The Pulse Effex Series: Box Set

by L. R. Burkard

  “C’mon! We gotta get to the house. We’ll talk later.” I pulled my hand out of his and stopped.

  “You go,” I said, coming to a halt. “I’m staying here.” I was too upset to even think about going to the house and possibly facing Andrea. I wanted time to cool off.

  “You’re not armed! That was an active threat alarm!” He paused. “You know the rules. We go to the house.”

  He was right. But I was in no mood to be accommodating. “You’re wasting time. Go.” I turned and headed back into the stall but I heard him behind me.

  “If you’re staying, so am I.” When I looked back, he said, “At least I have this.” He pulled a Glock 19 out of his pocket holster and checked the magazine to make sure it was full. “Get somewhere out of sight while I keep watch.”

  I went towards Rhema’s stall while Blake retrieved the barn walkie-talkie, which we kept hidden under wraps near the rabbit cages, turned off, until it was needed. Why hadn’t I thought of that, I wondered.

  I didn’t seem to be operating with all hands on deck, if you know what I mean. I was so angry I wasn’t thinking clearly. Suddenly, the idea of marauders being on the property at night, which was rare, frightened the heck out of me. But we’d waited too long. If they were on the property, it could be fatal to go out there now. We had to stay put.

  I clicked off the portable lamp so it wouldn’t give us away. I shouldn’t have been using up the batteries for it anyways, since I wasn’t doing chores; and now I had put myself and Blake in danger by my stubbornness. I sat down against a wall of hay, my throat feeling tight.

  “House lights are out,” Blake reported. I could faintly hear the buzz of the walkie-talkie, as Blake listened. He did not speak or give our location, as it could be overheard by the wrong ears. I started worrying in earnest about not having gone to the house when we should have. What if my help was needed to turn away a frontal attack? What if Blake was needed inside? I’d been selfish and foolish not go to in when Blake said we ought to. And here I was, without a firearm.

  I suddenly thought I’d ask Jared to get me an extra rifle I could hide in here somewhere. Just for moments like this, when we were caught out here defenseless. Except we hadn’t actually been “caught”—I’d been too stubborn to return to the house. And now that I needed something, was it right I should ask Jared? When I distrusted his sources, believing his methods of acquisition might be shady?

  Silence engulfed us. Minutes dragged by. We heard no shots, but I was afraid it simply meant no one had a clear target because of the dark. It wasn’t necessarily a sign that we were safe.

  I heard Blake coming towards me and dropped off my musings. “Lex? The lookouts said trucks went by; they didn’t stop here or turn in; they probably didn’t see us. I think we can go to the house now.”

  I was vastly relieved, of course, that we weren’t facing enemies. I started to rise, but I was so relieved that my stubbornness returned in full force.

  “You go. I’m staying here.”

  “Can I stay with you?” Blake’s soft voice tugged at my heart. A part of me wanted him to stay; but why did he ask permission? Why didn’t he just stay if he wanted to?

  “No.”

  He was silent a moment and then he came towards me. “Take this.”

  I felt the cold, hard steel of his Glock and took it, mumbling, “Thanks.” I would have been a lot more thankful if he’d stayed, if he’d continued to tell me he hadn’t kissed Andrea and that he cared about me. But there was a lot of talk after an alarm or an attack and I figured he wanted to get the scoop. I did, too. But sometimes it’s hard to give up being miserable. I stayed. I heard him leave. When he’d closed the barn door behind him, I took up right where I’d left off.

  Crying.

  Chapter 18

  ANDREA

  Wretched morning. Lexie never came to our bedroom last night. Or, if she did, I was already asleep. When I awoke her bed was empty, and I couldn’t tell if she’d slept in it or not. I’m sure she’s still angry so maybe it’s just as well we didn’t see each other. Hopefully she’ll cool off before we do. But I’m on pins and needles—I want to have it out, tell her I’m sorry, and move on.

