Free Web NovelChapter 271: Chapter 270 - Bridge Run
They reached the bombed part of the bridge as the sun started to rise.
The broken span rose from the shore in uneven chunks of concrete and steel. Some sections had collapsed into the water. Others still held, damaged but wide enough for them to climb if they stayed low and watched their footing.
Nobody spoke while they climbed.
Marybeth’s legs shook every time she pulled herself up another broken slab. Her hands hurt from gripping rough concrete, and her wet clothes clung to her skin. Behind her, Lance climbed slower than the rest, but he kept moving. Aljun stayed close to him without saying anything about it.
When they reached a flatter section, Arnulf let them stop.
Everyone sat where they could. The bridge gave them a clear view of the water, the shore, and the fort in the distance. For a moment, the place looked too calm for what they were about to do.
Lance sat beside Marybeth and looked back toward the streets they had left behind.
"You think it’s really going to follow us?" he asked.
Marybeth looked at the road below, then toward the water. She did not see the tank. She did not hear it either. No heavy steps. No roar. No concrete breaking under its weight.
"I don’t know," she said.
Lance looked at her.
She looked back at him. "But it’s the best bet we have."
Arnulf walked near the broken edge of the bridge and looked toward the fort. He kept his body low, but his eyes moved over the distance like he was measuring every gap.
"What is our plan if it doesn’t come?" he asked.
Marybeth bit the inside of her lip.
"I don’t know," she said. "Enter through the hatch?"
Aljun looked at her. "That was a joke, right?"
Marybeth glanced at the fort. It looked close from here, close enough to make the whole thing feel cruel. They had crossed water, streets, and death to get this far, but they still could not just walk in.
"It’s so close," she muttered. "But we can’t go straight at it."
Harry came up beside them with the shotgun in one hand. His wrapped arm hung close to his side.
"We’re running out of time," he said. "We can’t just sit here and wait for the tank."
Marybeth nodded.
Arnulf turned from the edge. "Then we move."
They started across the bridge.
No one spoke after that. Everyone knew the plan was weak. They needed the tank to break open the fort, but the tank was not there. They needed someone inside to open the gate, but Malcolm was alone. They needed a way through the wall, but they had no ropes, no truck, and no clean path. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"So what now?" Marybeth asked quietly. "Enter the fort through the wall?"
"We don’t have ropes," Arnulf said.
Aljun chuckled beside her. "You know, I hated that tank, but not seeing it now makes me miss it."
Lance smiled faintly. "It ruined our plan by not trying to kill us."
"Rude," Aljun said.
Marybeth almost smiled, but it did not last.
They kept walking.
The bridge bent toward the fort. Abandoned cars sat along the road, some burned, some crushed, some pushed together into makeshift cover. Farther ahead, Arnulf raised one hand.
Everyone froze.
Marybeth crouched at once and looked past him.
There was a blockage across the bridge.
Tires had been stacked together near the center. Old barriers and metal sheets had been placed between them, rough but effective. A small tent sat behind the blockage. It was tucked beside an abandoned car, low enough that they would not have seen it from farther back.
Arnulf pointed two fingers toward Harry.
Harry nodded.
They moved first, low and careful. Marybeth followed because she was not waiting behind while others cleared the way. She crouched behind the stacked tires and checked the other side.
Harry had moved to the right.
Arnulf stayed near her left.
The others hid behind the abandoned cars farther back.
Marybeth listened.
At first, she heard nothing but wind and water below the bridge. Then a soft humming came from the other side of the blockage. A man stood near the edge of the bridge with his back turned, pissing over the side.
Marybeth looked at Arnulf and nodded once.
Arnulf moved fast.
He came up behind the guard and hooked one arm around his neck. His other hand clamped over the man’s mouth before he could shout. The guard kicked once, but Arnulf dragged him backward behind the tires and slammed him to the ground.
Marybeth dropped beside them and pointed her gun at the man’s face.
The guard froze.
"I won’t kill you if you answer me," Marybeth said. "Entiendes?"
The man nodded fast.
