Heroes of Falledge Book One: Black Hellebore Read Online Free PDF Page B

beam. His arms burned, as did his chest. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on his breathing, even as he felt the wall vibrate and the building shake. It wouldn't be long before it collapsed.
    With a burst of pain, his head collided with the ceiling.
    The platform beneath the door to the roof had collapsed already. Nicholas was running out of options. The door was only two feet away, but he had no easy way to access it.
    Pulling himself up even higher, his arms shaking from muscle fatigue, he grabbed onto a ceiling beam. He swung forward to grab the next one with his other hand. Using the parallel beams as monkey bars, he closed the distance between him and the door. A roar sounded as the wall farthest from him caved in. The ceiling slanted horribly.
    He had to get out. Now. Or better yet, a minute ago.
    Nicholas swung his lower body back and forth. He brought his right leg up toward the door, but missed.
    He tried again. This time, his foot brushed it.
    The crash of shattering glass filled his ears. He tried to block out all sounds and smells and concentrate. His thundering heartbeat was loud enough, a distraction in its own right.
    Again, his foot tapped the door. His jean got caught on the door handle.
    He yanked and tugged and finally freed himself, but the door remained shut. The handle hadn't budged. The door must be locked.
    This time, both of his legs collided forcefully with the door. It took five tries, but it finally burst open. He swung back and forth countless times, trying to gather the courage to jump through. If he missed, he would meet the same fate as the other guy. Although he loved Justina and wanted to be with her, he wasn't ready to die.
    He forced himself to keep his eyes open as he swung his legs toward the door. He tucked his body into a ball to make it through the door, then spread out his arms. They braced against the open door frame, his lower half still in the building, his upper on the roof. He shimmied his body forward until he lay flat out against the slanted roof.
    Gasping, ready to cry out from the effort of staying alive, he crawled to the edge of the rooftop. He jumped onto the next roof over and landed in a roll.
    The building he had just escaped collapsed into a pile of melted, destroyed metal, the liquids seeping onto the grass. In the earliest glimmer of sunlight, Nicholas watched the grass shrivel up, dying instantly.
    The wail of approaching sirens roused him. He had to get away from here. The last thing he needed was for the police to think he had something to do with this.
    He climbed to his feet. Hunched over, he put his hands on his knees. His jeans were wet. Sweat?
    He brought his hands up. They were covered in blood.
    He pulled his trench coat to the side. Sometime during the fight or maybe when the one catwalk beam had shattered, a large chunk of metal had buried itself deep into his side. Adrenaline must still be coursing through his veins, because he felt no pain even though he knew he had to be in a considerable amount.
    Nicholas found a fire escape -- luckily it faced away from the still-flowing liquid -- and climbed down to the ground. He moved slower than normal, and each step took a huge amount of effort. His body was shutting down.
    The metal piece prevented him from bleeding out. He knew this, but he could smell himself. Between the scent of blood and sweat rose the stench of bowels and pus. It must have punctured his stomach, maybe his lung as well, because he thought he should have been able to breathe easier by now.
    His back against the building, he lowered himself to the ground. He had to grip the metal with both hands to have the strength to yank it out. Blood gushed forced. Closing his eyes, he waited to breathe his last.

Chapter Seven
    Nicholas opened his eyes and blinked against the bright light. He waited impatiently for his eyes to adjust so he could see his Justina, for surely she would be the first sight he would see.
    Instead he saw a purple-haired