Tearing The Shroud Read Online Free PDF Page A

house passed inches before his face; he could count the dowels holding them.
    His thoughts were as weightless as he felt, floating through his mind.
    Is this how birds feel?
    This is really going to hurt.
    Then the magic moment was over. Time rushed to catch up, sweeping at him with blinding speed. Justus landed on his side with a sickening thud, nearly in the position he slept each night. He felt like a mule had kicked him, and knew something inside him had broken. His first reaction was to move. As he tried, his mouth gaped like a fish out of water, unable to breathe. Moving was out of the question; breathing was oh so much more important. Would this be it? Dying, unable to simply draw a breath? Through his desperate struggles, air slowly worked its way into his wrecked body. He coughed and pain lanced through him like a bolt of lightning, nearly causing him to black out. The flames had leaped out the window and were working down the side of the building. It seemed they didn’t want their prey to escape.
    No, that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe he could roll away. Justus pushed his hand onto the ground and carefully eased onto his back. Each movement brought a shock of pain, as his shattered bones pierced him. Still, he had to get away, had to move, so he pushed, digging in his heels. By his fourth try, he’d traveled a hand-width. It was no use. He was going to die. Justus let out a small breathless sigh and looked up.
    Directly into his brother’s face.
    ‘Justus, are you all right?’ Jonas asked. ‘I just got out of the house. It’s an inferno in there! Have you seen Mother or Father?’ Even if Justus could have drawn the breath to talk, he wouldn’t have been able to get a word in edgewise. Jonas stopped when he rolled his eyes upward. ‘Don’t pass out on me, Justus. Come on now, stay with me.’
    Justus wheezed, ‘I’m not...you idiot...can’t...breathe. Ribs...hurt.’
    ‘Oh Justus, I’m sorry. I didn’t even give you a chance to — ’
    ‘Please.’ Justus pointed weakly at the burning house. ‘Hot...away.’
    ‘Right, of course. Okay. How do we do this? I mean, what hurts?’
    ‘Everything...my side...broken.’
    ‘Let me see what we’re working with,’ Jonas said, as he lifted the nightshirt up. A small gasp of alarm let Justus know things were not good. ‘Okay. I’m going to get under your arms and pull you along.’ His brow wrinkled in concern as he tried to reassure Justus as well as himself. ‘Tell me if it hurts too much, and we will try it another way. All right?’
    Justus nodded.
    As Jonas lifted slightly and started dragging him through the yard, Justus started to moan softly, and sweat broke out on his face.
    ‘Should I stop and let you rest?’
    ‘No,’ Justus said through the cloud of pain. ‘Go.’
    Jonas shook his head. ‘You’ve always been the bookish one. How did you get so tough?’ He dragged Justus until they were at the stone cistern in the courtyard. ‘I figure this will be the best place. If things get too bad, I can douse us with water. Does that sound good to — ’
    A shrill scream rose from the front room of the house. The scream tapered off, paused as if to draw a breath, and started again.
    ‘That’s Mother! I’ve got to help her.’ Jonas leaped up and started across the yard. ‘I’ll be right back,’ he called over his shoulder then disappeared through the flaming portal that was once the front door.
    Justus knew he should have stopped his brother, that it was impossible to make it back out with their mother. But he also knew he would have done the same thing. His mind fogged with pain. Time passed. Minutes? Seconds? The small hope of his brother’s return dwindled with each passing moment. It had been too long. His family was dead, they must be. Yet, he kept his eyes riveted to the door. Shadows moved in the flames. Someone was coming out.
    Jonas stepped through the crumbling, flaming skeleton of the house with someone held in his arms but