Season 2, Episode 3: Search Your Dimes
Daphne's POV
Daphne Waltonen was watching Axel Cummings. The boy seemed to feel peace and comfort. All his anxiety seemed to have completely vanished, as if it were never there.
Paul Karoski looked at Daphne, Jimmie, and Ervie.
"What about the three of you?", he asked.
"I personally want to give my life to God", Jimmie said. "Both of our parents were taken in the Rapture. I want to be able to see them again."
"Do you want me to pray with you?", Paul asked.
"Sure", Jimmie said. "What do I need to say?"
"Just like this other boy…what's your name again?"
"Axel."
"Just like what Axel did. Just tell God that you are sorry for your sins."
Jimmie took a deep breath.
"God, I should have responded to the message of Christ sooner. I'm sorry for the sins I committed. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty I deserved…"
Jimmie continued the prayer, tears streaming down his face as he confessed.
"I feel so much better", Jimmie said.
Ervie then started praying to God. When he finished, he too seemed to be relieved.
"I finally have found peace", Ervie said.
"I can't wait to see Mom and Dad again", Jimmie said.
Just then someone knocked on the front door of the church.
"Excuse me, I'll go get that", Paul said.
As he went to get the door, Daphne then looked at Axel, Jimmie, and Ervie.
"This commitment that you have is real, huh?", she asked.
"Indeed", Axel said. "I knew this had to be the only truth and the only way out."
"I had to have some clarity", Jimmie said.
"I think I'm ready", Daphne said. "But I'm still frustrated that God let this happen in the first place. Did my mother deserve to die in the way she did? If everything about Christianity and the Rapture is true, it means my mom is in hell."
"I know this will hurt for a long time", Axel said. "But think about what your mother would want for you. She would want you to believe and avoid getting sent to hell. She would want the best for you."
Just then Paul arrived back into the room. He was followed by four boys that Daphne recognized from Nicolae High. She didn't know any of their names.
"I'm Theodore Sobel", one of the boys said.
"I'm Matt Lowe", another boy said.
"I'm Sean Suffolk", said a third boy.
The fourth boy simply shrugged and said, "Brian Cardone."
"Do you all know each other?", Paul asked.
"We all go to the same high school", Theodore said. "But we don't really talk to each other that much."
"Mr. Karoski", Sean said. "We want to know the truth about what happened and why the disappearances occurred. I want to accept the truth about God. Please, help us."
"Do you know the story about Jesus and why he died on the cross?", Paul asked.
"My parents were really believing this stuff", Brian said. "I still remember them talking to me about this."
"And what do you think?", Paul asked.
"Well, I'm ready", Theodore said. "There cannot be any other explanation. The Christian Rapture must have occurred."
"Do you want me to pray with you?", Paul asked.
"I need to do this by myself", Theodore said.
He bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"God, I know I've made terrible mistakes. I'm really sorry for what I've done. Please, come into my life. I believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead…"
Daphne could tell Theodore's prayer was genuine. The boy seemed full of emotion.
When Theodore finished praying, he then looked up.
"Does this mean I am a Christian?", he asked.
"Yes", Paul said. "Welcome to the family."
Matt then went next.
"God, please forgive me of my sins", Matt said. "I believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again…"
After Matt finished praying, Sean prayed.
Then Brian decided to start praying. Before he did, he had something to say.
"I was never interested in any of this before the disappearances. My parents believed in this, but I didn't. I wished I had listened to their warnings. It is obvious that the world is going through some dangerous times. I can't wait any longer. I'm going to make a decision."
Brian bowed his head and prayed.
"God, I'm sorry for all the sins I committed. I believe in your son, Jesus, and I believe he died on the cross to pay the punishment that I deserved. Please, come into my life, Jesus."
After Brian prayed, Daphne said, "I think I'm ready."
"Are you sure?", Paul asked.
"Positive. After watching all of you praying, it is obvious that I have to get myself on the right track. I think about my mother and what she would want for me. I have to do something."
"You want me to pray with you?", Paul asked.
"Yes. I need to know what I should say", Daphne said.
Paul then led Daphne into the prayer.
Daphne felt peace and tranquility.
"I'm looking forward to seeing my father again in heaven", Daphne said.
Paul then cleared his throat.
"You know, some friends of mine, as well as myself, have formed this group to try to stand up to Nicolae Carpathia. We're called the Resistance. Would any of you be interested in joining? We could use more support."
Axel, Jimmie, Ervie, Theodore, Matt, Sean, Brian, and Daphne all agreed to become members of the Resistance.
"Brilliant", Paul said. "The more sets of hands that are involved, the better."
Hiram's POV
Hiram Calhoun was surprised that Nicolae Carpathia and Salvatore Corsetti had arrived to his home.
