Darwyn Musad was a brand new man and he felt like it. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced in his entire life. It was as if the Spirit of glad tidings had completely filled his soul and containing his joy was like holding back a flood. All he wanted to do was to let out an exuberant shout.
So that’s what he did.
There in the hidden terrorist hideout beneath an abandoned warehouse, Darwyn remained on his knees while he raised his hands and face toward heaven. He shouted out loud for joy to the One who had saved him. Saved him! Saved him, who was a sinner. A man who had personally terrorized God’s own people, purposefully hunted them down to torture them until they denounced His name. A man who had murdered in the name of the false god he had once worshiped. He couldn’t even begin to understand how he could have loved a god who did not express love back to him in any way.
Yet this God who saved him did love him. He didn't understand the love of God, nor would he ever be able to comprehend such depths. He only knew that he would never be able to fully forgive and forget his own past atrocities. And yet God did just that, because He loved him. Darwyn could not help but be filled with awe.
Why hadn’t he listened sooner? Why hadn't he seen that throughout the years God had been calling for him? God had tried so many times and in so many ways to get his attention. How could he have been so blind? How could he have been so lost?
Now everything was as clear as the bright, morning sun. He understood with perfect clarity that there was a risen Messiah and that His name was Jesus Christ. He now believed that Jesus was Lord of lords and King of kings and had returned to the earth to take away His church. His bride! He had caught up all of the ones who had called on Him for salvation and they were with Him in the air.
Darwyn was happy for them.
For the first time in his life, he was exceedingly happy.
He shouted again.
Then, he looked directly ahead of him and noticed the pile of clothes on the ground in between two beams. Just moments ago, a woman had been standing between those beams with her wrists bound tightly to them by ropes. The ropes were even hanging loosely from the beams, yet the woman was gone. He had just been about to stone her to death when the Lord took her. Nichole Parkhurst had escaped the wrath to come, but she had watered the seed of the Gospel within his heart and he knew it had changed him forever.
“Oh, my sister…” he said softly, wishing he could tell her that he had finally gotten the message.
He got to his feet and slowly walked toward the clothes. It was all that remained of the woman he had been about to murder. He wondered what she was doing right at that moment. Was she in the presence of the Lord? Oh, what that must be like! he thought. Could anyone even truly stand before Him? No! Surely everyone shall kneel before Him. I know I will!
He knelt on one knee beside the pile of clothes and took a deep breath. Something had suddenly occurred to him. “Oh, Lord…what must I do now?”
He waited, as if expecting an answer.
On the ground beside the clothes, something sparkled. Curious, he reached down and picked up the object he hadn’t noticed before. He discovered it was a necklace with a cross. He held it in his hands, wondering if there was something he should do with it. And that’s when it came to him. His brother had mentioned something to him about the woman having a…
His eyes widened. “A sister!”
Could it be? Had his brother meant to tell him that this woman was the sister of Dr. Staci Cohen? It must be so, he thought. “Thank you, Lord,” Darwyn said joyfully, rising to his feet. He was excited at the idea of going on his first mission for the Lord. “I will take this to her.”
He turned to leave, but then he stopped. Something felt wrong. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, yet something was causing him to feel uneasy. He slowly looked around, but the empty area was so large it was mostly hidden in shadow. He saw nothing that could cause the uneasiness of his spirit. Shaking off the feeling, he hurried off, eager to do his Lord’s bidding.
When he was gone, silence descended.
A moment later, a man stepped out from the shadows, a look of rage and hatred etched onto his face. It was Youmud Musad, Darwyn’s younger brother. He had witnessed his brother’s conversion and had heard him speak out loud. He had even witnessed the man make a fool of himself by shouting out loud. The whole experience had sickened Youmud.
Now the younger man was more determined than ever to reach the sister of the agent before his brother did…but he would time it just right. He would get to the Jewish doctor and wait for his older brother. Then, he would make Darwyn watch her die.
Lenox tried not to let it bother him. He had seen death before, many times. He himself had taken lives in the line of duty and for his country. He was a man who wouldn't hesitate to do so again. He was no stranger to death or brutality.
But this was different.
It played out over and over again in his mind. The clothes of the grand-daughter in his hands. The grand-father unable to bear it, putting a gun to his head and taking his own life. In just a matter of seconds, it was all over. The girl was simply gone, and the old man was dead.
