“I didn’t think it was possible to sleep so well on a concrete floor…” Lilli said as she rolled over and kissed Andor on the forehead. She wasn’t braving a lips kiss, not until she had a chance to brush her teeth. *When was the last time I brushed my teeth?* Lilli wondered to herself. *God was it in Sausalito? I hope not…* “Good morning.” Andor said with a smile. “I snuck out a bit ago to pee and the river has come down a lot since last night.” “What about our poor car?” Lilli asked as she winced and sat up. “Oh it’s done for. All the windows are destroyed and the exploded cedar sticking out of the windshield let in quite a bit of rain water. The interior is soaked.” “She was a good hatchback.” Lilli said, shaking her head. “She was…” Andor said wistfully remembering how their car had transported them on their honeymoon and had been there to whisk the two out of town on his weekends off at Officer’s Candidate School in Virginia. “Should we go see what options we have for breakfast? I’m starving.” Lilli offered an attempt to change the subject. Andor pushed the door to the shed open and stepped out into the dripping forest awash with bright sunshine. The birds were calling and the creek below the remnants of their cabin was cascading over the rocks filling the air with the soft sounds of running water. The downed branches and their totaled car along with the mud filled creek bed were signs that last night's events had not just been a vivid nightmare. “It’s beautiful!” Lilli exclaimed as she wrapped the blanket tightly around her shoulders. “I could totally live here.” “Well we might not have a choice now. I think we’ll be stuck here for a while…” Andor said as helped Lilli step over a large tree branch. He had put on his wet clothes but Lilli only had on the sleeping bag which she was clutching tightly to cover herself. “I hope the suitcase has kept my clothes dry…” Lilli said as they stepped into their newly “renovated” open air cabin. Andor moved some debris from what was left of their cabin and found Lilli’s suitcase. Thankfully the clothing inside was dry. “I’m gonna go get dressed and brush my teeth.” “Okay, I’ll go look in the pantry and see what’s for breakfast.” Andor replied. A few minutes later Lilli came out, her hair done up in a messy ponytail. “There, much better.” she said as she clasped the last button on her flannel shirt. “What’s for breakfast?” “Well we have canned pineapple, canned carrots, and a can of lentil stew.” “Mmmm. A feast fit for royalty.” Lilli quipped. “Beats the hell out of an MRE… at least.” Andor replied dryly as he opened the cans and dumped the contents into three bowls. “Your fork my lady.” he joked as he handed Lilli a utensil. “After breakfast should we go out and see how the rest of the town fared?” Lilli said with a hint of trepidation in her voice. “Yea, I guess we could head to the general store and see if there is any more news…” Andor replied as he hefted an empty pack onto his back. “Is there any food left in the pantry?” Lilli asked. “There’s a few cans of soup, freeze dried mashed potatoes, and a half dozen packs of dried ramen…” “Ooh why aren’t we having some ramen for breakfast?” Lilli asked as she speared the last pineapple chunk in the bottom of the bowl. “I’m worried about starting the stove, with all the damage to the house. I don’t want to start a fire or cause an explosion.” “That makes sense… What about the camp stove in the shed?” “It’s out of fuel. I checked this morning when I got up to pee…” “Well it’s a short walk to the general store. Maybe they’ll have some canisters…” “Thanks for breakfast.” Lilli said as she put the dishes in the sink. “You’re welcome. Took me hours to prepare…” Andor replied with a chuckle. “Don’t quit your day job…” Lilli playful jabbed at Andor who huffed in reply.  “Geez! Thanks for the vote of confidence babe.”  “Oh I’m kidding, everyone knows you’re the chef in the relationship.” Lilli replied as she took Andor’s hand. “Let’s go to the store, shall we?” The sky was a crisp blue and the mountains looked especially regal as the forest glistened from the nights deluge. The landscape was literally glittering under the rising morning sun. The birds were flitting about and an occasional squirrel chastised the couple as they walked hand in hand down the street to the general store.  “Huh, the door’s locked…” Andor said as he jiggled the handle. Then he cupped his hand against the large glass window and peered inside.  “The place is cleared out. Looks like the owner cleaned it out and headed for his bunker in the hills. Heard he was a doomsday prepper. My folks thought he was crazy… Guess he wasn’t.” Andor said as he dusted his hands off. “Let’s go see if the restaurant is open.” Lilli said as her stomach grumbled loudly. “I doubt it is but it doesn’t hurt to check.” The streets were covered in downed branches and mud. Occasionally someone would come out of their home and watch them walk by. Andor and Lilli would wave and many of their neighbors waved back - although a few didn’t. “Gee rough crowd today.” Andor said as one neighbor came out on their porch carrying a shotgun. A few doors down another neighbor came out, waved, and smiled. “Good to see you again Andor." “High Mark! Good to see you too." "Your parents told me you had moved to San Francisco?” "Yeah, we moved there last year. Left town just before the meteorite.” Andor replied, choosing to leave out the bit about the crazy lady in their bedroom and the dreams. “I am so glad you did. Oh my god it’s just terrible…” Mark's voice trailed off. “Did y’all hear about the tidal wave?” Andor and Lilli shook their heads in reply. “Well, apparently it hit Japan, Taiwan, and China. Devastation was much worse than expected. Although the death toll was low… they had several hours to evacuate the coastline.” “This whole thing is surreal. We keep wondering if it’s just a horrible dream.” Lilli said as she bunched her jacket tightly around her neck as rain drops began falling from the sky. “Me too…” the neighbor said as he turned to go back inside. “Good to see you Andor. If you need anything don’t hesitate to come by.” “Thanks Mark.” Andor replied as he waved goodbye. “I think we should head back to our place now babe.” Lilli said as a peal of thunder reverberated through the canyon. They weren't even half way back when the clouds which had blown in in a matter of minutes grew ominously dark. "Well that took a turn for the worse in only a matter of minutes!" Lilli exclaimed as the rain began to fall. "No kidding!" Andor exclaimed but his voice was drowned out by a peel of thunder. “It’s still a few blocks to the cabin!” Andor yelped as a large hailstone struck his thigh. “I don’t think we’re going to make it…” “There!” Lilli said pointing towards a large oak tree with a dilapidated tree house high in its branches. “That’ll offer some shelter.” They sprinted under the oak tree and pressed themselves as tightly against the trunk as they could. Andor picked up a board, which looked like it had fallen off the tree house an eon ago and held it over their heads - a token effort at shielding themselves from the icy onslaught.   “Who’s that?” Lilli said, pointing towards a quaint cabin with smoke wafting from a stone chimney. In the doorway stood an older looking woman. She was wildly gesticulating with arms towards Andor and Lilli. “I don’t know but I think she wants us to come inside.” Andor replied as an icy ball struck him in the shoulder. “Ouch!” He exclaimed. “We’re gonna get hurt if we stay out here any longer. On three, let's run for it!” Lilli nodded and reached up and helped Andor hold the old piece of plywood above their heads. “One… Two… Three…” Andor called out and then they were off running headlong through the icy bombardment. They made it to the porch with only a few painful bruises to show for the effort. “Oh my god, you poor things!” the sweet older lady said as she held the screen door open. “Are you okay?” “I think so…” Lilli said as she rubbed her sore shoulder. “Nothing that won’t heal in a few days… I guess.” "Goodness, I have been in these mountains since I was a child, and I have never seen such horrific weather," said the woman as she showed the couple into her house. "My name is Heather." “Nice to meet you.” Andor said, shaking Heather’s outstretched. “My name is Andor and this is Lilli.” “Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home and out of the storm.” Lilli said, taking Heather’s hand and shaking it vigorously. “But of course! When I saw you two standing out there I was horrified. You could’ve been killed.” “The weather sure has been a nightmare since we got here…” Andor said as took off his wet and muddy shoes and walked towards the roaring fireplace. “Oh please do warm up by the fire. I’ll see if I can find you some dry clothes.” Heather said but before she could scamper off the door to the basement opened. A tall rugged man came out carrying an armload of wood. "I see we have guests," he replied as he placed the armload of firewood next to the fireplace. “Ed this is Andor.” Heather said introducing the young couple “And this is Lilli. They were hiding from the hail under the old Barkley treehouse..." "Well, it is nice to meet you two," Ed replied, taking off his work gloves and shaking their hands. "Glad to have you... The storms the last few days have been unbelievable. Seems that asteroid really messed things