The Devil's Blessing Page 17
Now there were four men on the ground, only this time, Otto was frustrated. I was so close to making it out alive, he thought. Then he stopped himself. No, I am going to make it out alive.
He grabbed his gun and used it like a small crutch to push himself up, while grabbing the right side of his body.
He stumbled outside and felt a breeze. It felt nice. He looked around. It seemed as if the sun had gotten brighter, but the world was more silent. Everything seemed to be moving slowly.
He looked up and saw her. Ursula. She looked like a hiker with the silhouette of the sky behind her. She was running towards a man. That man was waving to her, to come closer. To hurry. Spots of dirt were popping up around her. She was being shot at, but it seemed that the bullets were missing.
Otto looked down again. The blood was black—his liver. And that's when he realized he wouldn't be joining her. He laid back against the wall of the house and slowly slid down, taking in the last moments of his life.
He realized that one of these thoughts that he was having would soon be his last. He wasn't sure what to do. To pray, or to think of something lovely. He didn't have any experience in dying, because he had never done it before.
But for what he lacked in thought, he more than made up in realizing the feeling in his body.
He felt great.
He had never realized and appreciated how much pain covered his body, from his muscles to his bones. He didn't feel well per se, he just didn't feel horrible anymore. And to him, that was great.
The world was now entirely quiet, which he liked, but he could still see. He saw that Richard was the first to be grabbed by an American, followed by Ursula. She seemed to resist, however, as if she was looking for someone. She was calling for someone down the hill, until, finally, an American grabbed her, pulling her away from the line of fire. And then she was gone.
That's when another feeling hit Otto—this time it was one from the heart. He felt vindicated. As if the past wasn't so much forgiven, but as if it had never happened. The only thing that existed was the present, and that meant that Ursula and Richard, Ulrich's son, were free. Just like him.
He grabbed some of the dirt on the ground and lifted it up, letting it run through his fingers.
It was strange that he couldn't feel it.
I hope you loved reading the book as much as I loved writing it for you. If you have a second, I would really appreciate a short review. Your time and graciousness makes it that much easier for readers to find and share this journey we just had.
Thank you in advance!
To sign up for my newsletter, for free giveaways and the latest news and releases, please go here: http://untitledmanuscript.com/list/
Connect with Tony online:
(t) https://twitter.com/hernandeztony
(ig) https://www.instagram.com/antoniohernandez/
(e) http://untitledmanuscript.com/contact/
(w) http://untitledmanuscript.com
(f) fb.com/tonyhernandezauthor
Acknowledgments
First, all honor and glory go to God and Him alone.
A special thank you to my beta readers Debby O'Connor and Jeremy Bogart whose advise and input was invaluable.
My biggest thanks goes out to my adopted French family, Mayeul Fournier de Saint Jean and his son, my tocayo, Joseph Antonin. But in particular, my biggest thanks goes out Mayeul’s wife and Joseph’s mother, Dorothée.
Dorothée, you know that I was in a rough patch when I stayed with you and your family and your warmth and hospitality has carried me and this book till the end. There was that afternoon that we both sat down in your home and started writing on our respective books, both our second and the one you are reading now. That is my favorite memory in creating this novel so thank you for being such a big part in this small creation.
Go Cardinals,
Tony Hernandez
Phoenix Arizona
September 2016
About the Author
Tony Hernandez is from Phoenix Arizona