Under The Bridge Book Review Novels & Stories

River wind rushed toward us, heavy with damp air. The torn steel bars at the edge of the broken bridge pointed at the sky like claws. The driver collapsed over the steering wheel and cried. "It's over... it's all over! I risked my life for that little bit of money!" I ignored his breakdown. I pushed open the door and walked to the edge of the broken bridge. The river below was fast and bottomless. The toxic fog was less than two miles away. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Rylan gave me a long look but did not object. My father merely grunted his approval. The Sunken Bridge was an old, moss-covered stone arch over a river choked with slick ice. It was quiet. Eerily quiet. A perfect place for an ambush. I made a show of it. Sniffing the air. Kneeling to examine the ground on our side of the river. I pointed out faint, melted-out impressions in the mud that could have been boots. I showed Rylan a snapped branch at an odd height.

she explained with a shaky voice as he dragged her down the long hallway. "Okay," he said, ignoring her pleas. He dragged her down the stairs all the way to the basement. Once she saw he was leading her towards the basement, every atom in her body began screaming for help; nothing good ever happens in the basement. She kept quiet once she realized that her screams were not moving Jose one bit. She had already tried the weak persona, and it obviously did not work. She thought men in the mafia liked weak women, but Jose was clearly an exception. She decided to change tactics, anything to survive one more day.

“We'll, I have proved it. Can I go now?” “You and I both know that you don't want to go. You want me as much as I want you.” He said and moved closer to me. I took a step back and he took one step forward. We kept going like that till my back hit the wall and there was nowhere left to run. Dominic had a smirk on his face. “I don't want you.” “Why are you denying yourself of something that could be so beautiful?” “This would never end well. Once we cross this bridge, there will be no going back. Our worlds do not belong together.” My voice shook as I spoke.

As Drew pulls me closer and kisses me softly under the faint shimmer of lights, I can’t help but think… How could a man so sweet have been hiding beneath the surface all this time? THE END

~~NEET'S POV~~ Anyways I would not have minded telling them that I had the blueprint for emergencies like this cause my stupid Gut Feeling told me that something bad was gonna happen which was proven when the guns were fired and the Blacks made their GRAND ENTRY creating HOVAC among the people who just came to enjoy. But instead of fun some THRILL or ACTION was thrown at them. Riley and Julia wanted to go through the basement exit but I was against it. It was seriously gonna be suicide if we go there and I don't wanna die yet, I am still YOUNG for GOD'S SAKE but who will make the two stubborn girls understand.

It was a place where residents from different backgrounds could come together, exchange stories, and build relationships based on empathy and respect. Aric and Kaida organized regular community events on the bridge, inviting individuals and groups to share their experiences and perspectives. They facilitated dialogue sessions where community members could discuss sensitive issues and find common ground. The Bridge of Understanding became a safe space for conversations that challenged assumptions, broke down stereotypes, and paved the way for genuine understanding.

He hid where only those closest to him would think to look. As I mentally retraced our path into this part of the city, one image lingered: the overhead bridge near our street. I remembered the murky waters beneath it. Rumors said the water wasn’t deep, but years ago, a teenage girl had fallen off while playing too close to the edge. They said she died before help arrived—before 911 could even be dialed. Since then, no one dared walk beside that water. People only used the road on top of the bridge, leaving the underside a silent, ghostly passage.

The bridge swayed in the heat draft. Not violently. But enough to remind anyone crossing it that the fire below had patience. Adelaide stepped onto the first plate and felt the bridge answer with a subtle dip under her weight. The chain links gave off a low metallic sound, and heat rose immediately through the open spaces between the plates, wrapping around her calves and then her knees as she moved forward. The fire below noticed her again. Not with sight. With pressure. With that same impossible recognition that had brushed her skin earlier and now rose stronger beneath the open span, where nothing but chain and air separated her from the molten current below.

Someday, she could have her pick of employment and be any sort of Mother she wanted to be. Now, walking down the hall to her dorm room, certain she’d find Mist inside, looking as if this was just an ordinary day, Rain realized every bit of all of that had been a lie. The Bridge led to death for everyone--the men deemed imperfect, the tiny babies who hadn’t grown the way the Motherhood preferred, women who had gone against the grain. They’d all been killed. By what means, Rain didn’t know, but she didn’t want to find out either.