They continued in silence, with only the sloshing of their wet shoes and the sound of their breath as company. The network seemed endless, each tunnel vanishing into the distance, beyond the reach of the flashlight.
But Pigpen and God crept on with unerring assurance, tirelessly guiding them through the twisting, graffiti- covered catacombs. Eventually, they arrived at a crossroads where several tunnels merged into an open area.
'What was this gonna be?' Forrest asked.
Pigpen shrugged. 'I don't know.'
'It looks like some sort of hub,' Don whispered. 'Service tunnels maybe?'
Quinn lit a cigarette. 'Well, one thing's for sure. It'll never get finished now.'
They crept on through a large, round tunnel, which emptied out into an uncompleted subway station, deserted except for a skid piled with new turnstiles, and an abandoned lunchbox and thermos. The flashlight beam reflected something in the darkness, and Steve stepped closer to investigate. A decapitated head stared back at him; a Ramsey Construction hardhat perched on its scalp- The skin on its face looked like wax-greasy and swollen. The lips moved silently, and the eyes darted back and forth, tracking his movements.
'Ugh!' Steve lashed out with his foot, kicking it down several flights of stairs to the lowest platform. The head rolled off the platform and bounced onto the tracks, coming to rest against the third rail. He held his breath, waiting for the crack and sizzle of electricity, but there was no power. Instead, the head just lay there, cursing him without vocal cords.
'Touchdown.' Quinn smirked. 'Hell, Steve. You could have played for the Giants.'
They continued on; Pigpen and God in the lead, Steve and Quinn bringing up the rear, and the rest of the group sandwiched between them. When the glow sticks began to fade, they cast them aside and activated new ones.
'Pick those up,' Leroy suggested, pointing at the discarded glow sticks.
'No sense in leaving a trail for them to follow.'
They put the discarded sticks in their pockets and kept walking.
Jim took hold of Danny's hand again.
'Daddy?'
'What, squirt?'
'Do you think they'll ever make a new Godzilla movie?'
Jim stifled a laugh. The question surprised him, so unexpected and removed from their surroundings.
'I doubt it, Danny. I think Hollywood and Tokyo are probably just like everywhere else now.'
'That sucks,' the boy pouted. 'I'll miss Godzilla. And Spider-Man and Dragonball Z. Maybe when I grow up, I'll make new ones.'
'Maybe we can find you some comic books somewhere along the way, after we get to where we're going.'
Danny's face brightened at the prospect. 'I miss my comics. They were all back at Mommy's house. Now they're probably burned up, or else the monster-people are reading them.'
'You know what I missed?' Jim asked him.
'What?'
'I missed you.' He gave Danny's hand a squeeze.
'But what do you miss now, Daddy?'
Jim thought about it. 'Your stepmom. And West Virginia. My friends back home. Watching the Mountaineers play, even if they're losing. And Martin.'
'You know what I miss?' Quinn spoke up from the rear. 'An ice-cold beer.
God, I'd kill for a beer right now. And a big, juicy steak, cooked rare with a baked potato on the side.'
'I miss Days of Our Lives,' Etta said.
'You and those damn soaps,' Leroy grunted. 'That's all you ever watched.'
'I watched it ever since I was a little girl. Last I saw, Abe and Lexie was getting back together, but Stefano was gonna stop it. Now I don't guess I'll ever find out what happens next.'
'You won't be missing much.' Leroy shook his head in frustration. 'I miss my car. I swear, my damn feet got blisters from all this walking.'
'What about you, Steve?' Quinn asked.
'My son.'
They grew quiet. In the darkness, Steve sniffed.
'Yeah,' Don finally broke the silence. 'I miss my wife, Myrna.'
Pigpen's eyes were far away. 'I miss that Italian place on 24th. They used to give me a meatball hoagie every day. God and I would share one, and eat it outside on the sidewalk bench. Boy, those were good. Didn't last long, though.'
'You mean God didn't turn the sandwich into more, like Jesus with the bread and fish?' Quinn teased him.
'God's just a cat, Mr. Quinn.'
