“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.