Tom’s heart was pounding hard as he and Erin slipped through the stairway door and into the lobby. He brought his finger to his lips and motioned for Erin to wait while he went ahead to scout the area. Then he tiptoed along the wall toward the lobby’s main corridor.
When he reached the end of the corridor, he peeked around the corner past the registration desks toward the Park Avenue entrance. He spotted the table where he’d snatched up the keys and saw the plates of food and beer bottles, still in the same positions they’d been before. Encouraged by this, he walked quietly along the registration area toward the entrance several yards further, stopped, looked around and listened.
Not a sign of anybody.
He walked back until he saw Erin then motioned for her to come over to him. She moved toward Tom stealthily until she drew up beside him.
“Looks good,” Tom whispered. “If we can get as far as the entrance, we should be home free.”
“Great, let’s do it!” Erin whispered excitedly.
“Stay right behind me and don’t make a sound. They could still be around the corner for all we know. We’re just going to have to creep along until we can case the scene better.”
Tom started moving with Erin close behind. He stayed glued to the wall, keeping his eyes trained on the entrance and to his right, just in case he spotted someone around the corner. In another few steps he could see the doors to the death chamber where Kyle no doubt was still hanging from the ceiling. The thought made Tom feel nauseous and he inadvertently turned and glanced at Erin. Her face was white as a sheet as she stared in the same direction. God only knew what she had been forced to endure in there, Tom thought.
He squeezed her hand in encouragement. They were about twenty yards from the foyer leading to the Park Avenue entrance. It was obvious now that no one was in the immediate area.
They were almost home free.
Tom took Erin by the hand and quickened the pace when they reached the foyer. He could now see the doors clearly and the waning darkness outside.
“Let’s run for it!” he whispered to Erin.
“Okay!”
The two sprinted toward the doors. Tom flung open one of them and ran out onto the street, Erin right on his heels. He immediately noticed that the hearse was gone, prompting Tom to think that they just might make it after all. They headed south on Park Avenue.
“We’ll head back to my Jeep and see if we can get it started-maybe the battery has recharged itself after some rest. If we see any kind of vehicle on the way, we’ll check it for keys just in case,” Tom told Erin between breaths.
“Sounds good-where is it parked?”
“On Thirty-Fourth Street.”
They ran all the way to Forty-Sixth Street then stopped long enough to peek inside a parked taxicab: unlocked but no keys. They continued their run and paced themselves, slowing down to a moderate gait to conserve energy. Tom was already winded and marveled at Erin, who was barely breathing hard. Of course she was still a kid and had youth on her side. He was not, did not and felt like an old man.
They ran a few more blocks, checked another cab for keys and discovered that it was unlocked but had been vandalized. The windows were all busted out, the seat covers sliced and indecipherable graffiti was scrawled all over the hood and side panels. Apparently Chappy and the boys had been particularly bored one night.
By the time they approached Forty-Second Street and spotted Grand Central Station, Tom knew he was going to have to rest before his lungs totally collapsed.
“Gotta stop and catch my breath,” he told Erin breathlessly. “Used to smoke and it’s catching up with me.”
“Me, too,” Erin replied, probably just to make him feel better.
“Let’s duck in there for minute,” Tom said, pointing toward an electronics store with a busted out door window on the north side of Forty-Second Street.
The two headed toward the store and stepped inside. Tom stood for a moment to catch his breath then started searching the trashed display cases for anything they might be of value in them. He found a decent flashlight/radio combination then looked around for batteries that would fit the thing. When he found a pack of double A’s, he popped them in, turned on the flashlight and the radio.
Nothing but static on the radio. He twirled the tuning knob and continued getting static across the band.
“Oh well, at least we have a decent flashlight now. Speaking of light, it’s getting lighter every minute. We’d better get going before day breaks.”
“What are we going to do if the Jeep won’t start?” Erin asked.
