Hell Follows After (Monster of the Apocalypse Saga) by C. Henry Martens

If they were sucked in, the next pair, the front of the hitch, would follow with the weight of two teams dragging them down. With six animals hanging, the wagon would probably follow or at least be severely damaged by being torn apart.
    Frozen, eyes wide and terrified as the cattle disappeared beneath the surface of the road, Muffy screamed.
    A small barrel of light logging chain inside the tailgate of the Smithy wagon stood ready to be used by any who needed it. Realizing that the four oxen still on top were in jeopardy of their lives and that the road surface might collapse further, Edge leapt from his work area with a length of chain.
    “OCCAM, Hold up!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs. “Hold up for God’s sake!”
    The forward motion of the Smithy wagon halted, and Occam looked back, startled at the panic in Edge’s cry.
    Fastening the chain to a D-ring that was attached to a strap running the length of the wagon, Edge rushed back, plunging between the oxen as they struggled and heaved. The heavy animals lurched side to side, and Edge took a great risk as he made to save the remaining four. He could have attached the chain to the front, saving any threat, but instead chose to get as far back as he could so the strain would be off the rear legs of the second team. He risked being pulled into the hole with the oxen if they slipped through or if the road collapsed further.
    Pulling with all his strength, Edge made sure the chain was as tight as it could be. He looked up through the hitch to the front and noted Muffy watching with wide eyes. She held the head of the on-side lead ox, trying to calm him as she urged him to pull.
    By this time, Occam had seen and understood what was happening. Seeing what his apprentice was attempting, he moved to chock the wheels of his Conestoga so it could not slide backwards, ready to run forward to the head of his hitch if the chocks did not hold.
    Looking past Muffy, Edge yelled to Occam, signaling both of them to slack the pull. The forward wagon moved back slightly as it settled into the chocks, the chain tightened like a banjo string, and suddenly the strain on the remaining teams was gone.
    When Edge looked back into the hole the oxen within had already stopped struggling. They hung with their rear hooves twitching a full ten feet off the ground. Sad, his adrenaline still pumping, Edge still had the urgency to save the other beasts in case the bridge collapsed further. He unhooked the front span and encouraged Muffy to lead them away quickly, wanting her off the bridge as well. Then he worked to remove the yoke from the other two. The way the straining chain was attached meant he had to take off the yoke to free them. The empty yoke dropped to the side of the hole, the chain descending over the edge. Edge attached leads to nose rings and led the animals to safety.
    The trapped and twisted wagon was held firmly by the wheel buried into the concrete and the weight of the team hanging from it. The animals would have to be cut free before the Conestoga could be moved.
    The train was stopped for the day between respites because of the accident. They would make a dry camp here and move on after figuring out how to release the dead animals and pull the wagon back, up, and out of the hole. Then they would have to move the wagon back and around, as well as the few others behind them. The overpass was no longer passable.
    Occam and Edge consulted over the situation. They had decided to forgo a team in Reno by not replacing the cripple and the thin steer. With only three extra spans, they had now lost one. Sure that there would be replacements available in Denver, they now worried over whether they would get there.
    Company wagons were obliged to look to themselves first. The Company Ox Master, Arc, was someone they would never ask assistance of. They did not want to see the expression on his face as he turned them down.
    Independent wagons were their only hope if they got in trouble,