The Pulse Effex Series: Box Set

by L. R. Burkard

  Cecily skidded to a halt and turned. “It’s Jolene. She’s beside herself. Her son is dead.”

  Chapter 50

  LEXIE

  Mr. Clepps says Jared died quietly in his sleep. He’s taking the loss hard as though he is to blame. He says it was probably massive blood loss more than anything else that caused his death. We all know there was no means of giving Jared a transfusion. (And get this—when Mr. Clepps arrived, he introduced himself as “Mr.” Clepps—not Dr. Clepps—making us think a D.O. was a step down from a medical doctor. But now we’ve learned the truth—a D.O. is a licensed physician, a doctor of osteopathic medicine. My dad says Mr. Clepps wanted to give up medicine due to a tragedy that happened a long time ago with a young person under his care. That’s why he goes by mister and not doctor. And that’s why this is so hard for him.)

  I wish we had more details about what happened with that young person in the past but now I understand why he was reluctant to operate on Jared (though D.O.s are licensed to perform surgery). Poor Mr. Clepps!

  LATER

  My mom told us to pray hard for the doctor so he’ll stop blaming himself for Jared’s death. And to call him Doctor Clepps because, “He deserves the title, and we should show proper respect, especially now with Jared’s loss.”

  Jared wasn’t my favorite person on the compound—not by a long shot—but I’m sad he’s gone. Andrea told me how he threatened Roper when they were out on the road—that was truly evil! But I’m still sorry we’ve lost him. He was the brain behind our defense strategies. He was the reason we blew up the bridge. He was the reason we repelled that last attack by the soldiers, and he’s the reason we may beat the next one.

  Even Andrea is sad. “I ought to be relieved because of how he threatened my fiancé,” she said. (She smiled. “I love using that word, don’t you? We are engaged women!”) But then her face grew serious. “But I am sorry. We needed him here.” In yet a quieter tone, she added, “I think I’ll even miss him.”

  I will too. We both felt badly that we distrusted Jared—even if he earned that distrust.

  Jolene is being kept under house arrest in her cabin. She was so hysterical last night that she woke the whole household and then went screaming through the cabin area, yelling that we’d killed her son! Mrs. Philpot says she can’t be reasoned with and until she comes to her senses, she’ll have to stay in her cabin. We’ll have a viewing of Jared today (no embalming of course, so it all has to be done quickly). My dad will give a brief word about Jared’s contributions to the compound; we’ll pay our respects, and then he’ll be buried.

  I hope Jolene pulls it together. My mom says funerals—and especially open casket funerals—provide “very important psychological closure. As painful as they are,” she told me, “they serve a function for the mind.”

  This will be the third grave on our hilltop. Jared’s passing makes me think of Mrs. Preston, our elderly neighbor, who is buried up there; and I know Andrea can’t help but think about her dad, the second person we had to bury there.

  I am heavyhearted and strangely worn out. I hope this day passes quickly. In my “past life” (before the pulse) that hilltop was a great place. I often rode Rhema up there and then dismounted to sit under a tree and enjoy the view of our surrounding countryside. Now, it holds a lookout shed.

  And graves.

  Chapter 51

  SARAH

  As I stared at the steel door of the bunker I felt torn. I wanted to be inside, safe and sound with Tex and Angel. But suddenly I realized I couldn’t go back yet—even if Tex and Angel opened that door. Why hadn’t I thought of this? I could reason with Dad in a way that Richard couldn’t! Fathers had soft spots for daughters—didn’t they? And Dad really wanted to see me. I felt sure I could talk him into leaving us alone. Besides, what alternative did we have?

  The only way to be certain Dad wouldn’t return is if he couldn’t—if he died! I couldn’t let Richard be responsible for that! What had he said? That he’d deal with him and I shouldn’t worry? Well, I was worried! How else could Richard “take care” of Dad—unless he meant to be violent? It was suddenly so obvious! I was still afraid that Tex and Angel might not let me in the bunker but I couldn’t find out, not yet. I had to get to Richard before he did something he’d regret forever!

