A/N: An author's note up top? That's because I want to leave the ending stark in your minds. Anywho, the delay is for two reasons. One, my dad got a new computer so we had to transfer a bunch of stuff, and two, I had a choice to make relating to the end of this chapter, which was a hard one, but a made it anyway. So, you can look forward to that.

Thanks to LocalTalent53, Cenobia100, Bookreader2010, Gabe's-Girl-Forever and Meowth's Toon Dragon. Finally, I also know one of the people who will survive the story. I'm not sure if I'll let anyone else survive, but so far I've definitely got one person on my list. Anywho, read on for the intro of Act 2!

Act Two – Tragedies in Darkness

Chapter 38

Two Weeks

At eight years old, Joshua Valentine was a serious boy, taking in as much information as he could at his young age. Hardly ever speaking, he was content to sit and listen, to absorb anything and everything. On the day of the collapse he was taking in the distant Vancouver. He could see in the distance the tall skyscrapers dotting the left side of the bridge. In front was a mass length of trees, standing up straight, shaking slightly in the wind. On the right side of the bridge he could see more trees that ended straight at the coast with a small amount of muddy beach between the trees and the water. Boats cruised into the distance with streams of water splashing behind them.

Joshua's gaze turned to the bridge itself, wires trailing high above forcing him to crane his neck, attaching to a thicker wire which spanned between each arch. A green railing and a lower concrete wall was all that stopped anyone from falling to the side. Ahead on the road were road works, with cars and one large bus in the distance on the other side of the bridge.

"We really should name him soon."

At the sound of voices, Joshua's eyes turned to the front of the car where his father was driving and his mother was in the passenger sit, hand on her belly, arm on the window-sill.

"We should name him when he's born. It's what we did with Joshua." His father said, eyes peering down the road as they coasted to a stop due to the road works. "It feels more natural giving him a name when he arrives."

Lisa turned out at the window resisting the urge to bite her bottom lip in frustration. With a measured voice she continued, "But you won't be present at the birth. We should decide it together. Shouldn't we make it together, husband and wife?"

Glancing to his wife Isaac sighed. "I suppose."

Joshua's parents grew silent, evidently not knowing how to start the conversation. The silence continued for five minutes; the car still not moving.

"They choose their moments to do road works." Isaac tapped his fingernails on the steering wheel. "Why not do it at night where there is less traffic?"

"We should name him Miles."

Isaac turned to Lisa. "Huh?"

"Miles." Lisa repeated patiently. "A nice, uncommon but not strangely uncommon name."

"Miles…" Isaac let the name roll off his lips. After another minute he nodded. "I like it."

At that moment the bridge shook as if an earthquake had hit. Seconds later, far down Joshua's line of sight he saw part of the bridge dip down. Moments later wires snapped, arches broke and the whole bridge started to collapse. Joshua watched with growing interest, taking everything falling apart; watching hell break lose as his father started to reverse in panic.

XXX

A month later, Lisa had already disappeared from Joshua's life. Joshua was left to live alone with the less than a month old Miles. Joshua didn't know what to do, what to feel. An orphanage was out of the question. Joshua hated orphanages ever since he saw a documentary about bad care there. Instead, he had stolen books from a library about baby care. Just from books alone he had raised Miles and kept him alive. He was more like an adult than eight years old. During this hard time, Joshua had watched a report of Flight 180 crashing.

XXX

One year after, Joshua was now living on the streets, newly ten years old. He now knew a hell of a lot about babies and was helping Miles grow up. It was hard, but Joshua was stubborn. He had helped Miles start to walk, fed him from stolen food. Joshua had even found an apartment building that had been abandoned, other than crack addicts. It was here he had met a woman who grew to be his friend. The woman had asked no questions, introduced herself as Phillipa, and let Joshua and Miles into a relatively safe life. The other addicts in the apartment building treated them as if they were their own children. On a faded TV which still worked Joshua had seen the mass pile-up on Route 23.

XXX

The next four years were perhaps the hardest. Miles was starting to talk and Joshua was going through puberty. However the addicts helped them again, getting things that Joshua couldn't steal. They were given clothes, toys. It was as if they were living in a real apartment with a bunch of uncles. Phillipa had practically taken over Lisa as a mother, bathing and cleaning Miles and even teaching what she knew about to world to the two. Private tutoring in a way. In that period of four years Joshua had grown even more interested in crime. He knew his dad was a detective and had learned things by overhearing him or in conversations Isaac liked to have. Joshua had acquired more books about crime, fiction and non-fiction. The last of the four years was when he had seen a report on a deadly roller coaster crash.

XXX

In 2009, Joshua was seventeen, practically an adult. During the previous three years he had started work as a gardener, which was surprisingly easy. He didn't particularly enjoy it, but easy money was easy money. He had left the addicts with all the thanks he could give. With a nine year old Miles, he took to living in cheap motels. The managers had no questions and they lived on relatively comfy beds and diner food. Joshua knew massive amounts about research, crime, policing and detectives. Miles started to enjoy that side of life as well. Joshua was getting ready to leave when he saw a report on a racing pile-up. At that point, and for a while before, he knew all about Death and it's plans. He knew about the visions, the meaning behind them and the purpose for them.

It was also the time when Miles was introduced to that side of his life, and both siblings were informed of the event that would happen a year later and their roles in it.

XXX

Well, they always say your life flashes before your eyes moments before you die. Damn, it's depressing. They don't focus on the good things, no, it has to be the whole life. Just perfect. I wonder how Phillipa is… chances are she would have O.D'ed, which is sad, but hey, that was the life she chose. I wonder if I'll meet her later. I'll have to thank her all over again.

Joshua…

My name? What the hell other me, you know my name… or we… wait, what?

