The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) Page 31

  Ronnie followed his gaze and saw a corpse with long black hair was rising out of the water, wearing a man’s jacket. “Don’t,” she cried, pushing his weapon away, “It’s Rachel, she’s come to help.”

  Roy stared at his second-in-command as if she’d lost her mind, but said nothing. Then he watched as she headed to the water’s edge to meet Rachel’s corpse. As soon as they were within reach of one another, the two embraced.

  Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the below the bridge where the dead were being slowly devoured. There were so many of them. How could that many lives have been lost without anyone’s knowledge?

  Behind him, he heard Ronnie calling to Julie and turned to see the black-haired girl reluctantly joining her and the dead teen.

  He watched them talking for a moment and saw Julie pass the wooden scabbard to Rachel, who headed back into the raging waters and disappeared. For one panicked moment, he wondered if they had been tricked and had lost their last decent weapon.

  But then Veronica hurried towards him saying, “Get ready to give the order to toss the jumper cables into the water.”

  Roy nodded and noticed Julie was still standing by the stream, staring into the darkness. ‘It’s all gotten too much for her,’ he thought sadly and checked in with this team, telling them all to be ready. They were only going to get one shot at this.

  After telling Roy to be ready, Ronnie raced over to one of the patrol cars to grab a rifle and found Cassandra’s chauffer helping himself to one of the weapons. She cleared her throat meaningfully, and he looked up. For a moment, they stared at one another. Then the man expertly locked and loaded the weapon with barely a glance.

  Wordlessly, she grabbed another rifle and gestured for him to follow. Together they headed over to the foot of the bridge and took up their positions.

  Thunder roared and rain continued to fall, but no one moved. Everyone was waiting. For what exactly, they didn’t know. But, they knew it was coming.

  Their wait was not a long one. A tremendous flash of light appeared near one of the bridge supports, which seemed to send the creature into spasms. A searchlight revealed the scabbard was now sticking out of one of the black limbs jutting out from the stonework.

  “I THINK IT’S LOSING ITS GRIP ON THE HOSTAGES!” yelled one officer.

  Looking up Veronica saw that indeed the limb holding Alex and the baby was trembling high over the side of the bridge. It looked like it might drop them at any second.

  “They’ll hit the water,” yelled Casey, climbing onto the railing ready to jump in and rescue them.

  Then it happened…

  Alex felt the creature’s agony and for an instant he was able to see into its mind. Then he was falling, with the baby still in his arms. Twisting his head around, he could see they were going to miss the bridge by inches, unless he could grab hold of the railing.

  He stretched out an arm, but they were falling too fast and his fingertips barely grazed the stones. In the distance he could hear Ronnie screaming, as they plummeted alongside one of the bridge supports. Looking down he saw the raging waters that awaited them. But then something dark bursting out of the stonework and caught them.

  At first he thought it was another of the tendrils, but then he realized the thing that had saved them had bones.

  Amazed and shocked at this new turn of events Alex turned and looked closely at their savior. It wore the remains of a dress from long ago and cradled a skeletal child in its other arm. Then he remembered what he had seen from the window at Jason’s cottage. “The White Lady,” he breathed.

  The corpse nodded and showed him everything…

  She had haunted the bridge for three years looking for her child and had succeeded that fateful night. The Being’s attempt to merge with her baby had failed. The child had been too attached to her, and she had managed to get him back. In retaliation, the creature proceeded to imprison the two of them within the stonework, and crushed her father as he tried to come to their aid.

  Now, Alex understood. The creature had needed a being from this world in order to survive. Its own physical form could not exist fully in this reality on its own. It had tried with animals back in the time of the Paleo Indians but failed. Then it tried a child, but again failed. It needed a being whose mind could grow and become strong, but was still undeveloped. Like that of a newborn babe.

  The White Lady lowered him to another skeletal figure, which had also burst forth from her stone prison. She too was cradling an infant and touched him…

  She had been pregnant in 1845. The thing tried to rip the baby out of her very body.

  All around him, Alex saw corpses of women embracing their undead babies, bursting out of the bridge. The sealed rooms of the hidden fourth floor suddenly made sense to him. Someone had impregnated all these girls, while planning to offer their babies to the creature for merging. They had been locked inside those rooms until they gave birth, after which they and their children were given to the creature. Afterwards their rooms had been sealed off along with all evidence the girls had existed.

  Now another girl took hold of him. She had been a servant at the manor during the 1830’s. In her mind Alex saw the face of the man who fathered her child. It was the same one that had loomed over him when had seen things through Rachel’s eyes. Cyrus Graham!

  Before he could find out more, he was handed down to another set of waiting hands. These belonged to a child who had wandered from its mother and had been lured onto the bridge. Quickly he was handed to another, then another…

  With each new set of hands he felt another mind touch his.

  Now, he and the baby were carefully lowered into the waiting arms of the many other victims, who had risen from their watery graves beneath the bridge.

  Like performers at a concert the two of them were passed from one group of hands to another. Although, he wasn’t able to see their faces Alex heard their stories in his mind. One after another as each new set of hands held them aloft.

