Revealed - Parables From The Apocalypse - Book 2

A Bridge Too Far

Chaz fought off sleep for as long as he could. Between the fading light and sitting in the back with nothing to do except watch Christa and Alex, he finally nodded off. Alex noticed, and took a few minutes to reassure Christa that she should relax more around Chaz.

"You don't need to worry so much about him. He'll get used to you. Just try not to talk about zombies so much, and try acting more like a little kid."

"What do you mean act like a little kid? You don't think I act like a little kid?"

"I mean, no more talk about changing from zombie to human, and making strange remarks about being asleep and awake at the same time. Your freaking him out, and giving him reason to be suspicious. Just pretend you're a little girl out for a drive with her two favorite uncles."

As they drove northwest down highway 24, Alex made out ahead the main bridge crossing the Tennessee River. There were two bridges crossing the river. One was the main highway with a longer span over water. The other to the north was narrower, but shorter over the river. They both had their advantages. The wider but longer river crossing had more room to maneuver. The shorter crossing got them out into the open sooner. Alex stopped the car in the middle of the road to take a closer look. He preferred the longer span, but figured some reconnoitering was in order. No doubt the colonel would have something to say.

Chaz, startled from his slumber by the slowing vehicle, quickly grabbed his rifle and scanned the car. Alex, with a big grin, and Christa, with the sweetest smile she could manage, stared back at him.

"You've got a bit of drool on your chin there, Colonel," Alex noted, pointing to Chaz's face.

Wiping his chin with his left sleeve, he asked, "Why have we stopped? Is there a problem?" He noticed Christa's bindings were still intact as he relaxed the grip on his rifle.

"We're about to cross the Tennessee River, and I'd like to look ahead with the binoculars. The bridge connects to a smaller island halfway across the river. I'd like to know if there's anything waiting for us on that island."

Chaz and Alex proceeded to get out of the car.

Christa fidgeted nervously. "Wait, what about me? You're not leaving me here, are you?"

"Don't worry, kiddo, we're not going far," Alex assured her.

Alex climbed up on the roof of the car to get a better view with the binoculars. "There's seven abandoned vehicles I can count on the bridge between here and the island. I can't make out anything past the island. We'll have to check the second half of the bridge on the other side of the island once we get there. We'll have to make one stop between here and the island. Two of the cars are side by side, blocking both lanes, so we can't drive around them. Shouldn't be a problem to push one of them out of the way. I don't see any movement on the bridge between here and the island, so I think it's safe to cross."

Alex jumped down and handed the binoculars to Chaz. He looked across the bridge for a few minutes, nodding in agreement with Alex's assessment. Then he turned, and took a look down the road behind them. He climbed down and returned the binoculars to Alex.

"Never forget to check your rear, boy. It's not always just about where you're going, but where you've been. There's a group of a dozen or so zombie freaks coming up from behind. As long as we have no trouble past the island it shouldn't be a problem. But if for any reason we have to track back from the island, things could get ugly. As long as that group stays small it won't be a problem. The sooner we get moving the better."