Chapter 66 - The Story of Final Dead Bridge
I felt like throwing away the gun in my hand and the luggage on my back and running away, but if I did that, I probably wouldn't survive even three days. Without weapons, I couldn't defeat the infected when attacked, and without the food and water in the backpack, I would starve. Even if I were to procure them somewhere, weapons were necessary as long as I was exposed to the threat of the infected.
I occasionally look back to confirm the distance between us, and every time, the swarm of infected was getting closer to us. I occasionally stop my feet and shoot individuals that protruded from the cluster, but even that time is precious. If I used all the bullets on hand, I might be able to defeat them all, but a new cluster might appear. Limiting the ones I defeat to only those approaching, we earnestly aimed for the bridge.
Several military trucks and patrol cars were left in front of the bridge, and many empty shell casings were rolling on the ground. Corpses of police officers and JSDF members wearing camouflage clothes were fallen as if leaning against barricades, sandbags, and the hoods of patrol cars, but considering the number of empty shell casings, the corpses left behind are far too few. Did they survive and retreat, or did they turn into infected and chase other survivors?
Climbing over the barricade composed of sandbags and car stops, we proceed to the part of the bridge girder. Another city is already visible across the river. But having proceeded midway, we had no choice but to stop our feet.
The reinforced concrete bridge girder, exactly the part in the middle of the river, had disappeared. Along the flow of the river flowing north to south, the bridge girder has split in two. The cross-section of the bridge girder is exposed, and raindrops dripping from bent rebar are swallowed by the brown, turbid river. Perhaps unable to endure its own weight, the broken part was sagging slightly downward.
Apparently, the JSDF must have tried to blow up the bridge to stall the infected. From the bottom of the river, which has turned into a brown muddy stream, reinforced concrete apparently the wreckage of the collapsed bridge girder and the rear of a passenger car apparently caught in it and fallen together are protruding. Whether they set bombs on the bridge piers and blew them up, a giant cylinder apparently a support was submerged in the river.
"What are we going to do about this..."
I knew that the JSDF and USFJ were closing off transportation networks in various places to block the progress of the infected, but of all things, for the bridge to be destroyed here too. Since there was a fierce battle, I should have assumed that, but this was the only escape route for us. To think even that escape route is unusable.
"Wait, we might be able to pass there."
The strength almost left my knees, but I came to my senses at those words of Yui. What Yui was pointing at was the northern end of the bridge girder. It was a place where there apparently used to be a sidewalk.
"The width to the other side is narrow there. If we jump, we might somehow be able to cross."
The part of the opposite lane separated by the guardrail from the place where we are has the bridge girder greatly destroyed, and the distance to the other side is far longer than if a bus were lined up vertically. However, the area of collapse gradually decreased as it proceeded north, and as Yui said, the hole open in the northern sidewalk part is only about 4 meters. Whether the demolition failed, only there the area being destroyed seems small.
Certainly, if I take a running start and jump, it might be a distance I can somehow reach. The problem is whether I can jump to the opposite bank while carrying heavy luggage. When I performed the long jump in the high school physical fitness test, the result was 4 meters 50 centimeters. It's a result that can be said to be slightly above average, but if I were to fall 50 centimeters short, after that I'd be straight down into the river.
The river is swollen due to this typhoon, and besides the wreckage of the blown-up bridge, rocks, cars, and broken trees that apparently were washed away are protruding from the river surface. The brown turbid water hits the rocks and sends up white spray. If I fall, I'll probably, or rather certainly, die. I'll either drown being swallowed by the muddy stream, or die by having my whole body struck against rocks or rubble.
But there was no other way for us. The infected are already reaching the bridge, and if we turn back now, we have to break through the middle of the swarm. Crossing to the opposite bank has a higher survival probability than that. Although it's a double-or-nothing gamble, if it succeeds, the infected on this side probably won't be able to follow us. Even if fortunately some individuals succeed in jumping over the collapsed part, it's far better than facing a swarm that seems like it would need hundreds of individuals.
"Let's cross, Naomi-san. There's no other way."
"That's right. We can't turn back now, and on the other hand, jumping into the river is dangerous."