Why? It didn’t make any sense. How did the girl vanish in the twinkling of an eye? Why had the old man been so desperate enough to take his own life? Lenox didn’t have the answers and realized he might not ever know. His friend believed that something called the Rapture had taken place, but Lenox couldn’t say for certain if it did or didn’t. It sounded too crazy an idea to believe.
Lenox only knew one thing and it preyed on his mind like a pressure-cooker about to boil over.
Terrorists had attacked his country. He didn’t know how bad the attack was or how far it extended. He just wanted to do something about it. Lenox was a red-blooded American who strongly believed in fighting for its freedom. If anything ever shattered his faith in his country, he knew he would lose all hope and only God knew what he would be capable of at that point in his life.
He reverently hoped that America would stay strong forever.
Something, however, was deeply troubling him. The Director and Barrington had been doing an awful lot of talking about Joseph Canaan before they were sent to retrieve him. They knew a lot more about what was going on than they had been willing to share with him. It was making him angry. Lenox grabbed onto that anger and held it close for it was the only way he was going to keep himself from doing something he might regret later.
As the rain fell against the windshield, Lenox took a deep breath and watched the highway ahead of them, looking for signs of trouble. It was eerie to be in the only vehicle moving on the interstate. “So…” he began casually, “tell me about Joseph Canaan, the Carpenter, Bear.” He paused for affect. “Tell me all of the details. Tell me everything, and leave out nothing.” He forced a grin to show that he was at least making an attempt to throw in a little humor. “And, please, don’t hesitate to tell the truth, because I’ve got a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Barrington glanced at him. “Not now.”
“Not now? Have you got a date or something? You’ve got some other plans I don’t know about?”
“The Director will fill you in. I’m just trying to drive.”
Lenox shook his head. “That’s funny because I was sure you’re the type of guy who can chew gum and walk at the same time. Clearly I was wrong if you’re unable to drive and talk all at once.”
Barrington sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry, Knox. I’m having a hard time concentrating because I can’t stop thinking about Kate and April. Cut me some slack. Alright?”
Lenox regarded him with genuine concern. “Sure.”
He hesitated, “The Director knows Canaan personally. I’m sure he’ll tell you the rest.” He glanced over at him. “Okay?”
Lenox shrugged. “Okay.” He settled back. “I wish you guys would have filled me in on that. I could have killed the guy just for looking at me cross-eyed.”
“You wouldn’t have killed him.”
“I wasn’t given all of the important details, Bear. If he had made a run for it, I would have stopped him with a bullet and you know that.”
Barrington paused. “Yeah…but that didn’t happen. He was taken instead.”
“Taken?” Lenox frowned. “Are we in the X-Files now? What happened to your ‘Rapture’ theory?”
“It’s not a theory. The Rapture is what happened. Those who believed were ‘taken’. They were caught up to meet the Lord in the air.”
Lenox glanced down at Canaan’s Bible in the seat between them. “Is that what the Good Book says?”
“I’m sure it’s in there. Kate’s told me enough, but I can’t look it up. I’m driving.”
“Well, don’t look at me. I’m not a scholar.”
Barrington glanced at him. “You don’t believe it happened, do you?”
“I don’t know what happened, Bear. I was certain Canaan was a terrorist and a murderer, but you want me to believe he was raptured up to heaven along with who knows who else. I’m just not ready to believe it.” He paused in thought. “Listen, when we get to your apartment and if we find that your family isn’t there…what do you plan on doing about it?”
Barrington took a moment to give the question careful consideration. Finally, he shrugged. “I don’t know. I…I guess I’ll know when we get there.”
Lenox nodded thoughtfully.
Barrington let out a sigh. “I wish this rain would let up.” In spite of the rain, he continued to drive, his thoughts on his wife and daughter.
The rain continued to pour, but it didn’t slow down the ATD agents at Bunker Island. They were all men and women of purpose. Patrols around the farmland reported back via radio that there were no sightings of either friendlies or hostiles. However, the search would continue nonetheless. Others at the Bunker were simply in a position to protect the site should the enemy find them. They were on high alert and would remain that way until the threat to their country could be fully assessed.
Shiva and Ken Willon, the Bunker’s Chief of Security, were working together to assemble two teams. Shiva was surprised by the sudden turn of events, which put him into a position he had never been in before. He was to lead one of the teams in a search for Lenox, Barrington and their prisoner, Joseph Canaan. All communication with them had been lost. Their last known position was on one of the three major interstates.
