The sky turned black as the pyroclastic cloud chased them across the Pass. A sea of fire glowed incandescent behind the angry cloud. Elbows of lightning crisscrossed its murderous face. “Faster, faster!” Veronica screamed. The speedometer crossed one hundred miles per hour. “It’s getting closer,” she groaned.

Veronica’s dad checked the screen. The cloud was 750 degrees and moving 150 feet per second. He opened a red safety cover on the dashboard, exposing a silver toggle labeled “Boosters.” He flipped the switch. The car rocketed across the tundra at 180 miles per hour. With one eye on the rearview mirror, he watched as the ash cloud disappeared into the distance.

“Well, that was a little close,” he admitted. “But we’re safe now—we’ll be out of here in no time.” The car continued rocketing down the road, putting ever more distance between themselves and the cloud. “There! Look there!” he shouted. “Wolf Creek! The way out!”

Wolf Creek marked the end of the plateau and the eastern boundary of the Magma Skyway. The road ran parallel to the creek, meandering down the plateau to a tunnel at the bottom. At the tunnel, the road crossed under the creek, turning into a four-lane highway on the other side. Veronica’s father knew if they could just make it to that tunnel, they’d be safe.

Out of nowhere a torrent of lava bombs slammed into the windshield. The car noticed. “Visibility 0%. Please mind the screen.”