up..." Heather scurried into the kitchen and poured them both a hot cup of tea before disappearing into a back room. "What were you doing outside in weather like this?" Ed asked. "We were trying to restock on supplies at the general store. There is not very much food in what is left of our cabin," Andor replied as he cupped his hands around the steaming mug, trying to warm his frozen fingers. A few moments later Heather returned holding a neatly folded stack of laundry. “These are some of my son’s clothes. You look like you’re about his size. You can change out of those wet clothes in the bathroom.” “Oh thank you so much!” Andor said gratefully as he took the neatly folded clothing from Heather’s outstretched hands. “I wish I had some women’s clothes…” Heather said, turning towards Lilli. “But we’ll put your clothes by the fire. They should dry quickly.” “It’s quite alright. I love a soft flannel shirt.” Lilli replied, holding up a soft thick red and black crosshatched flannel shirt which was on the top of the stack of clothes. “That was my son’s favorite shirt…” Heather said wistfully before bustling into the kitchen. “I’ll start making us some lunch.” “Oh that's very kind of you but we don't want to impose..." Andor began before getting cut off. "Nonsense, I'm happy to have guests and we can't let you go hungry..." Heather replied as she rummaged through the refrigerator. "Well thank you, that does sound wonderful, breakfast was a little sparse this morning…” Lilli replied. Lilli and Andor changed quickly in the bathroom and brought their wet clothes out and hung them by the fire. "If this weather doesn't let up you two can stay in the guest room tonight. No sense in you trying to get home in this weather," Ed offered. “Oh thank you so much… we've only just met you and you're so kind...” “Lunch is ready!” Heather called from the kitchen. “Why don't you have a seat at the table and Ed can get you something to drink...” "How about a beer?" Ed offered "I'd say a natural disaster of this magnitude necessitates a little day drinking. Don't you?" Andor and Lilli both laughed and nodded in agreement. "A beer does sound nice..." The conversation at the table progressed effortlessly as if the two couples were old friends catching up about life and past adventures as if they had not seen each other in ages. "Thank you for lunch! The homemade barley soup and salad was delicious" Lilli said as Heather started to get up to collect the dishes. Andor stood quickly. "Please, let me clear the dishes. It's the least I can do." Heather sat back down with a smile "Thank you Andor" "It sure is an angry storm this afternoon isn't it?" Ed said as scooped the last bits of the soup into a container and put it in the fridge. Outside, the maelstrom raged—lightning flashed, and hail and rain pounded out their dire warning. None of them knew the danger looming on the horizon or that, one day in the not-too-distant future, meals like this would become a rare occurrence. ![[incomingStorm-ii9.jpg]] “If you’re not careful you won’t be able to get rid of us.” Lilli said with a chuckle as Ed put another round of beers on the table. “You two have been absolutely wonderful. It’s like we knew each other in another life…” Heather said as she took a sip from her beer. “I agree. It feels like we’re old friends…” Andor replied then holding his beer up signaling a toast. "To old friends who are no more and to new friends just met may we all strive to live in peace and love." "Cheers!" The table replied in unison. "How about a card game?" Heather suggested as a nasty gust of wind buffeted the windows so hard they rattled in their frames. "That sounds wonderful!" Andor and Lilli said with a smile. "I'll get the cards" It was a rousing game of Spades. Andor and Lilli managed to stay just ahead of their opponents for most of the game. Andor had honed his Spades strategy quite well during his deployment but Ed and Heather had several more decades of experience and in the end it was the cautious strategy that took the game over Andor and Lilli's gung-ho style. "That was a great game!" Andor said as he set his cards down. "You beat us fair and square." "Just barely though. It's always more fun when you find an opponent who truly understands the game..." Heather offered, trying to soften the blow of her's and Ed's win. Lilli chuckled and sat back in her chair and yawned. "Oh boy I am tired..." “Follow me, I’ll show you to the guest room upstairs” Ed said as he slid the deck of cards back into the drawer and kissed Heather on the cheek. “Good night.” Andor and Lilli said to Heather as they followed Ed up the stairs. “Good night. See you in the morning.” Heather called after them. “Sorry