It was a lot of ground to cover for three missing men, but Shiva was confident they would make the search easier by looking from the air. He would remain in contact with Willon by radio, which was something he was grateful for. He was aware Willon was far more experienced than he was in combat situations.
Willon seemed to sense his thoughts, having once been in his shoes before. He clapped the ex-wrestler on the shoulder, trying to ignore the rain falling upon him. “Don’t worry about it,” he said reassuringly. “You’ll do fine. Once you get in the saddle, you’ll learn to ride like the wind in no time at all.”
Shiva hesitated, “If there is a terrorist cell and they’re out there shooting in the streets like the Director mentioned…” he trailed off.
“You take them out.”
Shiva did the math in his head. “Look, we’ve each got eight men, plus a pilot per carrier. We’ll be stuffed like sardines in them Huey’s, man. Even so, that’s a total of twenty! What if we’re outnumbered?”
Willon shrugged, glancing at the men who were bringing what they needed to the Huey’s behind them. “We’ll just have to reduce their numbers. It’s that simple.”
“You make it sound like it is.”
“You’ve been in a firefight before, Fury. You’ve taken down a terrorist or two. If you think you can’t handle it--”
Shiva held up a hand. “It’s not that. It’s just…It’s different now. Don’t you think?”
“Different…how?”
“Director Fuller said the Preacher vanished right before his eyes. You saw the clothes! They were the only things left of him and no one has a logical explanation as to what really happened to him. And yet those of us who knew him have been told more than once about how some day, the Lord was going to come back and take His bride away.” He leaned forward. “Well, I believe He did return and now everything that was good and decent in this world has just been taken away…and it’s only going to get worse.”
Willon thought about what he was hearing. “The Preacher wasn’t the only one who vanished.”
Shiva had heard as much. “Do you believe what he said, then, too?”
He didn’t answer right away. Finally, he said, “Yeah. I do believe it but we’ve been left behind, Fury. It’s too late for us.”
Shiva shook his head. “No…No, I don’t believe that. Sure, we’re still stuck here, but I don’t think God is through with this planet yet.” He was getting excited just talking about it. “Preacher used to do a lot of talking about how God was going to lead all of Israel to salvation in the End Times, man. Now I don’t know what all of that means, but if it’s true, it sounds to me like there’s still a lot of work yet to be done.”
“And what does that mean for us?”
“Well…maybe He’ll want help from guys like us.”
Willon regarded him. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. Hey, come on, man. Would you pray with me?”
Willon did a double take and stared at him. “You want me…to pray with you? Where?” He looked around, wondering what others would think if they saw him kneeling beside Shiva next to the Huey in the rain. “Right here?” He recalled a summer Bible camp he went to when he was a kid where whenever people prayed, they did something together he wasn’t about to let himself do. He pointed at Shiva and narrowed his eyes. “We’re not holding hands.”
Shiva blinked. “What?” Then, he shook his head. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Of course, not.” He pointed to the warehouse behind the choppers. “Let’s go inside where it’s dry.”
Willon agreed and followed him inside. As Willon closed the door behind him, LeBeau was just coming up the ladder and through the opening of the cargo area below the warehouse. He had been working on the Gunship, but was not having any luck with it. He was mumbling to himself, and stopped when he saw them.
“What’choo guys doin’?” he asked.
Shiva and Willon exchanged looks.
“Nothing,” Willon said, shrugging his shoulders.
“We’re going to pray,” Shiva told him. Then, he looked at the ace pilot. “Hey, you want to join us?”
LeBeau suddenly grinned. “Yeah! Yeah, sure I do! I was askin’ Him to send along somebody to help me, and…and I guess he just sent you two!” Before they could stop him, he rushed up to them and tried to grab both of them in a group hug.
“Come on, Ace!” Willon protested, sheepishly patting the pilot on the back. “Be a man and…give us some space, would you?”
LeBeau backed away and straightened. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah. Right. So…uhm, hey, how do we do this, anyway?”
“Can we go into the cargo pit?” Willon inquired, looking down into it at the Storm Breaker below them. “I’ve never done this before, and…well, let’s just go down there. Okay?”
The men each agreed it sounded like a good idea, so they climbed down into the pit. Beside the Storm Breaker, Shiva was the first to get on his knees. LeBeau and Willon were next.
LeBeau held his hands out, his left toward Shiva and his right toward Willon.
Shiva hesitated, glancing toward Willon, who was frowning at LeBeau. “Ace…we’re, ah, not holding hands.”