“Hell if I know. I guess we’ll have to take a battery out of one the cabs parked nearby. That could be a real problem, though. I don’t know if we can afford that kind of time.”
“I can’t believe we haven’t seen them yet! I wonder where they are.”
Tom led the way out of the store. “I have no idea. All I know is that the odds are running against us every second we stay in this place. Manhattan may be huge, but they know we can only get so far without any wheels.”
Tom looked both ways on Forty-Second Street and recalled how lively and bustling the popular venue had always been when he’d lived here. Now it looked like the set of a Hollywood ghost town.
The two broke into a run down Park Avenue.
The eastern sky was now becoming a dark blue over the tops of the buildings on Park. It was light enough now for Tom to recognize some of the places now-the posh apartment buildings with their awning adorned entrances, the delis and pizza shops, a Duane Reade drugstore.
When they approached Thirty-Eighth Street, Erin let out a gasp.
“Kyle’s car!”
Up ahead, Tom saw a beat up Toyota Tercel parked near the corner of the street. When they reached the car, Erin opened the door and began rummaging through the back seat. She found her coat, got out and put it on.
“I love this coat!” she said. “It was expensive, too.”
“Any chance this thing still runs?” Tom asked.
“No way. It totally broke down. Kyle said something about dropping the transmission. That’s how we got caught in the first place.”
“Oh. Hell, it’s damn near daylight out-we have got to get moving!”
“I’m with you!” Erin cried.
They sprinted the remaining four blocks to Thirty-fourth Street fueled by sheer anxiety and adrenalin-they knew they would be sitting ducks if the boys found them now. They rounded Thirty-fourth and made it as far as the Empire State building before Tom finally admitted to himself he simply had to stop to rest-even though they had only one more block to go.
He pushed one of the doors open and the two ducked into the lobby of the historic skyscraper. As he stood there catching his breath, Tom looked around and recalled the many times he’d been in this lobby, for he had made frequent trips up to the observatory to view this wonderful city whenever he needed encouragement or reassurance. It had always worked miracles.
The memory made Tom recall how many questions he had for Erin once they got out the city and back on the road. He especially wanted to know about her connection with New York and what part Kyle had played in her life.
“Let’s do it,” he panted, making a silent vow to start working out again if and when things got back to normal.
They exited the lobby and broke into a full run west on Thirty-fourth. In another forty seconds, Tom saw his Jeep parked ahead in the growing light, looking like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara.
“God, I hope the damn thing starts!” he exclaimed, casting a final look behind for any sign of the hearse, elated that they had made it this far. Now, if only their luck would hold out and the engine would turn over The loud blare of a car horn suddenly broke the silence. Tom whipped around and to his horror, saw the hearse flying directly toward them “Jesus, there they are!” he cried.
“Screw it-we’re dead!” Erin exclaimed.
“Not yet, kiddo. Step on it and see if we can make it to the Jeep!”
Tom glanced back quickly again and saw that the hearse was only a couple of blocks away. It was going to be awfully close-and a fricking miracle if the Jeep started.
They stumbled up to the Laredo, flung open the doors and hopped inside in unison. Tom reached for the keys in the ignition only to discover that they were gone. Chappy and the boys had taken them. The hearse was now less than a block away-it almost seemed to be moving in slow motion now-which meant that this nightmare was almost over and he would suddenly wake up the moment he died.
They were screwed…
Then Tom remembered his spare key-the one he had ditched in the console after misplacing his keys one too many times.
“Frick an a!” Tom shouted. He reached over between the seats, snatched the key out of the compartment and fumbled around trying to guide it into the ignition. Tom looked in horror at the hearse heading straight for them at full speed They were going to ram them head-on!
Tom turned the key. The engine cranked once and died. He turned it again. The engine cranked twice, faltered for a split second then fired up.
But it was too late-the hearse was only yards away now. Tom could see Hoops and Chappy grinning from ear to ear in the front seat of the Caddie as they prepared for impact.
