Strangers
Riley drove her SUV cautiously down the dark, lonely road at night somewhere in Arkansas as the rain pelted down from the ominous clouds in the sky. The 24-year-old woman knew the way well; she had traveled it many times throughout her life.
Riley stifled a yawn, another four hours of driving until she would reach her beloved ranch with the farmhouse where she grew up.
The rain relentlessly drenched the earth as lightning lit up the sky; it illuminated a small rickety bridge just ahead of her. When she was a small child, she thought the bridge would collapse under her when she crossed it because it was so old, sometimes she still had that thought.
As she approached the bridge, her eyes caught sight of something dangling on the edge of the left side of the bridge. Riley stopped her SUV abruptly when she realized she was staring at the back end of a small car that had slid and hit the side of the bridge. It was barely hanging on over the blackness down below.
The bridge went over a river that ran all the way near Riley’s home. As the rain continued to pound down, Riley sat paralyzed unable to move. After a few seconds, she was able to force herself to move.
She hopped out of her truck and hurried over to the small car bracing herself for what she might find inside.
She carefully peered through the back window, she wiped the window as clear as it would get and shielded her eyes from the rain. She squinted harder; she could barely make out a figure in the back seat.
“Hold on!” Riley called out, unsure if the person heard her over the rain.
Riley slowly took hold of the door handle and tugged slowly, and the door came open. She slowly opened the door a little further and peered inside. She saw a woman noticeably shaking, plastered against the back seat.
Her knees were up against her chin with her arms wrapped around them. The two women’s eyes locked, and for a few seconds, they just stared at each other. Riley finally found her voice.
“I- I’m going to get you out!” Riley said loudly over the rain.
She ducked her head inside the car and slowly rested her knee on the seat. “J-just leave me alone! You can’t help me, it’s too late! G-Go away before you fall too!” The woman exclaimed shrilly.
Riley was confused by her reaction as they heard the sickening sound of wood splintering beneath them as the car leaned further into the deep darkness below the bridge. Riley quickly lifted her knee from the seat.
“Can, can you come towards me?” Riley asked her holding out her hand.
The woman wide eyed gave a quick shake of her head.
“I told you, go away! Leave me alone!” She yelled again over the pounding rain.
“My name is Riley, I’m going to get you out of here, I won’t let you fall!” She explained to the terrified woman. “What’s your name?” The woman ignored her as she looked around. “I’m going to help you! But you have to trust me! Now please try to grab my hand!” Riley reached her hand out as far as she could towards the woman without leaning on the car.
“I will make this car tip over the edge if you don’t leave right now!” The woman threatened. Riley stared at her in bewilderment for a few moments. A clap of thunder brought her back to her senses. “Then I will go over with you, I’m not leaving!” She exclaimed stubbornly. The woman gave an exasperated huff and looked annoyed at Riley.
Riley assumed the woman was just terrified and didn’t want her to die as well. The urge to save her intensified. “Make your choice, either grab my hand, or we both die!” Riley exclaimed determined.
Underneath them, both women heard the wood giving way and the car starting to tilt more. Their eyes met again, and they both knew what was about to happen. Riley held fast with one hand gripping the door and the other outstretched to the woman inches away from her. “Please take my hand.” She pleaded with her looking deep into the light blue eyes.
They felt the shifting of the small car, the woman blew out the air she was holding and reached out and took Riley’s hand. The car started leaning more; the woman gasped and reached out her other hand.
Riley grasped it with her other and pulled the woman towards her. She gripped Riley’s hands tightly; the fear was still present in her eyes.
“Now pull yourself up!” Riley yelled, just as the car tilted more towards the darkness below. She let out a little cry as she pushed herself up and lunged towards Riley. The two women embraced each other tightly as Riley pulled her from the car just as the car went over the side of the bridge.
They fell onto the pavement, both still embracing each other tightly the woman on top of Riley. They heard the car plunge into the water below, Riley continued to hold on to her. The rain pelted down on them, the thunder rolled and the lightning lit up the sky as they lay there together.
Finally, she let go just enough to lift her head from Riley’s chest and look into her rescuer’s face. A single tear or a raindrop Riley wasn’t for sure rolled down the woman’s dirt-streaked cheek. Riley gently wiped it away.
