Chapter 49 - closing the gates
"Avery, help me!" Dominic roared over the deafening sound of the rushing water. The manual override wheel was massive, designed to be turned by heavy machinery, not human hands.
I sprinted over, grabbing the cold steel bars of the wheel right beside him. We planted our boots onto the wet concrete floor, gripping the iron with everything we had.
"On three!" Dominic yelled. "One! Two! Three!"
We pulled with absolute, agonizing, kinetic force. The muscles in my arms burned like fire, but I refused to let go. I channeled every ounce of strength I had developed over ten years of brutal physical training. I thought of my father. I thought of the city. I thought of the man pulling the wheel beside me.
The heavy steel gears shrieked, groaning against the immense water pressure. Slowly, agonizingly, the massive wheel began to turn. With one final, explosive burst of coordinated strength, we forced the wheel entirely to the left, dropping the heavy locking pin into place.
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The deafening roar of the water abruptly stopped. The flashing red klaxons ceased. The dam was completely, permanently sealed. We had just saved millions of lives and the entire Sterling legacy.
👉 read part 50 for the magnificent epic conclusion.