Tom threw the gearshift into reverse and floored it. The Jeep lurched backward so fast that Tom’s head hit the steering wheel almost hard enough to knock him out.
The Jeep fishtailed wildly to the left and swayed like it was going to fall onto its side as it plowed toward the entrance of Macy’s. The hearse continued speeding toward them, nearly sideswiping them as Tom saw Hoops whiz past the Jeep They’d missed them by a coat of paint!
Tom slammed on the brakes just as the Jeep jumped the sidewalk and plowed directly toward Macy’s main entrance. It skidded backward into the door and smashed the plate glass with a huge jolt. Tom threw the gearshift into drive and floored it, flying back out over the curve and east on Thirty-fourth.
“Christ, that was close!” he gasped.
“No shit!” Erin said. “I can’t believe they just missed us!”
Tom looked in his rear view mirror and saw the hearse pull a U-turn and head toward them again.
“We’re not out of the woods, yet. Here they come!”
Tom tried to get his bearings as he flew down Thirty-fourth. What was the best way to lose these bastards? he thought, struggling to recall the streets of Manhattan. Heading back to the Lincoln Tunnel was out of the question-he needed more time to put some distance between themselves and the ghouls. Should he keep heading east and see if he could shake them before he got to the FDR, then head back toward the Tunnel? Or should he cross over to Queens or Brooklyn and take a totally different route out of here?
“They’re gaining on us!” Erin shouted.
“I know-that hearse must have a goddamn 427 in it!”
“How can we lose them?”
“I’m thinking-I wish we had a gun so we could blow out one of their tires!” Tom blurted, feeling like an extra in a “B” movie.
“Maybe you should turn onto one of these streets,” Erin suggested.
“Nope, I don’t want to do that. We need to keep going as fast as we can; turning will just slow us down.”
Tom’s heart was in his mouth as he glanced in the mirror and saw that the hearse was no more than three or four car lengths behind them. The accelerator was all the way to the floor and he now regretted not getting a V-8 Cherokee instead of this doggy six-banger.
He had flown by Lexington Avenue and crossed Third Avenue when Tom realized that they were running out of road. There was Second then First Avenue before they dead-ended into the FDR. He wasn’t going to be able to lose these guys by any stretch of the imagination before then-he had to think of something else.
Suddenly he had an idea: The Queens Midtown Tunnel! It was coming up any time now and maybe, just maybe he could throw them off by taking the tunnel at the very last second…
Tom knew it was a gamble because he would lose precious seconds turning off for the Midtown Tunnel instead of continuing on to the FDR. But there was a good chance that these demented shits were assuming he would be taking the FDR-heading for Queens wouldn’t make any sense.
And that was exactly what he was banking on.
Tom flew through the intersection of Second Avenue and saw the sign for the Midtown Tunnel up ahead. Instead of applying his brakes to slow down for the access road and thereby give his pursuers a cue, he waited until he had almost past it, slammed the gearshift into second, turned the wheel hard to the left, jumped the curb and headed north on the access road.
Tom looked in the rearview mirror. The hearse had missed the turn! He heard the sound of the hearse’s tires squealing as he floored it and headed toward the ramp to the tunnel. Another turn and they were inside the pitch-dark underground passage.
“We lost them!” Erin exclaimed as she looked back.
“Yeah, but just for a moment. I’m sure they’ll be back on our tail in a flash. But at least we managed to put some distance between us.”
Tom glanced at the fuel gauge just as he saw the headlights coming at him in his rear view mirror. He was on empty!
“Shit, here they come again!” Erin cried.
“Yeah, and that’s just part of the bad news. I’m running on fumes.”
“Oh, no! When do you think we’ll run out?”
“It won’t be long, trust me. We’re never going to outrun them now-we’ll be at a dead stop any minute!”
“Oh, Tom, what are we going to do?”
“If we just had a weapon of some kind.”
Erin shouted, “They’re almost on us already! What are those sparks coming out of the side of their car?”
