After what felt like an eternity of navigating the treacherous labyrinth of stalled cars, they finally saw it. The military roadblock from the soldier's journal. The epicenter of the highway's fall. It was not just a checkpoint; it was a fortress, built across the full span of the Mill River Bridge, a massive concrete and steel artery that was meant to be their primary way out of the city. And it was a tomb.
The sight stole the breath from their lungs. Two M1 Abrams tanks were positioned at the entrance to the bridge, their great cannons pointing uselessly at the sky. Humvees and an Armored Personnel Carrier were arranged in a tight, defensive perimeter, now serving as grotesque planters for the bodies and wreckage that had piled up against them. The entire chokepoint was a solid, multi-layered wall of twisted metal, burned-out vehicles, and the dead.
