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Someone's Missing | Shook Chapter 25 Part 7
The smoke near the trucks was cloudy enough to make you cough, but it wasn’t nearly as dark or everywhere as the fire at Misses Moleti’s house had been. When she got to the trucks, she noticed there was a splash pile of pieces of glass and tire rubble around the trucks.
That close and there was still no sign of Maya. Dyan turned away, tearing up, partly because of the heat of the fire, and part because Maya could be…no. Dyan wouldn’t even think that. Instead, she took a quick breath and looked at the yellow truck.
It had barely been crunched up, the nose of the truck digging into the cracked window.
Mr. Blue’s truck had burst a whole into the side of the highway, leaving a piece of the road missing and the metal railing borken and leaning down. The hole made way for Dyan to look at the rush of cars below, the loud roar of the interstate still present down there. The driver door was open, and for a moment Dyan had a frightful thought of Maya hopping out of the truck too late only to fall far down into the road below.
She cringed and shook her head. Between the cracked road and the truck, Dyan had a triangle of space to walk in to look for Maya.
She went closer to Mr. Blue’s truck, and coughed at the smoke that dried and tickled her throat. The fire on Mr. Blue’s truck had grown bigger, and it heated Dyan up like an oven.
Then, on tippy-toes she leaned in and looked inside Mr. Blue’s truck. Maya was not in the driver’s seat, nor was she in the passenger's seat.
Dyan walked backwards and tried to peer into the sleeper, touching the searing hot metal.
“OUCH!” Dyan grabbed her hand.
“Help!”
Dyan heard a voice. She swivled her head left and right, trying to find the owner of that voice.
She backed up slightly, trying to see in the sleeper once more, but she could hardly see in there, the window was too high up.
“Please! Help! Whoever you are! I’m down here!”
The voice was coming from behind Dyan. she walked a tad closer to the hole in the road, and leaned down to see…Maya!
Dyan gasped.
Maya was really there, dim Blue hair and all. Her hands gripped the highway rail while her other limbs dangled over the racing herd of cars below.
A rush of happiness filled Dyan. “Your alive! e-huh e-huh” She broke into a coughing fit. “How…how did you get down there!?”
“I jumped too late! I need help getting back up the bridge!” Maya looked up a Dyan.
“Don’t worry! Uh, I’ll get help!” Dyan promised.
Dyan looked up the highway to see a sea of people staring at her. The police, Mr. Blue, Mrs. Blue, the rest of the Blue children, and a crowd of people behind a wall of cars not too far behind.
Dyan ran towards them, eager to get help for Maya. But what if there wasn’t enough time to go get help? She took two steps back. But then again, the police are more skilled in saving people and they’ll be able to help. Two steps forward again. Then two steps back. Dyan couldn’t decide.
Then the railing creaked and Maya screamed.
Dyan turned back to Maya. her hands were slowly unravling from the metal, inch by inch. Another piece of the road was coming loose, as it stretched the metal lines under it became more and more exposed.
“Help me! Please Dyan!” Maya wailed, tears streaking her face.
With all the bravery she could gather, Dyan walked back by the edge of the highway bridge. She glared at the orange ball of fire on the other side of the truck. Once she was by the truck's front tires, she closed her eyes, kneeled and reached out a hand to Maya. “Grab my hand!”
Maya figited a bit. “Which hand should I lift, this one or this-”
“Any one!” Dyan yelled over her.
Dyan heard cracks. She opened her eyes to see the part of the road she was kneeling on jutt farther out over the busy roads below it shook and dropped an inch closer.
Dyan screamed and reached her hand out farther to Maya.
Maya grabbed Dyan’s arm with her left hand, and then again with her right. Dyan quickly strained and yanked Maya up. Soon both the girls are on the road and standing. The road dropped even lower, and the trucks groaned.
“Get out the way!” Maya yelled, and she and Dyan took off running. Dyan ran as fast as she could, some relief hitting her as she took her first leap off the highway bridge.
Not more than a moment after Mr. Blue’s truck slanted into the hole it had made in the bridge. The hole in the metal railing was made wider and wider by the truck, until eventually, it fell through.
BAM!
Mr. Blue’s truck landed right dead smack in the middle streets below the highway bridge. Car brakes screeched and traffic was brought to a halt. Luckily, no cars were crushed.
Most people on the upper highway screamed or made noises of shock. Dyan was glad she wasn’t at the trucks when that happened. She looked back to see. Thankfully, Maya was behind her.
Find out what happens next in the next part!
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