  Last night we kept lights out for the next half hour after the alarm but no more trucks were spotted. When I saw Jared at breakfast, I asked, “What do you think caused that noise last night?” He had his rifle by his side; I placed mine against the chair and sat down beside him. “Do you think those trucks had anything to do with it?”

  “We’re not sure.”

  “But you have a theory, don’t you?” I noticed Blake at the other end of the table but he looked away as soon as he saw me. I couldn’t blame him.

  “Well—” Jared said, “We’ll be going to see what blew; that might help explain what happened.”

  “How do you know where to look?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You haven’t looked outside this morning?”

  I shook my head. It was Lexie’s day for livestock chores, so I hadn’t been out of the house yet. “Why?”

  “Go look,” he said. I stared at him a moment and then ran to the kitchen window overlooking the back pasture and barn. Most of our downstairs windows are boarded up—for security against intruders—and I couldn’t see much through the slits, so I hurried to the door. Opening it, I drew in a sharp breath.

  Just when that last ugly plume had been dissipating, the western sky now had a new dark blotch, massive and ugly and black. The smoke was bigger than anything we’d seen yet. It didn’t look like a house fire—it had to be larger than that.

  Jared joined me and we looked out. “What is it from?” I asked.

  Washington was filling his plate at the counter and he interjected, “It’s probably propane. There was a supplier over that way with a couple of thousand-gallon tanks. We tried to get fuel from those tanks, but couldn’t get in. Looks like someone got mad and blew ‘em up.”

  I refused to look at him, but turning to Jared I said, “That’s stupid! What a waste of fuel!”

  He nodded and then took my elbow, turning me away from the dismal sight. “C’mon, let’s finish eating.”

  I was silently delighted that Jared had joined me at the door and then had me return to breakfast with him—as if we were a couple. I wanted to get to know him better and it looked like I might get my chance. I wanted to know for sure how old he is, for one thing; and whether he’d ever been married. I knew he was older than me. He’d already served in the military and was stationed in Hawaii until shortly before the pulse. I hoped sitting next to him would become an everyday thing, and that soon I’d find out lots more.

  Back at the table, he said, “A few of us are gonna go investigate the area over there. Find out for sure what it is.”

  “Who’s going?”

  He gave me a look, slowly turning to a hint of a smile. “Not you.”

  “I know!” We girls never left the compound. It was disappointing, but I’d be nervous out on the road anyway. I noticed Jared was still looking at me; with an odd kind of look.

  “What? What is it?”

  “You and Lexie have a fight?”

  I stared at him. “How’d you know?”

  “Because she was in here and saw you and left.” He smirked. “She looked mad.”

  “Just now?” I looked around hopefully—I was afraid to face Lexie, but I knew we needed to talk. There was no sign of her. I hesitated, wondering how much I wanted him to know. “I did something stupid, and she’s mad at me.” I bit my lip.

  “What’d you do?”

  I looked away. “She got the wrong idea. She thinks I’m after her boyfriend.”

  “Are you?”

  “No!” When I looked back at him, he was smiling a little. He leaned towards me. “Why don’t you come to my cabin later? After I get back to the compound.”

  “Your cabin? Is it finished?”

  “Almost.”

  I felt alarmed by his suggestion but I was also intrigue
d. This was precisely what I wanted, wasn’t it? To further my relationship with Jared? I wasn’t sure what he had in mind but it was the first real interest in me I’d felt from him.

  I picked up a spoon and stirred my oatmeal before I answered. “Okay.”

  Chapter 19

  SARAH

  We hurried through the woods for another fifteen minutes. I kept replaying the scene in my head as we went. I saw Mark with his weapon hovering in the air over Richard. Pure rage had overtaken me at the sight, as though I’d been white one second and in the next, bright red with fury. It took me over. I hardly remembered raising my arm or moving towards him but I could clearly recall the way I’d plunged that knife into his back! I’d used every ounce of my strength, more than I knew I had. I couldn’t let him shoot my brother!

  I couldn’t lose Richard.

