The Pulse Series (Book 1): Pulse (36 page)

Without a word he leapt forward to grab me, but I spun out of his grasp and slipped under his grip. When I got behind him I brought my hands down like a hammer on the back of his neck. Before it could connect though he spun and smashed my hands away with his arm. The man was fast.

I stumbled back off balance and winced at the pain that shot up my arms. His blows felt like steel. I took another few steps back and tried to think of what I could do. There was no way I could overpower him, and he was fast, but I had to bet on the chance that I was faster. I turned my head to look across the pond at the pistol. If I could get that it would be over.

I turned back to look at the general but all I saw was a fist flying toward my face. I turned my head to deflect the blow, but it still connected with enough force to lift me up off my feet and throw me backwards through the air. I came down hard and gasped for air as the wind was forced from my lungs. I saw a foot raised above my head and rolled to the left at the last second.

His foot smashed into my shoulder and I heard a crunching sound. I screamed in pain and reached up to hold my shoulder. It was dislocated. I didn't have any time to think about it as the general picked me up a few feet, and then slammed be back hard into the ground. I hadn't even caught my breath from the time before, and this time the impact made me vomit all over the ground. I gasped for air and moved my arm. The blow had popped my shoulder back into place, but now it throbbed with pain.

I forced myself to move and rolled out of the general's grip. Ignoring the pain that tore through my body, I pushed myself up onto my feet and stumbled backward. My muscles throbbed, and I couldn't move my right arm much, but I turned toward the general anyway. He smirked down at me and stepped forward to grab me again. I slipped through his grasp, causing his eyes to widen in surprise, and brought my good hand around in a fist and up into his temple.

He stumbled and grunted in pain, but that didn't prevent him from locking me in his vice-like grip. I struggled to get out of it, but my body was too weak from the rest of his blows to do anything. Instead of hitting me again he lifted me into the air and started walking. I was confused at first, but then I saw where he was taking me. I looked up into his eyes, but there was nothing human in there anymore. There was only the monster.

As we reached the edge of the water I screamed, and he threw me down into the black. I fought against his arms, but they were too strong. I couldn't see a thing through the water that foamed around me from my thrashing. My heart was running at a thousand miles an hour.

Not this. Not again.

My world started to turn black, and I knew I was running out of time. I lifted my hands out of the water and grabbed onto the general's face. Using the last of my strength, I pushed my thumbs as hard as I could into his eyes.

The arms holding me down released me and were pulled out of the water. I grasped at the ground and pushed my head out and into the open. I gasped for breath and crawled out of the pond. I hacked and coughed, and water came pouring out of my lungs. I fell flat to the ground, exhausted.

After a few seconds my wits came back to me and I looked up to find the general. He was standing above me, blood coming from one of his eyes. I must have pushed harder than I thought.

"I'm sick of this. Time to end it."

He turned and began walking toward the gun that was now only fifteen feet away. I watched in horror, unable to do anything, as he reached down to pick up the weapon. He stumbled back over to me and lifted the gun to my head.

"Any last words?"

I felt a warm glow inside of my chest. For a moment I was confused, but then understanding dawned on me. I looked up at the general with a smile.

"Just one. Goodbye."

I pressed down hard on my pulse.

The wave rushed out of me and I watched as the general's eyes widened and his finger squeezed the trigger.

In the milliseconds that followed a couple of things happened at once. The bullet flew out of the gun the same time that the wave of the pulse flew out of me. I felt a burning in my cheek and I rolled out of the way and pushed myself to me knees. The bullet was frozen in mid air right where my face had been, and I could feel blood dripping down my cheek. I ignored it for the moment. I only had a few seconds to act.

I stood and picked up the rifle I had dropped earlier. It was light enough for me to lift, but heavy enough to do the job I needed it for. I turned back to the general and swung it around as hard as I could. The impact jarred my arms as there was no give in the general's form. I sighed and brought it around for another swing.

By the third swing I couldn't find the strength to lift the gun any more, and it fell to the ground. After another second I felt the rush of pressure roll its way back into my chest. When it was back home I looked up at the general.

Time returned to normal, and the general was thrown off his feet. He flew backward with the force of all the blows I had laid into him, blood spraying in an arc from his temple, and landed hard on the ground. He didn't move.

I turned to look down at at the general and walked over to pick up his gun. It was heavy, but felt a lot better in my hands than the rifle did. I took a few hesitant steps toward the unconscious monster. I knew what I had to do. I had to do this for the good of everyone. I winced and lifted the barrel to the back of his head. I felt sick, but there was no other way. This was how I could be sure I was safe. I pulled back on the trigger.

"Wait."

My finger froze. I turned to look at the source of the voice. Bradley was lying on the ground where he was landed earlier. He looked up at me with one eye open. The other was swollen shut, and half of his face was already a deep blue. I frowned at him.

Bradley swallowed. "Please don't kill him."

I grimaced. "He's a monster."

Bradley stared at me. "I know."

"He will kill more people."

"I know."

"He deserves it."

"I know."

I sighed. "Then why shouldn't I do it?"

Bradley took a breath. "Because he's my father."

My hand shook under the pressure of the half cocked gun. I turned to look at the monster before me, and then back at his son. I felt my body sag and I let the trigger slide back into its starting position. I felt the energy drain out of me, and I dropped the gun into the dirt. I fell to my knees.

Bradley closed his eye. "Thank you."

I shook my head and lifted my hand to my cheek. The bullet had puncture my skin just below the cheekbone, but hadn't gone all the way through. Without stitches it was probably going to leave a scar. I sighed and looked around the clearing. I had to leave. I couldn't be here any longer. I didn't have the energy for it.

"The pack." I looked up at Bradley and he lifted a hand to point at a nearby bush. "Get the pack. There is medicine in there that will give you the energy to get away. Front pouch, silver capsule."

I crawled over the the bush, and sure enough there was the pack for traveling he had mentioned earlier. I pulled out one of the capsules and cracked it open. There was a green liquid inside that I swallowed down in one gulp. Within a few seconds I could feel the blood flowing through my veins. My aches dulled and I stood. I felt a thousand times better. I wondered who had died for this liquid.

Bradley coughed. "That will last about six hours. Should give you enough time to get somewhere safe and get some proper medicine. You have to go. Now."

I frowned at him. "What about you?"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. My place is here."

I sighed. "You're sure?"

He nodded. I lifted the pack and swung it up onto my back. I felt as if I hadn't been in a fight at all. I walked toward the edge of the clearing, and then turned back. The general was a bleeding lump on the ground. Bradley had pushed himself up into a sitting position and was staring at me. I looked into his eyes for a few moments. Those dark brown eyes that once held me captive. I sighed and lifted a hand. Bradley gave me a small smile and lifted his hand in response.

I cast my eyes out across the clearing and the pond. This clearing had meant a lot in my life. It was the first place I had been with Bradley when we confessed our feelings for one another. It was the place I had spent many afternoons getting to know Bradley, and his softer side. It was the place I had almost been killed by a jealous ex-girlfriend. It was the place I had watched my best friend die. And now it was the place where I had decided not to kill a monster. And if all was good in the world it would be the last part of this facility I would ever have to see. I turned from the pond, and made my way into the forest.

I was no longer bound by their rules.

I was no longer under their control.

I was free.