NYTM Chapter 2

Walt slowed down even more and took the turn off. He followed the side road around to the three bridges, even going slower as he approached the first of the triple bridges the truck still separated it's traction from the roadway, spinning slightly in one direction. Walt relaxed, eased his foot off the accelerator a little more, and steered in the opposite direction. When he felt the tires again regain their traction he straightened out the wheels and guided the truck across the dirt stretch to the second bridge.

Vic was nervous but she knew he had slowed way down to begin with and that he was doing everything he could to maintain control of the truck. So she kept her mouth shut but bit on the inside of her lower lip.

The greatest distance lying between the first and second bridges with the second and third being only about 6 feet apart; when the front wheels of a vehicle reached the third bridge the rear wheels were just crossing the edge of the second bridge. When the unit's front wheels crossed the edge of the second bridge without having slipped or tried to hydroplane across the black ice of the second bridge Vic breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived as the front wheels of the truck hit the third bridge with a loud pop and she heard and felt the bridge crumble on Walt's side; angling the truck down into the icy water of the ravine below. Fortunately, the airbags had not deployed. Vic figured it was because they really had not been going all that fast and there had been no real impact.

The front wheel and most of the driver side of the engine compartment sunk down into the cold, soggy, muddy bottom of the dirty water; sending chilly water up in the cab around Walt's feet.
He shut the truck off and since his boots and feet were already wet he began empting his pockets and removed his gun, spare clip, and handcuffs and stuffed all the items into his coat.

Vic asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm pretty sure that pop was the tire blowing. You need to get out of the truck."

She opened the door and started to climb out, being careful of where she put her hands and feet as the truck was tilted awkwardly and at a dangerous angle. Her door kept trying to fall back on her, so she wedged her boot up against the door hinge to hold it open and looked back at Walt, "What about you?"

"I'm coming out too. Watch where you step try not to step anywhere on that bridge."

She looked over her shoulder at the sections of cement crumbling and falling away and then back at him, "Right." Vic eased herself down onto her stomach, holding the door open with one hand and stretching her feet out behind her along the running board. Vic felt the toes of her boots hit the dirt and then she slowly pushed herself back, one hand at a time along the side of the truck, until she could stand on somewhat solid ground. She looked back in at Walt through the back window and when she did she notice the two duffel bags that had flipped against the backs of their seats. She had not moved and was still standing on the dirt with her hand on the back door handle when the truck began to slide further to Walt's side.

She called out to him at the same time that he called out to her.

In the split-second of panic that gripped her Vic had latched her hand tighter in a death grip on the door handle of the truck and stepped back on the running board, sliding with the truck as it nosed further down into the muddy water of the ravine.

The truck had only moved about four inches but it felt to Vic like her heart had fallen 100 feet. Walt had managed to get his seatbelt unfastened and had started to shift towards her door when the truck lurched. He had been afraid she would be pulled with the truck and that's why he had yelled at her. She in turn had been afraid the truck was going to roll over with him in it and for some 'dumbass reason' grabbed a hold of the door handle. Walt twisted and looked up over the seatbacks at her, the water was fully in the area reserved for the driver's feat at that point and the movement had knocked him to his knees under the steering wheel. His coat was bunched up at his back and hung up around the steering.

Vic secured her footing, motioned for him to unlock the back doors, and then opened the rear door as best she could to call to him, "Are you okay?"

"Yup."

"Are you stuck?"

"Nope, but I'm going to move a dam site slower than I just did."

"Right."

Looking over the backs of the seats at her he saw her eyes drop. "What is it?"

"These the bags you said Ferg left in here?"

"Yep, we might need those."

"Okay, do you want me to try to get them out now or do you want to get out first?"

"Better get those out now in case the truck shifts again, I don't want to see those get wet. Maybe all we've got, for a while."

Vic braced herself on the running board and pushed against the door to hold it open while she stretched in with one arm and grabbed a hold of one of the bags, it was slightly awkward as it was decidedly unbalanced, but she tugged it toward her. Leaving the heavy end for last as she got it up close to her she hugged the bag and inched it higher and higher along her chest, then gripped it at the bottom, and flung it up, over, and as far behind the truck as she could. She repeated the action with the second bag which was considerably lighter; it flew just passed the first one, landing at an angle over the top of the other bag.

She looked over the seatbacks at Walt, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

He looked from side to side and assessed his situation once more and looked her squarely in the eye, "Dunno."

Walt realized that although he was not stuck he was in a very tight position and he thought maybe taking off his coat might help give him that extra space he needed to move around and get himself out. Vic watched as he slowly eased his way out of his coat moving as little as possible. He passed his hat and then his coat to her over the back of the seat, she took them and tossed the coat back on top of the duffel bags and then gently pitched his hat over on top of coat before turning back into the truck, again moving as slowly as she had seen Walt do; realizing he was afraid that the truck very well could slide further into the ravine.

The water was already up to the bottom edge of the front seat on Walt's side, it suddenly occurred to her that he was in water nearly up to his waist. She saw his jaw tighten and realized it was an attempt to keep his teeth from chattering.

Vic was still tightly bundled in her duty jacket and scarf and there Walt was in icy water almost to his waist and he had just taken off his hat and coat.

She watched as he lowered himself further into the water, "Walt what are you doing?"

"I thought it would be easier to get down below the steering wheel and crawl over the transmission hump to get out your door." He stared up at her, "Vic I want you to get off of the truck and stand away from it at least 20 feet."

"No I'm not leaving you."

"Vic you have to. You don't understand. When I get in position, I'm gonna push that door open and jump from the truck. It very well may go sliding further into the ravine for it could flip and take me with it. We don't both need to get crushed by this truck."

She locked her eyes on him and ordered, "Don't you dare get yourself killed! Do you hear me?"