Tom looked in the mirror and saw intermittent sparks flying from the hearse. Apparently, they must have hit something when they turned around after he had eluded them. As the hearse drew closer, he saw that the chrome bumper of the old Caddy had somehow gotten smashed in and caused something, maybe the license plate, to drag along the pavement and create the sparks.
“Man, I’ll bet they’re pissed now! Hoops must not be too swift of a driver. Chappy will- Whoa, wait a second! I think I’ve got an idea!”
“What?”
“We have to hurry, though-they’re only a couple hundred feet away! Quick, Erin, climb back to the cargo compartment!”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you in a second-just go!”
“Okay!”
Erin whipped off her seat belt, turned around and bolted in between the seats to the back. She climbed over the backseat and into the cargo area.
“Good girl. Now, I’m going to release the rear window lock and you push it open. See that gas can sitting back there? Once you get the window open, unscrew the cap and chuck that gas can outside. Hurry!”
Tom pressed the rear window release button and heard a click.
“It’s unlocked!” Erin shouted.
“Push it open! Christ, hurry before they get any closer!” Tom cried.
Tom watched Erin in the rear view mirror as she pushed the window open, his ears popping from the sudden vacuum it created. He saw her hoist the gas can up and rest it on the edge of the tailgate, unscrew the cap then push the can out the window.
“Geronimo!”
“Hit the deck, Erin!” Tom shouted.
That second, there was a huge orange/red blast of light that completely illuminated the tunnel, followed by an ear-deafening explosion. Tom saw the hearse explode into flames and continue speeding toward the Jeep like a meteor gone wild.
“You all right?” he hollered back.
Erin’s head popped up over the back seat. “Wow, that was crazy! Shit, they’re still coming at us!”
Tom realized just then that he had lightened up his foot on the accelerator after the explosion so he floored it again. The ball of fire that was once a Cadillac hearse appeared to slow down as the Jeep sped quickly away from it.
“We did it!” Erin yelled.
“It sure looks that way,” Tom said. “Now I just hope we get to the end of this tunnel before we run out of gas.”
Erin began making her way up toward the front seat. The fireball was smaller now but still lit up the tunnel like a Christmas tree.
“Great job, kiddo!” Tom said, giving Erin a high-five as she sat back down in the passenger seat.
“Thanks-god, that was so exciting!”
“Yeah, a little too exciting for this guy! I think I left my heart about a mile back or so!” Tom declared.
“This was just like out of an action flick! What made you think of the gas can idea?”
Tom smiled dryly. “Seeing the fuel gauge on “E.” Then remembering that I had a couple of gallons back there in the can.”
“Cool-just like James Bond!”
“Well, I don’t’ know if I’d go that far,” Tom chuckled, impressed that Erin had apparently checked out a Bond movie or two.
“I see light up ahead!” the girl cried.
“Thank God-if we can just get out of this tunnel before we run out of gas, I’ll be forever grateful.”
In another moment they emerged into Queens and headed directly into a beautiful sunrise. Now on the Long Island Expressway, Tom sped past the tollbooths and got off on the first exit they came to.
“Got to find a gas station pronto-keep your eyes peeled,” he said to Erin.
As luck would have it, the engine suddenly sputtered a couple of times then died altogether. Tom coasted to a stop.
“Screw it. Well, at least it’s a beautiful morning-perfect for a stroll in Bumfuck, Queens,” Tom groaned.
“At least we’re alive,” Erin reminded him.
He glanced over at his young passenger and smiled. “Point taken. Let’s be sure to keep it that way.”
They got out and started walking north on Twenty-First Street. It was surreal, walking along on such a bright, crisp morning and hearing nothing but their footsteps echoing dully off the concrete. As had been the case in Manhattan, vehicles were scarce and there wasn’t a soul in sight, not even a bird singing a song.
“Do you think things will ever be the same?” Erin asked solemnly.
