Season 1, Episode 4: Nasty Discoveries

Ben's POV

Ben Parker woke up at 6:15 AM. He wasn't feeling that sleepy that morning. He planned to eat some cereal, and maybe watch some television before heading to school that morning.

As Ben was eating his breakfast, he was wondering whether he should wake up his mother. He then decided to wake her up only after watching some TV.

After Ben finished eating, heturned on the television. He scrolled through the channels, hoping to find his favorite cartoons.

Ben selected his favorite channel with the remote. He then saw that the screen was filled with static.

Ben then changed the channel to a news station. He was not prepared to witness what he was about to see.

The news reporter said, "Apparently some strange events occurred last night. Millions of people have disappeared from all over the world. For example, here in Colorado, a birthday party for a ten-year old was taking place, and twenty-two of the children had vanished, including the birthday boy."

The reporter then showed the footage of the party. The boy whose birthday was being celebrated was in front of his cake and was about to blow out the candles when the 22 children had vanished, including himself.

The news report then switched over to a football game in Massachusetts. Ben watched as the camera showed the two teams preparing for the beginning of the third quarter. All of a sudden, seven of the players vanished, leaving their uniforms behind. According to the reporter, it was confirmed that a total of 57 people that attended the game had vanished when they were sitting in the stands.

Ben turned to another channel. This time, the news was showing a plane that was flying from Arizona to Africa. According to the reporter, the pilot of the plane had disappeared, causing all the passengers on the plane that hadn't disappeared to be killed.

Ben turned to another channel. On this channel, he discovered that one of the drivers of a car that was driving though New York had disappeared. This caused the car he was in to spin out of control, causing a pile-up in which five people reportedly lost their lives.

Ben was mortified and aghast by what he had seen. How could a bunch of people just disappear out of nowhere?

Ben decided to ask his mother about what in the world had just happened. He ran up the stairs to talk to his mother about the seemingly terrible situation. Ben knocked on his mother's door, but there was no response.

Ben then decided to open the door. He opened it and saw something that he would never forget.

His mother was gone. But her nightgown was still on the bed.

Ben ran up to his room and hid himself under the covers, scared and terrified out of his mind. He couldn't believe his mother had just disappeared like that. What possible explanation could there be for this?

Ben sobbed and buried his face in his hands.

Bill's POV

Bill knew his wife was gone. There was no way she could have been left behind. Was it possible that she could have been right all this time? Was it conceivable that the Rapture had occurred and she had disappeared, like the missing passengers of Flight 248?

Bill took a deep breath. He couldn't forget why he was there. He had to fly this plane. He had to make a decision.

Tony's POV

Tony Cataldo was sitting in his seat, feeling angry at Rohit. He pressed the ice pack against his mouth, trying to heal the wounds the younger man had inflicted on him.

That worthless Indian!, Tony thought. He just can't handle the truth.

Bill's voice then came over the intercom. "Passengers of Flight 248, this is the pilot speaking. Due to recent incidents and careful consideration, we have decided to fly this plane back to Chicago."

No one seemed to argue with this decision. Well, except for Perry Warden.

Perry seemed furious. "Are you joking? A bunch of people just disappear and all of a sudden we change our plans? For all we know, those people could be hiding here playing a prank. I had ambitions to carry out in England. I had plans."

Tony didn't want to think the Rapture had occurred and that Perry was right. But the idea of all the missing passengers pulling a prank seemed a little far-fetched. What could they possibly gain by doing something so cynical?

Tony just had to arrive home and see if his family had disappeared or not.

Eddie's POV

Eddie Exton's worst nightmare had seemingly become a reality. The event that he thought would never occur had happened.

Eddie didn't want to believe that this was real. But there was no denying the obvious. If the missing passengers leaving their clothes behind didn't convince him, he didn't know what did.

Eddie sobbed and held his face in his hands. He didn't know if he would ever feel happy again.
Kade's POV

Kade knew exactly what he had to do if he ever managed to return to Chicago safely. He had to find his sister and see if she had disappeared or not, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. How could things have changed so quickly?

Rohit's POV

Rohit was feeling confused and bewildered. But if the Rapture had just happened, then he knew he had to surrender to the Christian God. Doing so was guaranteeing his family would disown him. But he didn't have any choice. If the Christians were right about heaven and hell…

Rohit shuddered at the thought.

He felt so scared for the first time in a long time. He had absolutely no one to turn to.

Zoey's POV

Zoey sobbed. She had lost the love of her life, and she would never see him again.

Unless God would somehow accept her. Is it too late for me to cry out to God and hope he'll show me mercy and generosity? Zoey thought.

She was filled with despair. She also wondered if this was occurring all over the world, not just on this plane.

Well, she would have to get back to Chicago. Maybe there was some church within the vicinity of the city that could offer some assistance.

Zoey only could hope.

Sandy's POV

Sandy was completely shocked by the events that had occurred on this plane. Now this was definitely news worthy.

