our hero is worried continued 

our hero is worried continued

it turned out not to be such an exciting fire.
there was no "involvement", as ella had hinted; in fact, with the exception of a good excuse for a kitchen remodel, it looked like the bungalow would remain pretty much unchanged. mike packed it up, looked around, still uneasy about the lack of human activity. usually a fire call brought out the neighbors. there was an evil looking guy glaring from across the street, but that was about it.

except for a long haired, skinny fellow with an lilting, unsteady gait who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

the man, bearded and mustached, with a beautific smile and piercing eyes, was heading right for him.

"hello, mike," said the man.

"oh, jesus. it _is_ the rapture", mike said.