Silence of the Apocalypse

Chapter 2: Light

Water splashed around Armin's motorcycle as it cruised along the bridge. The crumbling ground didn't not help his fear of heights, nor did his aching importance for being over that bridge. Somehow he found ths strength to keep his calm demeanor, despite noone to look at his apparent challenge.

This old bridge had not been used for years, despite its fame from the world before this one. The bridge was called the Golden Gate, even though it was clearly red and orange with rust. Ancient vehicles, known and unknown alike, littered the bridge. Some even teetered on the edge, only held up by the bridge's decaying cables.

The breeze of the bay seemed to grip Armin like an icy hand, beckoning him to the icy waters below him. He carefully maneuvered around the cars, debris and holes, trying his best not to grant the bay's wish. The end was nearly upon him, with the terrain showing a more treacherous side to him. That's when he saw it: the weight on the bridge.

From the beginning of the outbreak, people cowered behind these machines. A massive weapon of war, which had been called a 'tank' once, swung slowly in its impossibility. The vehicle had somehow, so long ago, been flung into the bridge's cables, harnessing it into a gnarled metal cage. When the wind swayed, so did the monstrosity. But today was much less windy than usual. The vehicle, like the rest of the bay, grew eerily still, with only a slight breeze to break the tension.

Suddenly, a loud creak sounded out, like monster shrieking. Armin only caught a glimpse of the snap as two cables broke, slinging the two-ton monstrousity towards him with blinding speed. He sped as fast as his metal steed would go, which wasn't as fast as he hoped. Thankfully, it seemed to be enough to outrun the deadly swing. The bridge, however, seemed to have other plans...

Just as loud as the first two had sounded, all the cables of the ancient machine cracked like whips. Armin's mouth stood agape as one flailing cable narrowly missed his side. Nonetheless, the cable flung his motorcycle from under him, launching him into the back of an old pickup. The pickup, thank God, had been transporting a rather musty couch. The tank cracked the ground with startling effectiveness, causing the bridge to shake. Armin slowly regained his stability and looked over the monster. Ironically, his curiosity usually piques in near death experiences. Is it still loaded? he thought. His curiosity, with no conscience to interrupt, emplored this brilliant idea. He climbed on top of the hatch of the armored vehicle, met with the stench of salty metal and mist.

Too little too late, Armin had nearly sealed his death. As he stomped about the belly of the olden beast, the trigger for the unstable shell activated. Armin's eardrums and thoughts shattered (along with the barrel of the tank) as the explosive shell fired through the foggy morning air. Shaken Armin was met with the ground shuttering, which he only felt due to his most recent deafness.

The shell had destroyed what little support the left side of the bridge had left,causing it to collapse. Armin stumbled to the side of the bridge, only a mere 100 feet from the roadway far below. His vision cloudy and hearing spotty, he shuffled towards his fleeting window of time.

The last image thst passed through his mind was that of a girl, smiling at him with tears in her eyes. Tattered rifle in hand, she stared at the fall of the once great bridge. Her words were lost to him as he closed his eyes, drifting off to a sleep he'd long forgotten...

Hello my wonderful readers! I hope you like this hopeful new story I've been trying to brew up! Let me know what you'd like for me to do to this series and thank you for the voting support!