Zuflucht

31

Fiona

"No matter what though... I'll do everything in my power to make sure your daughter is safe."

"No matter what though... I'll do everything in my power to make sure your daughter is safe."

"No matter what though... I'll do everything in my power to make sure your daughter is safe."

His words rang over and over in my head, like the pages of a book being flipped through over and over before being repeated again. They didn't necessarily mean anything serious, but inside I couldn't help the odd feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach. An indescribable feeling.

A bit had passed since our conversation, and now the buildings outside were getting taller and more concrete was starting to appear.

"Are we in St. Louis now?" I asked, watching the many buildings and strip malls pass by. Even though it was dark, the moon shown enough light for us to be able to take in all the city's beauty. Me and Curt anyways.

"I do believe it is." He himself was bent over every now and then looking at the different landmarks and shops.
Just when I couldn't get enough, a huge monument was arched way into the sky as we got deeper into the city. Excitement flooded through me and I forced everything in me not to wake up Ashanti. She deserves to have a peaceful sleep.

"Woah..." I trailed aloud in wonder. The sight itself was amazing and yet scary at the same time. It's crazy how things like statues and monuments are still up even after almost all signs of human life are gone.

"I've read about the St. Louis arch before. It doesn't match getting to see it though." He too himself looked like he was in amazement.

"Where are we headed right now exactly?" I asked while glancing at as much as I could from the window. St. Louis had so much to offer from it's hundreds of restaurants to it's historical pasts, and a part of me didn't want to leave. It reminded me too much of when everything was normal.

"Over there..." I followed his finger which was pointed towards a bridge that hung proudly in the air ahead, shining brightly in the moonlight. It honestly looked beautiful from our view.

"Man...I definitely need to travel more." Curt's deep chuckle caught my attention as he looked at me through the mirror, his eyes lightly creasing from laughing.

The first laugh I've noticed where it reached his eyes...

"Yeah, you and me both." He added, his smile still not fully gone.

"What did I miss?" Richard croaked out as he began stretching his limbs in different directions. He yawned before his scratched his head, looking between Curt and I. Neither of us answered, almost as if that moment with us alone was supposed to be a secret.

"Did I hear laughing?" He asked once more, looking more confused if anything. He ultimately shrugged his shoulder and sat up, waking himself up more.

"How far are we?" He asked while glancing in Curt's direction.

"Almost at the bridge, we'll be there in a few minutes actually."

"If we ever get there." Richard mumbled, but I don't blame him. The road was now thick was abandoned cars, making Curt squeeze through a few of them. I suddenly feared having to ditch the truck, and anxiety started slowly seeping into my chest. 

"Well goodness." Richard said aloud sarcastically. We were barley driving now as the bridge was now in sight. cars littered the road and bridge everywhere. I couldn't help but imagine how beautiful this would have been if everything was normal. The once vibrant, lit bridge was now pure black, it's only source of light coming directly from the moon.

Curt stopped right in front of the entrance of the bridge, the opening closed off by two cars that were parked in front of each other.

"Well someone doesn't want us going in there." Richard sighed, waiting to see what everyone else does. I glanced from the bridge to Curt, the idea of turning around sounded painful, yet I also didn't want I risk anything.

"What are you thinking Curt." I asked him, watching as he was deep into thought while analyzing the bridge. You could almost see the gears shifting above his head as his eyes flicked between each car in front of us.

He sighed deeply, and not just any sigh. It was one of those 'this is not good' type of sighs.

"Richard, you mind giving me a hand?" Curt took his seatbelt off and began opening his door, not bothering to wait on the older male. Thy both made their way out of the truck, Richard following along like a confused puppy.

"Mom? What's going on?" Ash's small voice cut through the silence. She was wiping her eyes while simultaneously yawning.

"There's just some cars in the way. They know what they're doing." She sat up and decided to look for herself, yawning once more.
We both watched as Curt opened the door to one of the cars, leaned in, and put it in a different gear so he and Richard could push it out the way.

"You push from the front." Curt's deep voice echoed through the air. Although we weren't really close, it still somehow found a way to reach our ears.
They both counted to three and began pushing, Curt's strength dominating over the two and noticably making a vast difference as the car started inching backwards towards the edge of the bridge.

"Damn!" Richard yelled out, his face growing more and more red as he pushed as much as he could. His teeth were gritted and he looked exhausted compared to Curt who had his face scrunched in determination.

"Where you going?" Ash asked as I began to open my car door.

"I'll be right back." I confirmed, holding my finger up before I got out to signal for her not to move. I heard Milly lightly whimper as I shut the door, wanting to join along in the new attention.

"Alright sa-" Curt stopped talking once he saw me walk up and open the passenger side door before positioning myself to push against it, my hands ready and placed on the plastic interior just inside the vehicle. I stood facing the back of the car, flicking my eyes up to show Curt I'm ready, who was standing on the opposite parallel side of me.

"Alright, same thing. On the count of three."

"One, two," I looked over at Curt, his muscles already flexing catching my attention. I quickly cleared my throat and got ready, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my cheeks.

"Three!" All three of us pushed with as much strength as we had, not daring to hesitate or stop as we felt it rolling backwards. I heard Richard grunting, as well as the breathless sharp breathing of Curt who was still somehow quiet even during a moment like this.

"Almost there!" The dark hard male called out, not sparing any of us a glance. Once it was far enough to give us access, I collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily from the amount of energy it took.

"'bout time!" Richard breathed out, also breathing heavily. Even Curt was panting a little himself.

"Alright, let's hurry and get the hell out of here." Richard advised as he started heading towards the pickup.

"Not just yet." Curt interrupted once I was finally making my way they direction as well.

"We've got more vehicles to move or we'll never get through here." I squinted my eyes to focus better, using what little light the moonlight offered to look ahead on the bridge. The bridge itself wasn't short that's for sure. It was a decent size and with just the moon it's impossible to tell how many more vehicles were in the way exactly.

"Well, let's get started then..."