Before Hiram could say anything, Carpathia embraced him fiercely and held him tightly. Hiram didn't even know what to say.
"I am so sorry for your loss", Carpathia said. "I promise you, the person responsible for this horrific act will be punished in the most severe manner possible."
Hiram choked up. He couldn't find the words to say. He just sobbed as Carpathia embraced him. Corsetti just watched all of this happening.
"I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you", Carpathia said. "When my childhood friend, Marius Balan, killed those people in New York before committing suicide, I couldn't believe it. It felt like my whole world had changed forever."
Hiram finally stopped crying as he finally managed to say something.
"What are you going to do to catch the killers?", Hiram asked.
"We'll have to interrogate everyone that was at that meeting", Corsetti said. "Round up everyone and see if we can narrow it down. Someone might remember something to help in the investigation."
"Thank you", Hiram said. "I really appreciate your help and support."
"It's not a problem", Carpathia said. "Some measures need to be taken for the greater good."
Ben's POV
Ben was in English class, reading a short story with the rest of his class. He didn't see the purpose of what he was doing. After the Rapture, it didn't seem like anyone at Global Community Middle School was safe.
Ben went along to make sure no one was suspicious about him. He knew that he would have to be discreet so that no one found out where his true loyalties laid towards.
Ben wondered how the students at Nicolae High were holding up when all of this was happening. It probably wasn't much different from what he was going through in middle school.
Axel's POV
Axel Cummings was at his house one day after school, trying to find any news articles about Israel and Carpathia. He knew he would have to keep his eyes open for that treaty that could be signed.
Axel decided to call Jimmie, Ervie, and Matt on his cell phone. After they had joined the Resistance, they had all traded contact information.
"We should probably hang out", Axel said.
"Where?", Matt asked.
"Probably at the bowling alley in Mount Prospect? You all know where that is, right? It's ten minutes away from the church."
Twenty minutes later, the four of them were at the bowling alley and started a game.
Jimmie threw the bowling ball down the lane and managed to get a strike. Axel was impressed.
"Pretty good skills, Jimmie. You should consider playing for the Nicolae High bowling team."
"I'm not interested", Jimmie said, laughing. "I'm not even good at bowling. Besides, with the Tribulation period coming up, I don't have time to play for any sports teams at the school. Not to mention our school is representing the Antichrist."
Jimmie then looked at someone and pursed his lips in disgust. "Besides, a certain someone would not allow me on the team anyway."
Axel turned to see who Jimmie was looking at. It was Todd Hollywood, the captain of the Nicolae High bowling team.
Hollywood rolled the bowling ball down his lane and caused a strike to occur.
"Well, he seems to have talent", Ervie said.
Jimmie scoffed. "I don't believe that his so-called "talents" are real. He could be using steroids or cheating somehow. Even if his talent is genuine, he's a devoted Carpathia supporter. That certainly is questionable."
"We should definitely keep an eye on him", Axel said. "Hollywood is popular, the captain of a sports team, but he's on the wrong side in this inevitable war. Not to mention he is arrogant."
Thirty minutes later, the four of them left the bowling alley and went out to eat some fast food.
Jimmie had a bacon cheeseburger with French fries.
"I love eating bacon cheeseburgers", he said.
"You do realize that bacon is unhealthy, right?", Ervie asked.
"We're about to enter the Tribulation period, in which millions will be killed. Paul said during our meeting that three-fourths of the world's population left behind after the Rapture will die. The odds of living are not looking good, so it may not matter if I choose not to eat bacon."
"That may be true", Ervie said.
"I'm liking this idea of being part of this Resistance", Axel said. "It feels good to work together with others that have like-minded interests."
"But do you want to be exclusive?", Matt asked. "We should probably talk to more people. Recruit more members into the Resistance. An organization that is coherent and adequate should have a lot of members. If more people join our army, we could make things harder for Carpathia."
"That's true", Axel said. "Plus, if more people are on our side, it will be less pressure to deal with. It would be easier for us when Carpathia's henchmen are coming after us. As they say, many hands make light work."
Just then Axel heard some loud shouting in the fast food restaurant. He looked up from his food to see a bunch of people looking at the television.
"It's about the two witnesses, Uri and Itai, in Jerusalem", Ervie said, who was observing the situation.
Uri and Itai had been preaching every day in Jerusalem for the last three weeks. Paul had described them as the two witnesses from the eleventh chapter of Revelation. They had the power to witness and call down fire against anyone that tried to stop them or use violence against them.
It seemed as if many of the Jewish citizens watching them had heeded this warning. They were looking at the witnesses. Many of them seemed incensed. But none of them dared to challenge or attack them.