“Ah…oh, right.” LeBeau put his hands down. “So…what do we do, then?”
“I guess we just…bow our heads and pray.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t really know how, but figure it’s just like we’re talking now, right? We just talk to God in this same way. He has to hear us, right?”
“What if He doesn’t?” Willon asked.
“Well…I’m kind of sure He will, if our hearts are in it.” He took a deep breath. “I know mine is, ‘cause I really do want to be on His side, especially if these are the last days that Kevin was talking about.”
LeBeau nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Ditto.”
Willon paused. “You’re right.”
Shiva looked at them. “Okay. Then, I’ll go first. If you guys want to pray, do it after me. Sound good?”
Willon shrugged. “Sure.”
LeBeau clapped his hands together. “Great! Let’s do this!”
Shiva bowed his head and closed his eyes. Willon did the same, hoping he was doing the right thing. LeBeau glanced from Shiva to Willon and then, back to Shiva. He desperately wanted to get this right. He put his hands together, bowed his head, and closed his eyes tightly.
For a brief moment, they each remained that way.
They were still and silent.
Shiva was amazed at how peaceful he suddenly felt. All he did was kneel and prepare his heart for prayer. He didn’t think of anything but what Kevin Vogel had told him about Jesus.
“Lord,” he finally said, “I was one of the ones left behind when You came back for Your bride and it was because I didn’t know You. I’m sorry I didn’t seek You when I should have, but I'm seeking You now. The men I’m with here right now are also seeking You, otherwise they wouldn’t be praying here with me today. We want to know You, Lord. I can’t speak personally for them, but please, forgive me for being the sinner I am. Help me, dear Lord, to give You my life from this day forward. Thank You for shedding Your precious blood on the cross for me and thank You for rising again. Thank You for giving us this second chance for redemption. In Your name, Amen.”
“Wow,” LeBeau whispered, “that was good.”
Then, once again, there was silence.
Finally, Willon cleared his throat. “God…I…I haven’t prayed like this before. I’m…kinda struggling a little bit with the words here, so if You would, please help me. I guess Fury is right. We just need to simply talk to You, just as if we were talking to each other…only with even greater respect. Reverence even. All I know is what is true, God. You know my heart. You know my thoughts. And I know now that Your word is true. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You’ve shown me it’s true. All of it. I’m just sorry I didn’t believe You before now. I ask You, God, to cleanse me if I can be cleansed. I confess here and now the Lord Jesus…He is Lord. And I give my life, which You have given to me, back to You. Amen.”
“Amen,” Shiva agreed.
And for a third time, they fell silent.
Until it was LeBeau’s turn. “Ah…Hi, Lord. It’s me. You know…Keith LeBeau. Uhm…I just wanna tell You that I’m really sorry I did You wrong, and I’m so sorry I never listened to that loony guy Ya sent to me for a friend. You know the guy, Lord. You took him, and he disappeared right in front of me! Like I know I’ve never seen anythin’ like that ever in my entire life, and…and so I know he’s really okay if he’s up there with You. Anyway, I’m sorry. I hope You will…You know, forgive me, and stuff…and, well, save me like Preacher used to say You could do. He said You could, and, well…as I’ve said, I know Ya took him, so I know if anybody could save a bum like me, it would be You.” He paused. “I also wanna give You my life, too, only…really, I don’t know what You could possibly do with it. I have troubles on my own, so I hope I ain’t gonna be much trouble to You. I know how to fly choppers and planes and I also know how to fix ‘em, too…except for that Gunship the Director ordered me to fix up. Could You help me with that? Anyway, I can fly Ya any where…except You probably get by goin’ any place You want to without a pilot. What I’m tryin’ to say is what my friends already said to You. Just take my life and everythin’ I have. It’s Yours.” He paused again. “And, oh, yeah…tell my friend up there…Tell him I finally got what he’s been tellin’ me…and that I’ll give him a knuckle sandwich when I see him again.” He sniffed. “Thank You, Lord. Amen.”
“Amen,” Shiva and Willon responded.
The three men rose to their feet, glancing at each other. Shiva held out his hand. “Hey,” he said. “We’re brothers now.”
Willon grinned and shook his hand. “I guess we are.”
LeBeau shook Shiva’s hand, and then Willon’s. “Yeah, we’re like the Three Muskateers or something’.”
“Yeah,” Shiva said with a nod. “Now let’s go find Knox and Bear and give them a chance to join us.”
