Green - Day - Greatest Hits God-s Favorite Band -...

Miguel stepped outside, clutching his crucifix. A teenage girl with a nose ring and a faded American Idiot T-shirt stopped in front of him. She looked translucent, like heat off asphalt.

Then the lights went out.

Not a fuse. Everything. The streetlamps. The distant glow of Vegas. The satellites. The whole grid, dead. But the jukebox kept playing— “I’m the son of rage and love…” —and through the window, Miguel saw them. Green Day - Greatest Hits God-s Favorite Band -...

The last song ended. The jukebox clicked off. The lights flickered back on. Miguel stepped outside, clutching his crucifix

So Miguel played Basket Case . The crowd swayed. He played Wake Me Up When September Ends —the soldier wept silent dust. He played Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) , and the ghosts began to fade, one by one, as if each chorus untied them from the earth. Then the lights went out

Lou emerged from behind the bar, blinking. “Power surge. You okay, Padre?”

Miguel looked at the empty street. Then at his hands. The crucifix was warm.