Caroline's Short Story: Don T Die?

Finally, they drove up the igneous road to see the very top of the volcano above them, the glow of the molten lava shining above and around the rim, the gleam even more notable against the dimmed sky. Caroline parked where the path ended and unlocked the doors. She turned to Rachel, who was about to open the door but turned to her when she felt her gaze. “Good luck,” Caroline wished her, and she nearly missed Rachel’s quick twitch of a smile. “Thanks,” she responded with a curt nod before opening the door and was about to jump out when Caroline interjected again. “And also,” Rachel turned to her with a questioning look. “Don’t die. I don’t have a clue on what story I could tell to cover up what happened,” she finished, a her expression playfully smug. Rachel snorted in response as she jumped out. “No promises!” she shouted before slamming the door, smirking. Rachel looked up at the ominous peak and took a deep breath, the thick, smoky air making her lungs burn, causing a bout of coughs. She climbed up the steep hill, her wrench clutched tightly in her hand. She climbed up the mountain, the years of working on cars and trucks paying off. She finally got to the top, feeling as if the heat from the lava was melting off her skin. She startled when she looked over and saw an odd bulky machine, dark smoke puffing and wheezing out of it. There was a long pipe that reached
Then with a jerk and a groan, it tilted off balance and lurched off the side of the volcano, picking up speed as it barrel-rolled down the slope. But the lava had already risen to the top and started to boil over the sides, roaring as it overflowed. Rachel panicked and slid down the side of the volcano when the truck suddenly pulled into view. She sprinted over and threw open the door before diving in, and the truck started speeding down even before the door had