The Pulse Effex Series: Box Set

by L. R. Burkard

  Lying here awake, something about that dream is niggling at my brain. Like I’d heard that line before, somewhere. I don’t know where. I can’t quite recall it.

  Richard is back. The hospital was deserted, completely looted and messed up; and he found no medicine anywhere. He went to get some water from the sub-basement.

  Now he’s back from the basement. The water is running out! Great! Another source, gone. So much for staying here. If Mom isn’t better soon, we’ll all die together.

  Somewhere in the middle of the night it started raining. We ran outside onto the balcony with every bowl, cup and pot we had to capture it. The downpour got heavy, drenching us in seconds. Richard and I danced in it, knowing it was life-giving water. Maybe we danced because it was a sign of spring. Maybe it was because somehow we are managing to survive—barely, by a hair, by some provision that appears just before we truly perish.

  Looking back, it seems there have always been small provisions just in time to keep us alive. Except for the baby. But Jesse’s in a better place, at least. As for us, we need these little miracles to live.

  I have to believe they will keep coming.

  SARAH

  ONE WEEK LATER

  It’s just me and Richard, now. I can’t talk about what happened with Mom.

  I’m putting this journal away, hopefully to pick it up again in Indiana.

  LATER

  I have to write. As we were leaving town we passed a Protestant Church. I think it was called Redeemer Fellowship. Anyway, there was a sign out front, the kind that can be changed to say different things each week. What it said will be forever burned in my mind. It read, “There is no suffering that can compare to the glory that is to be revealed.”

  It could not be a coincidence that the sign finished the sentence in my dream! When I saw the sign I got so excited, I told Richard about the dream.

  “What does that mean?” I asked. “The glory that is to be revealed?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.” We walked on. After a minute or two, he said. “I guess it means heaven.” Another silence passed. He added, “If you believe in that stuff.”

  I thought about the dream and then I thought about that sign.

  I do believe in that stuff.

  LEXIE

  We didn’t want to bury them on the property. Roy’s remains, and those of the other members of his gang. They don’t belong here.

  Blake and my dad loaded them in the cart and drove until they reached a ditch on the side of the road. It was deeper than most, and had a lot of spring growth.

  May they rest in peace. (They won’t. God is a God of justice.)

  Life has changed forever. You would have thought it was the EMP that would make me say this—that life has changed. After all, we live without technology, without appliances, without running water and hot showers. But I feel like Roy and his gang changed us even more.

  Take Andrea, for instance. Who would have thought she’d leave the safe room—where she and the others were truly safe—and take a rifle from the vault (which should have been locked, but wasn’t!) and come up to throw her hand in with ours? She said it would have been harder for her to continue to hear fighting and not know who was winning, or who was getting hurt, than it was to stay there and just be safe. And her dead-on shots that night? She says it was beginner’s luck! I don’t think so.

  (Sometimes I wonder if our getting the Pattersons was really to save them, or if their coming was just so that Andrea would be here to save my dad! Maybe it was for both reasons.)

  But no one feels carefree when we’re outside. It’s like the world isn’t safe anymore. How long will we live in the shadow of that night? I don’t know.

  There was another shadow that haunted me too. The feeling that we didn’t have the right to kill anyone. Blake has no misgivings about that. He says self-defense is a constitutional right; that the intruders would have killed us without a qualm; and that we did the right thing. I actually don’t question whether it was the right thing to do, defending ourselves the way we did. I just can’t bring myself to feel good about it.

  I should mention Mrs. Preston regained consciousness the day after all that commotion and noise and violence. She hadn’t a clue about any of it and we left it that way. She was cheerful even though she couldn’t even sit up. Her voice was weak. She said to me, “Don’t forget to take a piece of chocolate from the tray.” I realized she thought she was in her own house. I didn’t say otherwise. The last thing she told me was she’d been dreaming of heaven, had seen Jesus. He was smiling at her, a really big smile.

  I like to think she is standing beneath that smile, today.

  I miss her more than I knew I would. I’ve adopted Butler as my own cat (the girls claimed Moppet). I wanted Butler because he’s the ‘miracle cat,’ the one who scratched Justin and didn’t leave a mark.

  Andrea and I are homeschooling. Mom and Dad are our advisors, our guidance counselors. They basically laid out a course of study that utilizes the books we have, and we have designated hours to read and study each day. I think I’m learning more now than I ever did in class.

  Blake comes by often. He’s mapped out an off-road trail, not too differently than the way I rode to his place when I wanted help finding Dad. He’s gotten to be an accomplished rider now that he makes the trip so often. We worried about him at first, going out alone on horseback (while there could be more Roy and his gang types about) but he’s always arrived safely and gotten home as well.

  In some ways we’re one big family now. No one has said anything about the Pattersons returning to their own home. Andrea and her mother wish they could have brought more stuff with them, but there’s no question of them going back. They have nothing to survive on there. (Mrs. Patterson doesn’t even do gardening! She’s been learning with us. )

  I don’t relish having two little brothers all the time. Aiden and Quentin fight among themselves, and they fight like cats and dogs with my sisters. When I start to get really annoyed I just remember that if not for us they could have died, and then I can handle it.

