The Sovereign

Cables

I turned as soon as my feet left the ground, grabbing the steel I-beams and swinging myself downwards.

I let go and let myself fall to a lower beam, which I nearly missed. 

Catching my breath, I began to swing back and forth, generating enough momentum to move to the next rusty beam on the underside of the road of the overhang.  I was directly above Tyko's white van.  I noticed, from above, that the large dent in the hood of his van had bent the metal such that I could peer inside.  I saw something glinting in the moonlight.  How could that be?  An engine?  Why wouldn't thugs have taken that one?

The only thing that could possible explain it was a miracle.  I was still to high to drop into it, though.  The Radios were directly above him, trying to claw through the concrete.  I knew that they would be there all night and all day if they had to, and I couldn't hold on for long.

I pulled myself up and sat on the inner edge of the I-beam.  Not exactly comfortable, with the heads of bolts digging into my spine, but I could let my screaming muscles rest. 

•••

I woke up to snarling and whirs of motion in front of my face.  The Radios had broken through solid blacktop, and their zombified canine arms were swinging blindly from above.  The sun had come up, I realized, and the Radios had dug a good few feet from me.  I was safe.  For then.

I had to move quickly, though.  I looked down.  I was still directly above Tyko's van.  I knew it wouldn't run.  But I knew how I could make it. 

I swung to the next I-beam, then the next, until I was at the opposite end of the bridge that I'd started on.  I looked forwards, and sure enough, as I remembered, three or four feet away from the side of the bridge, was a telephone line.  I brought myself back up to the inside of the I-beam.  Drying my hands on my dirty, ripped jeans, I leaned back, and sprang forward with the most energy that I could manage.

My chest hit the wire before my hands, nearly costing me my legs.  I snagged the insulated wire at the last second.  I carefully drew a pocket knife from my jeans and began cutting the wire down. 

I didn't know when it would break, but I positioned my body to swing me the right way when it did.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, it snapped and I swung with the wire in hand down to the campsite.  I didn't exactly land softly, but it was preferable to a sixteen foot free fall. 

I ran with the wire, to the van.  It became a tug of war with the telephone cable.  I was one yard away when I couldn't bring the cable any further.

I heard the Radio dogs scrambling down the hill. I didn't have time.

I closed my eyes and whispered to any deity listening.  "Please." 

Abruptly, the cord jerked forwards.  I felt the ground, but recovered as fast as possible. I brought the cable to the engine, throwing the hood open.  Sure enough, an oil-stained engine was glistening there.

I searched briefly for a battery, and brought the cable to it.  My heart dropped.  It was inches away.  I looked up, to oncoming Radios, then back over my shoulder to a hunched-over telephone pole.  "COME ON!" I shouted, as if the pole would listen. 

I tugged it one final time, causing to to smash into the battery. 

I felt the voltage coursing through my chest like a knife.  I fell back to the ground, and pulled myself up against the rocks under the edge of the overhang.

I was only catching my breath and recovering when the pack of Radio dogs was approaching, teeth bared, hate filling their bloodshot yellow eyes. 

I forced myself back to my feet, and ran to the opposite side of the van.  The door was open.  I dove in and slammed it behind me, locking it and pulling myself to the drivers seat.

I'd never been inside Tyko's van, but for some reason, his brakes, steering wheel, and engine were intact.  Why he didn't say anything is beyond me even to now, but I thanked God for it.  The Radios were slamming into the car once again.  I twisted the key, praying that it would turn on.

Nothing.  A displeasing vchk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chuv... Indicated that it wasn't turning on. I twisted again.  Nothing. 

Something threw its face through the passenger seat window.  I turned the key one more time, the world seeming to slow around me.

The car whirred to life.  The lights came on, illuminating another four Radio dogs hiding in the fog, waiting for the other pack to be done so they could attack them. 

The second pack snarled and launched out of the dark alley.  I pounded the gas pedal, and briefly forgot the Radio coming through the window.

I kicked with my free foot, pulling a painful half-splits.  My foot connected with its eye, sending him back six inches.  The shattered glass dug into its throat.  It howled and whined, and used its back feet to push itself back out of the van.

I drove away, waiting until I couldn't see the skyline of the city to stop and catch my breath.