

[cloversworld]

Title: HELLFIRE
Fandom: American Idol (Season 7)
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Death of some minor characters; swear words - lots of them
Read DISCLAIMER

Masterpost  |  Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4


5 –   
I cannot break free


When they’ve reached his mom’s place, the first thing Archie noticed was the fact his mom’s SUV wasn’t on the driveway.

His heart raced as he and Cook sprinted inside the house. “Daniel! Jazzy! Amber!” Archie swept through every room upstairs but there was no sign of his brother and sisters. He ran down the stairs and met Cook at the foyer.

Cook held up a piece of paper with what Archie recognized as Jazzy’s handwriting. “They’ve gone up to the mountain to get your dad.”

“Shit!” If Archie hadn’t seen Cook raise an eyebrow, he wouldn’t have stopped to think and realize that, oh gosh, he just cussed. “I need go and get my family, Cook. You have to find a way to get out of this town.” But Cook was shaking his head.

“No. No, Arch. We’re in this together.” There was a hard edge in the way Cook spoke. “Whether you like it or not, I’m not going to leave your side.”

There were so many things swirling around Archie’s mind, so many emotions tugging at his heartstrings, that he couldn’t find a single thought or a single feeling to anchor him to the current situation. So making decisions felt like a torture and uhm… it was driving him crazy. Cook must have sensed it because he offered, “I’ll drive,” and Archie wasn’t in the mood to argue.

The quake had not resumed. For about half an hour now. Archie made a mental note just to keep his mind occupied with something sensible at least. When he glanced up at the sky, he noticed that it had darkened. Gray clouds spread out like a silent omen draping over the town.

“Oh fuck.” Cook was looking ahead.

Archie followed his gaze and saw a slow moving traffic along the road that winded up to the mountainside. “Oh my gosh.” There was no doubt they were going to get stuck. “Wh-what are we gonna do? There’s no other way to…”

“Hang on.”

The car swerved off the path and rolled down a slope. Archie bounced on his seat like a rag doll, arms flailing, his hand scrabbling for purchase. “Omigosh, Cook. You’re crazy!” But Cook didn’t say a word. Archie stole a glance at his boyfriend. Cook ‘s face was stolid; his eyes steely and the white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel steady. It was like… it was like Archie was looking at someone else.

Water splashed against the window, prompting Archie to look out and gasped when he realized that they were driving— floating through Little Cottonwood Creek.

“Hang on, baby. We’re almost there.” No matter how calming Cook’s voice had always been, it wasn’t doing anything to ease Archie’s nerves at the moment. He was too distracted trying to get his wits together that he didn’t even realize his phone was ringing until Cook said, “Arch, aren’t you gonna get that?”

Without much of a thought, Archie pressed the phone against his ear.

“Mijo? David?” The sound of Lupe’s voice gave Archie momentary relief. The tight grip in his chest loosened. But when his mom asked, “Where are you? Did you get your brother and sisters?” his chest seized, worse than before.

“Uh… mom.” Archie told his mom what happened as concisely as he could.

The unsettling feeling in Archie’s stomach must have reached boiling point when his mom started crying and saying, “Please David. Please just…” She didn’t need to voice it out. Archie knew that all she wanted was for them to get out of there. Alive. And knowing that his mom had gotten out safely was enough to give Archie hope that they would. All of them.

A strong static hissed through the phone and the line went dead.

The foreboding feeling that had been gnawing inside Archie had now melted into numbness. Archie had noticed that they made it to the mountainside road. It felt like hours had passed, like the afternoon never rolled in and the morning just folded into night. It was almost dark. Thick clouds loomed above them.

Rain began to pour, make a pit-patter sound on the car’s roof. But… But there was something different about it. Instead of the usual rainfall, it seemed… it seemed it was raining— oh my gosh, is that mud?

The earth moved again, vibrations rising to the surface. Boulders of rock had started falling around. And, oh gosh, a large one dropped merely inches from the car. If Cook hadn’t swerve, it would’ve hit them. Archie dared to look back and saw that… “Oh my gosh, Cook! The road’s been blocked!”

A new level of anxiety rushed through Archie, and in his desperate attempt to slide back into the calmness he’d had earlier, he started placing blame. “This is my fault. I should have stayed with them like my mother told me but—“

“Come on, Arch. Do you honestly believe you could’ve stopped your brother?” Cook was right. Daniel was much more headstrong, more stubborn, and strong-willed.

