Andor scooped Lilli up into his arms. He did not say a word - he just kissed her. She took his face in her hands and kissed him back. When their lips parted, Lilli could see the tears streaming down his face. “Why are you crying?” “Because I am so happy!” Andor exclaimed as he sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “We’ve been trying for so long - and now you are,” Andor eyes were glowing. “I guess it was the clean living and all the fresh air,” Lilli replied. “Although I am definitely freaking out a bit about having a baby in the mountains away from medical care.” “If anyone can do it, you are the one.” Andor wiped the tears from his eyes. “I guess women have been doing it for thousands of years. Why shouldn’t I be any different?” “Exactly!” Andor began, but Baba Ghanoush spotted a bunch of tasty-looking dandelions and dragged him away mid-sentence. “Hey there girl! We’re trying to have a moment over here and you’re interrupting!” Andor chided the hungry llama jokingly. “Hey a girl’s gotta eat. Trust me - I know,” Lilli walked over and patted Baba Ghanoush on the back. “How about I get you some nice clover instead of those crunchy weeds?” Baba Ghanoush’s ears perked up and she stopped munching and let out a happy “Baaa haaat” “Where are we going to find clover around here?” “I remember the blue house with the broken-down van out front had a lot growing in their backyard. Also they had some baby toys on the front porch. I bet we can find baby stuff in there…” Andor’s voice trailed off. “What do you think we should get?” “Well, we’re going to need blankets, baby clothes, and a wash tub so we can give her baths.” “Her, huh?” Andor replied. “It is too early to tell, just trying it on for size, I guess…” Lilli smiled as she rubbed her very flat belly lovingly. “Well, I like it,” Andor turned to head back towards the village. “A baby of any gender, whoever they become it’s alright with me.” Lilli took Andor’s arm and snuggled up to him. “You’re going to be the world’s greatest dad. I’m sorry your parents haven’t come around to accepting you for who you are.” “Yea, I think the hardest part is before I thought I had time for them to change their minds. Now they could be dead. Or they think we’re dead. I may never see them again…” Andor said wistfully as he stared at the ground. Sensing her human was sad Baba Ghanoush trotted over and rubbed the top of her head against Andor’s chest. “Aww she loves you,” Lilli said as a single tear trickled down her cheek. “… And I love you.” “We have each other and just today alone our family has doubled in size!” Andor chuckled. “Yes it has. Now let’s go do some shopping for our baby and get this ole girl some clover!” Lilli exclaimed, a sudden excitement overtaking her. Over the years, she would wander in stores and see the baby sections and wistfully dream of the day when it would be her turn to peruse the shelves for her own child. Well, now it was her turn, and she was suddenly as giddy as a kid in a candy shop at the prospect of collecting items for the little one. The happy trio walked hand, lead, and hand up the sunny street lined with blooming tulips and daffodils. The sky was a strange swirl of muted oranges and browns. “It feels odd to be the only ones in this shrinking village isolated from the destruction raging all around us…” Andor mused out loud as they wandered past a large clump of yellow, pink, red, and purple tulips. “It is,” Lilli agreed as she squeezed Andor’s hand. “It’s like our own little world up here.” “I feel like not knowing and not being able to find out is strangely cathartic.” “Yeah. Not being bombarded with bad news is helping us feel safe—even if it’s all just an illusion.” “I can understand why the cell towers aren’t working. Old technology. Not very reliable. but not even having satellite connectivity is strange.” Andor said as they stopped to allow Baba Ghanoush to devour a clump of clover sprouting in a random cabin’s driveway. “You remember that last AM radio report we heard on the way up here?” “Yeah.”  “Well it said the meteorite had triggered an EMP event when it entered our atmosphere.” “True, maybe the EMP did more damage than we thought. That reminds me a few decades ago there was a huge geomagnetic storm and a bunch of satellites were lost. Maybe the meteorite triggered a storm like that?” “Could be. I don’t know.” Lilli murmured, her voice drifting as her thoughts pulled her elsewhere. “You know it’s kind of funny I didn’t even know our car had an AM radio in it” Andor laughed. “Haha,” Lilli chuckled.“Yeah I had no idea. Hey, speaking of old cars, is that the blue van you were talking about?” she said pointing up the street. “It is!” Andor exclaimed as he led Baba Ghanoush towards the backyard. When she spotted the plethora of clover covering the yard she leapt into the air and began scampering about greedily chomping huge mouthfuls of the tasty greenery. “Poor thing must have been starving. She's hardly stopped eating. Enjoy your feast little one,” Lilli smiled. “We’ll be inside getting some supplies." Unsurprisingly, the back door was unlocked. Most of the cabins they had been to over the last few months were the same way. It was a small town, it was safe, and everyone knew each other. There was really no need to engage in such trivial societal platitudes as locking your doors. In the main bedroom, they found the nursery. There was a crib and a diaper changing table along with mountains of new clothing, most of which was still in the original boxes and with tags attached. “Looks like we hit the jackpot,” Andor exclaimed. “Okay, we're looking for warm clothing. We will need blankets too.” Lilli said as she flicked open a trash bag and started stuffing items inside. “What about diapers?” Andor asked. “I think we should hold off. We don’t have sanitation services up there - and the disposal will get out of hand quickly.” “Hmm, good point,” Andor rubbed his chin. “I never thought about it before, but what did our ancestors do before diapers?” “Well, my grandmother used to tell me during the great depression of 2026, they used cloth stuffed with wood shavings or grass. It worked well.” “Hmmm. Interesting. I remember seeing a bag of unopened workshop rags in the garage. I’ll go grab them,” Andor replied as he walked to the front door. “Be right back.” Lilli kept sorting through the clothing. There was a lot here. _They must have just had the baby shower right before the evacuation and did not have time to take much. There is so much here and all of it is brand new._ After several minutes, Lilli had a good amount of clothes stuffed into the trash bag and a few midwifing books she had found on the bookshelf in the hallway. *I wonder what is in the closet.