The Pulse Effex Series: Box Set

by L. R. Burkard

  It had to be Tex, because he looked like Hulk Hogan, all right. My heart was beating loudly in my ears but I couldn’t find my voice.

  “WHAT did you do to my wife!” he repeated, coming a step closer. He kept both hands on his pistol which pointed at me.

  Suddenly I was able to talk. “Nothing! Angel’s here! I think she’s checking her traps! She said we could stay here until you got back!”

  The door opened. My heart sang for a second as I anticipated Angel coming in and setting her husband straight. It felt like someone’s snarling dog was after me and I was waiting for the owner to take responsibility and order it away. Hulk, er, Tex, really looked the part of the snarling dog.

  But it was Richard. He took one look at us, sized up the situation and held up his arms. “Hey, we’re here on friendly terms. Your wife needed our help.”

  Richard was brilliant in that moment. He pointed out that we were there to help, when he could have said, “Your wife gave us shelter; or, your wife saved our lives,” but he cut to the quick with what would be most disarming for Tex. That WE were the good guys, helping Angel! Though it was true (we were helping) it was equally true we needed Angel and her home a lot more than she needed us.

  “How, exactly, are you helping?” he asked Richard, moving at the same time behind me and grabbing me by the arm so I couldn’t bolt. “And where is Angel?”

  Richard shrugged. “I don’t know where she is at the moment. I’ve been chopping wood. And that’s how I’m helping mostly, but Angel gives us lots of chores. I think you’ll find we’ve been an asset for your household and can continue to be.”

  Richard was supremely calm. I was proud of my brother. He could have been upset Tex had me at gunpoint. I felt the cold steel against my neck. Maybe he’d anticipated such a thing happening, Tex returning at an off moment while Angel wasn’t in the house. He acted like he’d rehearsed for this.

  My heart still pounded but I was calming down. Here I was, the girl who before the pulse could barely leave her house without having a panic attack. And yet I was enduring this—a gun at my neck, and being stuck at the mercy of an angry man! As I thought about it, I realized that I’d been without the anti-depressant I used to take daily for months now. And I was actually feeling more stable than I had in years.

  Richard, still holding up his hands in the classic show of surrender, moved forward a step. “I’m Richard, and this is Sarah, my sister.”

  “Stay right where you are!” Tex barked.

  Richard halted immediately.

  “We’re gonna wait right here for my wife to return. I’ll give you one hour. If she’s not back by then, I’m gonna use this thing.” He waved the gun slightly and then nestled it once again against my neck.

  “Look, I can go find your wife while you wait here with Sarah.”

  Tex seemed to think about it a moment, but said, “For all I know, you’re gonna go and bring back more of your friends. Or go get some weapons. No, I think you’ll stay here, too. We’ll just wait together, nice and cozy like.”

  He motioned for Richard to take a seat at the kitchen table. Keeping an arm about me, he led me to an adjacent seat. Then, with his pistol at the ready, he moved a chair away from the table where he could keep his eye on both of us.

  Richard and I looked at each other. Our lives at that moment depended on Angel coming back within an hour. I tried searching my mind, to remember how long Angel usually kept busy outdoors. She might be extending her survival garden with a new planting or checking a faraway trap for a catch; she might be out in the barn, though most barn chores now fell to either Richard or me. There was nothing we could do except sit there and wait. And pray.

  Chapter 48

  ANDREA

  Before I left the house to confront Lexie, I saw Mr. Martin in the kitchen on the two-way. I recognized Lexie’s voice on the other end. Since I was on my way to speak to her, I stopped to listen, hoping to hear an update about the invaders.

  But she only asked to come to the house. Mr. Martin told her it would be okay, but to leave Blake the two-way and to stay armed. I continued heading outside, determined to try and reason one last time with her. I wanted to catch her before she reached the house, though. I wasn’t sure if she would relent; and if we argued I wanted it just between us.

  Mrs. Martin saw me in the hallway and stopped. “Don’t forget to bring your rifle for cleaning later. We want to keep our firearms ready for the next time.” She studied me.

  “Are you okay?”