“This is Daniel’s fault. If he isn’t too stubborn to listen to mom… do what mom tells him, then… then…” Placing the blame on his brother wasn’t helping. Archie could feel the guilt burning in his chest.

“I think,” Cook started, “I think being stubborn is just Daniel’s way of expressing himself. Maybe he needs someone to talk to, someone outside your family perhaps.”

“You sound like you know my brother more than I do.”

“I don’t. And I’m not gonna pretend I do.” The tension that had blanketed them faded gradually. “Your mom said Daniel started acting up when she and your dad went through with the divorce.” Archie waved a hand, motioning for Cook to turn to a narrower path. “I uhm… I went through the same phase when Mom and Dad split up. So uh… I may have a vague idea what Daniel must be going through.”

“This is Dad’s fault then. If he wasn’t too difficult and close-minded and…” Archie’s voice had dropped to an almost whisper. He couldn’t believe Cook was laughing. There was absolutely nothing funny right at that moment.

“You’re really something, Arch. I hope you don’t blame me next.”

Archie sat up straighter and waved his arms around when he realized what he’d been doing. “Oh gosh, no. Of course I won’t—can’t.”

They finally reached his dad’s cottage. His mom’s dark-colored SUV sat in front, merely a silhouette against the dark backdrop of the forest.

“Dad!” Archie dashed up the porch, calling out to his brother and sisters as well. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he was greeted with a pair of arms that clung tightly around his neck.

“Oh gosh, David! You came!” Archie didn’t miss the roughness in Jazzy’s voice, like she’d been crying.

Daniel, Amber and his dad emerged from a dark corner just as Cook came in with a large flashlight.

“Take your brother and sister, David, and get out of here,” his dad said and even through the dark, Archie could see the stubbornness fog his eyes.

“I wish that was possible, Dad, but the road’s been blocked. Thanks to you, we’re all stuck here.” Archie ignored the bitterness in his words. He was furious, dang it.

“How dare you blame me when all this is your fault!” The venom in Jeff’s tone had a familiar ring to it. It brought Archie back to the time they were all gathered in their living room and he had just told his dad that he was gay.

“My fault?” Archie could feel the rush of blood rising to his head. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me choosing to love someone with the same gender. At least I know what love really is.” Without turning, Archie reached out behind and when he felt the familiar calloused fingers against his palm, he closed his hand around Cook’s.

“I don’t think this is the right time to discuss your issues.” Daniel broke the silence. “We have to find a way to—“ He stopped mid-sentence when some kind of a roaring sound started and it seemed to be coming from behind the cottage.

Then Archie watched in horror when the walls suddenly burst into flames.

“Let’s go!” Cook bellowed and Archie turned to herd Jazzy and Daniel outside while Cook held on to Amber, Jeff followed behind them.

Lava had nearly covered the area when they got out. The vehicles were caught in the steady flow and Archie couldn’t believe how flames consumed his car so fast like it was a piece of plastic toy caught in a river of fire or something.

The hope for survival came crumbling down right before his very eyes. He barely heard Amber scream, “Oh gosh, David! I’m scared!” And Cook was mumbling something that Archie guessed was supposed to reassure all of them that they would make it out of that dreadful place.

Surprisingly, it was Daniel who still had some good sense left. “The lake! What about the lake? I see the boat’s out there!” They all dashed toward the boat, and Archie was glad his dad got something big enough for the family.

The whirring of the boat’s motor filled the tensed silence while they floated across the lake. They watched the lava consumed the cottage from the distance. Nobody spoke. Not until Jazzy shrieked. “Dad, look! The fishes! They’re all…”

Dead. There must be hundreds of fishes floating on the surface. But that wasn’t the worst they saw. Daniel noticed that water was seeping through the bottom of the boat.

“Everyone, get your feet up,” Cook instructed. Then he looked at David pointedly. “The volcano must have turned the water into acid.”

“Great.” Daniel huffed. “Acid eats metal. We’re gonna die.” And as soon as the words left Daniel’s mouth, there was a sputtering sound before the boat stopped.

Jeff bent over the edge to check the motor. “I think we just lost the propeller.”