Willon turned to LeBeau. “Maybe you can get this Gunship operational and come back us up.”
LeBeau nodded with determination. “Consider it done. I’ll be there and we’ll do whatever it takes to find them.”
Because of the rain, Staci was soaking wet, but she didn’t care. When she saw that there was no driver inside the rig, she knew what had happened. She knew she would never again see her sister, yet she wasn’t certain about her son. David was the only thing on her mind when she abruptly turned and headed for the entrance of the apartment complex she lived in. This time, she wasn’t as careful going over the debris to get to the door. Somehow she remained on her feet.
She hurried through the opening she had made earlier with the fire extinguisher and ran for the elevator doors. “Oh, God, please let David still be there!” she prayed out loud. In her heart, there was a part that believed he was already gone. She was fighting that every step of the way. David was her life now. Without him, she didn’t believe she would be able to live.
There were usually lights on in the corridor between the elevator doors, yet they were all off. Even the emergency lights were off. She wondered why it was darker than usual as she pressed the button for the elevator and suddenly remembered.
There was no power.
In frustration, she pounded once on the elevator doors and growled out loud. With a sigh, she turned and headed for the stairwell. She pulled the door open and took the stairs as fast as she was able. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to go as fast as she wanted to because there was no light in the stairwell. It was almost pitch black. The only illumination anywhere came from the small windows in the doors on every floor, so she had to keep her hands on the railings as she forced herself to run up the stairs in the dark. It was her adrenalin which kept her going until she finally made it to the fifth floor. She came out of the stairwell, slamming the door open against the wall.
“David!” she shouted.
She took in several deep breaths and stumbled to her front door.
She almost screamed when she realized she had dropped her purse somewhere along the way. She didn’t have her key. She banged on the door.
“Sherri? Sherri, are you there?” she called.
There was no response.
Staci put her ear to the door, but she didn’t hear anything. Her eyes welled up with tears. “Sherri, please…are you there?”
Then, she sucked in a breath as she thought she heard something. A sob. Someone was crying…but it didn’t sound like her three-year-old son.
She knocked on the door. “Sherri! Please…open the door!” Her hand was on the door knob, and she turned it. To her surprise, it opened.
She pushed open the door and hurried inside, leaving the door ajar. She found Sherri in her son’s room, holding something in her arms. At first, Staci actually believed she was holding onto her son, but to her dismay she realized it was only clothes. The clothes her son had on when she had left were now in Sherri’s arms…David was nowhere to be seen.
Sherri Turrel was sitting on the floor beside David’s toddler bed, sobbing hysterically. She didn’t even seem to have noticed Staci’s arrival. Staci wanted to demand where her son was, but she already knew. She looked at Sherri and felt horrible. Her son was gone and Sherri was the one who had been here through it. Not her.
Staci swallowed back her own fear and anguish and tried desperately to concentrate on Sherri. It wouldn’t be a good idea for both of them to be in hysterics. She knelt beside the terrified woman and placed her hand gently on her shoulder.
“Sherri…?” she said softly. “Sherri, it’s me.”
Startled, Sherri turned her head and stared in horror at Staci. When she realized who it was, she fell into a new fit of broken sobs. She tried to speak, but couldn’t.
Staci put her hand on the woman’s back and rubbed it, trying to offer her reassurance. “It’s okay, Sherri. I know what happened to David. It isn’t anything you did. He’s…” She swallowed again, trying to remain strong for Sherri. “He’s gone now and in a better place than this.”
Sherri held up his clothes. “I-I…I had him. I had him here…in my hands! He was in my hands wh-wh-when he vanished, St-Staci!” She sobbed. “I-I’m so sorry…I co-couldn’t hold him…I-I tried, b-but he was gone!”
Staci put her arms around her and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Sherri. It’s okay. Please…please…It will be alright. I…I don’t know how, but only know we’ll be alright. Okay?”
Sherri sobbed, nodding her head.
For a moment, they held each other, offering silent comfort to each other’s aching hearts. Staci’s presence helped Sherri and her sobs eventually subsided. When she could finally speak without sobbing, she said, “He was in my arms. I held him to me and then…then, he was just gone. I actually thought he had slipped out from my arms and bounded onto the floor, but when I looked down, he wasn’t there.” She sniffed as she sat up and looked at Staci. “That’s when I realized I was still holding his clothes.” She wiped at her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Staci. I-I lost him.”
Staci’s lower lip quivered, but somehow she managed not to cry. She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. He was raptured.”