  Somehow I knew she wasn’t asking about the skirmish, or even about the cuts on my face. I rarely needed comfort after an encounter; I guess it was that video game mentality, I don’t know. So I knew she was referring to my mother still missing. I’d been telling myself Mom and Washington had likely holed up at the house for awhile. Now that things had warmed up, I understood why she’d want to revisit our old life. I would too, if I got the chance. And she’d be forced to think about my dad at the house—I liked that idea. I liked that Washington would see how good my mom had it with my dad.

  I never pictured our home as having been ransacked or worse, burned down—even though I knew many homes had been. I kept it in my mind like a sanctuary—a place we could return to one day.

  Mrs. Martin was waiting for an answer. “I’m okay.”

  “You get that pretty face looked at by Mr. Clepps.”

  I certainly wasn’t feeling pretty, so I appreciated her kindness.

  “We’re still praying for your mom and Mr. Washington to get back safely. Don’t lose hope!” She squeezed my hand.

  I felt suddenly bereft of my mom and as though I might cry. I didn’t want to, so I said, “Thanks,” and rushed off. Lexie should have been getting near the house by now, anyway. When I reached the back door, I saw her just starting to descend the hill.

  The hill has a line of trees about thirty feet across on one side but it’s wide open in the middle. At the top, there’s more tree cover and brush, which is why the shed is up there. I darted past the chicken coop and riding ring, into the trees. The all-clear sounded as I started up, keeping Lexie in view above me. She was heading down the open middle. Her way was the fastest going down or up, but I didn’t want her to see me yet. I was afraid if she saw me coming, she’d harden her heart against me again! I needed to get a word in before that happened. When we reached the halfway mark, I figured I’d cross over and meet her on the hillside.

  I concentrated on what was in front of me, moving quickly, but taking note of Lexie’s progress along the way. Suddenly I heard her—she sounded surprised. It was a quick, muffled sound. Had she fallen down? I hurried forward. When I came to the opening, I stopped.

  Lexie, below me already, had her hands above her head and was being prodded forward by the barrel of a rifle! A soldier! He’d been left behind! Our scouts had missed him, and now he had a gun against her back!

  I started down after them, about twenty feet behind, as quietly as I could.

  I can’t describe the feeling that came over me as I watched that man with a gun at Lexie’s back. I was petrified for her! He was keeping her close, too—his human bodyguard. I figured Blake was still in the shack and had to be seeing this, but he wouldn’t risk hurting Lexie. If he shot the guy, his bullet could keep right on going and kill Lexie too. Down below, no one had a clean shot, either. The soldier kept her too close. I suddenly realized it was going to be up to me to take him down!

  As I followed stealthily, I wondered, what would I do if something happened to Lex? What if I didn’t get a good shot, and he killed her? I was no more able to shoot his back than Blake. Our bullets had found their way through tree trunks a foot and a half wide. That’s solid wood, and we’d found exit holes on them. What if Lexie became ‘collateral damage?’

  I fought against the notion of losing somebody else I loved, blinking away tears that threatened. I hastened my steps, still intent on keeping quiet, but I had my rifle on my shoulder so I stopped and tried to sight it o
n the man’s head. If only he’d stay still! Since he was moving, I had to move with him. Much as I would have loved to come to Lexie’s rescue, it didn’t seem possible. Not while they were moving. If I shot and missed, he might shoot her!

  I had hit moving targets in the past during practice—and even a few times during skirmishes. I’d shot Roy, saving Mr. Martin when all I had was moonlight and shooting was brand new to me. And I’d taken down the guy who had Aiden. You can do this, Andi. Every member of my family would tell me I could. Mr. and Mrs. Martin would say I could. Even Lexie would say I could! With renewed determination I lifted my rifle and scoped the guy. He was keeping her firmly in front of him, his human bullet-proof vest.

  We were almost at the riding ring, after which came the barn, chicken coop, playground, then the house. The man stopped, looking around, trying to decide where to go with his hostage. I wished I could take a shot then but it was still too risky.

  He moved them on, more slowly now. Mr. Martin came out of the house holding up his hands to show he was unarmed. The soldier stopped; I inched a few feet closer—thank God for soft grass, hiding the sound of my footsteps! If this had happened in the fall with dry leaves on the ground, I’d never have been able to be so quiet.