Sandy shook his head. Now was not the time to think of his career. It seemed so irrelevant and petty after seeing what just happened. Would the world ever be able to return to normal? This would be a nightmare that he doubted anyone would be able to escape from. This was a real event occurring right before their very eyes. Sandy's goals to make more money and impress his bosses now seemed petty.

What was he going to do? If the disaster that had just happened was going to be the forefront issue all around the world, there would be pandemonium from everywhere he could turn his head. Sandy could imagine the crisis that could be occurring at his office for Global Weekly. Definitely not enough to call this situation the news of the year or the decade. No, this was probably the biggest disaster in all of human history.

Sandy decided his best plan of action would be to go along with the show. Maybe he would find a church that would verbally explain the details to him. That didn't mean he was going to get on his knees and beg for God's mercy. He was still skeptical about the religious aspects.

Joyce's POV

Joyce Dancer had no intentions on begging God for forgiveness anytime soon. She was upset that her plans in England were now put on hold because of the current situation. If this was a prank, that was seriously messed up. She would be sure to blast the missing passengers if that were the case. But if it wasn't a prank, Joyce knew that she had to make some serious choices. There didn't seem to be any loopholes or any shortcuts. Joyce didn't see how religion had any involvement with the missing people. If this had happened in other places, this was going to look mediocre and pitiful.

Bill's POV

Bill carefully landed the plane on the runway at O'Hare International Airport. He could only imagine what he would find over there.

The passengers seemed eager to leave the plane. Sandy Comstock was the first passenger to leave. Rohit Sharma was the second.

After all the passengers had gotten off the plane, Bill turned to Marlene Kingston and Sally Graves.

"Let me see if I can get us all a taxi", Bill said. "Although I would imagine communications and phone lines will be hectic like anything."

Sylvester's POV

Sylvester Coddmyer's heart was racing as he ran through the airport, hoping to find a taxi generous enough to give him a lift. That seemed like too much to hope for, but he had to know what had happened to his wife and son.

He was so lucky to find a taxi after waiting for fifty minutes. Sylvester got into the cab.

The driver warned him, "I have to warn you, sir. There's fires and damaged cars in many streets within the Chicago area. Getting to your home in…which town was it again?

"Mount Prospect."

"Exactly, Mount Prospect. It's going to be a bit tricky, so bear with me."

Sylvester looked out the window in horror as he saw clothes of people that had disappeared simply laying abandoned on the sidewalk. This definitely was not looking pleasant.

Sylvester thought about Jenna. He had disagreed with her on all angles about her devotion to her religion. Now he wished he had listened a little closer. Maybe there was some relevance to her beliefs. There was no way she could have been left behind. And what about their only son, Sal?

The driver said, "My name is Angel Lopez."

Sylvester introduced himself.

"Did you lose any family in this disaster?", Angel asked.

"I don't know yet, but I'm pretty sure they're gone", Sylvester said.

Angel nodded. "I found the clothes of my wife and children. They all disappeared."

Sylvester took a deep breath. "That's terrible."

Angel continued driving. Neither of them said anything for ten minutes.

Finally, Sylvester asked, "Do you think you know where your family is?"

Angel said, "My family were Christians. But I honestly don't believe in any of it. I know some people right now are saying it's the end of the world and that Jesus might return, but it sounds far-fetched."

One day earlier, Sylvester would have agreed with him wholeheartedly. Now, he wasn't sure.

Fifty minutes later, after maneuvering through heavy traffic, they had reached the Coddmyer house.

Sylvester paid Angel and thanked him. He walked halfway up the driveway when he realized that he didn't give Angel enough money. He turned around to give them the required amount of cash when all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, a speeding car going about seventy miles per hour crashed into the taxi that Sylvester had just stepped out of.

This caused the taxi to flip over and be set on fire with the other car.

Sylvester ran over to the taxi, but he already knew that Angel was dead. There was no way he could still be alive.

Sylvester found Angel's body with shards of glass in his head and a profuse amount of blood right next to his head. Angel's eyelids were open and unmoving.

Sylvester turned his concentration to the other car, the one that had started the accident. There was seemingly no one in the driver's seat. But Sylvester noticed that there were clothes in the seat.

Sylvester shuddered at the horror in front of him and realized how lucky he was to be alive. If he had been in the car just a few minutes later, he would have died too.

Sylvester knew there was no point calling the police. They were probably already too busy as it was. He ran into the house and yelled, "Jenna? Are you here? Jenna?"

No answer. Sylvester ran up the stairs to their bedroom. He ran in and found her clothes under the bed. He then started sobbing. He wished he had believed. He wished he had listened. Was it too late? Could he have a second chance?

Sylvester checked Sal's room and found his crib empty, yet his clothes were still there.

Sylvester walked back downstairs to the living room, too filled with grief to even do anything else. What was the point? His wife and son were both gone. They had been taken along with millions of other people. What else could he possibly do?

Sylvester sat on his couch and cried for a few minutes. He didn't know if he would ever feel happy again. Would anyone be truly happy again, after all the terrible events that had recently occurred?