“Oh my gosh.” Archie gazed out into the water. They were only a few feet away from the dock. If only they had paddles. He was looking around for one when Cook spoke.

“Everyone, just keep the boat steady.” Cook had taken off his jacket, wrapped it around his hand and started paddling.

Archie was about to do the same, when Amber screamed, “Dad, we’re sinking!”

“Keep your feet up,” Cook reminded them while paddling with his covered hand, pushing the boat further toward the dock.

The water gurgled and was rapidly filling the boat. Archie slipped his jacket off and was soon paddling on the other side. But the boat refused to move. The next thing Archie heard was a splash in the water and when he turned, Jeff was standing right outside the boat pushing—pulling it toward the dock, Amber and Jazzy were hysterically crying, Daniel calling out to him, and Cook coaxing—begging him to “get back inside the fucking boat, Jeff”.

Before Archie knew it, they had reached the dock. Cook hollered, “Go, go, go!” Archie jumped onto the wooden platform after his sisters and brother. Cook was right behind him, guiding his dad out of the water.

Once they were on the shore, Jeff collapsed, his breathing faltered.

“Oh my gosh. Dad,” Archie whispered. He heard Cook ask Daniel to keep his sisters calm, suggested that Daniel should try to sing them a song. So Daniel was soon humming ‘Angels’, the song Archie used to sing a lot before he moved out. Then Archie later sang along.

Cook carried Jeff on his shoulder, despite Jeff’s protests and complaints. They were walking along the trail toward the ranger station, a path too familiar since Archie and his family used to take hikes in that area. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Put me down, please,” Archie heard his dad beg. “Put me down.”

Archie stopped in his tracks and turned to see Daniel helping Cook ease his dad down to the ground. Jazzy and Amber crouched beside their father. And Archie just stood behind them, barely listening to what his dad was telling his sisters. Then Cook touched his arm, asked, “Are you alright?” and when Archie nodded, Cook said softly, “I think you’re dad wants to speak with you.”

The hopeful way his dad gazed up at him pushed something heavy inside Archie’s chest, making it hard for him to breathe. Archie sank on his knees, right beside his dad. The stern façade he’d seen resting on his dad’s face for the past year melted and beneath it, Archie saw the man that used to take him fishing, the man who taught him how to ride a bike, the man who whispered encouraging words before Archie went on stage during his first piano recital, the man whose smile used to take away all of Archie’s fears and worries.

“Oh Dad.” Archie swallowed a sob when he saw the burn on his dad’s legs getting worse. It had turned into a dark red color. The sight was unbearable so Archie had to look away and bite down on his lower lip to keep from losing control. He couldn’t breakdown. Not in front of his dad, or his sisters and brother. But the scattered emotions rolled into the center – his core – and he could no longer hold it back. He wrapped his hand over his dad’s, could feel the tears streaming down his face. “I’m so sorry, dad, for everything. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be the perfect son you wanted me to be. I’m so sorry for being such a disappointment, for—“

“David.” Jeff locked gazes with him, although Jeff’s eyes softened, a faint shadow of a smile on his lips. “You were never a disappointment, Son. Never ever think that you are, do you understand? Don’t… don’t let other people make you feel that way.” Jeff wheezed, and Archie could tell he was having difficulty breathing.

“Dad, please, let’s… let’s just keep going. We’re almost at the ranger station,” Archie said.

“I can’t. I don’t have enough left in me.” Jeff’s breath hitched at every word. “I’m. Sorry. Son. For not. Being there. For you.” Cook half kneeled on Jeff’s other side and tried to wheedle him to let Cook carry him a little further. But Jeff shook his head, said, “No Cook. Please. Take my children. And go.” Then Jeff grabbed Cook’s hand. “Take care of David. Promise me. You’ll take. Good care. Of. My son.”

White flakes started to fall around them. It looked a bit like snow but when a few landed on Archie’s skin, he realized it wasn’t cold.

“Ash fall.” Cook was gazing at the distance, some of the whitish flakes were stuck on the tip of his eyelashes . “We better get moving.”

Archie nodded and touched his dad’s shoulder lightly. “Dad?” Jeff’s eyes were partly closed, his eyelids fluttering. “We have to go, can you move a little?”

Jeff groaned and spoke in a very low voice that Archie had to bend a little to hear him. “Tell. Your mother. That I. Still love her.” Then Jeff went limp.