  I got close enough to hear Lexie. She said, “That’s my father. What do you want? He’ll give it to you if you let me go.” She didn’t sound desperate or frightened—I felt so proud of her! I was just about to shoot—and then everything happened quickly. Lexie turned to face the guy as she finished her question—and saw me. Something in her eyes made him turn in alarm, and for a second I saw the barrel of his gun pointed in my direction. Lexie dove into the grass—and there was my clean shot! In the background Mr. Martin shouted, “Don’t shoot!” But that barrel was pointed at me and I knew Lexie was no longer in my line of fire.

  When my finger pulled the trigger, the last thing I saw was that man’s face, filled with rage. I’d heard two shots, actually, and only later did I realize one of them had come from his gun.

  And hit me.

  Chapter 49

  SARAH

  Forty-five minutes passed as Richard and I sat silently at the table under Tex’s watchful eyes. Every minute I hoped Angel would appear.

  “You know, I could be peeling vegetables for dinner. Angel’s gonna be mad you stopped me.”

  Tex stared at me sullenly. “Angel’s gotta show up first before she can be anything. And if she don’t show up soon, you and your brother are gonna be stew meat.”

  “Stew meat?” I asked, angrily. For some reason, I took him literally; for all I knew, he meant it literally. We’d heard of people becoming cannibals. “Like, as in, stew meat for your dinner one night?” My voice was filled with derision.

  Tex stared at me for a moment. His mouth twisted. “No; but I would happily feed your no-good stinkin’ bodies to my dogs if you did anything to my wife.”

  “We didn’t do anything to Angel!” Richard cried. “She saved our lives! I was caught on a rope trap and Sarah fell into the pit. I cut myself down but I took a good fall on the head. I was too sore to pull Sarah up by myself. Angel came and pulled her up; Sarah got so frightened she passed out—”

  “I was weak from not eating!” Why did Richard have to embarrass me?

  Richard continued. “We had to pull her here using a black garbage bag as a sled, and on the way Angel grilled me and learned all about us and decided we could help her here—at least until you returned. We wouldn’t do anything to hurt her!

  “We think she’s great!” I added. “She’s taught me a lot and we’ve only been here a few days.”

  Tex’s eyes were softening—I think. I wondered if he was really soft-hearted like his wife. But he stood up to remove his jacket, carefully watching us, revealing brawny, tattooed arms. The side of his neck was tattooed as well. It didn’t make him look less formidable, that’s for sure. I glanced at Richard. He met my eyes and shrugged. He didn’t seem very worried! Either that or he was beyond caring. I felt sort of beyond caring myself. I’d had Martha point a gun at me and she turned out to be nice. Her son had pointed a gun at me and he turned out not to be nice. It remained to be seen whether Tex would be more like Martha or her son. Either way, he might still send us back to the road. The idea now seemed worse than death.

  I would not go back to living like that. I still bore marks all over my body from fleas and other insects. If we didn’t get bitten up while crossing through wooded areas, we got bitten up in the old barns we slept in. My skin felt coarse; as if it was never really clean, despite Angel’s homemade soap. I despised the lack of hygiene, the lack of a toilet, the absence of any small comforts—life with Angel, as brief as it had been, was far better. And I’d already grown fond of her. I could see myself living with her a long, long time. Tex was going to ruin it! Once again, just when life got comfortable! Why did something always have to happen to ruin it? Even if Angel came home right now, Tex would send us packing!

  I started squirming in my seat, uncomfortable at the thought of what was ahead.

  “Please—don’t—make us leave!” I said. My head sank, my eyes falling to my lap. “I can’t live like that again.” When I looked back up, Tex was scrutinizing me.

  He took a deep breath. “Well,” he said. “I’d like to believe you two. Sounds like my wife, being too soft-hearted for her own good.” He paused. “But until I see her, I can’t take your word for it, that she’s okay. And you’ve got--” He glanced at his watch. It was an old wind-up model. “Twelve minutes left.”