  And then we ran off. I’d left the knife in Mark’s back—I had no choice. Suddenly a realization hit me: I’d used the knife Tom had given Richard! If I hadn’t fatally wounded him, Mark would return to his parents with that knife in his back; and they would know without a doubt who put it there. They would never suspect Mark of trying to kill us, I’m sure. He’d tell them he followed us to bring us back—and then show that knife as proof of our treachery.

  We would be branded—literally—as backstabbers! It was enormously upsetting. “I have to rest!” I sat down heavily against a tree trunk but I turned myself to face the direction we’d come from. Just in case.

  “We have to keep going. He could be tracking us again.”

  “If he can move, I think he’d go back home for help. He had a knife in his back!”

  Richard sighed and plopped down next to me. “Okay, let’s listen for a minute.” So we did. We were good at that. And then, the strangest sound came wafting through the brush and trees towards us, not from the direction of the Steadmans’ house, but from the north. We looked at each other, perplexed.

  “That’s a vehicle!” Richard got quickly to his feet and held out a hand to help me up. “We must be near a road! Let’s take a peek. But stay behind me and be careful!” We moved hurriedly towards the sound.

  “I thought all cars and trucks were down.”

  “I guess not. That sounds like a big engine—a truck.”

  As we hastened towards it, he added, “There’s more than one!” The rumbling was loud now, and we suddenly got our first glimpse of the source through the trees, and stopped. An army truck lumbered past, followed quickly by another and then another.

  “Stay out of sight!” Richard hissed.

  I had no desire to be discovered so I stayed behind a tree, only peeking at the rear of the trucks as they passed. Afterwards we made our way to the road, which was now silent and empty.

  “It must be true, what that guy told us last month.”

  I knew immediately what Richard referred to. Right after Jesse and then Mom died, we saw a farmhouse about a quarter mile back from the road. We’d been walking all day and needed water. We’d seen other wanderers as needy as we were but right now we were the only ones around. Richard said, “Let’s try this place.”

  “For what?”

  “For water. For anything. C’mon.”

  “No one’s gonna help us,” I said, but I followed Richard. I always followed Richard. He was the only thing keeping us alive, and I’d come to respect his decisions. So we made our weary way down the long drive.

  “Maybe it’s empty,” I said.

  Richard shook his head. “I doubt it. Even if the owners died, someone else would’ve moved in by now. It’s got a pond, look.”

  And it did. Lots of homes had ponds, because here in Ohio the soil is heavy and full of clay. We followed the driveway past an empty field which normally should have been seeded by now with corn or soybeans. Instead, it lay unplanted, dotted only with clumps of weeds. As we got close to the house, a man suddenly stepped out from behind an old shed. He had a rifle.

  “What do you want?”

  Richard said, “We have money. We’re looking to buy food, any food.”

  “Are you kidding? What would we do with money? And there’s nothing here to sell. They picked us clean weeks ago.”

  They. Who, I wondered, were they?

  “Refugees from the city?” Richard asked.

  The man snorted. “Refugees? Heck no! It was government. Said they had the right to take any food they wanted. Said we was hoarding it!” He scowled. “We don’t hoard food. Never have. We store what we need from each harvest to get us through to the next one. That’s it.”

  “Can we buy something from that?” Richard asked. “What you stored?”

  “Son, you’re not hearing me,” the man said, more gently this time. “They took it. They took it all! They even took our chickens and pigs. We have one cow left and we only have that on account of my young son and daughter. My wife begged them on her hands and knees for the sake of the children, to leave us something.” He paused and gave us a pointed look. “I’ve had to shoot two people trying to steal her.” His eyes narrowed. “So don’t get any ideas.”

  I didn’t realize it, but I’d started crying. The man looked at me and something in his face softened. “Look,” he said. “Those men, the ones from the government, said they were taking the food to a public soup kitchen. So maybe you’ll find that.”

  “Were they on foot? “ Richard asked.

  “They had a military truck,” he said. “I asked them how come their truck still worked. They said it came from out of the country. Somewhere not affected by the pulse.”

