Twenty Six

Maylee drove as fast as she dared through the dark. Trees appeared and disappeared in the headlights.

"Slow down," said Dalton.

"Can't," she said. "We gotta get there. We gotta help Mom."

The road they were on was empty. No cars and few houses. They were almost outside of town now, running along the back-road shortcut Mom had taken to work before the old bridge closed. If they could get across the old wooden bridge, then it would be a short run down another back road to the hospital.

Maylee knew she was driving too fast. She couldn't help it. Her chest was pounding from the first bridge. I almost got us both killed, she kept thinking.

She could hear Dalton squirming in his seat next to her. She could sense it. She knew she should slow down.

"Can't," she muttered again, mostly to herself. "We gotta help Mom."

She rounded a bend and suddenly the bridge was there.

Both she and Dalton gasped and she slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched and the car slid from side to side but eventually stopped a few feet from the bridge. Dalton was leaning as far forward as his locked seat belt would allow. He sat back and rubbed his shoulder. "Ow, Maylee!"

"Shhh," said Maylee, looking out at the bridge. A chain was tied from one post to another, blocking the way. A sign hung on the chain. In the headlights, Maylee could see that it read Unsafe, do not use. Future site of historical marker.

"Crap," said Dalton, looking out the window. "How are we supposed to get across?"

"It's just a chain, Dalton," said Maylee, undoing her seat belt. "We're lucky. Mom says eventually there'll be a big concrete post blocking the way. And there'd be no way we could move that. But we should be able to move a chain."

Dalton undid his seat belt. "I'll help."

"No, you'll stay here."

"Come on, Maylee. I can do it. It looks clear out there, anyway."

Maylee looked out the front window and sighed. It did look clear.

She pressed the control switch and her window slid down with a whir The cool night air blew in with no stench of bodies. She listened.

It was quiet except for typical night noises. Insects chittered. Leaves and grass rustled in the occasional breeze. No screams. No moaning.

"It's fine," she said after a few moments, breathing out. "So okay. I guess you can come. Just hurry. Let's get the chain unhooked, then get across."

She opened the door, leaving the engine running. Stepping out, she took another look around. Everything still looked clear.

Dalton got out and shut his door. He rubbed his arms. "It's cold."

"Yeah," said Maylee. "Come on, let's hurry."

She stepped over to the bridge, Dalton following. The chain ran from one wooden guardrail post to the other. Maylee walked over to one post and looked. The chain was simply wrapped around it and hooked with a nail.

"Wow," said Dalton, looking with her. "Low budget."

"Told you," said Maylee, smiling in the dark. She nodded across the road to the other post. "Go unhook that one."

Dalton nodded and trotted to the other side. Maylee grabbed the chain on her side and pulled it off the nail. She unwound the chain and looked over to Dalton. "Got it?"

"Got it," said Dalton, holding up his end of the chain.

A corpse grabbed Maylee from behind. Maylee gasped. She saw Dalton's eyes grow wide.

"Maylee!" he yelled, running toward her.

The corpse behind her groaned and pulled her into the woods. Maylee screamed and kicked, reaching back to push at the corpse's head. She felt slimy, cold skin and heard the corpse moaning and working its jaws. Maylee still gripped the chain and it dragged on the ground in front of her. She thrashed her head around, avoiding the thing's mouth.

The chain caught on a thick tree root. Maylee saw her chance and yanked herself forward, using the chain as leverage. She slipped from the corpse's grasp and fell to the ground. She spun around and looked up.

The corpse was an old man with a bloated belly and rotting skin. A portion of his throat was missing, and Maylee could see the cords in the man's neck moving up and down as he gnashed his teeth.

"Maylee!" yelled Dalton, careening out of the darkness. He screamed as he ran straight into the corpse.

The corpse groaned and wrapped its arms around Dalton.

Maylee clambered to her feet and looked around frantically for a weapon. Why had she left the bat in the car? The chain in her hand would have to do.