Just then a message came on the phone. "Hello, Coddmyers. My name is Paul Karoski. I was an assistant pastor prior to the recent tragedy. I am the only pastor left at New Hope Village Church and one of the few remaining staff members. If any of you are still around, you are more then welcome to come to a meeting I am hosting today to discuss the future and events that we might be facing. I encourage it."

Sylvester stood up. A pastor had been left behind? That was not something he would have expected. Should he go?

Of course, Sylvester thought. I have to. I have to know if there is still hope.

Sylvester ran to the driveway and started the car that was in the garage. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

Rohit's POV

Rohit had come back to his apartment. He wasn't even thinking about calling his father or brother at this point. He had to find a Christian church nearby that would explain the terrible calamities that he had witnessed.

Then Rohit realized New Hope Village Church was not too far from his apartment. He headed out to his car and started it, desperate in his search and quest for satisfying answers.

Eddie's POV

Eddie had listened to the message Paul Karoski had left on his answering machine. He ran out to his car and started driving towards New Hope Village Church.

Eddie knew that he had missed out. He only hoped he could have another chance.

Pete's POV

It had taken at least four hours for Pete Alessandra to return to his home safely after getting off the plane. There was so much panic at the airport.

Pete had to make sure his family members were okay. If what Eddie had said on the plane was true, none of them would have disappeared.

Pete dialed his father's cell phone. When Pete had planned to attend the concert in England, his parents and older brother had decided to take a road trip.

A male voice that Pete didn't recognized answered the phone, "Who is this?"

"This is Pete Alessandra. Why do you have my father's cell phone?"

The man said, "I am Lawrence Klebold. I'm the police chief in Wisconsin. I'm afraid I have terrible news. Your father and the other people he was with in the van were all killed. The van he was in was broadsided by a large truck. The driver of the truck had disappeared."

Pete dropped the cell phone, in utter disbelief at what he had just heard.

Pete couldn't believe it. His entire family had been killed, just like that. What was he going to do?

Pete sat down on the couch in the living room and sobbed.

Tony's POV

After sitting through hours of traffic, Tony had finally managed to get back home.

Tony entered the house. He ran upstairs to his parents' bedroom. He saw that their clothes were on the bed. They were obviously gone.

Tony then checked out his older sister's bedroom. He found her nightgown on the floor. The Bible was sitting right next to her clothes.

Tony took gasps of air. Even though he was never fond of Christianity, he knew he had to make a decision. He still wasn't completely sure he wanted to surrender to Christ, even though he knew there weren't many options available to him at the moment.

Tony sat in his bedroom and thought for a few minutes. Then he decided to drive to New Hope Village Church. Maybe there was someone there that could help him.

Bill's POV

Bill sat in the taxi with Marlene and Sally. It took five hours for both of them to get dropped off. Marlene seemed pretty scared, but Sally…she looked like a shell.

When Bill reached his home, he ran inside the house.

"Allison?", Bill shouted. "Ben?"

Bill already had a feeling he knew where Allison was. He ran upstairs to her bedroom. He walked over to her bed and found her clothes.

Bill sobbed as he held the clothes tightly to his chest. He felt so ashamed for ignoring and scoffing at his wife. A few minutes later, he ran to check out Ben's room.

Bill found Ben curled up in a ball on his bed. Ben's face looked tearful. Bill ran to the only other member of his family still left and hugged him tightly. Ben sobbed on Bill's shirt.

Bill still didn't know what he was going to do. There didn't seem to be many options available. He wasn't sure if he was ready to all of a sudden convert to Christianity, but he knew his options were running out.

Bill then received a message from Paul Karoski, which indicated that Paul had also been left behind.

Bill then hugged his son again and said, "Ben, wait upstairs in your bedroom. I'll be back shortly. I'm going to New Hope Village Church."

Ben looked at Bill with a fearful expression. "You'll be back, right?"

"Of course I'll be back", Bill said.

Bill then ran outside to one of the cars in the driveway and started the engine. He drove towards New Hope Village Church. He couldn't remember the last time he was so eager to go.

Bill reached the church parking lot and parked his car in one of the spaces. He then ran towards the entrance. Maybe someone would be able to help him.

Bill knocked on the door. A man in his mid-thirties answered the door.

"Hello", the man said. "My name is Paul Karoski. Eight other people came to this church for answers as well. I'm sure I know why you're here."

Bill nodded with pursed lips. "My wife. She's gone. And my son apparently found her clothes."

Paul said, "I can help you and the others."

Paul then led Bill to the basement of the church. When Bill arrived, he couldn't believe what he saw.

In the room was Rohit Sharma, Sandy Comstock, Kade Gordonhurst, Tony Cataldo, Larry Levine, Sylvester Coddmyer, Zoey Harper, and Eddie Exton. Apparently, these frightened passengers from Flight 248 also came for answers.

IN MEMORIAM

Angel Lopez