55
The sky was black. Malevolent.
Alice brought the Explorer to a stop fifty yards short of the Iron Bridge. She left the engine running. She couldn't see it, but somewhere between her and that bridge was that wall. She knew it was in her head. In her being. But she tried to picture it as a real wall. A brick wall. In her mind, she turned that brick wall into a fence. Because the Explorer could smash through a wooden fence, easy.
Alice closed her eyes. She decided to go for it after a count of ten. She got as far as eight before she floored the gas pedal and accelerated toward the bridge. If she'd gotten to ten, she knew she wouldn't have done it. Now, there was no turning back. She held on tight to the wheel, as if braced for impact, her elbows locked out so she couldn't turn out of it
