Read Ebook: The Bridge by Revelle G G Emshwiller Ed Illustrator

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Ebook has 894 lines and 31816 words, and 18 pages

Lowary smiled bitterly. "It's always been that way, Kastner. I suppose it always will be." Lowary squashed the cigarette butt with his heel.

"How's Meyers taking all this?" Kastner asked. Lowary raised his eyebrows. "His sister works in the City," Kastner went on. "They're pretty close."

"I didn't know," Lowary replied. He thought, perhaps I should change assignments. Kastner wouldn't picture every woman who might try to break through as his sister. It would make it easier on Meyers.

"You're from Dakota, aren't you, Captain?"

"I was stationed there for three years before this assignment. This is my first trip East."

"Married?"

"Wife ... son and daughter. The girl is eight, the boy twelve." The picture of blond, thin, lovable little Susan came to his mind. And Ronnie, with the freshly found sense of humor, who wanted to be a writer when he grew up ... if he grew up. He hadn't seen them or Dot since the transfer came unexpectedly. He missed them, badly. He hadn't realized how much until just this minute.

"Did you bring your family with you?" Kastner asked.

Lowary shook his head. "No. Dot stayed behind to sell some of the furniture, and to let the children finish school. It's no good changing schools in the middle of a semester."

"I guess it isn't. I wouldn't know though. I'm single."

The sound of rubber pounding on the steel grating caused them both to turn. The Captain expected to see an Army 2-1/2 ton truck. The truck wasn't olive-drab, it was white. BAKERY was stenciled on the side of the closed cabin in red letters.

Kastner moved to the opposite lane on a fast run. He waved his arms. "What are you doing on the bridge?" he shouted. "It's closed to civilians."

The driver stuck his balding head out of the window. His face was dirty and tired. "The Lieutenant back there said it was O.K." He looked at Lowary. "I'm only going to Kingston, Captain."

Lowary turned to Kastner. "Check this guy. I'll be back." He jumped into his jeep and wheeled it around. This time he kept the accelerator to the floor. Meyers was a fool!

He found the tall, thin officer leaning on the rail, looking down the river toward the City. He leaped from the jeep, reached Meyers with two strides.

"If you have to do that, Lieutenant, do it where the troops can't see you. It's bad for morale," he said bitterly.

Meyers spun around quickly.

"You had orders to keep this bridge closed, Lieutenant. Why didn't you?"

Meyers opened his mouth, then shut it without saying a word. "Speak up," Lowary raised his voice. Meyers' eyes met his. "You wouldn't understand, Captain," Meyers said evenly.

"Try me," Lowary fought to keep his voice down.

"You seem to forget that these are our people ... not the enemy. He was just a poor working slob who wanted to get home to be with his wife and kids. To him it might be his last day on earth. Who are we to deny that?"

Lowary said nothing.

Meyers said, "You're not worrying, your family is safe out in the Middle West. We know people around here. They aren't just shadows. We should be helping them."

The Captain took off his helmet. He reached for another cigarette. Finally he said, "Do you realize how important this bridge is if there is an attack? It connects one of the routes designated for the relief of the City if it is hit. You were too young for the last war so you probably don't realize what happens when wanderers, escapees hit the road. They can tie it up like a knot so that no one moves. They have other routes they can use. This one is closed. We've got to keep it for emergency use."

"What's one truck?" Meyers said.

"One truck, loaded with explosives could park in the middle of this huge erector set and blow it sky high. All the Reds aren't in those planes the Coastal Defense sighted. We have some right here, waiting."

"But he wasn't a Red. He lives in Kingston!" Meyers protested.

"How do you know?" Lowary said simply. He didn't wait for Meyers' answer, he turned and began to walk away.

"Captain!"

Lowary turned at the sound of Tudor's heavy voice. The stocky officer was waving at him from up the road, pumping his arm with clenched fist up and down, the signal for double time. Lowary took off on the run. He could hear Meyers' feet pounding behind him.

Tudor was standing beside a young corporal looking down the steep, rocky embankment at one of the concrete piers supporting the bridge. A small figure was making its way toward it.

"It looks like one of our boy's decided to go over the hill," Tudor said tersely.

Lowary faced the young corporal. "Unsling that rifle, son, and see if you can pick him off."

Lowary felt Tudor's hand on his arm. "There's no need for that, Captain. I'll send a squad down to pick him up."

Lowary glanced down at the hand. Tudor removed it. He spoke directly to the corporal, "I said see if you can pick him off!" The soldier hesitated. Lowary knew why. The figure down there was in uniform, probably a friend.

The Captain snatched the rifle from the corporal's frozen fingers. He slapped the stock against his own shoulder.

"He's probably just a scared, bewildered kid," Meyers cut in quickly.

"If I'm wrong, I'll apologize," Lowary said as he sighted down the barrel. He planted his feet firmly and squeezed. The stock slammed him in the shoulder. He cursed, then he squeezed again. This time he remembered to hold his breath. The figure slumped, fell off the concrete, into the water.

Lowary juggled the gun once by its balance, then he handed it back to the corporal who was staring dully at the small figure floating and bobbing in the water. "You can send that squad down to get him now, if you want, Lieutenant Tudor," he said before he turned away.

Lowary climbed into his jeep conscious of how tired he felt. I'm getting old, he thought. He leaned back and took off his helmet and looked up at the clear blue sky, letting the breeze fan his face. A high, distant speck caught his eye. It was trailed by a four-forked stream of white. He felt his stomach grow cold, as he stared in fascination at the four vapor streams that could only be one thing; a multi-engine bomber. It was coming in from the Northwest, heading for the City. The enemy had slipped one through the defense.

He tore his eyes from the sky. Perhaps no one else had seen it. It would be better if they never did.

And so it comes, he thought. The end of an age ... back to the sticks and stones for good. He drew in on a new cigarette, thinking of Dorothy and Susan and Ronnie. He became conscious of Meyers standing beside him. He wished he would go away, there was so little time left to daydream. He wanted to be alone.

"The guard down the road says there is a pile-up of civilian cars that demand to go across."

Lowary looked up. "Send some of the reserve platoon down and force them back. You know the orders!"

"Look, Captain. We've got maybe ten ... fifteen minutes left. What harm will it do?"

Lowary felt weary. Meyers hadn't failed to see the bomber, neither had the people in the cars. They knew it was the beginning of the end. Meyers and Tudor, and the others were wearing him down. He felt like giving them their damn bridge. It would be easy, so final.

He took the yellow paper out of his pocket and glanced at the pasted letters again. When he was finished he knew what he had to do. He had no choice.

Lowary handed the paper to Meyers. "I'll take care of things down the road. Perhaps you might like to read this while I'm gone," he said. The Lieutenant looked puzzled when Lowary drove away.

The traffic was jammed just as Meyers said it was. The Sergeant in command of the squad had set up a small road block. A machine-gunner, Morgan, was sitting behind a .50 Cal. looking down the barrel. Lowary drove past them, up to the lead car.

As he threw his legs out over the side of the jeep he looked up quickly. The single multi-engine bomber was overhead, still heading South. In the distance he could see new vapor streams, much smaller, much faster. The Interceptor Command was giving chase. Lowary could see that they would be too late to save the City.

"Please let us through, Captain!" a woman near him asked. She was slender, she had been crying.

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