=0=


The ash fall had gotten thick on the ground by the time they had reached the ranger station. Cook had Amber riding on his back and he kept a watchful eye on Archie. His boyfriend had been too quiet since… since they left Jeff’s grave.

It was a failed attempt to bury Jeff since they didn’t have the proper tools, but Archie insisted. And Cook didn’t have the heart to deny him that one last gesture Archie could do to pay respect to his father. So they dug a shallow hole using broken tree branches and stones and then covered Jeff’s body with some leaves and rocks. It would have to do.

There was a truck parked outside the station – or what was left of it – and Cook was relieved that it started when he tampered with the wiring.

They drove in silence until they came to a path covered with lava rocks.

“Oh fuck!” Cook eyed the black bed of blazing rocks and wondered how the hell he was going to get the truck across.

“Uhm… Cook?” Daniel said and Cook could sense him fidgeting from the back seat. “I know I’ve been uhm… an ass?” Cook checked the rear view mirror just in time to see Daniel glance quickly at Archie, who remained quiet on the passenger side. “But… but can you like, pleeeeease get us out of here alive? I promise I’ll do anything you tell me.”

“Sit back. Put on your seatbelt and hold your sisters tightly,” Cook said; then turned to Archie, placed a hand on Archie’s thigh and gave a tiny squeeze. “Baby? You with me?”

Archie blinked at him, the corner of his mouth lifted for a moment then nodded.

Cook backed up the truck and changed gears. “Here we go guys.” He stepped on the gas and the truck lurched; then rolled onto the rocky terrain. Cook could feel the heat underneath them but kept his eyes ahead, determination steaming from the back of his head that he should – he would get them all across. A chorus of “oh my gosh, Cook, we’re on fire!” echoed in his ears.

When the truck reached the other side, with paths safe enough to drive through, Cook released the air that had been stuck in his chest. And relief flooded him when he heard Archie say, “Oh my heck! We… we made it!”

The road they were cruising through was familiar, but the sight before them was something different, like images taken completely out of a nightmare.

“Our house is gone,” Jazzy said, and Cook heard the sadness in her voice, even though she was trying to be brave like the rest of her siblings.

“Is it… is it over?” Archie gazed out the window and Cook assumed Archie was asking about Fuller’s Peak.

“Afraid not.” It was the bitter truth, but Cook couldn’t lie about it. “She had just finished clearing her throat. She hasn’t even started singing yet.”

They drove around for another half hour, trying to find an open route leading out of Murray. But roads had been blocked and bridges had fallen.

“Oh God, there’s… there’s no way out.” Daniel was evidently at the edge of panicking. He had started hyperventilating and it looked like the tables had been turned because Amber was the one consoling him.

Cook drove by the inn, surprised that part of the ground floor was left unharmed. “Wait here.” He parked the truck and hopped off, hoping that his teammates had left R.Y.A.N.

Some of the machines were still working; most of the computer monitors were left on. Then Cook found the tracking device lying on one of the tables. He grabbed it and stopped short when he caught a glimpse of the image on the nearest screen. It was a three-dimensional display of the volcano’s structure and it was clearly showing an activity. “Fuck!”

With a quick glance at the large map of Murray hanging on the wall, an idea flashed in Cook’s head. He sprinted back to the truck, handed R.Y.A.N. over to Archie and floored it. “Hang tight, everyone.”

A deep, roaring sound rose around them and the ground trembled violently at the same time

Don’t fucking look back. Don’t fucking look back.

When a deafening explosion cracked through the air, Cook made the mistake of glancing at the truck’s side mirror. “Oh shit!” Dark gray smoke crept down from the tip of Fuller’s Peak at an enormous speed.

“David…” One of the girls whined and someone else from the backseat asked, “What is that thing?”

“That,” Cook said, daring another glance at the mirror, “is a pyroclastic cloud.”

The thick, dark cloud had reached the town proper, sweeping through the remaining buildings with such destructive force and obliterating everything in its path.

Someone screamed, “It’s right behind us!”

Cook steered the truck to a short path and drove right through the barricade of the abandoned mine. The truck stopped abruptly when it reached a narrower part of the tunnel. Cook turned to check if the girls and Daniel were all right and saw that the path behind them was blocked with rocks and some other forms of debris.

