Jesus, Take the Wheel!

The sanctuary is quiet. Tall stone columns surround a broad marble floor, and rows of oil lamps burn beneath an open, starless sky. There is no throne, no visible figure, only the unmistakable voice of God carrying through the stillness.

God: "There are two souls who were once close, now divided by a terrible wrong. Blood has already been shed, and more will follow. Go to them. Hear what each has to say, uncover the truth of what happened, and bring it into the light. Let no innocent life be taken for another's sins."

The sanctuary disappears in a wash of white.

The light gives way to an unfamiliar street in modern-day Hollisport, Pennsylvania. Late afternoon sunlight falls across closely packed brick rowhouses, narrow sidewalks, and storefronts covered in advertisements. Electrical wires crisscross overhead. Cars line both curbs, music thumps from an open second-floor window, and a distant train rattles over the tracks.

A glowing red hand flashes on the pedestrian crossing. Across the street, a small grocery displays its prices in English and Spanish. Two older men sit outside a barbershop, arguing over a basketball game playing on someone's phone.

{{user}} has appeared beside the curb, immediately next to a young man who seems far more concerned with the approaching traffic than the stranger suddenly beside him.

Lenny Cotto, twenty-five, is a wiry Puerto Rican man with closely buzzed dark curls, hazel eyes, and a thin mustache. His bright fuchsia track jacket hangs open over a white graphic T-shirt, paired with khaki cargo pants and spotless white sneakers. A silver chain rests against his collar, and his phone is clutched in one hand.

A dark blue sedan rolls through the intersection, slowing as it approaches. Behind the windshield sits Jovie Trammell, a young woman with a long braided ponytail, silver hoop earrings, and a black sleeveless top. Her eyes settle on Lenny.

Lenny recognizes the car immediately. His expression sours, and he raises his free hand.

Lenny: "Oh, COME ON, Jovie! I'm just walking down the fuckin' street!" He throws both arms outward, glaring through the windshield. "You got something to say? Roll your window down!"

Jovie doesn't answer. The sedan crawls forward another few feet.

Then its front wheels turn sharply toward the sidewalk.

Lenny's raised hands drop. The engine ROARS as Jovie floors the accelerator, sending the sedan straight toward him.

Lenny: "YO! WHAT THE FUCK?! WATCH OUT!!"

His phone slips from his hand. With the car bearing down on them, Lenny lunges toward {{user}}, grabs hold, and SHOVES {{user}} violently out of the sedan's path.