Chapter 4

Amaris did not look back. She ran as fast as she could down the other side of the rock outcropping and back into the woods. She knew the bridge was not far away now, but neither were the men. She could still here them shouting at one another and crashing through the under brush. Hopefully she had given herself enough time. As she ran down hill now along the path heading to the water, she remembered how Heather had taken a shortcut through the bushes on the side of the path, essentially cutting out the curve in the trail just before the bridge and no one saw her do it that day in gym class. She had shown Amaris on the way back that day. Amaris only hoped that she could remember where it was and be able to find it while she was at a dead run on the path.

Having come further down the hill, Amaris saw the familiar tree with the gnarled branch that looked like a “turkey leg” as Heather described it. Tears began to fall fast down her cheeks as she remembered seeing her friend crumple to the ground on the baseball field. Heather had been brave and stood up to the men who were now pursuing her. Amaris wondered if she was alright. She did not have time to worry right now.  She had to focus. She quickly reached down and grabbed the overhanging prickers and pushed them out of her way while trying to not break them so that she would not leave clues to her path. Letting go of the brambles she ran only another few steps and the bridge was in sight. Amaris hurried toward it knowing that she needed to get across it as quickly as possible.

Just a few more seconds and she had made it to the entrance to the bridge. It was made of rope and wood and spanned across “the gap” as people in town called it. It had once been an underground tunnel that the river ran through but over time it had eaten away at the rock and finally a large section had broken out and fallen down into the water. It was still the narrowest place to cross for miles up and down the river. She was part of the group that came out here her Freshman year and rebuilt the bridge over the course of a weekend at the end of the school year that year. She knew how every board and knot was attached. Which also meant that she knew where it was weak and how to take it down.

Amaris slipped past the two posts on the near side and onto the main span. Slowing her pace but still moving quickly she stepped from board to board crossing the bridge that spanned the river in only a few seconds. When she reached the other side, she faced the first post and found the upper support rope. Her hands followed it down to the notched peg that they were slung over and held taught to keep the hand rails on the bridge tight. She yanked the rope with all her might as her foot pushed at the bottom of the peg helping to pull it up out of the ground. The rope gave way with a huge yank back toward the river from the weight of the bridge. She then undid the rope at the bottom of the post to release the bottom support rope for that side to the bridge. She decided that it would be easier if she released the other bottom rope first leaving only the top rope on the other side.

Amaris took her foot and kicked at the peg in the ground which was now the only thing that was holding the bridge in the air and straining tremendously. The peg stuck fast. She heard the men rounding the last turn in on the path. They were here. She had no more time. Quickly she grabbed a branch from the ground and started to pry the peg. It began to move. The men stopped at the posts on the other side of the bridge. They began yelling at her to stop. The first men who arrived at the bridge started to cross and gave instructions that two more men were to follow him and then 2 would head off in one direction and the remaining two would go the other to try and find another way to get across and cut her off.

Amaris was now in a panic as the three men moved slowly and cautiously across the bridge to her. They had to hold on to the remaining side and walk on the side of the bridge slats as they were now dangling sideways. The weight of the three men and Amaris prying was starting to pull harder on the lone peg in the ground, but it was not moving fast enough for Amaris. She cursed and kicked at it as all at once the peg popped out of the ground and flew through the air and caught her in the cheek as it passed. The bridge fell away and down to the rushing water. Hanging from the far bank two of the three men were still hanging on to the ropes and boards.