Naomi-san, who continued to fire her rifle while saying so, pulls the bolt handle and ejects the empty shell casing. The empty shell casing that fell to the ground made a clear metallic sound, but it was immediately drowned out by the sound of the wind howling. The shell casing blown by the wind rolled somewhere.
"I'll be the rearguard. You two jump to the other side first!"
Shouldn't I, who have the M1A with more ammunition, remain until the end? I thought so, but for now, I'll obediently follow her instructions. Besides, if I cross to the opposite bank first, I can provide cover from a safe position when Naomi-san jumps last.
"Understood. Yui, let's go quickly."
"I'd love to do that, but... I have a fear of heights, you know."
With a cramped smile, Yui looked at my face. Come to think of it, when I first met Naomi-san, she was trembling on the roof of the apartment and wouldn't even try to look down. And now, looking at Yui's legs, they are trembling slightly.
The height from the bridge girder to the river surface would be about 10 meters, I suppose. In addition to that, below is a muddy stream due to the swelling. Even I, who am not bad with high places, certainly feel a bit of fear, and it must be even more so for Yui, who has a fear of heights.
But there was no leeway to be saying such things now. Whether she has a fear of heights or whatever, if she doesn't go to the opposite bank, she'll just die.
"Is this the time for that! Just go quickly!"
"But..."
No 'buts' or 'ands.' I dragged Yui to the sidewalk and raised my voice, "We're jumping!" However, even in my brain as I said that, the question "Will I reach the opposite bank?" was floating.
Since handrails and balustrades are at the bottom of the river along with the road, I can't cross by following something. If we were a rescue team, we might be able to cross to the other side by stringing ropes and so on, but unfortunately, we don't have that skill. Even if we did, there's no time.
"It's impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Even though you've been almost killed by the infected many times until now, don't be saying you're afraid of high places now."
"Then you try jumping first. If you succeed, I'll go too."
I was a bit angry at Yui for bringing up fear of heights at a time like this, but what's scary is scary. I convinced myself it couldn't be helped.
Naomi-san looked back with eyes that seemed to want to say "I don't care, just go quickly." Only 5 meters, but if I couldn't jump that 5-meter distance, death was waiting.
If I remain on this side of the bridge, I'll die, and if I fall, I'll die. It's natural for Yui to become afraid. That's why if I don't show an example first, she probably won't even be able to move from this spot.
"Understood. When I get over there, Yui, you come too. Otherwise, Naomi-san can't cross."
I'd like to leave the luggage, but if I did that, I'd again be troubled by hunger and thirst just like when I met Naomi-san. I have confidence that my physical strength has increased due to this half-year of survival. All that's left is to pray that my jumping power has also improved.
Behind us, Naomi-san is continuing to shoot her rifle. I can't be dawdling. I took a good 10 meters of distance from the collapsed spot and started running after taking a deep breath. Running through the 10-meter distance at full speed, when I came to the edge of the western part of the bridge that had split in two, I kicked the asphalt sidewalk strongly with my right foot and leaped.
As if the video were being replayed in slow motion, an instant felt long. The sound of the wind groaning and the sound of river water spray shredding against rubble echo in my head. The gunshot of Naomi-san fighting behind me and the groans and screams of the infected were pushed out of my consciousness. Every single raindrop hitting my cheek can be felt. Like a scene from a sci-fi movie, the raindrops looked as if they were stationary in the air. The rift in the bridge made by the explosion seemed like the mouth of a giant monster.
When I realized it, I had landed on the eastern side of the bridge along with an impact. I feel the sensation of asphalt fragments cracked by my shoe soles shattering. Several concrete fragments that had been attached to the rebar exposed from the cross-section of the bridge girder blown up by the impact of landing fall into the river.
"...Look, I jumped! So Yui, you come here quickly too!"
Even as I looked back and said so, my heart was still pounding. If a strong headwind had suddenly blown, I probably wouldn't have been able to jump across the rift.
Yui still seemed to be afraid of jumping, but when I urged her "Hurry up!", she finally seemed to have made up her mind and started a running start. Naomi-san is still fighting on the other side of the bridge, trying to buy time. Perhaps having no time to load, she let go of the rifle, pulled out her revolver, and shot down the infected running toward here one after another.