  Chapter 50

  ANDREA

  A terrific pain shot through my left arm and the next thing I knew I lay flat on my back on the ground. Dazed, at first I thought I’d been kicked by a horse. I grabbed my arm and felt warm blood running over my hand. Blood! It ran through my fingers and down my arm. Had I been shot? The next moment Lexie fell to the ground beside me.

  “Andrea?” Her voice was frantic. “Oh, my gosh, Andrea!” She yanked off her jacket and proceeded to take off her tee shirt. I gazed at her, still feeling hazy, but I was conscious enough to know Lexie was beside herself. Right before my eyes, she’d stripped to her bra. She wrapped my arm with her tee shirt. I groaned as she pulled it tightly around the wound. What began as a hard thwack was now a burning, stinging hornet’s nest in my arm. I couldn’t keep from moaning.

  With large, sorrowful eyes, Lexie cried, “I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! For everything! Please be okay!”

  She sounded agonized. I figured I must be dying. To someone else she cried, “There’s a lot of blood!” Blake came into view, gently placing Lexie’s discarded jacket over her shoulders. She wriggled her arms into it but kept her gaze on me. Tears ran down her face.

  Vaguely I heard a lot of noise in the background as more people joined the scene. Then my eyes grew heavy, so heavy I couldn’t keep them open. I felt terribly, terribly tired. With great effort, I forced my lids apart.

  “Did I get him?” I asked.

  Lexie sobbed. “Yes! But he got you, too!”

  “I know.” The enormous, throbbing burning in my arm engulfed me.

  “You saved me, Andrea! You did it again! You are so important to us, to all of us!”

  “I know,” I said again, but I was hardly aware of her words or mine. I felt as though my entire body was in pain.

  Someone said, “Here. Take a sip of this.” It was Roper! I could hardly keep my lids open but then I heard Mrs. Martin’s voice. “Don’t give her anything.” I felt her tuck a blanket around me. “Get her feet raised. C’mon, you guys, let’s get her to the house.” In a lower voice, she said, “Before she goes into shock.”

  I felt someone dabbing my face gently and then heard Roper’s voice beside me, “Her face got cut upstairs—the window took a hit. Where’s that nurse? You said you had a nurse, right?”

  “Our nurse is wounded too,” Mrs. Martin said. “But we have a D.O.. Let’s hope he can handle this, otherwise we’ll be following the book o
n this one. Hurry, now! Be gentle!”

  Someone held my right hand. Hard. Lexie said, “Her hand’s so cold!”

  I thought I heard Jared. “Was there an exit wound?”

  Lexie cried, “I don’t know! I just saw a lot of blood!”

  “Okay.” Jared spoke to me then in the voice of the soldier he’d been, the one with field experience with men down. “You’re gonna be okay. It’s a flesh wound, went right through you most likely. I’ve seen a lot worse. We’ll have to sew you up—but you’ll be okay, Andrea. And you got that guy right in the head. Good shot!”

  Normally I would have beamed from his praise but I was unable to respond at all.

  I felt myself being lifted onto something.

  And then the world went black.

  Chapter 51

  LEXIE

  When I saw Andrea fall, I can’t express the pain and remorse that hit me. I realized in a split-second how stupid and stubborn and wrong I’d been to stay mad at her. She saved my life—and got shot for her trouble! After I’d been treating her so terribly! I ran blindly past the soldier she’d shot to reach her, frantic with worry.

  Why did it take something so dire for me to learn the error of my ways? Why couldn’t I have forgiven her earlier?

  When they moved her, I insisted on going too, though my mom told me to report to my father and see what needed my help. She was trying to distract me. But I followed along miserably while the men carried her on a sheet which they pulled taut, four of them, one at each corner. My mom kept at them to keep Andrea’s feet higher than her heart.

  In the house, Mom said, “Take her to the women’s bedroom. We’ll make that our new infirmary.” The infirmary tent had been targeted and took a lot of bullets (which is how Mrs.Philpot, our nurse, got injured).

  I heard Jared saying you never, ever, ever, identify the infirmary tent from the outside. Same for medics on the field. They shouldn’t wear a red cross or any other symbol that identifies them as medical personnel. They’re targeted by the enemy because they save lives. The enemy doesn’t want lives to be saved.