(5)-Irene's Warning.

As Clare drove through the chaotic, rioting, looting city of Los Angeles and looked at all of the chaos that was unfolding around her, her thoughts immediately went to Irene, Raymie and Chloe. She hoped to God that they were all safe and sound, and that wherever Tommy was, he was safe from what was now happening in the world. But when she turned the radio back on, she heard something that would confirm her worst fears that she would probably never see Irene, Raymie...or Tommy ever again.

A woman began to speak on the radio. "I'm reporting from the news station in Chicago where absolute terror has overtaken the entire city. Earlier tonight, hundreds of men, women, teenagers, and from all indications, all children from new-borns to 12-year olds vertually disappeared into thin air. Other than leaving their clothes, shoes, jewelry, eye-glasses and such behind, their bodies are gone without a trace. There are no answers as of yet. Could it be a UFO? Spontanious Combustion? Some are even whispering about this event being the long predicted Rapture of the church."

"Rapture?" Clare asked herself. Irene had talked with her about the Rapture once last year, but she never thought it would actually happen. She even talked with her about the End-Times.
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Chicago, Illinois-(1994)

In the suberban neighborhood of Mount Prospect, Illinois, at Irene's house, Clare and Tommy were in the kitchen, making gingerbread cookies with Irene. Raymie was over at his friend, Ryan Daily's house, playing with him. Chloe, meanwhile, was hanging out at the mall with some of her friends.

Tommy wore an open red plaid hodded shirt with short, white sleeves and the hood being white. He also wore a black t-shirt, blue pants, and black sneakers with white laces and white trims. His bottom lip was busted, but it was in the healing stage, as it wasn't bleeding. Tommy didn't tell anyone, but his Dad had busted his lip last night after coming home drunk again.

"Well, you understand, don't you, that Jesus will come and take his own in the Rapture and-"

"You told me all that." Said Clare, cutting Irene off.

"What happens after the Rapture, Mrs. Steele?" Tommy asked.

"Well, after the Rapture, a world leader will emerge as a hero. He will be very convincing, yet decieving. But people will love him." Irene explained.

"Will he be the beast?" Tommy asked.

"Oh, yes. For the first three-and-a half years, he will appear to be a savior-a hero-miraculously solving world problems. But in the middle of the 7-year Tribulation, the evil becomes apparent in him." Said Irene.

"Well, what about the mark?" Clare asked.

"Open my Bible, honey, to Revelation chapter 13-verse 16." Said Irene.

"Okay. 13:16?" Said Clare as she opened Irene's Bible next to her all the way to Revelation 13:16 and placed her finger by the verse and began reading it. "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave to recieve a mark in their right hand or foreheads and that no man might buy or sell except he that hath the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name". Does that mean people will have to wear the mark?"

"Oh, my, yes. People can't buy food, clothes or...anything." Said Irene.

"Sounds like this mark is gonna be the replacement of money." Said Tommy.

"Sounds like a credit-card to me." Said Clare.

"Well, to a lot of people, it will seem like a new type of credit card. And people will welcome it." Said Irene.

"Well, what about the people who wont wanna take the mark?" Clare asked.

"The only people who won't want the mark are those who become believers. And a lot of those will be killed by the beast or the Anti-Christ." Said Irene.

"You mean a person can become a Christian after the Rapture?" Clare asked.

"The 144'000 missionaries from Israel will be responsible for leading multitudes to recieve Christ as their savior." Said Irene.

"144'000 ministers! Cool!" Said Tommy.

"What happens to the people who take the mark?" Clare asked.

"Uh, look up, uh, Revelation...i believe it's 14-verse 10 or 11." Irene said.

"Okay." Said Clare, turning a page of the Bible and placing her finger on the number of the verse she was looking for. "The same shall drink"-That's not it." She moved her finger down some. "Okay, 11 says "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast or his image and whosoever recieveth the mark of his name."

"Whoa...that's scary." Said Tommy.

"Yeah. So the time to recieve Jesus Christ is now, not then." Said Irene.

"But whatever happened to God is love that the pastor at my church always talks about?" Clare asked.

"God is love, Clare, but he is also holy. And he hates sin. And he cannot allow sin in his presence or in his kingdom." Said Irene.

"But we all do bad things." Said Clare.

"That's right. And we deserve judgment. But God loves us so much he sent his son, Jesus, to die for our sins as full payment...and offers life eternal for anyone who believes Christ and wants him as their savior." Said Irene.

"Well, i don't know. Maybe someday all this Revelation/Tribulation stuff will make sense." Said Clare.
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As the radio continued blabing reports reguarding the mass disappearances, Clare remained lost in her thoughts about her times with Irene and Tommy when they both tried to tell her about their beliefs. And each time she had politely turned them down. Boy, did she feel bad about that now.

Clare reached into her purse, got out her cellphone, and called up Irene. "Come on, come on. Pick up, pick up."

"Hey, it's Irene. Leave a message." Said the answering machine.

Clare then ended the call and placed her phone back in her purse and tuned back in to listening to the news on the radio.

One report revealed that in Chicago, at a Christian school, a team of teen football players and many people in the stands had disappeared out of their clothes right in the middle of a game. All of the teen football players had disappeared except for one, who later took his own life.

She heard another report that talked about an increasing number of people jumping to their deaths, shooting themselves, over-dosing, parents of missing children either going mad or taking their own lives, police officers missing, doctors at hospitals missing, all children missing at orphanages, with some of them being teenagers, some social workers and CPS workers missing, countless prison breaks all over the world, looting, home-invasions, rape, murder, theft, and just about every other crime one could imagine.

She even heard reports of all women around the globe who were once pregnant no longer being pregnant, as well as bodies missing from morgues all over the world. She also heard reports about bodies missing from their graves at cemeteries, with the majority of them being of deceased children, leaving the clothes they were buried in behind.

Clare didn't know how much more she could take. First Tommy vanished without a trace...then she learned from Rayford that some of his crew and passengers had disappeared on a plane he was flying to London...then she learned from the news that millions of other people around the world had disappeared...then she discovered that all children under 13 were missing, along with some teenagers...and now she had learned from the radio that even all of the unborn and some of the dead were gone too.

Clare felt like she was starring in the real-life horror movie of human history.

What in the world was going on?

Was this really something that God had pulled off? Or was there something evil and sinister behind these mass disappearances?

Either way...she hoped she was wrong.
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