  My flashlight must have warned Richard I was coming. When I turned the bend and saw him waiting for Dad just like he said, he was glaring at me.

  “Why are you back?” His whisper was tense and impatient.

  I hurried to his side. “Because I don’t want you or Dad to get hurt.”

  Richard sighed. “Sarah—!”

  “I might be able to reason with Dad better than you!”

  “You won’t!”

  “You don’t know that. I can make him listen. I’ll tell him he has to forget about us and leave us alone.”

  Hey! Dad’s voice, loud and menacing, came through the tunnel.

  I looked at Richard and gulped. “He’s getting closer!”

  Richard grabbed both my arms. “Not a word! Not a single word!” He snatched my flashlight from me and moved me towards the dirt wall. “Stay back. Don’t let him know you’re here. Don’t trust him.”

  “Maybe if we trusted him, he’d be trustworthy!” I shot back.

  “You’re dreaming. He’s cold-blooded. You heard him order our deaths!”

  “He didn’t know it was us!”

  He took my arm again. “Don’t get weak on me! You’ve already made this a lot more complicated than it needed to be!”

  “He’s desperate. He’s not thinking straight. We need to remind him that he is our FATHER. He HAS to care about us.”

  I’m coming! I hear you!

  Richard flicked off my flashlight plunging us into blackness. I reached for the wall to get my bearings.

  “I’m armed!” Richard yelled.

  That’s okay. I hear you—I’m coming!

  Even though I felt sure I could remind my father of his duty as a dad, my skin began to crawl at the sound of his raspy voice. As he got close, I could hear labored breathing and that he was dragging his injured leg. I couldn’t see him but I felt the weight of his presence. He stopped, as if to catch his breath.

  “I know you’re close!”

  Richard tugged me to follow him so I did, holding onto him, shadowing his every step in silence. I knew when my father moved by the sound of his leg dragging. We circled around to get behind him, and so we began a cat and mouse game, moving along the dirt walls, staying in the wake of Dad’s movements. We followed the sound of his heavy steps and dragging leg—and kept out of his reach.

  “Hey.” He came to a stop. “You’re my own flesh and blood—I can feel you.” He sniffed. “You gotta help me. Help your old man.”

  I felt terrible—I wanted to help him—that’s why I’d come back. But Richard gripped my arm like a vise, letting me know he did not want me to speak.

  “Richard, I heard you talking to someone,” Dad said. “Sarah? You’re here, aren’t you, honey?” He paused, still laboring to catch his breath. “Remember how you used to make me tea at night?” He took a deep breath. “You’d make it just the way I liked, and we’d sit at the table and play a game of rummy. Remember that?”

  Richard’s grip tightened yet again. Dad’s voice got further, so I knew he was on the move. He seemed to be groping against the wall, searching, shuffling and scraping towards the bunker. Without meaning to, I shifted on my feet and dislodged a pebble. His voice turned to us, sharply.

  “Is that you, sweetie? Sarah? Don’t be afraid, honey! I’d never hurt my own flesh and blood.” I would have gone to him but Richard grabbed me the second I moved.

  “I don’t want to leave without seeing your face. My little girl.” Dad’s voice was suddenly tender. Richard’s grip grew painful. I tried to loosen his fingers but he held tight.

  “Just let me see you, baby. Just once.” Dad’s wheedling tone broke my heart. And then suddenly a hand went
over my mouth, and I knew Richard was afraid I’d speak and give us away.

  “I can’t leave without seeing you. Why do you think I came this far? In my condition? I know you’re close—I’ve already lost Mom and Jesse—and Richard’s gone crazy, or something. I need to see my little girl. Take pity on your old man!”

  Tears trickled down my face, over Richard’s hand. I sniffed.

  “There you are, baby!” My father’s voice moved towards us, and Richard pushed me ahead of him, which meant we were now leading away from the bunker.

  “Move!” he said.

  “Wait!” my father cried. “Just wait up a sec.” Richard steered me against the wall so that my back was against it. I tried to flatten myself there while our father approached heavily, breathing laboriously.

