A Vagrant Story by Paul Croasdell Read Free Book Online

end wall. He used his hands to push off and break through a door to the right. Fortunately it had been weakened by the heat or else he would have found himself bouncing straight back.
    He ploughed through and landed flat on the floor, from where he glanced around. Flames tapered the room in an ominous glow, blocking paths and shrouding whatever persons waited inside. The interior seemed due to collapse into a scaffold topped pile of rubble.
    Standing to a hunch, he coughed for choking smoke. “Hello! I can’t see very well - say something, please!”
    It felt useless. The blaze alone grew far too raucous for anyone to hear. He could hardly hear himself.
    “Please,” he coughed, “answer.”
    Fallen to his knees, the concrete floor singed his palms. His heart grew weaker, regret and doubt choked that adrenaline dry. He found himself wondering what he was doing here. A distant cough broke the thought. It came from the opposite corner of the room.
    Through a watery haze Henry could make out a man wearing a brown suit. He lay unmoving on the ground at the far end.
    On sighting the target, Henry began to crawl, and crawl, then stand. Finding himself with a second wind, he ran then fell by the man’s side. Henry pulled and tugged the man to no avail. His skinny arms were no match for his robust figure. So he shook him, and shook, and shook him.
    Henry could feel light breathing in the man’s chest. “Can you hear me? Please answer me! I’m not able to lift you. Please … answer me.”
    The air was nearly gone from him. Henry felt his neck wobble. His eyes burned with smoke. They began to close. His body was weak. His back was on the ground.
    ***
    Outside, the others spread about the perimeter in search of another way in. The laneway had already been consumed.
    They regrouped at the front.
    “That idiot!” Rum yelled. “What the hell does he think he’s doing? That stupid dud is gonna get himself killed.”
    Alex began wrapping a jumper over his upper body. “That does seem quite the issue. Someone’s gonna have to bail Henry out and I don’t see you jumping for the task.”
    “You’re mad. You can’t go in there. Wake up.”
    “Wake me when I’m sane then.”
    Alex ran with no more words to spare. He ran to the side lane without care for the flame. Fire drenching his pale skin, he aimlessly navigated to the end. He jumped through the very naked flames themselves to the kicked in door.
    Bursting from the shield of heat he fell to the floor. The pain of his actions at once caught up with him, his arms stung with heat burn. Breaking into a coughing fit he crawled forward though he did not know the way. He inched over to the foot of a bare shelving unit, using it for leverage to stand.
    Only had he carried himself to a safe distance a support beam came crashing down behind. It brought down a portion of the upper floor, blocking off the entrance point, and any possible retreat.
    Glancing back at this crushed piece of hope, Alex called out in desperation. “Henry! Can you hear me?”
    He stared hard against the grey curtain of smoke, eyes squinting – draining. His focus cleared enough to spot two people through the smoke. They lay flat on the ground, stiff like mannequins.
    Alex reached them within an inch of his limits. He used what strength remained to weigh his circumstance. The rear entrance had been blocked by fallen debris. What segments didn’t fall creaked eerily on edge. His only hope lay on the main door up front being unlocked on this side. The slim chance alone he could manage, lugging both men the whole ten yards was the problem.
    Sounds of give from the upper floor stirred his body to a second wind. He slung the larger stranger over shoulder and hung Henry under arm. He took a step in the right direction - a heavy, straining step. 
    Too late. The upper floor collapsed into an avalanche of household objects. A torrent of domestic memorabilia poured through the hole like sand in an hour glass. They