  We’ve seen signs of civilization reviving. Some people came by on foot selling candles—they were candle-makers before the grid went down, specializing in soy, scented candles. Now they make “long lasting” and “emergency candles.” We didn’t need candles, but dad spoke with them a long time and says it’s good to see people trying to make an honest living.

  We’ve had five instances where looters came around after Roy’s gang. Two times people succeeded in stealing animals—six chickens and two rabbits in all. So Dad found someone who breeds dogs. We now have a German Shepherd and a Great Dane (named Mozart and Bach) and we’ve had no disappearances since. Whenever the dogs bark it still puts me on edge, though. Andrea and I usually hold hands and pray until Dad sounds the all clear.

  Now and then I think about the old days and wonder if they’ll ever come back. I still have my iPad underneath my bed. I miss so many people. But I try not to think about them because there’s no mail and no way to get in touch with anyone unless they’re neighbors. We did find out that five families who live within a mile of us are still in their homes, eking by. Andrea and I were talking about school the other day and Sarah came up. We have no idea how she’s doing. I pray for her and her family.

  In the old, old days when our country was poorer it used to be everyone knew how to do food storage in case of hard times. Then it got to seem like only paranoid people did. But Dad says before the EMP there was a growing population of people just like us, normal folks who saved for a rainy day or emergency. In other words, there are pockets of preppers all over the country who prepared the way we have. He believes God raised up a remnant to survive and worship him. There will be other survivors too, of course, but definitely a community of faith.

  It’s good to know this. It’s good to know we’re not the only ones who got through this past winter. Someday, maybe soon, life will get back to the way it used to be.

&
nbsp; There’s only one thing I don’t want to return to the way it was. My relationship with Blake. Blake sits next to me every week at Bible study, we ride together, and we hold hands a lot. He’s become a good listener, because I talk a lot while we do stuff around the farm. Somehow he finds time to come over and hang out with me while I do chores. Last week, he’d been helping me catch chickens that were slated for butchering and I’d fallen down after losing my grip on a hen. I laughed as he grasped my hand and pulled me to my feet. Right there outside the coop in broad daylight, when he pulled me to my feet, he kept on pulling until I was up close to him. Our eyes met. I knew he was waiting to see if I would pull away. When I didn’t, he kissed me.

  They say a first kiss should be special? It was! Sweet, is how I’d describe it.

  I wouldn’t want to kiss anyone else, but I loved kissing Blake.

  Someday, I want to be Mrs. Blake Buchanan.

  I can’t wait!

  Afterword

  If you surf the web for information regarding a possible EMP, you will find lots of great information. You will also find lots of misinformation. For the purpose of this story and because my research supported the idea, I have vehicles dying at the moment of the pulse. After I finished the book I saw research suggesting that some vehicles might not die from an EMP, but only from a HEMP. (That is, a high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse, such as would occur if we were attacked by an enemy.)

  For a more thorough overview of common EMP myths, check out http://www.futurescience.com/emp/EMP-myths.html

  Regardless of the transportation issue, on a personal note, I do recommend that everyone, no matter where you live, keep a pantry stocked for an emergency. Whether or not an EMP occurs, the fact is that other things happen: jobs are lost, the economy suffers downturns, hurricanes and other storms occur, all of which can be more bearable to live through if you have basic food and water supplies on hand. Whatever your budget, you can buy one extra can of a nutrient-dense food each time you shop, and store it. Do the same with water. After a year or so, begin to use your stored food, making sure to replenish whatever you consume.

  And there’s one other thing you can do, something which can only benefit everyone: Pray for our country and our planet!

  Wishing you safety and peace,

  Linore

  PS: Take advantage of my reader bonus, below! It’s a small thank you for reading my book.

  READER BONUS: Andrea’s Epilogue

  See what life is like for Andrea since coming to live with the Martins but before the sequel, RESILIENCE, opens. (This book began with Andrea so it’s fair she gets a chance to close it!) Simply join the mailing list by visiting my website at

  http://www.LRBurkard.com

  and the epilogue will be emailed to you right away.

  You’ll also get a link for a second free PDF: “Where Do I Start? Fool-Proof Preparedness for Beginners.”

  BEFORE YOU READ ON:

  CAN YOU REVIEW THIS STORY?

  Few readers know how much an author appreciates a review. If you enjoyed the book, please tell others what you liked most about it. Leave a review on Amazon, GoodReads, or BarnesandNoble.

  The author and the publisher thank you!

  NOW, ENJOY BOOK TWO!

  RESILIENCE

  The Pulse Effex Series Book Two

  L.R.Burkard

  RESILIENCE, Book Two in the PULSE EFFEX SERIES, picks up the thrill-ride where PULSE left off!

  lilLPUT PRESS

  Copyright ©2016 Linore Rose Burkard

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  All Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  In this action-packed sequel to PULSE, author L.R. Burkard takes readers on a spine-tingling journey into a landscape where teens shoulder rifles instead of school books and where survival might mean becoming your own worst enemy.

