Better to Die a Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

Bryan pointed to a brown trench coat lying over the top of the weathered crate. “The gun’s not loaded, I've checked all the revolvers too and separated the loose bullets by caliber.”
    “Look at this.” Bryan unsheathed the sword. The sound of the steel leaving its scabbard impressed both boys. “Some of these guns could be collectables and this sword, it’s stamped 1864.” He held it out to Steve.
    “Do you still have your penis?” Steve asked, taking the sword.
    “About that.” Bryan pointed to the ceiling.
    Steve looked up at the seven-inch gash and smiled. A ringing doorbell interrupted the teen’s attempt to come up with something clever to say. Without hesitation, he handed the sword back to Bryan and darted out of the bedroom. Trotting down the stairs seemed easy enough, but he knew not to attempt any leaps on the way up. If the person at the door was who he expected, a faux pas like falling all over the staircase could cause a lifetime’s worth of nightmares.
    Steve jerked the door open almost hitting his foot. A beautiful girl stood on the doorstep. Nora wasn’t in the tights of his earlier imaginings, but sported baggy jeans and a sweatshirt that hid her exceptional figure from the world of man.
    “Hi, Steve,” she said with a mother-of-pearl smile. Her gaze never left Steve's face as she stepped in past the youth, pausing to wipe her soles on the door rug, out of polite habit not because the bottom of her shoes needed cleaning.
    Her proximity caught him by surprise. “Uh,” and a smile was all he could get out before the door closed and the pair headed up stairs. This happened often, but Nora’s pleasant demeanor always allowed him to make a fast recovery. The weekly visits to his house over their senior year were always short, but pleasant. They would chat for a few minutes and then she would change clothes in his bathroom. She went in wearing clothes her mother approved of and came out wearing something he was sure her parents didn't know she owned—usually tight, always revealing. Nora would then leave for the mall to meet her girlfriends. Steve didn't care if she was using his place for a changing room. Having her around was an exhilarating experience. Not only that, but because she was the smartest and most popular girl in school, it had to help raise his and Bryan's stature.
    Bryan's jaw fell to his chest when Nora walked in the room. “Hi Nora, I didn't know you were coming over.”
    “Hi Bryan.” Her chipper tone turned cautious. “Oh, you have the guns out. They kind of make me nervous.”
    “We were just putting them away.” Steve motioned for Bryan to help.
    Bryan enfolded each pistol in its own protective cloth and placed them into the crate.
    “I have something for you Steve.” Nora slipped a florescent-green tote bag off her shoulder onto the corner of the bed. She reached in and pulled out a large antique bottle containing a yellow powder. The long glass neck had a thin leather patch tied over the opening. “And here's the note that was in the bottle.” She held out both items. The brittle paper, covered in faded Chinese characters, crackled during the exchange.
    He looked at the bottle curiously. Two days ago when Nora had left with the bottle, it contained a yellowish mass as hard as stone and the leather patch was a new addition. “What'd your grandfather do to this stuff?”
    “He chipped it out and ground it up,” she replied. “It's rhinoceros horn. I have to change, I'll be right out.” She gave them a smile, grabbed her tote, and entered the bathroom closing the door behind her.
    “So buddy,” Bryan said, “is there something you want to tell me?”
    “I wish there was something to tell,” Steve said. “She came over the other day to get our English assignment, right after I had opened the crate. The bottle was wrapped in a towel sitting on top. When she recognized Chinese writing on the paper in side, she grabbed the bottle, grabbed the assignment,