“Baby?” Cook reached out for Archie, who was rubbing on a cut on his forehead.

“I’m fine.” Archie’s voice sounded raspy, but at least everyone was alive.

There were cracks on the windshield so Cook used little force to break the glass completely. He helped Archie climbed through it and guided the rest out.

Daniel led them to a niche along the tunnel and claimed that it was his hide out. He had a stash of some junk foods, canned meats, some bottles of water and canned sodas.

“No wonder Mom’s been complaining about grocery expenses,” Amber blurted, hands on her hips.

“Well I thought it would come in handy in case of emergencies.” Daniel glared at his sister, his arms crossed over his chest.

It was such an amusing scene that made Cook laugh. “Good plan, Daniel. Now why don’t you give your sisters something to eat?” Then he took Archie to a corner, slid his arms around Archie waist and pulled him closer. “Talk to me.”

“I’m sorry.” Archie pressed his forehead against Cook’s. “This…” he said, waving a hand in the air, “everything that happened were all too much to, you know… to take in.”

“I know.” Cook pressed a kiss on Archie’s forehead. “And I’m sorry about your dad.”

“Oh gosh, Cook, no. You... You did more than you should have. And thank you. For everything.” Archie leaned up and pressed his lips against Cook’s.

“Eeew. You two get a room.” There was a hint of good-natured teasing in Daniel’s tone and the tension that threatened to build up around them vanished when Archie’s sisters giggled.

“Damn it,” Cook hissed, suddenly remembering the tracking device he left in the truck.

Worry flashed in Archie’s eyes. “What? What’s wrong?”

“I forgot Ryan in the truck. I need to back and get it.”

“What is it anyway?” Archie had been curious about it since he saw Michael remove the thing from the robot’s back.

“It’s some sort of a tracking device that N.A.S.A had lent us.” Cook scratched on his stubble, trying to recall the device’s function. “It’s supposed to send signals to the main frame computers at the headquarters and provide coordinates.”

“I’ll go with you.” The grip on Cook’s shirt tightened and Archie looked like he wasn’t planning to let Cook go.

“No baby, you stay here with your brother and sisters. I’ll be back soon.”

Cook was about to step out when Daniel called him. “Here.” Daniel handed him a flashlight, smiled and said, “Be careful.”

“Thanks.” It didn’t take long for Cook to find the truck. He was a few meters away when another earthquake hit and the mine’s ceiling fell behind him. A wall of debris now blocked the path leading back to niche. Cook could hear Archie and his siblings’ voices calling out to him from the other side. “I’m okay! Just go back to the Daniel’s hideout!” They should be safe there, Cook hoped.

He made it back to the truck and found R.Y.A.N. on the passenger side’s floor. He flicked on the switch and when nothing happened, gave it a little kick until the small light on the side started blinking. Then Cook sat back, said a silent prayer that someone would find them soon.

There was nothing more he could do but wait. The only thing that kept Cook company was the constant beeping from R.Y.A.N. Time didn’t seem to matter anymore. He just waited. And waited.


=0=


Only three days had gone by since they witnessed the impressive show in Utah. It left them with tons of things to do. So the team only stole a few moments in the day to mourn the loss of their colleagues.

Michael still clung to the littlest hope that Cook made it out alive. They have contacted the local government and hospitals of the surrounding counties in Utah, even the neighboring states. But they always came out empty handed.

Mayor Archuleta shared his hope and confidence. She said if Cook and her son were still together, then they were bound to survive. Michael hoped she was right.

The research room bustled with activities. The equipment they had installed at Fuller’s Peak picked up thousands of data. Chikezie and Jason had been neck and neck working on the analyses for the past two days. Like Michael, they claimed they only needed a day of rest. But Michael had a feeling that they were using work as a distraction so they would not wither in grief.

When Michael entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the red light blinking on one of the machines. “Ramie?” He tapped Ramiele on the shoulder. “How long has this light been blinking?”

“Not sure. It was already blinking when I got back to work two days ago.”

The small light of hope within Michael glowed brightly. “I knew it,” he said. Then excitement bubbled up in his chest and he couldn’t stop himself from shouting, “I knew it! I knew it!” and everyone within hearing distance looked at him as if he’d grown another head.

“Jason. What does this thing do?” Michael asked, pointing at the machine with the blinking red light.