Sherri regarded her. “Kate was right, then…wasn’t she?”
Staci nodded.
“Oh, I wish I had listened!”
“So do I,” Staci replied softly. “My sister told me, too. She’s been telling me for years and the sad thing is…she won’t be around to tell me any more.” Slowly she rose to her feet. “I…I have to go see Kate.”
Sherri looked up at her, puzzled. “But…if the Rapture really did happen, Staci, she won’t be home.”
“I know…but I have to see for myself.” She looked at Sherri. “Will you be okay?”
She hesitated. “Just hurry back.”
“I will. I know Kate had some books about the Rapture, and…and she had notes in her Bible. If I get those, maybe we can both…we can both study them and find out what to do next.”
Sherri smiled. “Really? Oh, Staci, that would be great. Uhm…want me to make coffee?”
“Yes. I…” Staci stopped, frowning. “Oh…I-I guess you can’t make coffee. The power is out.”
Sherri paused. “That…that's frightening.”
“What?”
“In all of the times I heard Kate talk about the Rapture, she never mentioned anything about the power going out at the same time.”
Staci considered that for a moment. “Yeah…Nichole never mentioned it either.”
“Why do you think that is?”
She shrugged. “I…don’t know. Maybe they just…didn’t know about it.” She stood in the doorway of her son’s room. “Do you want to come with me?”
Sherri rose to her feet and shook her head. “No…no, I’ll wait in the living room for you.”
Staci nodded. “Okay…I’ll be right back.” She raced out the front door of her apartment, closing the door behind her.
Sherri made her way into the living room, still clutching David’s clothes to herself. She sat on the sofa closest to the window and wished the rain would stop so there could be more light. There wasn’t much she could do. The more it rained, the darker it got and pretty soon, there wouldn’t be much light at all. Feeling as if she should be doing something, she went to the hall closet where she knew Staci had candles. She felt for the candles on the top shelf in the closet and took four of them down. Then, she took them with her back into the living room.
Placing them about the room, she managed to light them after she found her lighter from her purse. She placed one of the candles beside a picture frame. The picture was of Staci and Nichole with little David between them. The two sisters were standing as if they had been facing each other, but their heads were turned so that their faces were toward the camera. Even as Sherri lit the candles with her lighter, she vowed to once and for all to quit smoking. There were now many more important things happening in the world that completely effected her, and smoking wouldn’t help one way or the other. There was only one thing she felt she could do now, which would be the most important thing she had ever done in her life.
Pray.
James Bollinger felt like a kid in a candy store. The world was changing around him and he simply believed that the changes were going to bring him more opportunities for manipulation and control. He stood in the shadows of an alley along Central Avenue in the city of Albany and watched the confusion start to take place. People were getting out of their stopped vehicles, looking about with dazed and confused stares.
A woman was behind the steering wheel of her car, kneeling in the seat frantically reaching in the back seat. An empty baby seat was there and she was screaming incoherently. Bollinger was amazed. Was the baby taken away? Did the Rapture actually occur at the same time of the attack?
“Wow,” he whispered in awe at the thought.
He turned his head and saw some people congregating about in the rain, and some of them were saying;
“The guy was standing right in front of me, and then, poof! He was just gone!”
“I thought the moron slammed his car into the back of mine on purpose, but when I got out of the car to scream at him, there was nothing but a pile of clothes…right in the front seat of his car! I can’t imagine what happened to him.”
“Oh, where are all the children? Can somebody please help me find the children?”
Bollinger couldn’t help but be amazed. He believed this was going to happen, yet when it did he was still completely awed by it. The Rapture actually happened…and it was only going to get worse.
And it did.
From his position, hidden in the shadows, Bollinger heard gunfire. Those who had been left behind turned their heads toward the shots, staring in dumbfounded amazement. It wasn’t enough that their vehicles simply stopped working, or that some of their loved ones vanished before their very eyes. Now, there was gunfire in the streets of Albany, just like they were familiar seeing it on the news. However, on the news it was happening in some other country.
Not in America.
Oh, no. That would never happen in America.
The gunfire got closer. Suddenly, something hit the side of a bookstore. One man actually saw something trace across the street and disappear into the store just before the explosion sent out shards of glass and broken debris in every direction. People began to scream then. Those who were left behind began to run, screaming out for help as terrorists appeared on the streets and opened fire at random.
Bollinger remained hidden, but his heart was evil and he wanted to watch the live show as it played out.
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