I stepped back and moved near Yui's landing point. If she couldn't jump over the gap in the bridge, I must catch her quickly.
Yui starts her running start. An expression of fear also seemed to be floating on that face, but her feet did not stop. She ran through the last five steps just like that and made a large leap toward here—.
At that time, a strong wind blew from behind me. For Yui, it was a headwind; I thought 'oh no,' but there was nothing I could do.
But fortunately, she was able to reach this side. I caught Yui's body, which had lost its balance upon landing and was about to collapse after being taken by the edge of the diagonally tilted bridge, with my whole body. Even so, the momentum did not stop and it resulted in being struck against the ground from my back, but in the nick of time, only the situation where Yui would disappear into the riverbed was avoided.
I don't have time to savor the sensation of Yui's body pressed against me. Standing up quickly, I ask "Are you okay?" Yui's body, which answered "I'm okay" and tried to stand up, staggered unsteadily.
"...t! It seems I twisted my foot."
Due to having lost her balance at landing, it seems a large load was placed on her foot. Yui tried to stand up again, but perhaps to protect her injured right foot, she couldn't stand straight.
"Can you walk?"
"Somehow. But running is..."
Fortunately, for now, no infected have come to the eastern side of the bridge girder. Of course, there's a possibility that infected are also in the city on this side, not just the opposite bank where there was a fierce battle, but their figures are not yet visible. If Naomi-san and I support her with two people, we might somehow manage.
The thought that she's a burden and I should abandon her whispered in my head, but I ignored it. I'm done with escaping to easy paths. To avoid piling up more regrets, I want to do my best until the limit. Of course, my own life is important, though.
"Alright, then you go ahead. I'll provide cover for Naomi-san."
Rather than two people waiting for Naomi-san to come here, letting Yui proceed first will be a slight saving of time. Since she has an injured foot, even if she precedes, the distance won't open that much, but every second is precious now.
Yui, who nodded, turned on her heel and walked across the bridge while dragging her right foot. I, who looked back, shouted to Naomi-san, "Hurry over here!"
"Understood!"
Naomi-san, who held a revolver in her right hand and a kukri knife in her left, shouted so, slashed the neck of one infected that had approached with the knife, and then headed for the sidewalk. Already the distance between the infected and Naomi-san was quite narrowed.
During a running start, one inevitably becomes defenseless. I took a half-kneeling position on the spot and leveled my rifle. I hammered bullets into the infected trying to bite Naomi-san, providing cover for her running start. Across the rift in the bridge, the infected were literally pressing in right before Naomi-san's eyes.
Naomi-san's form as she sprinted at full speed and made a large leap into the void midway, using the tactile paving that had disappeared into the riverbed as a mark, was nothing short of wonderful. The infected who chased her and jumped into the void together fall one after another into the swollen river, extending their hands but failing to reach.
Naomi-san, who jumped over the 4-meter rift and landed with both feet on the eastern side of the bridge girder that had split in two, floated a mischievous smile looking at me.
We lost the car, but for now, the three of us together were able to escape from the pursuit of the infected. The moment I felt relieved, I heard the sound of something creaking, 'meri-meri...'.
"What is...?"
Suddenly my vision tilted forward, and the brown muddy stream that should have been under the rift entered my vision. By the time I knew that it wasn't my body tilting but the ground tilting, it was late. Along with a heavy sound like the scream of metal bending, the part that had lost its support after the bridge pier was blown up began to tilt greatly.
It seems that we gave the finishing blow to what had somehow stayed without falling into the river with an exquisite balance until now. The bridge girder protruding into the void after losing its support had somehow maintained its original position with its sturdiness. But by us having gotten on top of it, it started to tilt greatly like a seesaw with a child straddling only one side.
Large cracks ran through the road, and it tilted toward the river with the cut surface as the tip. Concrete blocks fall into the river one after another from the destroyed spot. The road splits, caves in, and bends.
And on the edge of the greatly tilting bridge girder, Naomi-san, who had just come to this side, was standing. I, who saw her body, which lost its balance and staggered, sliding down the tilted road, had started running along with a scream.
"Naomi-san!"
I shout and extend my hand. I was able to grab the arm of Naomi-san, who was sliding down the road that had now turned into a steep slope, and I—.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.