Just then, Axel watched as two Jewish men walked in front of the camera.
"We're putting a stop to this nonsense", one of the men said. "My name is Abner Abelson, and I am a professional boxer living in Israel."
"I'm Paltiel Fromer, and I have been bodybuilding for over ten years. I've also had a lot of training with assault rifles."
"What do they think they're doing?", Jimmie asked. "Are they out of their minds?"
"We'll take care of them", Abelson said. "We're ending this nonsense."
Axel watched as Abelson and Fromer charged at the two witnesses. Axel already knew what was going to happen.
Fromer pointed his gun at the two witnesses. But Uri and Itai didn't even need to move. Both Uri and Itai released fire from heaven at the two men. Abelson's entire body burned like meat on a grill. Fromer's body completely burned to a crisp.
Axel was horrified at the sight of the two dead bodies. But he also knew that this would serve as a warning to anyone that was even thinking of daring to do something so stupid.
"This just shows that God will judge his enemies", Matt said.
"Indeed", Jimmie said.
Bill's POV
Bill Parker was at O'Hare International Airport. He had just finished flying a plane to Kentucky. Bill was feeling slightly tired.
Bill then heard several people pointing at the televisions. Bill looked with horror as he saw a replay of Uri and Itai bringing down fire on two men that tried to attack the witnesses.
If this doesn't convince people about the miracles of God, I don't know what will, Bill thought.
He was surprised that those two men had the audacity to do something so foolish. He only hoped this would serve as a warning to anyone that thought about doing something similar.
Bill stretched his legs and sat down on one of the seats near the terminal. He was wondering what the future would hold for him and the other members of the Resistance.
Bill received a text message on his phone.
It was from Paul.
The text read, New members got recruited into the Resistance. They are all teenage students at Nicolae Carpathia High School. This could be of great use for our cause.
Bill texted back, Sounds good. Great to see more minds have joined our cause.
He was looking forward to meeting these new members of the Resistance. They would need all the allies and support they could get.
Hiram's POV
Hiram sat down in his living room for an hour, watching replayed footage of the assassination of his brother. It seemed so unbelievable that he was forced to deal with this.
Hiram looked at a phone number that Salvatore Corsetti had given him. He hesitated, then dialed the number.
Thirty minutes later, two police officers arrived at Hiram's house.
"Hello, Mister Calhoun", one of the officers said. "My name is Lawrence Klebold. This is my partner, Ernie Wainwright. I was originally working in Wisconsin, but I was transferred to Illinois. I was told to keep an eye on the Mount Prospect area. Ernie and I will do everything we can to catch the people that killed your brother."
"Exactly", Wainwright said.
"A homicide case is never pleasant for those that have to work on it", Klebold said. "But it does give clarity and peace to the family members of the victims. We can attain justice for your brother."
"We'll need to interrogate everyone that was at that meeting", Wainwright said. "You'll have to give us names of everyone that was in that room. We'll also need security footage of the gunshot and about everyone that attended this meeting. We'll need camera angles, identification cards, you name it."
"To start, we'll ask you some questions", Klebold said. "What did you have for breakfast that morning? What time did you wake up that day?"
Hiram was slightly irritated by these questions. What did any of this have to do with finding the person who assassinated his brother? How was this helping the investigation?
"I had cereal", Hiram said. "I think I woke up at 7 AM."
Klebold nodded and wrote something down on a note-pad.
"Did you speak with your brother on that day?", Wainwright asked.
"Only briefly", Hiram said.
Klebold continued writing.
"Do you remember what the temperature was that day?"
Hiram was losing his patience.
"No disrespect intended, but what does this have to do with finding the people that killed Rudy? None of these questions make any sense and they seem ludicrous."
Hiram then started shouting.
"And why are you questioning only me? Shouldn't you also be interrogating the other people that were there? Like Pike Jennings."
Klebold looked at Wainwright.
"I'm really sorry, Hiram. We're just doing our normal inquiry. Talking about the events that day might trigger something. You might remember some obscured details."
"Fair enough", Hiram said. "But you could at least ask me questions that aren't nonsensical."
"Okay then", Klebold said. "Tell me everything you remember from that day. The more details you and the other witnesses remember, the better."
Kade's POV
Kade Gordonhurst was in his house. It had been almost two months since his sister, Kara, had been taken in the disappearances.
Kade missed Kara terribly. He remembered all the fun times they had together when they were children. They would play games together or watch television together. It was so enjoyable and fun. How he wished he could speak with her again.
Kade wished his sister could give him advice about the Tribulation period. He knew that he would have to be careful. For now, everything seemed to be fine. But eventually, they would be persecuted by Carpathia and his henchmen. He would have to be discreet and avoid doing something that could endanger him and the other members of the Resistance.
