Reluctantly, Akira tells Vicki and Sue that she has to stay with Dodger. They exchange numbers to share updates, and the truck speeds off through the smoke as Akira turns Dodger back up the mountain. As they climb, they reach land that has not been burned, and soon they are back among the sequoias. From there Akira can see the entire landscape below, but she can’t see any flames. She tells Dodger to head straight down toward the house, but he is reluctant, obviously afraid of something in the forest. As she encourages him to keep moving, a mountain lion appears out of the trees.

The mountain lion stops for a moment but instead of attacking, it runs away. Soon, they start seeing other animals headed in the same direction as the lion. Dodger desperately wants to follow them but, afraid of the predator, Akira tells him to keep moving the opposite direction. A flock of bighorn sheep pass, and Dodger refuses to go any further. Akira soon realizes why. There is a wall of flames directly in front of them.