Arnulf slowly took his hand away.
"How many of you are on the bridge?" Marybeth asked.
"Two," the guard whimpered. "Just two. Please. I just got this job. Please don’t kill me."
Marybeth grabbed the hand towel hanging from his shoulder.
"Open up."
His eyes widened.
She shoved the towel into his mouth before he could beg again. Arnulf held him down and started tying his hands.
Then Marybeth heard a crash from the other side of the tires.
She looked up.
Harry.
She ran toward the sound and came around the blockage with her gun raised.
Harry was locked against a bigger guard near the tent. The man had one thick arm around Harry’s neck and had dragged him half off his feet. Harry’s shotgun lay on the road, out of reach. His face was red, and his bitten arm was pinned between them.
"Stop!" Marybeth shouted.
The guard froze, but he did not let Harry go.
He looked at Marybeth and grinned. "You got a woman defending you, bro?"
Harry clawed at the man’s arm and coughed hard.
Marybeth stepped closer and aimed at the guard’s face. "This woman will kill you."
The guard’s grin stayed.
Marybeth clicked off the safety and lined the front sight between his eyes.
"I was taught by someone you can’t even compare to," she said.
The man’s grin weakened, but he still did not let Harry go.
Marybeth breathed out. "And he’s bitten."
The guard’s eyes dropped to Harry’s wrapped arm.
Blood had soaked through the cloth. The guard stared at it for half a second, then shuddered and shoved Harry away from him.
Harry hit the road on one knee and coughed hard, one hand going to his throat.
"Get down," Marybeth said.
The guard looked at her.
She stepped closer.
"Now."
The guard slowly lowered himself to the ground.
Harry kept coughing beside her, but he grabbed his shotgun and pulled it back into reach. Marybeth did not take her eyes off the guard.
Behind her, Aljun came up with Lance and the others.
Aljun looked at the guard on the ground, then at Harry coughing beside the tent.
"Please tell me this was the quiet way," he said.
No one answered.
Chanse helped Arnulf drag the first guard down and tie his wrists behind his back. Harry picked up the weapons near the tent and checked them fast. Tilly went inside the tent without asking anyone.
Marybeth kept her gun on the big man.
"I know you’re not the only guards on this bridge."
He looked at her and grinned. "Smart and sexy. I like that."
Marybeth stepped closer.
"There’s more than that," she said.
She winked once, then walked back toward Aljun.
Aljun stared at her with open disgust. "Are you fucking flirting?"
Marybeth grinned. "No, I wasn’t."
Lance looked down at the big man. "It certainly worked," he muttered.
Marybeth laughed and tapped the side of his head. "You’ve got a lot to learn, kiddo."
Lance looked up sharply. "I’m older than you."
She rolled her eyes. "Not where it matters."
Aljun made a face. "Please stop. Both of you."
Harry pushed himself up and grabbed the weapons from the ground. His breathing was rough, but he still checked each one before handing a rifle to Arnulf.
Tilly stepped out of the tent with a radio in one hand. "Found this."
Arnulf took it and turned the volume low.
Static cracked under his thumb.
Then a voice came through.
"Intruder locked in the control."
Malcolm.
Before anyone could react, Bert shouted from the edge of the bridge.
"It’s here."
Marybeth’s heart pounded as she ran.
She reached the edge and looked down toward Throggs Neck.
At first, she saw only the waterline and the broken shore.
Then the water moved.
A huge hand rose from the edge of the water and slammed into the concrete bank.
Marybeth stopped breathing.
The tank dragged itself out of the water.
The water poured down its body as it climbed onto the shore. Its shoulders rolled forward. One arm bent wrong, then snapped back into place with a wet crack.
The tank lifted its head.
Even from the bridge, Marybeth felt it looking at them.
Aljun came up beside her and whispered, "I take back what I said. I do not miss it."
The tank opened its mouth and roared.
The sound rolled across the water and hit the bridge.
Marybeth tightened her grip on the gun.
Arnulf stopped beside her.
For once, nobody had to ask if the plan could work.
The gate breaker had found them.
