Remainers

Lost Mementos of the Past, Part 4

After another few days of searching, Mina still had yet to find anything related to the movie that lived in her memories. Caleb helped as best as he could, but as expected, the city was too weathered and eroded to contain much of value. Whether it be a video store, a movie theater, or a secondhand shop, none of these could have stored anything in good condition, not after centuries of neglect.

That fact was not lost on Mina, who seemed to be growing more and more impatient with each passing day. Caleb doubted that Mina was unaware of the ridiculous unlikelihood that she'd actually find anything worth keeping in this ruined city, but he also knew that wouldn't stop her from looking anyhow. As a result, he decided not to point out the obvious and instead mentioned something that might be more helpful.

"Why don't we try an underground mall?" Caleb asked as they rested in the shade after a morning of searching through the city.

"What's that?" Mina seemed lost in thought.

"An underground mall," Caleb repeated while pointing down at the ground. "I remember finding one when I was a kid, and it had a record store that was protected from most of the decay caused by weather. I can't say if the records within were actually preserved well, but it couldn't hurt."

"It's not a bad idea," Mina remarked. "New York City did have quite a few underground malls, so if there's anything left down there, it would at least be somewhat protected from wind and rain. But a lot of the underground area in this city has collapsed, making most of it difficult to traverse. Even if we could get down there, it might take weeks before we could thoroughly comb through most of it."

"I see. Sorry. I should have figured you would have thought about that already, since you used to live here."

"No, it was a good suggestion. Let's go take a look. Maybe we'll find some place that hasn't been caved in just yet."

Mina said that, but it was clear to Caleb that she wasn't expecting much. Nevertheless, he followed her through the streets of New York City, unsure if their search would be fruitless or not. They headed north to an underground mall, one of the few that Mina still remembered the location of. She couldn't remember the name or the street, but as she walked through the city, memories of the route there began to solidify in her mind.

Eventually, the two arrived at a staircase going underground. Mina took a moment to inspect the tunnel to make sure it wouldn't collapse on them while they were inside.

"It seems alright," Mina remarked as she came back up the steps. "The path's not blocked, either. We might have a good chance of finding what I'm looking for here."

The two of them turned on their flashlights and descended into the dark underground of New York City. Rubble and collapsed roads blocked the numerous hallways that once led away from the steps, but serendipitously there was still a rather open pathway to the west, leading into a long street of shops and buildings.

"There's the underground mall," Mina said as she pointed down the hallway in question. "Looks like the area hasn't collapsed yet."

Caleb was slightly distracted by the large tunnel to the other side of the staircase, which seemed to lead deeper into the city's underground. "This is massive. What was this used for?"

"That's a tunnel comprising a part of what used to be New York City's massive subway system," Mina explained. "Back when human civilization was thriving, thousands of people would take the subway every day, whether it be to go to work, to get home, or to go someplace fun."

"I see," Caleb remarked as he continued to stare down the tunnel. "I've never seen something like this before."

"Well, not every city had something like this. In any case, how long are you gonna stand gawking? This mall is huge. If we don't get a move on, we'll be stuck here past sunset."