The corpse bent in to bite Dalton's throat. Maylee swung the chain over her head and whipped it at the corpse. The thick metal links caught the corpse in the cheek. It grunted and stepped back, letting go of Dalton. Dalton screamed and ran over to Maylee.

Maylee was mad now. She swung the chain again at the corpse, this time harder. The corpse grabbed at them and the chain whacked off two rotten fingers.

"Maylee, come on!" said Dalton, pulling her back toward the car.

"Not yet," she said. She twirled the chain round and round over her head. She gave it as much slack as the tree root behind her would allow. The corpse reached for her. She grunted and whipped the chain forward.

 The chain wrapped tightly around the corpse's arm. The corpse kept moving toward her, oblivious to the chain.

"Shit," she said. "Okay, let's go."

They both turned and ran through the trees toward the headlights of the car. She could hear the corpse groaning behind her. It sounded further and further away.

Dalton, ahead of her, reached the road and ran for the car. Maylee reached the road and turned around. The corpse was still far behind them. It was tugging at the chain, which was still wrapped around its arm and caught on the root.

She smiled and flipped off the corpse. Then turned and ran back to the car.

Dalton was already inside and shutting the passenger door. "Come on!"

Maylee flopped into the driver's seat and slammed her door. Her window was still down and she could hear the corpse groaning and the chain rattling.

She put the car into drive and started forward.

As soon as they hit the bridge she heard loud groaning and cracking. She stopped.

"Shit," she said.

"Was that the bridge?" said Dalton, looking around.

"Yeah," said Maylee, swallowing. "Yeah it was."

Wood cracked underneath them. She heard something hit the river below with a splash.

"Crap, Maylee," said Dalton. "Let's go back."

Maylee shook her head. "No, we've lost too much time as it is. We have to get to Mom."

She eased the car forward. The bridge creaked and shook, but held.

She eased the car to a stop and looked at Dalton. "There, see? We'll just go slow and..."

With a groan, the bloated old man appeared just outside Maylee's window. His arm was missing.

Dalton screamed. The corpse reached its remaining arm into the car. Maylee fumbled with the window control, hitting the door handle instead. The door swung open, knocking into the corpse. The corpse's arm hooked around the door as it swung out.

The corpse slammed into the wooden guardrail. The rail snapped and fell away. The wood under the driver's side rear tire gave way and the car slumped to one side.

Both Maylee and Dalton screamed as the car leaned out over the river. The door dangled out over the water, the corpse hanging from it. The corpse groaned and bit up at Maylee.

More cracking came from underneath them. The car rocked. Dalton was still screaming.

Maylee turned in her seat and kicked down at the corpse's head. It bit at her shoes as she slammed the soles into the corpse's face. She grunted and kicked down as hard as she could.

With a horrible tearing sound the corpse's torso came free of its remaining arm. Still biting up at Maylee, the armless corpse fell to the river below and vanished with a splash.

The car shook as more wood fell from the bridge. Maylee reached out over the water - willing herself not to look down - and grabbed the door handle. She slammed the door shut. The corpse's arm snapped as the door closed on it. The remains of the arm bounced off the bridge and down into the water.

"Hurry!" said Dalton. Maylee heard more cracking and groaning. Wood was falling into the water so fast there were almost no breaks in the sound.

Maylee slammed on the gas and the car raced forward. The car bounced as wood fell away underneath it.

The headlights lit up the chain across the other end of the bridge. They both screamed. Then Maylee squared her jaw. There was no other choice. She gunned the engine more and the car picked up speed.

The car hit the chain and Maylee's heart leapt when it snapped. The car reached pavement just as a huge chunk of the bridge fell away into the river. Maylee screeched to a halt. The second chain and sign flew away from the front of the car, clattering to the road.

Both Maylee and Dalton looked over their shoulders. The bridge gave a final groan and collapsed into the river.

"We're in so much trouble," said Dalton.

"I think the world has more things to worry about right now," said Maylee. She turned back and gave the car gas.