  “BAR OF EXCELLENCE RAISED TO NEW HEIGHTS!”

  L.R. Burkard is back with the next tale in her dystopian series, and the bar of excellence is raised to new heights with this top quality literary offering!

  DEENA PETERSON, Blogger, Book Reviewer

  Burkard ratchets up the tension. The much anticipated sequel to PULSE did not disappoint. I loved this story!

  TERESA SLACK, AUTHOR

  Like the first book in the series, RESILIENCE is a gripping work. I found myself thoroughly engrossed, so much so that I could hardly believe how quickly I arrived at the last page. And, of course, I eagerly await the sequel to this volume!

  DOUG ERLANDSON, Top 100 Amazon Reviewer

  I’m not a fan of first person narratives. However, L.R. Burkard changed my opinion with RESILIENCE. She plucked me out of my safe and sane world and set me squarely in the lives of three teenage girls coping with our nation’s potential worst nightmare!

  LINDA F. HARRIS, Author, Reviewer

  I really love this series of books. They are suspenseful, emotional, spiritual, and fun! You can’t find a better example of this type of disaster and survival story.

  LEE BROOM, Blogger, Book Reviewer

  Linore Burkard has a tremendous ability to draw the reader into the world of these young teen women. Her words paint a real-life that is very believable and that tantalize all the senses!

  GINA BURGESS, Vine Voice

  Rip-Roaring Read! This book was just as riveting as the first one. While I’m usually a historical romance reader, I’m finding dystopian novels to be a fun read too, especially these two books by L. R. Burkard. She does an exceptional job at portraying a world gone awry and what happens. Pick up a copy. You won’t regret it!

  JODIE A. WOLFE, Author, Reviewer

  The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. Revelation 16:10

  It is worth being in the darkness to see the stars.

  Harriet Beecher Stowe

  Chapter 1

  SARAH

  MAY 11

  Four months after the pulse

  I knew before we left that something was wrong but Richard never listens to me.

  It was dusk, time to get moving. Most people stay in after dark, which is why we travel at night. It’s safer this way. People are the primary threat. Not regular, normal people like your grandmother or neighbors, or kindergarten teacher; those people are mostly gone. All the nice ones, gone! The ones left? They’re the reason we move at night.

  “We don’t have time, Sarah.” I looked up at my brother, my only family in the world I know for sure is still alive now that the EMP has sent our country into the dark ages.

  “Almost done.”

  He frowned as I hurried to scribble a few more lines in this journal, one of the meager belongings I’ve held onto from the time life was normal. Since before the EMP—the electromagnetic pulse that took down the power grid of the nation.

  We were in an abandoned barn, where we’d slept on old, musty hay. It was far cleaner than other places we’d spent the night recently. Richard brushed hay out of his hair, and pulled a comb from his back pocket. I have to hand it to him—he’s grown a beard, but still manages to stay neat and groomed. His hair is short—he shaved his off not long after I shaved mine and for the same reason—lice. But unlike me, he looks good with the crew cut, like a military guy off duty. Except Richard is on duty. He’s always on duty. Life is too dangerous to ever relax, ever let down our guard.

  “C’mon, time’s up.” My eyes met Richard’s and I sighed, shutting my book and letting him pull me to my feet. He was right. I could hardly see what I was writing in the fading light. I shoved my journal and pen into my purse, strung it
around my neck and tied it across my torso, close to my body. I shook hay off and pulled on my coat and zippered it, hiding the purse. Richard had already replaced his knife into its ankle holster, checked the pistol in his pocket, and was ready to move on. He slung the military-issue daypack over his back, then his rifle, and nodded at me.

  Sometimes it was hard to remember this was Richard, my brother who had gone off to college and come home thinking guns should be banned. Or that building a strong military was foolish. Now he looks for firearms all the time. Sometimes we find them on fallen bodies… that’s all I can say right now about that.

  “Ready?” He peered outside at the gathering darkness. “There’ll be little moonlight. We might be able to stay on the road.”

  My heart rose. I was sick to death of traveling across fields and brush and woods. I never disliked nature particularly, but I never dreamed I’d be stuck out in it in all kinds of wind and weather, trudging through woods and fields at night where no one was really meant to walk. Following a trail would have been easier, but we didn’t dare. We had to forge our way, relying heavily on a topographical map Richard picked up once at a much-looted hardware store. The map helped immeasurably, but it couldn’t help us avoid the myriad little brooks and streams that dot Ohio, making our progress towards Aunt Susan’s house in Indiana slow and cumbersome. We might have been there by now if we didn’t have to follow waterways until we found a good crossing. Roads were so much easier. Civilized—as long as you didn’t run into other people. Starvation was a constant threat, but people were the scariest one.

  Aside from other human beings, nothing creeps me out the way it used to. We’d come across wild dogs, coyotes, deer, foxes, raccoons, corn snakes, and the occasional skunk numerous times—but the sight of a wild critter was welcome. It might mean dinner. I try to keep my distance from snakes, sure, but ever since Richard caught and cooked a few, I lost my horror of them.