Season 1, Episode 7: Beating Heart

Eddie's POV

Eddie Exton felt like he wanted to puke.

If the disappearances of millions of people from around the world, including fellow passengers from Flight 248, weren't daunting enough, the shock of having the find the bodies of two suicide victims sure was. Eddie didn't know if the next seven years were going to be like this. Would he find the dead body of a friend or acquaintance every day? He knew that Paul mentioned immense amounts of death and destruction would occur. He dreaded that things would get ugly eventually.

Eddie decided to phone the police, even though he knew that it would take a while for them to respond. He wondered if there would be a day when there would be no police officers at all.

Rohit's POV

Rohit sighed heavily as he flipped through channels on his television. Most of them were either talking about the disappearances, or showing clips of people that had vanished. Rohit then found a channel with the president of the United States, Rudy Calhoun, in the middle of a press conference. Rohit watched as Rudy was talking with and shaking hands with the president of Romania, a handsome man in his mid-thirties named Nicolae Carpathia.

Nicolae Carpathia? Rohit thought. That name seems familiar, but for some reason I have no memory of him.

"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Carpathia", President Calhoun said. "I just wish we could have spoken during a better time, given the circumstances."

"I am more than happy to offer my support", Carpathia said. "In fact, I feel ecstatic and jubilant. I think we will see great progress as we work together."

Rohit watched for a few more minutes, knowing that no matter what was said during that press conference, it wouldn't bring back the people that had vanished. He then checked the clock and decided to drive back to New Hope Village Church.

Joyce's POV

Joyce Dancer was not feeling pleased. She had hoped to be able to interview celebrities and England and bring back something interesting for her magazine company. With the latest predicament that just occurred, it would seemingly be a while before anything productive and vigorous would occur. It really aggravated Joyce.

Joyce paced back and forth in her room, still wondering if she would be able to do anything useful.

Just then her cell phone rang. Joyce immediately answered.

"Hello, who's this?", Joyce asked.

"Joyce, it's Nora. I know the disappearances of all of those people is definitely affecting your daily routine."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, I have another task for you. A change of plans. Find out everything you can about that hunk of a politician, Nicolae Carpathia. He seems like such an impressive person."

Joyce knew that Nora Grimsby was a strict woman who refused to fool around or play games. If she wanted to give any celebrity relevance, Joyce knew that she thought they were worth writing about.

Joyce turned on the television. There, she found Carpathia talking with Rudy Calhoun. She could only wonder how Carpathia could possibly comfort anyone watching this.

Eddie's POV

When the police arrived, Eddie was surprised to see Ernie Wainwright.

"We meet again", Ernie said in a tired tone of voice. "What are the chances?"

"Seems pretty high given the current disaster and how it's traumatized all the survivors and those left behind", Eddie said.

"Like I said to you and to your friend", Ernie said. "I currently have no interest in converting to religion. I need time to think and wrap my mind around the situation that I am faced with."

"It's understandable", Eddie said. "We should exchange cell phone numbers, just in case."

"If it makes you feel better", Wainwright said. The two men then exchanged cell phone numbers.

After Gordon's body had been removed and the officers left, Eddie then decided to drive to New Hope Village Church. He had too much to think about and much information he needed to discuss with Paul Karoski.

Pete's POV

Pete Alessandra was still heartbroken over the deaths of his family. He didn't know if he would ever feel truly happy again. His misery never seemed to end.

Pete was too angry to think about making peace with God. He was hurt, he was scared, and he was alone. And he had no one to turn to.

Larry's POV

Larry Levine thought about his wife, Jozie, and their sons, Marcus and Kyle. Larry missed them more than anything. He was crushed and heartbroken over their absence. He had sobbed for a few hours until his tears dried, then cried some more. He didn't know how much longer he would be in mourning.

Larry knew that Jozie would have wanted him to get right with God. He knew that he couldn't delay what he was supposed to do. He couldn't wait any longer. If he wanted to see his wife and children again, he knew he would have to pray to become a believer.

A week ago, he never would have guessed he would be doing this. It was amazing how his perspective changed just from the terrifying events of one night.