  “Look,” he gasped. “I’m dying! It took everything I’ve got to get this far.” I heard a thud, and realized he’d slumped to the ground.

  Immediately Richard tugged me to follow. We moved away from Dad. After we’d turned a sharp bend, he turned on the flashlight and led us farther along the path back towards the ledge. I felt a rush of relief with the light, although now I could see the darkness ahead, the dank walls of earth at our sides. The air was stagnant. I wiped my eyes, stifling the sob I wanted to let loose. I heard Dad’s voice again, still calling me. After we’d turned another corner, Richard whispered, “He’s working you! Can’t you see that? He wants us to take him in. He’s not dying. You can’t trust him.”

  “Sarah!” came my father’s voice, fainter now, but pleading. “I want to explain! Tell you what happened. It was never my intention to leave my family on their own. I tried to get back...”

  This was what I’d wanted to know all along—why hadn’t he come back? I whispered, “I want to hear this. What happened to him.”

  Richard held my arm. “He’s playing you,” he said, now wearily. “He didn’t give me any spiel about trying to get back. He just kept insisting he’s innocent. You have to accept the truth—he doesn’t care about us.”

  Tears kept coming. “So what’ll we do? We can’t go to the cabin because it’s burning. And Dad’s between us and the bunker. We’re stuck here!”

  “We wait.” Richard said.

  “Wait for what?”

  “To see what he does. Maybe he’ll turn down that last decoy tunnel. Maybe he’ll give up and head back this way.”

  “He’s in complete darkness!” I said. “He might just stay lost in these tunnels!”

  “He found his way to us earlier,” Richard said. “I think he’ll find his way back.”

  That gave me an idea. “We can make noise and draw him back.”

  He rubbed his chin, thinking. “Yeah, I like that.”

  Just then we heard pounding; and my father’s voice. “I know you’re in there! I knew you had a shelter down here! Now, c’mon and open this door!”

  Richard slammed the flashlight into my hands. “Here. He found the bunker! Dying, my foot! He’s banging on the door! C’mon!” I ran after him but fear filled my heart. What was Richard going to do when we reached Dad?

  Ahead, Dad’s voice chilled me: “If you don’t let me in, I’ll have to go back up there. The soldiers will find me. If they find me, they’ll find you, too, because I know where you are.”

  My heart skipped a beat. His words doused all my secret hopes that he was the loving father of my past. Richard was right! Dad should have felt protective of us, maybe even happy that we’d found shelter. Instead, he was willing to expose us to the soldiers! What kind of man would give away the location of his own children—out of spite? Only a sick, selfish man.

  Richard stopped and drew his pistol. He checked that it was loaded and cocked it. Holding it out and ahead of him with both hands, he slowed his steps as we crept towards the last bend. When we turned it, we’d be face to face with our father.

  Chapter 52

  SARAH

  I couldn’t believe Richard had drawn his gun. I grabbed his arm. “You can’t shoot him! He’s your father!”

  “I just want to get him away from the bunker!”

  “Now that he’s found it, he won’t leave,” I said. “Not willingly.”

  “That’s why I need my pistol,” Richard said.

  “He’ll force you to shoot him,” I said, crying again. “Think, Richard! You’ll be torn by guilt for the rest of your life.”

  Richard sighed. “Sit down, Sarah. Wait here while I go talk to him.”

  “Give me your gun, first.”

  “No way! He’s armed, too!” We hissed at each other, trying to keep our voices low, but my father had no such concern.

  I hear you two! C’mon, you can return to your shelter! I just want to rest up and get well, and then I’ll leave you, never to return!

  Richard said, “That’s bull. He’ll say anything to get in the bunker.”

  Sarah, don’t close your heart to me, honey! I am your father!

  Fresh tears came.

  “Don’t fall for it,” Richard said.

  My mouth was parched, my palms sweaty. “Oh, man! Do you have any water?”

  “I gave it to him.”

  “Oh—that was nice.” It was the first indication I had that Richard still cared for our father. “Look, I think you’re over-reacting. It’s DAD, Richard. He’s not going to hurt you. Give me your pistol.”