Kade could only wonder when Carpathia would be signing some treaty with Israel. He had a feeling that something nefarious and deceitful would occur. He didn't trust Carpathia in the slightest.
Zoey's POV
Zoey Harper thought about her boyfriend, Wishy Walters. How she missed his kisses and his warm embrace. They had such wonderful times together and amazing memories.
She was glad that Wishy was in heaven. She looked forward to reuniting with him someday. She could only wonder how much longer it would be until that happened.
Rohit's POV
Rohit Sharma was in his apartment, quietly praying with God. He was hoping that God would give him some kind of sign or vision about Carpathia's plans. He hated not knowing the answers of what he was supposed to do.
Rohit wished he could speak to someone about his issues and personal struggles. He decided to call Tony Cataldo. Even though Rohit and Tony had gotten into a few arguments since their scuffle on Flight 248, Rohit knew Tony would be willing to listen.
Thirty minutes later, Tony met Rohit outside of his apartment.
"Hey, man", Tony said. "Are you nervous about something?"
"Slightly, yes", Rohit admitted. "I'm just worried about the future, I guess. I wonder what's in store for us and the rest of the Resistance. I think about it often."
"I'm sure we'll be fine", Tony said. "Even though the Tribulation period is going to be filled with numerous disasters, God will watch over us and look out for us."
"I know", Rohit said. "I can't help but wonder about the amount of insults and criticism we'll receive from Carpathia and his followers. They'll probably accuse us of being terrorists or crazy lunatics. I remember back in high school I was insulted and teased because of my religion and ethnicity."
"High school is an unpleasant place", Tony said. "But that's in the past. Why is this coming up now?"
"Do you know how many times I was insulted and mocked because of my Islamic beliefs back in high school? Do you know how many idiotic kids taunted me about being a bomber or a terrorist? Less than two months ago, you accused me of being a terrorist on Flight 248 before our fight."
"You're still holding on to that?", Tony asked. "That was almost two months ago. It's in the past. Let it go."
"Do you realize how much anger I was building up inside of me because of those insults? Do you know that it caused my grades to drop and for me to feel emotional?"
Tony looked at Rohit. "What happened to you never should have happened. I agree, it's terrible. But words are just words, even if they are hurtful. Actions speak louder than words, you know. Look, I'm sorry for what I said. But you need to let it go."
"You're right", Rohit said. "But we can't keep arguing. We're going to have to work together and act cohesively."
"Agreed", Tony said.
Eddie's POV
Eddie Exton was at New Hope Village Church with the other members of the Resistance. Paul was teaching them about events that would occur during the Tribulation period.
Eddie was elated when Paul introduced him and the other original Resistance members to the newest members of the Resistance. Axel, Theodore, Jimmie, Ervie, Matt, Brian, Sean, and Daphne smiled at them.
"The more people on our side, the better", Eddie said.
"Exactly", Larry Levine said.
"It's good to see that the Resistance is growing", Paul said. "We have to keep our eyes open for that treaty Carpathia might be signing with Israel. I believe it will start the seven years from Revelation we were talking about."
"The beginning of even more trouble", Sylvester Coddmyer said.
"Unfortunately, this is true", Paul said.
Eddie thought about what he had seen since he had been on Flight 248. He found the dead bodies of Sally Graves and Gordon Bernall. He knew the future was not looking pleasant for him and the other members of the Resistance. Still, he would try his best to stay as strong as possible.
Perry's POV
Perry Warden was in his home. All he could think about was wanting to impress Nicolae Carpathia. He would be honored to serve him. It was too bad Carpathia couldn't run for president of the United States. Perry would have voted for him in a heartbeat. Perry was disgusted by the Christian theories on the disappearances, which he believed was nonsense.
Perry wasn't completely sure of what his plans were now. If only there was some way he could meet Carpathia personally. That would be so wonderful, in his opinion.
Pete's POV
Pete Alessandra was busy looking at a stash of weed that he had bought from the drugstore. He was looking forward to consuming more of it. He had also managed to accumulate some beers and some alcohol.
Pete needed to feel satisfied. He had heard the worst possible news almost two months earlier when his family had been killed in the aftermath of the disappearances. He had felt so depressed and just didn't know what to do.
Pete looked at the alcohol he was holding in his hands and drank some of it for five minutes. He then smoked some weed for ten minutes.
Kade's POV
Kade Gordonhurst thought about the other passengers from Flight 248 that he had interacted with. He wondered where they were now. Kade thought about Pete Alessandra. Kade and Pete had talked with each other on the flight. Kade thought about looking up his name in the phone book and getting in touch with him.
IN MEMORIAM
Abner Abelson
Paltiel Fromer