So, Larry drove his car to New Hope Village Church. When he entered the building, he found Paul Karoski with Bill Parker, Rohit Sharma, Sandy Comstock, Kade Gordonhurst, Sylvester Coddmyer, Zoey Harper, and Eddie Exton.

"Hello Larry!", Paul said. "So wonderful for you to join us."

Larry said, "Paul, I want to pray to become a believer. My wife, Jozie, tried to warn me about Jesus and God. I didn't want to listen at first, but now I'm ready. Show me what I have to do."

"All right, then", Paul said. "First start by telling God that you are sorry. Ask him for his forgiveness and say that you believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Tell him that you believe Jesus took the penalty for the sin of mankind."

Larry prayed that entire prayer, word for word.

"I feel so much better", he said.

"Welcome to the family", Paul said.

Bill's POV

A few hours earlier…

Bill was with his son, Ben. Bill told his son what had happened.

Ben then said, "Dad, I'm happy for you, but I don't think this religious stuff is for me."

Bill said, "You know this is what Allison would have wanted, Ben. She would want you to believe when there is still time."

"I know", Ben said. "But I need to think. It just seems so weird at the moment."

When Ben left to go to his bedroom, Bill looked down at the floor, slightly weeping.

Tony's POV

Tony Cataldo was at the local grocery store that was closest to his house.

Well, life had to go on. Even though the world had experienced an unexpected and terrifying event, he knew he couldn't be completely focused on mourning forever. Eventually, he would have to divert his attention on something healthy and productive, something that could benefit him.

Tony was at the cashier. He had ordered four cartons of milk and three boxes of cereal.

"That will be $22.49, sir", Cory Pratt said, who was working behind the cashier. Tony and Cory had talked a few times when the former had shopped at that store previously.

Tony gave Cory $25 dollars.

Cory was going to give Tony the change that he was owed when all of a sudden, a large man in his mid-40s ran into the store.

The man charged towards the counter and pointed a gun at Cory's forehead.

"This is a holdup!", the man shouted. "Give me all the money in that cashier!"

"It's against the rules", Cory said. "I will have to ask you to leave, or I will call the police."

The man with the gun laughed. "You think the police will have time to stop me with all the people that vanished? Don't be stupid and just give me the money."

Cory then said, "That's it, I'm getting security."

"Are you deaf?", the man rudely asked. "I just ordered you to give me the money in that machine. If you don't, there will be devastating consequences."

"When the police get here, they'll…"

The man with the gun fired the gun at Cory's forehead. Tony watched with horror as Cory fell to the ground, clearly dead. Some of his brains seemed to fall to the floor.

"What an idiot", the man said, sneering. "He couldn't even follow a simple order."

Tony watched the actions of the murderer, not even knowing what to do. There were currently five other people in that store. Tony watched as a security guard walked from the back of the store. His name tag read, "Zachary Monroy".

Zachary Monroy reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun.

"Don't even try it", the murderer yelled, as he fired three bullets into Monroy's chest, killing him.

Tony looked at Zachary's body, feeling like he wanted to vomit. He had already been through so much with the disappearances and losing his family. Now, he had to watch this diabolical crime occur.

An old woman that was in the store was crying.

"Will you shut up?!", the man screamed. "Don't make me kill you as well!"

The woman continued wailing.

"What is your name?", the killer asked.

The woman then replied, "My name is Lisa Marcotte. I beg you, please don't murder me!"

"Too late", the murderer said, laughing. He then shot Lisa in the face, killing her. Tony could have sworn he saw some of Lisa's teeth fall to the ground.

The killer continued taking more cash. Tony thought the killer had acquired $700 from the heist.

Tony watched as he saw a boy he recognized from his neighborhood carefully walk behind the shelves. This boy was a twelfth grader at Prospect High School. His name was Jack Mazzeo.

Jack walked slowly towards the entrance, then ran as fast as he could, hoping to escape.

The murderer fired his gun five times, killing Jack.

After the killer had taken all the cash he wanted, he then watched as another security guard ran towards the counter. Tony was able to briefly read his name tag, which read "Ian Pullin".

