(3)-Tommy's Warning.

The city of Los Angeles was in sheer chaos.

Everywhere she looked as she drove through L.A., Clare could see all of the city's people in uproaring panic over what had happened.

People were rioting, looting, screaming, police were trying to stop them, other people were in a state of panic and screaming for their missing loved ones, and countless vehicles once containing those who were now missing had crashed into other vehicles and buildings.

"Mass hysteria, confusion, shock, panic are the only way to discribe how people are reacting. Everybody is speculating as to tonights events, but no one really knows. Whatever it was, it's happened all over the world. And we who are left don't know if we are the survivors or the victims. In some regions, most people are shocked. Many grieved. And some find the whole thing exciting. Looters having a field day...police too busy with rescue operations to even bother to keep order. Some think it may be a mass kidnapping. UFOs. Whatever it was that really happened, the reality of it all is too big to comprehend." Said a man on the radio.

Clare then changed the station.

"Five people were killed in that mishap. Many people have taken their own lives when they discovered children missing. Adding to the problem of the countless casualties is the confusion of missing doctors, nurses and police officers and other support people that would otherwise be called into service. We talked earlier to a pastor of the suburban church named Dr. Alex Ren. Dr. Ren...what, in your openion, happened approximately two hours ago? What caused this global, chaotic event? I've heard the word Rapture meantioned by some religious leaders. While some, most in fact, disagree. Many say the word is not even found in the Bible. Doctor, if it was in fact the Rapture, what does this mean? And is it meantioned in the Bible?" Said another man on the radio.

"Well...yes, and no. You see, the word "Rapture" is not found in the Bible. Rapture means to be quickly removed or caught up. 1st Thessalonians 4:17 reads "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we forever be with the Lord". You see, Christ promised to return in the clouds and quickly recieve up to himself the dead...and the living in Christ. " Said Dr. Alex on the radio.

"Then why are you still here?" Clare asked the doctor on the radio, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

"If those who believed in Christ were taken, why, sir, are you still here?" The man asked, as if he had heard Clare's question.

"Yeah, exactly." Said Clare.

"Well, you see, until it happened, i believed that Jesus was the son of God, but not God in the flesh." Dr. Alex explained.

"Whatever the 'cause, it has happened. There's nothing anyone can do now to change..."

Clare then changed the station, cutting the man off from his sentence.

"Somewhere there is an answer. But where? According to government officials, the problem is to restore order. Several top officials in Washington, as well as other free world nations are missing, severely damaging the chains of command. Reports filtering in from China and..."

Clare turned off the radio, cutting the man off from finishing his sentence.

Even in the mist of all this chaos and devistation, all Clare could think about was Tommy...and all the times she had let him down. She had failed to legally get him away from his abusive father...she had lied to him and told him they were going on a road trip, when in fact, they were running away from his father...she had taken him away from his friends...and worst of all...she had failed to protect him from this event that had taken him along with millions of other people around the world.

Clare thought back to the time Tommy had tried to minister to her about Jesus and the End-Times last year when they were at a McDonalds restaurant in Wyoming.
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Wyoming-(1994)

At a McDonalds restaurant, 34-year old Clare and 9-year old Tommy were sitting at a table, with him reading his Bible.

Tommy's long blond neck-length hair was slicked back, he wore a gray short sleeve t-shirt, black adidas pants, and black laceless sneakers and white trims.

"Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour that you think not, the Son Of Man cometh." Said Tommy, reading his Bible. "It'll happen just that quick, Miss Clare. The Bible says "like a thief in the night"."

"Tommy, i believe that God is love. And it really upsets me when people go around scaring everybody with all this Jesus coming in the clouds and apocalypse stuff. That's what i hate about religion. God makes all these illaborate plans to send us all to HeLL." Said Clare.

"Miss Clare...God made a perfect plan that none should perish. He sacrificed his own son to keep you from HeLL." Said Tommy.

"Well, i'm glad it works for you, Tommy." Said Clare.

Tommy got his book-mark out of his Bible and placed the book on the table.

"I don't know. It just seems like...What's that?" Clare said.

"Oh, this is a Tribulation map." Said Tommy before handing the book-mark/map to Clare. "It tells you about all the things that can happen after the Rapture."

"Can i keep this?" Clare asked.

"Sure." Said Tommy before Clare opened the map to look at it.

"I'd kinda like to send this to Irene and see what she thinks about it." Said Clare, even though she knew she couldn't send the map to Irene. She knew if she did, she would risk giving away her and Tommy's location.

"Oh, listen...when i'm finished with this book, you've just gotta read it. It has a really neat paragraph in here." Said Tommy before getting his Bible and turning the pages until he found the page he was looking for. "Here it is. "Others will gather around them in great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. People will be lovers themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive", and a whole list of other things."

"That's sure happening today." Clare admitted.

"Well, the Bible also says that when these things happen, the believer can look for the bless'ed hope and redemption for the Christian draws near." Said Tommy.
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Lost in her thoughts about Tommy, Clare kept on driving through the chaotic city, heading for the police station to report Tommy's disappearance to the authorities. But something in her gut told her that it would be a waste of time and that they would never find him...or any of the other millions of people who were missing.

She hoped she was wrong.
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Please review.

Since last year, Clare had been working to get Tommy away from his abusive drunk of a father, Scott, who had no idea she was with CPS at the time. She had decided to do this in secret, as she didn't wanna put Tommy in anymore danger than he was already in. After months of working undercover, her cover was blown, and she took Tommy and drove all the way from Chicago, Illinois to here in Los Angeles, California, where she had decided to lay low for a while in the forest at her cabin.

However, she and Tommy ended up staying here a lot longer than expected. A year, to be exact. Miraculously, the news about her kidnapping Tommy hadn't reached L.A. news. But if it ever did, she would just pack up, take Tommy, and head off to either Canada or Mexico.

But neither of those trips