“Uhm… It picks up signal from Ryan?” Jason said, a tinge of anxiety growing in his eyes.

“And it’s blinking because…” Michael waved a hand, urging Jason to voice out his thoughts – or what Michael hoped he was thinking.

“Because that thing sometimes malfunctions?” The edge of skepticism slid from Jason’s words and he added, “Or maybe Ryan had been activated?”

“Oh my God!” Carly had a hand on her mouth. “It means…”


=0=


Cook thought he was dreaming. Or maybe he was dying and this was how dying felt. He could hear faint voices and grinding sounds that felt like there were machines drilling a hole in his head. But when a streak of light pierced through his eyelids, Cook snapped his eyes open and squinted against the brightness that greeted him. There were outlines of people standing above him, voices asking, “Mr. Cook? Are you alright?”

It was only when he was being carried out of the truck that Cook realized it wasn’t a dream at all. There were people – men and women – all around, construction machines and large spotlights directed at the area where he was just dragged from.

“Mr. Cook, I need to check your vital signs,” a woman in a white robe said, guiding him to an ambulance.

“How did you—“ Cook was too perplexed to say anything. He wedged his upper lip between his teeth, struggling to collect his thoughts while the paramedics worked on getting samples of his blood and checked his blood pressure.

Someone said, “He’s dehydrated. Get an I.V.”

Cook was about to protest, to tell them that he should wait until everyone else got out, but the roaring of a helicopter lashed above the noises.

The helicopter descended not too far from where the ambulance was parked. Cook watched as people got out and something was lifted off of his chest when he realized that it was his teammates.

Carly and Ramiele ran over to him but seemed to take caution when they threw their arms around him. Chikezie and Jason stepped up, chuckling while patting him on the shoulder and Michael, who was still on crutches, got to him last. They were all laughing and saying that it was Michael who noticed the signal when Cook noticed someone’s absence.

“Where’s Simon?”

His teammates’ faces fell, the light in their eyes just seconds ago disappeared. Carly cleared her throat and said, “He didn’t make it. He was swept away by the lava along with the bridge leading to North Salt Lake. We got too close to the show, I guess.”

Cook’s thoughts were interrupted when a black SUV pulled up. And the weight on Cook’s chest returned when he saw Lupe step out of the vehicle. She burst into tears the moment her eyes landed on Cook, wrapping her arms around him weakly when Cook met her half way.

“I never stopped believing,” she said softly. “I never stopped believing that you will survive.”

“Archie, Daniel and the girls are still in there.” Cook pulled back, silently hoping that Lupe’s children were all right. “Jeff didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” It was unfortunate that he had to be the one to bring the bad news. “But I’m sure your kids are okay. Daniel has a stash of food and drinks in his hideout to last them a month.”

As if on cue, applause rippled out from behind him. Cook led Lupe to the edge of the area where a huge hole had been dug out. His heart felt light as a feather the moment his eyes landed on Archie, holding Jazzy close and Daniel and Amber were behind him.

“Look!” Jazzy raised her arm. “It’s Cook! With mom! Mom!”

Jazzy, Amber and Daniel all ran to their mother while Archie fell limply in Cook’s arms.

“I was so scared,” Archie said, his face buried in Cook’s neck. “So scared that I might never get to hold you close anymore. So scared that I might never get to feel you breathe against my skin.”

Cook pressed his face deeper into Archie’s dark hair and took a deep breath. Then he pulled back just enough to look into Archie’s eyes. “I think I have the perfect solution for that.” Archie raised an eyebrow, his expression quizzical. Cook pulled a smile on his lips. “This might be too soon but… I was wondering if you’d like to move in to L.A. with me.”

Archie mirrored Cook’s smile, and the glint on his eyes were enough for Cook to know Archie’s response. But when Archie’s hand slid behind his head and pulled him down to capture his lips, the kiss slow and filled with promises, Cook knew he just sealed a deal.


= End =








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Comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for reading!

End Notes:

1) Some of the volcano facts were taken from this site.

2) A microearthquake (or microquake) is a very low intensity earthquake which is usually three or less on the Richter scale. Microquakes occur often near volcanoes as they approach an eruption, and frequently in certain regions exploited for geothermal energy, especially in a location in Northern California near Geyserville. (Source)

3) Murray is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 34,024 at the 2000 census. (Source)