Summary

The short story “Last Bridge Burned” by Ron Rash begins as the main character, Carlyle, hears a song on the radio. This reminds him of a night two years earlier, when a woman knocked at his gas station shop after closing time. 

The woman looked distressed, with mild scratches, thin clothes, and without any shoes. Carlyle did not open the door at first and went about closing the shop. However, he eventually changed his mind and let the woman in, assuming she was drugged or drunk. The woman told him that she was thrown out of a car because of a disagreement and did not expect the people she was with to return for her. After the woman cleaned her scratches, the man let her sleep and went outside thinking about what to do next. He considered let...