Joshua!

Last I knew, I didn't have split personality. I am me and me alone. Then again, last I knew dead people didn't think… wait, in that case…

"Joshua!"

Opening his eyes, Joshua found himself face to face with his mother. Her blue eyes were wet, looking wobbly. Joshua blinked slowly, wondering why in the hell Lisa was there. "Ah… the bus…" Joshua murmured absently as the previous events came back to him. Although I could'a swore she was on that other half which ripped away… huh… Joshua turned left, taking in a plain blue wall and steel cabinets. Frowning, he turned right and saw a whole bunch of medical equipment, including a heart monitor. "…The hell?"

Ignoring Lisa, Joshua mentally went over his body and registered that he wasn't in any serious pain. There were aches here and there, but nothing desperate. Slightly irritated he pulled out some tubes that were in his nose and some that were in his wrist. Lisa had stepped back, looking on silently now. Joshua spun legs out of the hospital bed and straightened up before a pulsing pain invaded his head.

"Ah, son of a-" Joshua clutched his right eye and stepped forward two steps, supporting himself with his other arm on the wall. He stayed still as the pulsing slowly decreased. He turned towards Lisa. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching over my son."

"Sorry, who? You must've got me confused with someone else."

"Joshua, now is not the time for-"

"For what?" Joshua straightened up and took two strides forward, getting face to face with Lisa. "For confronting a traitor? Surely now is as good as a time as any. You abandoned me and Miles, so you have no right to call me a son. Hell, Miles only knows you from pictures and from a very faint memory of your voice. Give him a few years and he'll forget about that to." Joshua glanced down to see he was only wearing his underwear under a gown. His gaze turned to the cabinet and registered his clothes. Without an inch of modesty he tore off the gown and started dressing. As he buttoned his shirt he stared at Lisa. "So, what the hell do you think you're doing here? I was preoccupied with the bus, but now that's over, I can properly confront you."

"Surely you should be more occupied with why you are in a hospital."

"I hit my head? I really don't care. But you-"

"Yeah, hit your head hard enough to knock you out for two weeks." Lisa rolled her eyes, stopping Joshua in his tracks.

"…Two weeks…" Joshua blinked slowly.

"Yes, two weeks." Lisa sighed and shook her head faintly. "Not that you have any right to be alive. The back of your goddamn head was missing."

"Oh, come on!" Joshua kept eye contact with Lisa. "Don't play ignorant, you know as well as I do."

Lisa bit her lip and slightly nodded.

"See. But that's not important." Joshua paced around the room. "I'm not getting anything about the survivors in my head at the moment, but I know that Tyrone was due two days after we exited Willingboro. Hell, two weeks? Then the whole list would have gone through once already." Joshua suddenly froze. "…Already gone through… Oh Christ…"

Sighing again, Lisa put up three fingers. "I have great news, good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Joshua stared into Lisa's eyes and inwardly groaned. "I have a horrible feeling I'm not going to like the bad news. Give me the great news."

"The great news is that the man you saw with me called Richard and Nick were working with me. Nick saw the clues, Richard worked them out and by that process we managed to save most of them."

Joshua groaned again, closing his eyes. "Most of them?"

"That's the bad news. But here's the good news, although it's kind of irritating as well. The survivors have separated, which is a nuisance. They fell apart without you. They've gone their own ways, although they are all here in New York." Lisa took a breath. "Jeremy and Chloe are living back in Chloe's house together. Alexander is staying with Josie and Jay, accepting their invitation to live on the sofa until things can be sorted. Becca has moved in with Riley, boy, the tears when she heard that…" Lisa trailed off.

"That's the good news…" Joshua sat down on the bed, knowing his legs wouldn't support him. "So Tyrone, Lukas, that Dominika… David and Jennifer… Jason… Dorothy… Oh Christ…" Joshua put a palm on his face. "All of them?"

"Not quite." Lisa took another deep breath. "Dominika was injured badly. In fact, her lower vertebrae was shattered. She still can't feel her legs. In fact, she's still inside this hospital. Lukas is staying by her side and not moving. Not to mention he has one hell of a grudge against you."

Joshua nodded. "That figures."

"Here's where things get bad. Jason and Jennifer are missing."

"Missing?"

"Yes, missing. Or, well, kidnapped is more accurate. I'm working on tracking down who but the signs are all there, not to mention the letters we received."

"The men in black?" Joshua asked.

"Definitely suspects, although kidnaps are generally not on their agenda. Especially long term. If it were the men in black those two's bodies would have turned up."

"Must be because Jason's a visionary. Jennifer would have been caught as a civilian."

Lisa nodded. "That's what I think. Tyrone's trickier."

"Trickier how?"

"Well, the bus he was on two days after we escaped went into the ocean in a crash. It wasn't a busy bus and the three other passengers and the driver came back alive and accounted for."

"…But…?"

"Tyrone never came back. We don't know if he's dead or alive, since his body hasn't been found."

"Under the circumstances…" Joshua groaned for a third time. "He wouldn't have come back."

"That's what we agreed."

"So, Dorothy and David would have got kidnapped with Jason then…"

"Not quite."

Joshua looked up. "What?"

"David is alive. Angry, pissed off and the moment he sees you he's likely going to rip your head off." Lisa laughed humourlessly.

"And Dorothy?"

Lisa went silent for a moment before taking a breath. "A week after…" Lisa stopped and gulped. "A week after she was found in her home…"

"Oh no, don't tell me, please don't-"

"I'm sorry, Joshua." Lisa shook her head, her eyes showing genuine sadness. "Dorothy is… Dorothy's dead, passed away, however you want to say it. She's gone Joshua, she's… she's gone."