Chapter 50 - The Iron Citadel Crumbles
Suddenly, the entire train lurched with violent momentum.
Outside, a surviving loyalist engineer had bypassed the air brakes in the locomotive, pulling the throttle wide open to flee the burning yard.
The iron wheels screamed against the rails, throwing Caleb, Clara, and Arthur across the splintered floor as the heavy armored train began hurtling out of the station.
"The switch!" Caleb yelled, scrambling toward the observation platform. "The southern switch is set for the abandoned trestle! The bridge isn't finished!"
The train was picking up terrifying speed, plunging blindly into the blizzard along the precarious mountain ledge. The wind howled through the blown-out windows, whipping snow and ash into the ruined parlor car.
Judge Vance’s voice crackled over the carriage's emergency telegraph line on the wall—the line connected to the depot:
*PULL THE EMERGENCY LEVER! THE CHASM IS TWO MILES OUT! THE BRIDGE ENDS IN AIR!*
Arthur, crawling on his belly toward the fallen shotgun, locked eyes with Clara. A mad, venomous triumph flashed in his eyes.
"We go together, Clara," Arthur snarled, his hand reaching for the trigger. "The family business ends at the bottom of the gorge!"
Caleb fired.
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The shot took Arthur through the chest, ending the tyrant of the Chicago syndicate where he lay. But as his body slumped, his falling weight snapped the iron brake linkage completely out of its housing.
The brakes were dead.