* She thought to herself. ![[mountainside-aion-iii-27.jpg]] Suddenly, the door flew open with a loud bang. Andor stormed in with his eyes wide. “Babe, we gotta get out of here NOW!” “What? Why?” “No time to explain.” Andor yelled as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out the house. She had just enough time to grab the bag of clothing as she was pulled out the door. Andor grabbed Baba Ghanoush's lead and hastily stuffed the bag of things Lilli had gathered into the side pannier. "It's too quiet..." Lilli said with a grave look on her face "Not even the birds are tweeting... What is going on?" “Shhh….” Andor brought his finger to his lips. She stopped breathing and listened intently. At first she didn't hear anything then off in the distance there was a faint scream, followed by a muffled explosion. “What was that?” she asked in horror. “I don’t know… It sounds…” a deafening roar drowned out Andor’s reply. Instinctively, they looked up just in time to see two fighter jets scream overhead a mere hundred feet or so above them. “Run!!!” Andor shouted as he handed Baba Ghanoush’s lead to Lilli. The three of them sprinted into the woods toward the river. There was no time to find a crossing— so they plunged waist-deep into the icy water and scrambled up the other side. “Look babe!” Lilli screamed. Andor spun around and looked in the direction Lilli was pointing. Down the canyon, they could see two fighter jets flying towards them. They were in formation, and just behind them, a huge fireball and mushroom cloud of smoke tore into the sky. When the roar of the explosion reached them, the jets soared overhead, pulling into a barrel roll before disappearing back down the canyon towards whatever they were bombing. The sound was deafening. _This reminds me of the medevac in Syria when the suicide bomber hit my convoy._ Andor thought to himself as the all too familiar taste of bile returned him to the moment he would have preferred to have forgotten. “What are they bombing!?” Lilli asked. “I have no idea and I don’t want to stick around to find out!” Andor took Lilli’s hand and began running. So far in their retreat away from the village, Baba Ghanoush had been following behind them. As the terrain got steeper though, she catapulted in front. The second low pass of the fighters had spooked her and she was dragging Lilli and Andor up the hillside. _This llama sure is strong!_ Andor thought to himself as he struggled to keep up. _I need to keep Lilli and the baby safe!_ Andor realized as they labored to climb the steep mountain side as quickly as possible. _I’m slowing them down!_ “I’m right behind you!” Andor called out and then he let go of Lilli’s hand. Freed of his weight Baba Ghanoush accelerated up the mountain pulling Lilli whose legs were pumping as fast as they could to keep up. In a few moments they were out of sight. Andor galloped up the chaparral-covered mountainside as fast as he could. The adrenaline coursing through his veins helped propel him upwards but eventually, his legs gave out. _I’ve gotta stop. Maybe the jets are gone?_ Andor thought to himself as he flopped to the ground, his chest heaving. He turned to look down the valley. “What the hell were they bombing!?” he muttered. Then he saw it. A massive creature emerged from the forest, sprinting up the creek in the valley below him. It looked like something from the classic movie Predator—a towering beast on all fours with a long, thrashing tail. Forty, maybe fifty feet long. Before Andor could process what he was witnessing, a massive explosion engulfed the creature and the ground trembled violently. “They GOT IT!” he yelled out loud without realizing. Then from the smoke and dust, the beast emerged - unscathed. “What the…” he whispered as the air was filled with the sound of cannon fire. Two F-16 fighters dove towards the monster, guns blazing. They were pumping thousands of rounds into the beast, and yet it did not seem to be taking any effect. Then the beast reared up and launched a boulder at one of the jets. It was a direct hit. The jet incinerated midair and the flaming wreckage plunged from the sky into the midst of the tiny village. In an instant several cabins disappeared in the fireball. The second jet kicked on its afterburners and was gone out of sight before the roar had subsided. Before silence could overtake the little valley, Andor heard the telltale sounds of incoming helicopters. They flew directly over Andor, flying nap of the earth, heading straight for the beast, their guns blazing. The hot shell cases landed all around Andor. A few bounced off of him, causing him to swear in pain as they burned his exposed flesh. The beast turned away from the attacking helicopters  and tore through the woods. The attack helicopters gave chase, launching rockets and firing bursts from their chain guns. The monster briefly reappeared on the far ridge, tore up a tree, and hurled it at a chopper. The chopper darted to the side, and the tree flew harmlessly past it. Then the beast plunged over the ridge line and disappeared from sight. The helicopters gave chase and in an instant the canyon was engulfed in silence. The village was obliterated. The homes which remained after the cataclysmic floods were now either engulfed in flames or had been crushed in the wake of the beast. Andor sat in stunned silence, watching the fire consume what was left. "I guess Dustin was right" [^1] he muttered to himself as he turned his back to the carnage and began to climb up the chaparral covered mountainside. High above, storm clouds gathered. As he rose and began the climb toward his mountain, the first raindrops began to fall. ### Next Chapter: [[28 - Aiōn 🥘]] ### Previous Chapter: [[26 - N-85 🏜️]] [^1]: [[19 - Escape 🏕️]]