“Cradling His Brother as Flames Consumed Everything Else.”

Yet alongside the grief came something else.
A truth that hurt differently.
William had tried to save his brother.

The family believes William used his body to shield Zachariah.
To protect him from smoke and flame.
To be a barrier.

Six years old.
And already a hero.

Parents often teach children to protect one another.

They do not expect that lesson to be tested this way.
They do not imagine it will cost a life.

William did not run.
He did not leave his brother behind.

He stayed.

That choice now defines him.
Not as a victim.
But as a protector.