Chapter 8 - The Falling Bridge
The sight of the weapon paralyzed me with absolute terror. "Hold on!" Vincent screamed. He slammed his foot on the brake pedal. The police cruiser spun wildly on the icy road, completing a full one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. We were now driving backward, facing the oncoming armored truck. A massive flash of light erupted from Carlo’s weapon. The rocket streaked toward us like a fiery comet. Vincent jerked the steering wheel violently to the right. The rocket missed the hood of our car by mere inches. It impacted the mountain wall behind us, unleashing a deafening explosion of rock and snow. The shockwave shattered our windshield, showering us in tiny glass cubes. I covered Noah’s face with my body, ignoring the glass raining down on my back. Vincent slammed the transmission into drive and floored the gas. The police cruiser surged forward, racing dangerously close to the steep cliff edge. "There is an old suspension bridge a mile ahead," Vincent shouted over the roaring wind. "If we cross it, I can shoot the support cables and cut them off completely." The armored truck was relentlessly gaining on us. Carlo was reloading his weapon, laughing maniacally in the distance. We tore around the final bend of the mountain road. The old suspension bridge loomed ahead, swaying slightly in the winter wind. Vincent pushed the police cruiser to its absolute limit. We flew onto the wooden planks of the bridge. The old wood groaned and splintered under the heavy tires. We reached the other side just as the armored truck entered the bridge behind us. Vincent slammed on the brakes, grabbed his gun, and kicked his door open. He aimed at the massive steel support cable holding our side of the bridge. He fired three consecutive shots into the rusted metal. The cable snapped with a sound like a thunderclap. The entire bridge violently twisted sideways. The armored truck lost control, sliding helplessly toward the edge as the bridge began to collapse. Carlo screamed as his vehicle tipped over the edge, plunging into the dark abyss of the gorge below. A deafening crash echoed from the bottom of the canyon. Vincent lowered his weapon, leaning heavily against the police car. "It is finally over," Vincent breathed, closing his eyes in exhaustion. I stepped out of the car, holding Noah's hand tightly. "Dad!" Noah yelled happily, running toward his father. Suddenly, the piercing sound of a gunshot echoed from the dark woods ahead of us. Vincent’s body jerked violently as a bullet tore completely through his chest.