  The final set of hands did not pass him on. Instead the owner began to carry the two of them towards the shore. Looking up he saw it was a man, dressed in the tattered remains of a Native American. “A shaman…” Alex whispered and the figure paused in mid-step, and glanced down him with empty eye sockets. Then its mouth, long devoid of lips, began to move. Although no sound came out, Alex still heard the words and the story they told…

  The white men had built near the waters that held the stone. One of them, a boy called Cyrus heard the creature call to him in his dreams, and he welcomed it. Soon an alliance was formed. Cyrus would be given a life that stretched far beyond normal human existence. In return he would try to free his benefactor and find a suitable being for it to merge with.

  As the years that passed, Cyrus attacked the stone with strange metal tools he had found on his journeys. Eventually, he succeeded in cracking the stone.

  While he rejoiced in his success, Cyrus failed to notice that he had been watched by a young warrior sent to check on the stone. The brave went back to his people and told them what he had witnessed. Soon he returned with their spiritual leader Cloudwalker, and several other braves.

  They arrived in time to witness the tragedy of the girl trying to cross the raging waters with her child. They witnessed her father’s efforts to save them only to have the child lost. Unsure of what would happen next, the group stayed nearby and spent the next three years watching. When the stone was lifted out of the stream and placed in the center of the bridge, they became alarmed and made preparations.

  Finally, the night came when the girl heard her child’s cry. The merging had not succeeded and the young mother managed to retrieve her child. But, the creature was furious at the failure and escaped through the crack Cyrus had made. Running its tentacles between the stones, the thing was able to move entire sections of the bridge and give it movement. First, it sealed the young mother and her child within one of supporting pillars. Then, using one end of the bridge like a g
iant club, it crushed girl’s father as he tried to intervene.

  Cloudwalker and his followers waited until the servants had fled back to the manor, with the father’s body, before beginning their chant. Their aim had been to drive the creature back into the stone. When that failed, they attacked the creature physically. The battle raged well into the night. One by one, each brave fell until only Cloudwalker and his guide remained. Both were injured, but so was the creature. It had retreated back into the slab for protection, leaving only a few tentacles visible and ready to fight. If the two men could destroy those, then they would be able to seal the crack in the stone’s surface.

  As they approached the enemy, Cloudwalker suddenly pushed his companion off the bridge and into the water below. Then, he rushed the creature by himself. The remaining tentacles met his charge head on, piercing his body in several places. Then they lifted his dying form high above the waters in triumph.

  Cloudwalker smiled, as with the last of his strength he pulled out a strange-looking blade and slashed at the tendrils. One by one they crumbled and withered, dropping him into the dark waters below.

  The surviving brave wept bitterly at his mentor’s passing, but knew the job of repairing the stone was now his. Remembering Cloudwalker’s instructions, he managed to re-seal the stone and made the lonely journey back to his people. Upon his return, he was honored for his bravery and was made the tribe’s new shaman. He took the name Cloudfoot in honor of his teacher and friend.

  Knowing that the stone was now out of the water, the elders agreed that a family would live near the stream and keep watch. Cloudfoot and his wife volunteered…

  The moment was suddenly over, and Alex felt himself being passed to another set of hands. These had flesh as well as bone. Looking up he saw a familiar and very welcome face, “Julie!”

  But his friend did not seem to hear him. She was staring at the figure that had brought him to her. It reached out and touched both sides of her face, leaving markings like war paint on her cheeks. Then the being fell back into the water and disappeared.

  After a moment she looked down at Alex and smiled, “You okay?”

  He nodded, “You?”

  “Never better,” she replied, and gently lowered him to the ground just as Veronica came running.

  His love threw her arms around his neck as she laughed and cried at the same time.

  Meanwhile Julie asked, “Can I hold the baby?”

  It was obvious she had finally overcome her fear of the child’s appearance and he wanted to indulge her but couldn’t. “I’m the only thing keeping her alive,” explained, “We’re linked. Once she’s taken from me she won’t last long. And it’s not her time yet.”

  He felt Veronica touch his arm. “I’m afraid it is,” she told him sadly and pointed, “Look.”

  Following her gesture he saw Rachel’s broken rotting form coming towards them. She was still wearing his jacket and her arms were outstretched. He could feel the baby stirring in response. Gone was the rage and anger from earlier. She now understood that her mother had died trying to save her.

  Alex watched as the infant stretched a tiny hand towards her mother. Yes, it was time. He kissed the baby on the head and got a soft coo in return. “Thank you for touching our lives little one. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see how many children you were going to have. I rather looked forward to being a granddad,” he murmured. Tears flowed down his face as the babe grabbed one of his fingers and gave it a squeeze.

  “My turn,” Veronica said in a choked voice, as she took the baby from him. “Thank you for letting me be your mommy. I wish we had more time, but this will have to do. I’ll always love you,” she whispered and kissed her daughter.

  Thinking, ‘I wish I could’ve gotten the chance to hold you once.’ Julie reached out and stroked the babe’s forehead. Suddenly, she found herself at a christening where she was accepting the title of Godmother.

  Then the moment passed and Veronica was walking away with the child.

