"Sorry about this ma'am." offered officer Barkin.
Cybil responded with a polite smile. The apology was neither helpful nor comforting. And if being given an escort out of town had not humiliated her enough, being referred to as ma'am did the trick.
Disciplinary action beckoned in light of disobeying a superior and working unsupervised outside of her own police department. Ed was furious, Mr. Wolf was livid and she had lost her second child in less than a week…if the hole that Andy disappeared down had been any bigger she would have liked to fall into it too.
She had never seen the ground open up like that before. An earthquake might cause the earth to split, but there was no tremor. Still, whatever fault in the geology that caused the anomaly…she shouldn't have been there. Andy would still be tucked up in bed if she had followed Ed's advice.
Having caused the incident it was galling not to be able to help in the search. But he was right, she had done enough damage. Her methods had become reckless. And the trouble she was in paled in comparison to the consequences of withholding vital information about Harry. Worst of all she had let Harry down, and his daughter. Maybe Ed would be good enough to bring her motorcycle to Brahms or she'd get into trouble for that too.
Cybil was jolted out of her self pity, her torso straining against the safety belt as the squad car ground along the tarmac as the ground gave way beneath them. A tremor shook the vehicle. There were no earthquakes ever recorded in this area but Cybil had no doubts.
The young escort was slumped over the wheel, the airbag having failed to inflate. Blood dripped steadily from the officer's brow.
Another tremor, stronger this time. Lurching forwards, the back of the car rose a foot into the air. It was beached directly on a huge crack in the road. Cybil freed herself from the belt and rolled out, deftly catching the rear of the vehicle which was surprisingly easy to keep down.
Using the edge of the widening hole as a pivot she pulled it back and held it steady. Though it seemed stable she couldn't risk letting it go.
"Officer Louise Barkin!" she barked, "Officer do you hear me?"
The young woman stirred in the front seat.
"Okay Barkin, I can't get to you, so you'll have to help me."
Both hands went on the steering wheel in anticipation of Cybil's commands.
"Release your safety belt."
Following the instruction Officer Barkin released herself and promptly collapsed against the wheel, causing the cruiser to tilt. Struggling to resist the momentum, Cybil grunted with effort.
"Open the door if you can."
Barkin accomplished the task.
"Can you get out of the vehicle?"
She carefully shook her head. That made the next part tricky. Cybil would have to grab the young woman and pull her free before gravity and momentum pulled them and the car into the chasm that was still expanding. After running the scenario in her head a few times she took a deep breath and prepared to carry out the plan.
Then the earth moved. Much more powerfully. Dashing forward she caught the officer's arm but the crumbling ground no longer supported them. The Impala slid forward and tilted. Holding the arm securely she was pulled down hard, landing on her ribs and smacking her chin on the road. Barkin, suddenly awake and screaming, left a shocked Cybil holding her arm. The scream faded into the pit below. She could neither hear nor see the vehicle landing.
Though gripped by fear and panic, she noticed she was not alone. It hovered and flapped its wings before her. She was covered for an instant by a canopy of leathery wings, a momentary vision of a long, snake-like neck, a fierce, red, greedy eye, and a great snapping beak, filled, to her amazement, with little, gleaming teeth. Falling back. An involuntary cry.
"Dear God what shall I do?"
The earth shook in response. The ground cracked and crumbled beneath Cybil. She scrambled backwards. Chunks of the road began to fall away as the tremor grew stronger.
The creature watched her hauling her bruised and winded body to its feet. The ground was coming away rapidly. The strength of the vibrations made it difficult to stay upright.
It flew up toward the night sky followed by a torrent of others, streaming like a grotesque fountain from the pit. The street was collapsing in on itself. Fifty meters away a house broke up and tumbled into the seemingly bottomless cavern. It swallowed another. And another. A hungry mouth feeding on Silent Hill. The edge was coming perilously close to her feet. She decided she didn't want to disappear after all. She turned and ran.