  “I’m not over-reacting! He’s crazy! Remember that guy in The Shining? Lost his mind and tried to kill his wife and his little boy?”

  “He didn’t try to kill you!”

  “He almost knocked me off the ledge. That would have done it.”

  I shut my eyes and prayed. “Lord, please protect us! Please make my dad safe again! Let Richard be wrong about him!” When I opened my eyes, Richard was gone.

  “Move away from the door!” I heard his voice from around the bend.

  “Rich! C’mon, son, show me how to open this thing! We can survive together—be a family, again.”

  “Not gonna happen. Move away from the door!”

  Inside the bunker, Tex and Angel watched an infrared security monitor, grimly.

  “He did it again—led an enemy right to us.”

  “It’s his father,” Angel said. “You can’t blame them for loving their father.”

  “That don’t sound like love to me,” Tex said. “And I do blame him.”

  Angel touched Tex’s arm, indicating she wanted a hug. He pulled her up against him. “We’ll be fine, sweetheart,” he said. “They will not get in.”

  Angel nodded. “I know. But listen—I want you to get them back.” Tex pulled away to stare at her in consternation.

  “I want Richard and I want Sarah,” she continued. “I love them, hon! And so do you! It’ll be lonely here with just the two of us. We’ve let them into our hearts and—.”

  “Darlin’, how do you expect me to get them back while their father’s out there? I am NOT letting that man step a foot inside this bunker.”

  She shook her head. “I know. We’ll have to shut him out.” She stared plaintively up into Tex’s eyes. “We’ll go out armed—he’ll be outgunned.”

  “YOU are not going out there,” he corrected.

  Angel sniffed. “I can help—.”

  “YOU are not going out there,” he repeated. Richard’s voice made them look up at the monitor.

  “Dad, I’m telling you—if I were to let you in there, you’d be shot the moment your foot crossed the threshold. There’s a man in there—like you!” Richard lied. “He won’t take any chances with a stranger! I’m telling you—leave now, while you can!”

  “Oh, son, I can’t get out of here,” he answered. “I’m too weak….my leg...”

  I stepped around the bend. “I’ll help you get out!” I said.

  Richard had hooked his penlight to his belt. Its weak halo revealed my father, his back to the door of the bunker, leaning against it. His eyes fastened on mine.

  “Sarah! I knew you’d help your old man!” He
smiled at me and my heart fluttered. It was the first time I’d actually been this close, face-to-face with my father in eight months. Everything Richard told me, all the bad stuff about Dad fled from my mind, and all I felt was a powerful sad longing for my father to love me. I ran to him and fell into his arms, while Richard, sighing, stood to the side.

  “It’s all right,” my father said, softly, circling me with one arm. “That’s my little girl. Thank you. Thank you for letting me see you.” He stroked my hair and then I looked up at him.

  “I’ve missed you, Dad!”

  “I know it, honey. I’ve missed you, too!” He stared at me for a long moment and then kissed my cheek. I felt a surge of joy. I wanted to hug him for a long time but he shifted away and we drew apart, though he kept one arm about my middle. He turned me around to face Richard and then pulled me back against him.

  “Okay, Rich. Here’s the deal,” he said. “If you value the life of your sister, you are going to open this door behind me.”

  “Dad!” My heart lurched in my throat. I tried to struggle away from him but his hold tightened.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he said. “Your brother needs a little wake up call, is all. He’s not thinking clearly, here. We’re family and we need to stick together.”

  “Move away from the door,” Richard said, in a cold voice.

  “Are you gonna open that door?” Dad asked, calmly.

  “I can’t open it until you give me space.”

  My father, holding me close, moved us away from the door. He was limping.

  “Don’t try anything,” he said. “If you go in there without us, you will not see Sarah alive again.”

  “Dad!” I was crying uncontrollably. I felt as though my father had just died—like I’d lost him for the second time, and it reminded me how we’d lost Mom and Jesse. And now Angel and Tex would never let us back, either. I’d lost everyone and everything I loved except Richard! And he would never forgive me for how stupid I’d been to trust this man.