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that have nuclear weapons use them in battle. They’re too efficient, too final . And the political implications of using a nuclear missile could just as easily propel the planet into a world war. Every shithole country on the globe has a half-ass copy of the bomb now and won’t be left out if someone decides to light one up.”
    “ It looks as though we have a member of ‘The Four Horsemen’ among us,” Julia commented. The whole group laughed.
    Caroline staged a rebuttal. “So, Earl, with the shape the world is in right now, you’re suggesting that another war is imminent. Beyond population densities, on what do you base that profound prophecy?”
    “ Think about it Caroline, everyone…” He paused for effect. “You’ve all heard of Revelations, in the Bible and the ‘seer’ Nostradamus. Not to mention the others who’ve seen the future, the dark future. They’ve all seen a third world war. Some say that the ‘war on terror’ is the third and final installment of world wars. A third global war with nukes would be the end of the world as we knew it. Radiation would permeate the soil and the air. The lucky ones would be those who happened to be at ground zero when their city was hit. With history, fact and the Bible backing up these arguments, I think I’ve pretty much covered my ass.”
    “ I think you mean history, fact, and fiction, Earl. The Bible ?” Connor shook his head. “Alright, I’m leaving this conversation.” He struggled to stand.
    “ Connor,” Sara broke in, annoyed, “the Bible is the most real thing in this conversation. I believe in the Revelations. I don’t want to think it’ll happen in my lifetime, but I believe it will one day.”
    “ It’s not a cop-out, Connor,” added Earl. “It’s as valid as anything you’ll hear on the news these days.”
    “ It’s ancient history, I mean fictional history. It’s a piece of fiction. What can you draw on from the Bible that can make sense of the state of the world today?”
    “ It’s not all fiction, Connor. It’s steeped in historical fact and to see into the future you have to look into the past. It’s that simple.”
    “ I think we’re all a little too high right now to continue this line of thought,” I declared.
    “ Joel!” Sara hissed. “I’m serious. Read it some time. I guarantee you’ll shit your pants.”
    “ Hey, I was just saying that we should mellow out a minute. Don’t get all jerked off over nothing. You’re not exactly a Bible thumper.”
    “ I don’t have to be a Bible thumper to believe in something, Joel!”
    “ Chill out,” I went to grab her hand, but she pulled away. “Settle down.”
    I stared at Connor, amazed at Sara’s attitude. He nodded and waved me over. On our way to the cooler, he settled me down with a show of acid.
    “ Just let her cool off, old man. You must have struck a chord or some shit.” We snagged a beer each and sat on a large, protruding rock. “Do you want to do a hit?”
    “ I didn’t know you brought this shit up.” I licked my finger and dabbed it on the paper holding the acid. Connor followed suit with a mischievous smile. While we waited for the drug to take hold, we listened to Kevin arguing with Sara over the ‘faith’ she had in the Bible.
    “ Faith is the key word there, Kevin.” Her voice became louder. “That’s why religions are also called faiths. Faith requires no particular proof.” I followed her shadow with my eyes as the fire projected it ever closer to our position. “Faith is everything. I believe in heaven and hell with little more proof then the Bible can give me. I believe because I want to, and I pray that when I die heaven will be waiting for me.”
    Kevin went silent. Sara was blowing this way out of proportion.
    Sidney broke in. “Maybe you should read the Bible like Sara said. I skimmed through it once in a hotel room when I was traveling and the end of the book is in essence the end of the world.” With this said, the