<image> Points A and B on the number line represent the rational numbers a and b, respectively. The distance between points A and B is denoted as AB, and on the number line, the distance AB is given by |a - b|.

Using the idea of combining numbers and shapes, answer the following questions:
(1) The distance between the points representing 1 and 3 on the number line is ______.
(2) The distance between the points representing -12 and -6 on the number line is ______.
(3) The distance between the points representing x and 1 on the number line is represented as ______.
(4) If x represents a rational number and -4 < x < 2, then |x - 2| + |x + 4| = ______.