The killer shot and killed Ian instantly with one bullet to the head.

The killer then walked up to a man in his 50s that hadn't said anything up until then.

"What is your name?", the murderer asked.

"Compton Reno", the man said. "Why?"

"Because I want those to be your last words. A reminder of how insignificant you really are."

The murderer shot and killed Compton.

Tony couldn't believe what he was seeing. This man had not only robbed a store, but had even killed six people in the process. What was wrong with the world?

The murderer then looked at Tony.

"Are you…are you going to kill me?", he asked.

The murderer then laughed. "No, you're too pathetic. You're weak. What I did here clearly shows that."

"Who are you?", Tony asked. "And why are you doing this?"

"My name is Silas Tysens", the man said. "The disappearances should be enough to show that the world is changing permanently. Crime will be the way of the world."

Just then three police officers burst into the room, with their guns drawn. Before Tysens could do anything, one of the officers shot him in the foot.

"Stay on the ground", the officer yelled. "I recognize you, Silas Tysens. I've arrested you five times. Two times for drinking and driving, once for petty theft, once for selling drugs, and once for street-racing."

"I will kill you one day, Klebold!", Tysens yelled. "You won't be seeing the last of me, Lawrence!"

"That's enough!", Lawrence Klebold yelled. "You will speak to me in a respectful manner. Take him away, gentlemen."

The other two officers handcuffed Tysens and escorted him to a police car.

Tony was breathing so heavily. He didn't know what to think. He had seen so much death in just a few minutes, and he was the lone survivor in that store.

"Thank you so much", Tony said. "I thought I was going to die."

"These criminals are running around like they're suddenly in charge after the disappearances", Klebold said. "It's unacceptable and distasteful. I was in Wisconsin, and several calls came in about crime in the Mount Prospect area. I was walking around the neighborhood when I heard gunshots."

Klebold then told the officers to bring the bodies to the morgue for identification.

"We'll have to talk to you later so you can describe what happened", Klebold said.

"I'll explain", Tony replied. "But now I need to go somewhere."

Tony ran to the car, with his heart pounding heavily. He was feeling so fearful. Literally no location on Earth was safe, given the recent events that occurred.

Tony drove the car as fast as he could to New Hope Village Church. He pounded on the door as hard as he could.

"Somebody! Help me!", he yelled.

Paul Karoski then opened the door.

"Tony, are you all right?", Paul asked.

Tony was gasping, not even being able to speak properly.

"It's okay, calm down", Paul said.

"I just saw something horrifying", Tony said. "People were being killed right in front of me. I need to ask God for his forgiveness. I need him to show me mercy. Please Paul, what do I have to do?"

"Just say something like this. God, I'm sorry for my transgressions. I admit that Jesus rose from the dead and he is who he said he is. I believe that he paid the penalty that I deserved. Forgive me."

Tony said all those words, sobbing and clearly feeling remorseful.

"Tony, you'll be fine", Paul said. Paul then hugged Tony, trying to calm him down.

Bill and Eddie then walked over to see what was happening.

Tony then decided to walk with them to speak to everyone else.

"I was in the grocery store, shopping. Then this man, someone named Silas Tysens, ran into the store and started demanding money. Silas killed six people and stole more than 700 dollars. Then the police came in and arrested him."

Tony then took a deep breath. "Before he was arrested, Silas told me about the world changing forever and crime being the forefront of attention."

"Well, he was right about that", Paul said. "During the time period known as the Tribulation, the crime rate and death rate will increase like anything."

Tony then looked at Rohit.

"Listen, Sharma…I mean, Rohit. I shouldn't have said those things to you. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize."

Tony then held out his hand to Rohit.

Rohit hesitated, then accepted it.

"It's all good, Tony", Rohit said. "We have to prepare for this Tribulation period."

"I'm glad to see that we're all getting along", Paul said. "Now I will explain what this Tribulation period is all about."

IN MEMORIAM

Cory Pratt

Zachary Monroy

Lisa Marcotte

Jack Mazzeo

Ian Pullin

Compton Reno