Chapter 209:Hell’s River.
The convoy continued forward after regrouping. The deeper they traveled into the Yellow Zone, the more frequently beasts would test them.
No one expected the road ahead to remain peaceful. The landscape gradually changed once more.
The rolling grasslands slowly gave way to flatter terrain broken by clusters of weathered rocks and scattered acacia-like trees. Dry earth alternated with patches of thick mud, and shallow streams began appearing more frequently beside the road.
Silver noticed the change almost immediately.
"More water."
Ravenna looked out of the window.
"I was thinking the same thing and the vegetation’s getting denser too."
Silver nodded.
"It probably means we’re getting close."
"Close to what?"
Before he could answer, the convoy rounded a gentle bend, both of them froze.
Stretching across the landscape ahead was a river so wide that the opposite bank looked hazy in the distance.
The water churned violently, carrying branches, broken logs and even entire uprooted trees downstream.
Near the center of the river stood a long concrete bridge, or rather, it should have.
Only the tops of the guardrails remained visible above the rushing brown water. The bridge itself had disappeared beneath the flood.
The convoy slowed to a stop. One after another, vehicles lined up along the roadside. Contractors climbed out to assess the situation.
Captain Harry walked toward the riverbank, accompanied by several experienced escorts.
Silver and Ravenna joined the growing crowd.
The sound alone was intimidating. The river roared like a living beast, its powerful current slammed against the bridge supports with enough force to send spray several meters into the air.
Ravenna stared at the submerged crossing.
"...That’s a bridge?"
Silver nodded slowly.
"It has to be."
She frowned.
"You can barely see it."
One of the veteran drivers standing nearby chuckled.
"First time seeing Hell’s River?"
Ravenna nodded.
The man smiled.
"You’ll remember it."
Silver looked toward him.
"Hell’s River?"
The driver folded his arms.
"That’s what everyone calls it. Official maps use another name, but nobody bothers."
He pointed toward the distant mountains barely visible on the horizon.
"It rains up there almost every afternoon."
Silver followed his finger.
"There aren’t any clouds."
"Exactly."
The driver grinned.
"That’s the problem. You’ll be driving under a blue sky, while the mountains are getting hammered by rain. A few hours later..." He gestured toward the raging river. "...this happens."
Silver watched another uprooted tree race beneath the submerged bridge.
"So the flooding’s normal."
"As normal as sunrise."
Another escort joined the conversation.
"The bridge is built high enough, so it never collapses. It just disappears underwater and eventually the water goes back down."
Ravenna looked at the current.
"...How long?"
The escort shrugged.
"Hours, sometimes days; it depends on the rain."
Captain Harry crouched beside the river, studying the flow. Several other convoy leaders joined him. They spoke quietly while pointing toward different sections of the submerged bridge.
Eventually Harry stood.
"We’re crossing."
A younger contractor blinked.
"Now?"
"If we wait..." another veteran answered before Harry could, "...we could lose an entire day or maybe more."
Harry nodded.
"The bridge is still there. The current’s strong but our vehicles can handle it."
He looked around at everyone gathered.
"The real problem isn’t the water."
Almost as he finished speaking, something enormous disturbed the river’s surface. A long dark shape glided silently beneath the muddy water before disappearing again.
Everyone fell silent.
Another ripple appeared, then another.
Silver narrowed his eyes.
"They’re moving."
Ravenna instinctively rested a hand on her rifle.
"What are they?"
No one needed to answer. A massive reptilian head suddenly burst from the water, its jaws snappinh shut around a floating log before crushing it effortlessly.
Crunch.
Splinters exploded across the river. The creature slowly sank beneath the surface again, only its eyes remained visible.
"Crocodilians." One veteran muttered. "But don’t mistake them for normal crocodiles."
Silver studied the water carefully. There wasn’t just one, he counted around eight before he lost track. The muddy current concealed most of their bodies.
Captain Harry sighed.
"Just our luck."
Another convoy leader laughed bitterly.
"They’re waiting."
Silver nodded.
"They know vehicles have to slow down on the bridge, they’re ambush predators."
Gareth immediately began issuing orders.
"No unnecessary movement near the water and no one approaches the bank alone. Marksmen..."
He pointed toward several elevated rocks overlooking the bridge.
"Set up there. If one comes out... Shoot."
Several snipers immediately climbed into position. Heavy rifles rested against stone ledges overlooking the crossing.
Silver looked toward the flooded bridge. The water reached almost halfway up the guardrails. Even from where he stood, he could feel the force of the current.
Ravenna quietly asked,
"...Can we really drive through that?"
Silver crouched near the edge of the bank. He picked up a small stick before tossing it into the river. Within seconds, it had vanished downstream.
He frowned thoughtfully.
"It’ll be difficult."
"But impossible?"
He shook his head.
"No. The bridge should still provide traction beneath the water. If we maintain momentum, the current shouldn’t push us off."
Ravenna smiled weakly.
"You sound confident."
"I’m trying to convince myself."
She laughed softly.
Nearby, the convoy leaders had reached a decision. Captain Harry raised his voice.
"We cross one vehicle at a time. No overtaking, plus maintain radio contact. If a vehicle stalls, we recover it immediately."
"And the crocodiles?" Someone asked.
Harry looked toward the river.
"We kill anything that gets too close."
Almost as if offended by the statement, a huge splash erupted beside the bridge. One of the crocodilian beasts launched itself almost entirely out of the water.
For a brief moment everyone saw its full size, nearly seven meters long. Dark green scales covered with patches of thick bone-like armor.
Rows of jagged teeth filled a mouth easily large enough to swallow a man whole.
Its tail slammed back into the river and a wall of muddy water crashed against the bank. Several contractors instinctively stepped backward.
Silver remained calm.
"...Tier Three."
Ravenna looked at him.
"You’re sure?"
"It isn’t as dangerous as yesterday." He kept watching the water. "The current is."
Captain Harry nodded after hearing similar assessments from several experienced contractors.
"Exactly."
He looked toward the submerged bridge once more.
"The beasts are manageable but the river isn’t."
He pointed toward the first heavy transport truck.
"You’ll go first. If you make it, the rest follow."
The driver gave a thumbs-up, and without hesitation, he climbed back into his vehicle.
Its engine roared to life.
Everyone stepped back from the bridge entrance as the truck slowly rolled forward.
Water surged around its tires, then climbed to the axles and then halfway up the doors. The current slammed against the side of the vehicle causing the truck to sway.
For one tense moment, it looked as though the river might carry it away, then the driver increased the throttle.
The engine roared louder. Slowly, meter by meter, the vehicle continued across the submerged bridge.
Silver watched every movement carefully; studying and learning, because before long, it would be his turn to cross Hell’s River.