  “If they could fly in a truck, they could fly in food,” Richard said. “I don’t get it.”

  “Tell me about it,” he said, bitterly. “I don’t like the government; but I never dreamed they’d be the ones to steal everything we’ve got in a crisis.”

  Richard eyed his gun. “Why didn’t you fight?” he asked. “Why didn’t you fight to keep your stuff?”

  “Son, there was a truckload of them and only a few of us. Besides, they were yelling at us to come out peacefully or they’d burn our house down. Claire and I have seen lots of smoke these days...I believed them.” He paused. “And I didn’t know they were gonna rob us blind!”

  He looked at me. “Try and find the soup kitchen. We’ll be doing that ourselves one of these fine days, thanks to our good ol’ USA government.”

  “Can we fill our water bottles from your pond?”

  “What good’ll that do ya? You can’t drink that water.”

  “So can we?” Richard repeated. This time he wasn’t volunteering the information that we could treat the water, which was just as well with me. Talking about it reminded me of how we got the iodide pills, and I still didn’t like to think about that.

  We were turning to leave when the man’s wife came running out holding two bottles of clean water in her hand. “Here, she said. “Take these. They’ve been used, but they’re washed and they’ve got good clean water in them.”

  The farmer turned to us with a smirk. “Those army fellas didn’t recognize our water filter, or I guess they’d have taken that, too.”

  We never did see a soup kitchen, and we’d never seen any army trucks—until now.

  “Maybe we should follow the trucks,” I said. “Maybe the army will tell us where to find a soup kitchen.”

  Richard glanced over at me. “No. I doubt there are any.”

  “What? But that farmer guy told us—”

  “He told us what he was told. But I don’t think it’s true. If these government troops were taking their food, it means they didn’t have any. They weren’t taking it for any soup kitchen. It was for themselves.”

  We were still on the road in the path of the trucks, so I said, “So what’ll we do?”

  Richard blew out a heavy breath. “Same as we’ve always done. Look for a place to hole up, and then keep walking.”

  “To Aunt Susan’s?”

  “I guess.”

  I figured Richard was having the sa
me thoughts I was. That Aunt Susan was no better off than anyone else—if she was still alive. How could a woman who couldn’t keep it together enough to take care of her own child following her divorce, have survived? She’d recovered enough to get a job and had kept the house and acreage…but she’d never sent for Jesse. We’d taken him in when he was just a baby…and he was three and half when the EMP happened. But Aunt Susan had come to see him only once, and had never hinted she wanted him back.

  I think Richard and I both knew in our hearts Aunt Susan was just a pipedream. I think we both knew she was probably not alive.

  But there was nowhere else to go. We walked on.

  Chapter 20

  LEXIE

  I woke up feeling peaceful, blinking away the fog of sleep. For a few seconds. Then it hit me like a punch in the gut—Blake and Andrea. They’d kissed! Aargh.

  I’d crawled into a sleeping bag in the kids’ room unbeknownst to the little ones, as they were long asleep by the time I got there. I got up quietly now, leaving them none the wiser they’d had an extra roommate. I hoped Andrea had noticed my absence and missed me. I have to admit I was planning on ways to punish her and Blake by not speaking to them. I knew the Bible said to forgive your enemies. Heck, we’re supposed to love them. I didn’t feel able to do either.

  I hurried outside without stopping by my room to change clothes; I didn’t want to risk seeing Andrea. Besides, I wanted to get Rhema out of her stall as early as possible. I hate that she has to stay locked in a stall every night but it’s for the best. She isn’t out there tempting looters to try and take her and make us fight them off. All the animals are brought in every night for that reason.

  Anyways, when I got outside, deep in thought, I suddenly looked up and saw a strange darkness in the sky ahead of me. The sun had just risen. At first I was confused by what I saw but then I realized it had billowed out from one direction—it was smoke! I ran back in the house. Mom and Mrs. Patterson were starting breakfast in the kitchen.