Tom looked around at the deserted streets and empty sidewalks. In all of the time since being captured by Chappy and his sidekicks, he hadn’t given this ongoing dilemma much thought. He’d thought of his family of course, but only in fleeting moments. He’d thought of the fact that virtually everyone in the world had vanished, but had not dwelled much upon it. When your life was on the line and you were fighting to survive, all else seemed to fade into the background.
Now, at least at that particular moment, he and Erin seemed out of danger. And now, like a bad penny, the bitter reality of their bizarre situation suddenly appeared again.
“I just don’t know, Erin. I mean, here we are in the most populated city in the country and all we’ve seen are three other people-and I’m using that word loosely. Not only are there no other human beings-there isn’t even a single animal or insect! It’s so hard to conceive that what might seem like an impossible scenario has become real and that there is no rational answer to where we will go from here. I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t feel too good about any of this. I mean, to be perfectly honest, I really can’t see things just suddenly going back to the way it used to be.”
“I know what you’re saying-I feel the same way. All I can say for sure is that I’m glad I have you. If it weren’t for you, I would not be able to handle this.”
Tom put his arm around her. “Believe me, kiddo, I feel the exact same way.”
Within another few blocks, they came upon an Exxon station. Tom felt the same feeling of deja vu as he went inside and began poking around for another fuel can. Erin shopped around for snacks in the meantime. Amazingly, the shop was very well stocked and actually had a two-gallon size gas can for sale. Tom picked one up and headed outside.
There wasn’t a single vehicle on the lot but Tom spotted an old Buick further up the street. Erin stepped outside with her groceries in a plastic bag and joined him as he walked toward the car.
“I hope this old clunker has a lot of gas-I just want to get on the road and out of this godforsaken place ASAP,” Tom said as he unscrewed the fuel cap and inserted the hose.
“Want Coke or a water?” Erin asked. “Got Sprite, too.”
“Coke, please. It’ll be a perfect chaser for the gas.”
Erin giggled and watched Tom as he began sucking on the hose. In a moment, he pulled his mouth away just before gas began flowing out of it. Quickly, he jammed the hose into the gas can.
“Well, whatdya know-I’m getting better at this!”
When the gas can was full, Tom pulled the hose out of the Buick’s fuel tank.
“Let’s go back to the Jeep,” he said to Erin. “I’d let you wait here but I’m not taking any chances on losing you again.”
She handed him an open bottle of Coke. “I’m not going anywhere without you, ever again!”
Tom considered what she had just said and a funny thought came to mind. What would happen between he and Erin in the event that he was actually reunited with his family? Would the two of them simply part company and go their separate ways? Or would they try to continue their relationship in some capacity? A strange thought, indeed.
He knew one thing for certain: he was oddly attracted to the girl in a way that he couldn’t really put a finger on. It wasn’t sexual or anything like that-it was more like an invisible bond he felt between himself and her. An indefinable attachment.
Not surprising, really. After all, they had already gone through a lot of intense situations together. Erin had been his only ally in this whole absurd thing-his cohort and in fact his only tangible hope for survival. Had he not discovered her, he would probably still be back in Columbus right this moment combing the streets relentlessly for signs of life that may never again exist.
Whatever the case, he felt certain that he could never simply forget about the girl and deny himself any contact with her in the future. He felt a certain responsibility for her now-to be there to protect her and guide her if need be…
“Tom?” she suddenly said. “What are you thinking about?”
He realized that his mind had drifted off.
“Oh, nothing in particular. Just daydreaming, I guess.”
“About finding your family?”
“Yeah, you could say that. And about you, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m very glad I met you, in spite of the horrible circumstances under which we have met.”
“That’s funny. I feel the exact same way but couldn’t find the right way to put it. You just did it for me!” she smiled brightly.
Tom put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. Erin followed suit.
He said, “Let’s get gassed up and head back to Ohio, what say?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Erin replied, holding him tighter.