The big crowd from the police station had swelled ten fold at the cemetery. There we’re thousands of wandering lost souls as far as the eye could see. Their faces were hidden from view as they meandered amongst the dead. A majority of the media was being held outside the gates as the cameras were the only things not being allowed in by the overwhelmed officers manning the only entrance inside. Mike pulled up his hood to blend in better as he walked past the media and police without a word. He looked closer and saw mothers and fathers gazing upon headstones in hopes that they would not see the unimaginable. The somber crowd inside was beginning to get unruly. The locals from Augusta were becoming anxious and scared at the site of any headstone. The people that came to gawk were only getting in the way. The silence of a light rain was now being drowned out by some yelling from the distance.

“Get out of my way!” yelled one angry man as he shoved one of the teen boys dressed in all black.

“Fuck you!” replied the teen age boy with mascara smeared from the rain.

Next, there were sounds of screaming as fist fights erupted within these sacred grounds. Mike looked over but did not even think to break it up as more screaming could be heard from other directions. The crowd had turned against itself and was growing more unruly by the minute. The cameras rolling from the outside would soon be catching all of the ensuing chaos and sorrow.

As Mike continued to make his way through the masses, he heard a couple of familiar voices. It was Susan and Greg wandering about the cemetery with the rest of the people from Augusta. They had recognized Mike under his hood as the rain began to mix with ice and pelted away.

“Can you believe this crowd?” Greg asked of Mike.

“I’d get out of here, if I were you. There is nothing good going to happen here,” Mike warned.

“We’ve got every right to be here,” Greg defensively said. “You’re the one who has got everyone worked up, around here. This is happening because of you. What did you do to Amanda?”

“Why, you son of a bitch! Listen to me, I could care less about you, but I like your wife and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Now do yourself a favor and leave.” Mike said as he half way smiled at Susan.

“Come on, honey, Mike’s right. Let’s go,” Susan said trying to prevent a confrontation and acknowledging Mike’s thoughtful attempt to keep her out of harms way.

“No!” Greg hollered as he shoved Susan’s arm away from his. “We are not going anywhere!”

Mike watched as Greg yelled at his wife. He had heard enough from the youngest partner at the law firm, whose specialty was corporate law. All of the pent up rage from his dealings with the caretaker kid and all of the reporters had come to a head. He cocked his right arm back. Greg was still glaring at his wife, when Mike’s fist landed squarely on his jaw. Greg fell flat on his ass and immediately reached for his broken jaw.

“I’m sorry, Susan.” Mike said as he walked over Greg who was now lying on the ground.

Susan tried to hold back her smile but was unable to.

“My jaw, he broke my jaw.” Greg said to Susan barely audible. “I’ll sue him.”

Mike never gave his confrontation a second thought and continued walking, wandering amongst the ever growing throngs of people until he recognized his partner. Tim was standing nearly thirty yards away trying to restore order from an on-going skirmish.

“Tim,” yelled out Mike as he continued to draw closer.

A louder and longer rumble of thunder could he heard, which seemed to bother no one.

“I told you to leave me alone!” demanded Hank, the local hardware store owner, as he shoved Tim backwards.

“Come with me!” Tim hollered back as he gathered his footing in the wet, slick ground.

The crowd, surrounding the two men at odds, had converged on top of the two and Mike continued to make his way through it.

“Oh my God,” repeated Hank over and over as he knelt down on one knee beside an empty grave with a blank headstone.

“Are you okay, sir?” Tim asked of Hank as he approached him from behind.

“See, I told you! I told you all, but none of you listened.” Hank yelled out loudly while standing up, to again, confront the Boston police officer.

“Calm down, sir. Or I’m going to escort you off these premises.” Tim paused. What did you tell us?”

“Look for yourself! I’m damned! Just like the rest of them, just like my dad was!” Hank continued to holler.

Tim looked around at the crowd and saw the people becoming more unnerved by the second. He could see the uneasiness as husband’s grabbed and held their wives as the exchange became more heated.

“Leave this area now, sir! I’m warning you!” said Tim as he inched closer to Hank.

Mike recognized the names, on the nearby headstones, were those of Hank’s family who had already passed. His father’s grave was only marked by a headstone since there never was a body recovered after his disappearance some thirty five years ago.

“Get off me!” yelled out Hank as he shrugged away at Tim’s arm. Hank stood up and noticed Mike walking towards the two. “Look, Mike. I told you! We’re all doomed!”