  “Wait! I didn’t get to hold her,” she shouted, and raced to join her friend who was now holding the baby out to her.

  As soon as she took the child, Julie blinked. Instead of an animated corpse, she found herself holding a happy, healthy baby girl. Staring in amazement, she smiled and cuddled the little one affectionately. Eventually, she handed her back to Veronica who entered the water and began wading to where Rachel stood.

  No words were said, none were needed. Veronica kissed the baby a final time and then handed her over to her mother. Rachel took her daughter tenderly and embraced Ronnie tightly.

  Finally, they parted. And Rachel, finally reunited with her daughter, walked deeper into the rushing water and out of sight.

  While all this was taking place, the situation on the bridge had changed in favor of the living, but in a ghastly manner. The dead, who had saved Alex, were now taking their revenge. Like a swarm of red ants, they had climbed and clawed their way up the bridge and onto the creature itself. Their fury was terrifying to behold as they tore at the black coils. Occasionally, one of their number would be grabbed and then smashed to bits against the bridge, but the rest continued the assault.

  Seeing this, Roy shook his head. It had to end soon. Turning to his team he shouted, “As soon as Sergeant Ross is clear, I want you to the throw those wires into the water!” Then, he grabbed his shoulder radio and demanded to know the status of the generator.

  “We’re just about ready, Chief,” came Ryan’s reply. “Has the cable reached you yet?”

  Roy looked around uneasily, “Anyone seen Wilson or Rogers!” When everyone shook their head, he sent two officers to look for the missing pair.

  After helping Veronica out of the stream and back to Alex, Julie glared at him and said, “You could have told me I was to be her Godmother, you asshole. I almost didn’t get to hold her!”

  “I was going to stick you with Favorite Babysitter, but Veronica insisted,” he winked, making her laugh. But his face was pale and tired looking.

  Turning to Veronica, she asked, “Are you okay? I know it wasn’t easy for either of you to let her go.”

  Her friend nodded and smiled. “No it wasn’t. But I got to know the joy of having a life inside me, the pain of labor, and the miracle of birth. Rachel let me experience everything she’d been through.”

  Then Ronnie turned to Alex, her face beaming. “And you gave me the chance to raise her.” Gently she reached out and held him close and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Quietly, Julie got up and left her friends to their moment. Her ‘godchild’ had shown her all the things they had done together in that psychic reality Alex had created. “Maybe being involved with a psychic isn’t such a bad idea after all,” she murmured to herself.

  But before she could dwell on this more her attention was drawn back to the chanting coming from the other side of the stream. She had been hearing it the whole time in the background, but something about it had changed. And now she felt compelled to head towards the stream once more.

  Roy saw the two officers he’d sent to find Wilson and Rogers emerge from the woods accompanied by Ryan. They were carrying a heavy cable between them and dragged it towards the water. After they were done, he summoned them to his side and asked about the two missing officers.

  The three officers looked at one another and then Ryan said solemnly, “They’re dead.”

  Peterson’s eyes widened, “HOW?”

  The younger man shook his head, “It was… They…”

  One of the others jumped in, “It was as if someone had just left a couple of human skins wearing uniforms lying in the grass. We didn’t even see what could have done it. Maybe that thing’s tentacles stretched further than we thought.”

  Roy turned to look at their adversary and the dead victims who were still fighting it. Wherever IT came from the laws of man and nature were not the same as here.

  “The cable is in the water Chief,” shouted one of his men. “Just give the w
ord.”

  “Is everyone clear?”

  “Yes sir,” the patrolman replied, as three more of their dead allies were taken down.

  Roy grabbed his shoulder radio and roared, “NOW!”

  Arcs of electrical power flashed in the water as the current from the jumper cables flowed into it, and up the root-like tendrils. The creature began to spasm and twist, mainly in its lower regions. Then the current from the generator hit and then the upper half of the thing began to twitch and smoke, but still it continued to fight.

  Shaking his head Roy yelled into the radio, “WE NEED MORE POWER!”

  “It may blow, Chief. This stuff hasn’t been used in a while,” was the crackled reply he received.

  Roy paused and watched as their opponent flattened another patrol car. Tightening his grip on the microphone he said, “Look, if we don’t put an end to this thing tonight, we might not be able to stop it at all. Now give me that power!”

  Back in the generator house Harold Drake turned to his partner and nodded.

  Frank King reached for the lever that would push the ancient machinery to its max, when the door to the room burst open. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid I cannot allow you cause my associate further distress.”

  The two officers stared in horror at the newcomer. The man’s jaw hung at an obscene angle, with bits of torn flesh dangling from the exposed broken bone. There were also several bullet holes in his white ruffled shirt and black frock coat.

  In spite of the 30 foot distance between them, Drake drew his weapon. He had been only in uniform two years, but it was enough to tell him knew they were facing a serious threat.

  Standing in the doorway, the macabre stranger glanced at the weapon pointed at him. With admiration he said, “Excellent. I would have been disappointed if you had chosen not to… oppose me.” As the last two words left his ruined mouth he snapped Drake’s neck between thumb and forefinger. While in his other hand he held a bloodied heart.