“Well, what would you call it?”
“Uh...” the young woman thought for a moment. “You know what? Cooking works pretty well, I guess.”
All three laughed as they followed the truck in front of them onto a three-arched, concrete bridge.
“God, I hate these things.”
Jordan glanced over Briggs. “You’re kidding. You’ve been over here in the thick of war, and you’re worried about a bridge? Aren’t you from California? That place is loaded with them.”
“Do you know what an earthquake could do to a bridge like this one?”
“You been in one before? An earthquake, I mean?”
“Sure. You live in California long enough, you’re bound to. I’ve never been in a bad one, but I grew up seeing them on the news and in pictures. Whole freeway overpasses collapsing, crushing the cars beneath them or dumping the ones driving on them over the edge. The school I went to had monthly earthquake drills. Used to give me nightmares just thinking about that sort of thing happening to me and my parents.”
“Well, you can relax, Petty Officer,” Owens assured her. “This part of the country isn’t really known for its earthquakes.”
“I’m just ready to get this stuff to Phoenix and get back,” Briggs brushed her fears away.
“Yeah?” Jordan glanced over at her before putting his eyes back on the road in front of them. “Why’s that?”
“Corban and I have a dinner date scheduled.”
Jordan smiled. “Thank God for Skype, right?”
“Hooah, Staff Sergeant.”
“Hooah,” Owens and Briggs repeated in unison.
All three occupants laughed together as they continued driving slowly across the extended structure. Almost to the middle of the bridge now, Jordan glanced out his window to the river below.
It was more like a large creek, but the distance from them to the water was enough to make even him a little nervous.
He’d just put the ultrasound picture back into his chest pocket when the truck jerked as though it had hit something.
What the hell?He looked at Owens. “What was that?”
“I don’t know.” The other man looked up into the rearview mirror. “I didn’t see anything on the road.”
“Oh, shit,” Briggs exclaimed breathlessly. “Look.”
Jordan’s eyes moved to where her finger was pointing. He couldn’t believe what he saw.
“The b-bridge,” Briggs barely stuttered out. “I-it’s going to collapse!”
Horrified, Jordan watched as the portion of the road beneath the Deuce-and-a-half in front of them began to crack and tip sideways. Seconds later, the concrete slab broke completely away from the rest of the bridge and fell, taking the truck and its five occupants with it.
“No!”Briggs screamed. She began to cry.
At this height, there was no doubt the men in that truck had just fallen to their deaths.
“Reverse! Reverse! Reverse!”Jordan yelled at Owens to back up.
Owens slammed the truck into reverse and pushed the gas pedal down to the floorboard. The truck behind them did the same, both vehicles making a few feet back toward safety. But it was already too late.
Jordan and the others felt the portion of the bridge both trucks were on beginning to sway. Briggs screamed again as they were jerked back and forth.
Left...Right...Forward.
