Were going to survive though.
I turned
my attention back to Abby, forcing a smile to my face. Yes we are.
I hoped that I wasnt lying to her, but deep down I felt I was. We moved through the woods, skirting the roads, staying within the shadows. As we approached the Sagamore bridge I was surprised to see that all of its lights were still on, and blazing brightly. For a moment I stopped to stare, recalling all of the times that I had seen the bridge lit up like this. It was a beautiful, sweeping, glowing beacon against the dark night. Yet, even though it looked much the same, it was completely different.
It was the middle of the summer and the bridge was completely deserted. Last summer the bridge had been packed with traffic, the sound of cars had filled the night as tourists came and went at a slow pace. Now there was nothing there except for the lights, and almost certain death.
The lights are on, Jenna said softly. We cant go across if the lights are on. Theyll spot us instantly.
Well try the Bourne bridge, one of the members of the other group said.
The lights will be on there too, I told them.
You cant know that, a woman retorted sharply.
No, I couldnt know it for sure, but it was more than likely true. They just didnt want to believe it, yet.
Well go to the other bridge, Cade said reasonably. Its not that far. If we stick to the edge of the woods and move quickly, we can get there before daybreak.
I licked my lips nervously. We hadnt discussed if we were going to attempt the crossing. I knew that Jenna was for it, but what did everyone else feel? I didnt want to split up our group, I didnt want to stay on this side, but I didnt want to cross. I looked to Aiden, but he was quietly conversing with one of the men.
I thought of the other bridge, and then I thought of something else. What about the military base? I asked quietly. They all turned to me, frowning as they stared at me in the night. Their eyes were oddly lit by the moonlight filtering through the trees. I know its closed. I know the aliens kicked everyone off of it, but its big, and its wooded. There are a lot of places to hide there, a lot of buildings we can sneak into. And there might be weapons still there, or maybe even food.
They were silent for a long moment as they thought over my words. I dont know the base very well, one man said.
The aliens could be out there, another woman replied. Wouldnt it make sense for them to take over that place, and use it as their own?
I couldnt argue with that, it would make sense, but I doubted the aliens were on the base. I didnt think they would want to take up any sort of permanent residence down here. They hated us; they thought nothing of us, which was very obvious by the fact that they were hunting us like rabid animals and putting us down without hesitation. And now that I had thought about the base, I wasnt ready to let it go. There could be weapons out there still; there would be places to hide. There may even be places that we could make a stand, places we could defend ourselves from. We couldnt run forever, we wouldnt survive long doing that. Our supplies were limited.
The bridges were a terrifying thought, and one that I did not want to commit to.
But as much as the base was taking root in my mind, I could tell that they were dead set against it. We need to get to the mainland, another man in the group said.
I sighed softly, Abbys hand tightened on my arm. There was no reasoning with them, no arguing with them. They had their minds set. I looked toward Aiden, but he wasnt going to argue, I could see that on his face. He felt the mainland was the best option also. Terror rolled down my spine, they were going to get themselves killed, and they were going to take my friends and family with them.
I didnt argue as we fell into step with them. Though it was almost five miles, we arrived at the Bourne bridge far faster than I would have liked. I stared at the impressive metal structure arching gracefully over the canal, it was the twin in many ways to the Sagamore. It was utterly eerie and frightening. I kept waiting for the Twilight Zone music to start playing, kept waiting for something to happen. I suddenly felt as if we were the only people left on earth, as if we had been sucked into some strange time loop or perhaps were even being punked. I kept waiting for someone to jump out and yell, Surprise, or Gotcha!
Neither of those things happened.
The lights of the bridge blazed brightly, lighting up the dark night sky. It was hauntingly beautiful, achingly empty. The roadway leading to it was as bright as day to me. It almost seemed as if the lights were trying to entice us forward, trying
to lure us onto the soaring structure like a mouse to cheese. I was certain we would be snapped up the minute we stepped out of the shadows of the forest.
Abby stood on tiptoe, pulling me closer to her. I dont want to cross it.
I shook my head, pressing my finger against my lips for her to keep quiet. The others gathered together, talking softly amongst themselves. Abby and I stayed back. I didnt want to separate, it was the last thing I wanted to do, but I was not going to cross that bridge, and I was not going to let them make Abby cross it either. I didnt know what we would do if we were left behind, but I was willing to take my chances on this side rather than step onto that death trap.