it’s such a mess, we haven’t had any visitors in a long time" Ed said as he pulled two big blankets from the closet in the room. “This is wonderful,” Lilli said with a smile. “You should see where we slept last night. Makes this place look like a Ritz Carlton.” Ed smiled and handed them the blankets. "Get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will improve, and we will see if we can help you find some supplies." He bowed slightly and then backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. There was a fireplace in the room and in a few minutes Lilli had a nice fire going. Above it, resting on the mantel, was a painting of Ed and Heather’s cabin. Lilli and Andor slipped off their borrowed clothes and slipped into bed. The soft blankets were just big enough to cover them both if they laid very close to one another. Andor could feel the goosebumps on Lilli’s neck bristle as he ran his hand down her abdomen. The only light in the room came from the fire, and as it danced, playing with the shadows the two lovers snuggled close to each other as the storm raged outside. It was warm under the blanket, and as their hands wandered over each other's bodies. They kissed - passionately caressing one another. “The last twenty-four hours have been terrifying.” Andor whispered “They certainly have” Lilli replied as she wrapped her arms around Andor and felt his body press into hers. “I’m relieved we are safe… for now.” The warmth of the fire and the soft light which lit up the room with a romantic glow putting the two lovers at ease. As they clung to each other under the blankets they were overcome with a sense of security, love, and happiness which quickly enveloped them in a deep sleep. --- Andor awoke with a start; the flames had died out in the fireplace - it was mostly embers. He could just barely see around the room. *Why am I awake? Something isn’t right - the rain has stopped… Maybe that’s it?* Andor’s eyes darted around the room, remembering the last time he had awoken in the middle of the night. Then he saw it - a manilla envelope on top of one of the boxes in the room. Something about the envelope was beckoning him. He had to open it and see what was inside… He got up quietly so as not to disturb Lilli. He picked up the envelope and carefully untied the string holding it closed. *It’s too dark to read.* Andor realized. He got up and walked over to the fireplace and gently laid a few more logs on the fire. Then he sat down closer to the firelight and opened the manilla envelope. When Andor opened the cover, he found a hundred or so pages typed with narrow margins front and back. The title was “The Birds” and the author was Dustin B. Kingston. _Looks like it was written seventeen years before I was born._ _Who is Dustin and why is his manuscript in this room?_ Andor wondered, then he turned the page and began to read. The novel was a page turner, not because the topic was engaging or even because the writing was particularly compelling but rather because from page one Andor realized the novel was about him & Lilli . Every page turned revealed another flawless recollection of their lives. The last few weeks a lot had taken place which was impossible to explain but this took the cake. It was as if he was reading through a rift in time, some sort of alternate reality, where he was the main character. _I wonder what became of Dustin?_ Andor thought to himself. _I need to meet him. I needed to talk to him._  Every detail was exactly how it had happened to him and Lilli; everything about his childhood, how they had met, even his time in the Marines. Everything he was reading was just how it had happened. *How is this possible!?* Andor's mind raced trying to make sense of this strange phenomenon. *This is simply extraordinary.* Andor kept turning the page hoping to discover the plot shift into fantasy and away from a biography written decades before the protagonists were born but it never did. *Did Dustin's book compel us to be born? For our life's story to unfold the way it did?* Andor wondered to himself. He was so immersed in the book that he failed to notice the room getting brighter as the sun began to rise. He had just gotten to the part of the book where they arrived in the village after barely escaping the asteroid when Ed called up the stairs “Rise and shine! Breakfast is ready.” Andor jumped “Okay thank you! We’ll be right down...” gingerly he slipped the aged yellow manuscript back into the manilla envelope. “What are you reading?” Lilli asked as she yawned and stretched.  “I’ll tell you later.” Andor replied “Let’s go get some breakfast.” ### Next Chapter: [[18 - Warning 🙅🏼‍♂️]] ### Previous Chapter: [[16 - Armagedon 🏔️]]