Read Online Pulse: When Gravity Fails (Pulse Science Fiction Series Book 1) by John Freitas - Free Book Online
Authors: John Freitas
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away and looked out over the playground.
“Hey, Firefighter Sean.” A kid Sean didn’t recognize was waving and Sean waved back.
Sean and Carter had done fire safety programs at Holden’s school for years – even back before Carter was with Tabitha.
One of the teachers waved and Sean waved back. He was thankful she didn’t come over. She probably saw the exchange and wanted no part of it. West Memphis wasn’t so big that people didn’t know which conversations to avoid between exes. People knew which men were in the process of burning their lives down around them even if they didn’t know every dirty detail yet.
He heard an engine rev and turned in time to watch Carter drive away with the family that Sean had pushed away.
Motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked back over the playground. Blades of grass twisted and danced in the air as they fell slowly back to the ground. It was only a couple at first, but then the falling grass rained down on the playground like confetti. The teachers and students stopped and looked up at the sky. Sean stared up at the sun, but saw nothing in the empty sky that could explain the falling grass. He had not been watching and had missed how the dance of the grass had begun. Maybe Carter was wise to keep his eyes on the trees.
10
Michael Strove and Roman Nikitin – Russia
Micheal put his back to the truck of a tree. Roman pulled away from him and did the same at another trunk. Michael snuck a look around and saw light breaking the horizon. Morning was coming and he was exhausted from dodging the search parties all night. Darkness had covered them some, but he would be surprised if at least some of the Russian soldiers pursuing did not have night vision or heat sensors.
Michael and Roman had been running, hiding, and zigzagging all night.
His feet crunched under him like snow. He looked down in the growing light and saw he was standing on piles of shaved bark. He looked up. The trees were shaved clean nearly all the way up. Larger branches near the top had broken off as well. It looked like they had weathered a terrible storm, but one that pulled straight down instead of sideways.
“How close are we to your station?” Michael asked.
Roman slid down the trunk and sat. “Far.We are going the wrong way again, Captain Michael.”
Michael bit his lip. “Do you not know where we are going, Roman?”
“I know. We have just had to keep circling away from them. We need to hook back … ugh, east.”
Michael nodded. “Do you think they know where we are headed?”
“I don’t see how. We keep going the wrong way. It is the perfect plan.”
Michael sniffed and shook his head. “Do I need to let you go? If they catch you with me, you could be in big trouble.”
Roman shook his head. “As long as we are not caught, I am safe. We need to keep going.”
Michael looked east again. “It’s daylight. We should probably find a place to hide and rest.”
“Then, let’s go, Captain Michael.” Roman started to stand, but winced as he put weight on his ankle.
Michael crossed over and knelt in front of Roman. “Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I was in a tower crushed by an invisible tiger from space, man.”
“Your ankle, I mean.”
Roman dropped back to sitting. “It is getting all fat. It only hurts when it twists from side to side. It is weak.”
“Swollen,” Michael said. “Sprained. Stretch out your leg for me.”
Roman extended his knee. Michael started gathering small sticks and pulled a section of cord from one of his pockets.
“Why did you help me?” Roman asked.
“What do you mean?” Michael took out a knife and cut off a section of cord before putting the knife away.
“You did not know I would be helping you. You needed to avoid discovery,” Roman said, “Why risk it on me?”
“My brother Carter saves people.” Michael braced the sticks around Roman’s ankle and wrapped the cord around them.
“You trying
“Hey, Firefighter Sean.” A kid Sean didn’t recognize was waving and Sean waved back.
Sean and Carter had done fire safety programs at Holden’s school for years – even back before Carter was with Tabitha.
One of the teachers waved and Sean waved back. He was thankful she didn’t come over. She probably saw the exchange and wanted no part of it. West Memphis wasn’t so big that people didn’t know which conversations to avoid between exes. People knew which men were in the process of burning their lives down around them even if they didn’t know every dirty detail yet.
He heard an engine rev and turned in time to watch Carter drive away with the family that Sean had pushed away.
Motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked back over the playground. Blades of grass twisted and danced in the air as they fell slowly back to the ground. It was only a couple at first, but then the falling grass rained down on the playground like confetti. The teachers and students stopped and looked up at the sky. Sean stared up at the sun, but saw nothing in the empty sky that could explain the falling grass. He had not been watching and had missed how the dance of the grass had begun. Maybe Carter was wise to keep his eyes on the trees.
10
Michael Strove and Roman Nikitin – Russia
Micheal put his back to the truck of a tree. Roman pulled away from him and did the same at another trunk. Michael snuck a look around and saw light breaking the horizon. Morning was coming and he was exhausted from dodging the search parties all night. Darkness had covered them some, but he would be surprised if at least some of the Russian soldiers pursuing did not have night vision or heat sensors.
Michael and Roman had been running, hiding, and zigzagging all night.
His feet crunched under him like snow. He looked down in the growing light and saw he was standing on piles of shaved bark. He looked up. The trees were shaved clean nearly all the way up. Larger branches near the top had broken off as well. It looked like they had weathered a terrible storm, but one that pulled straight down instead of sideways.
“How close are we to your station?” Michael asked.
Roman slid down the trunk and sat. “Far.We are going the wrong way again, Captain Michael.”
Michael bit his lip. “Do you not know where we are going, Roman?”
“I know. We have just had to keep circling away from them. We need to hook back … ugh, east.”
Michael nodded. “Do you think they know where we are headed?”
“I don’t see how. We keep going the wrong way. It is the perfect plan.”
Michael sniffed and shook his head. “Do I need to let you go? If they catch you with me, you could be in big trouble.”
Roman shook his head. “As long as we are not caught, I am safe. We need to keep going.”
Michael looked east again. “It’s daylight. We should probably find a place to hide and rest.”
“Then, let’s go, Captain Michael.” Roman started to stand, but winced as he put weight on his ankle.
Michael crossed over and knelt in front of Roman. “Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I was in a tower crushed by an invisible tiger from space, man.”
“Your ankle, I mean.”
Roman dropped back to sitting. “It is getting all fat. It only hurts when it twists from side to side. It is weak.”
“Swollen,” Michael said. “Sprained. Stretch out your leg for me.”
Roman extended his knee. Michael started gathering small sticks and pulled a section of cord from one of his pockets.
“Why did you help me?” Roman asked.
“What do you mean?” Michael took out a knife and cut off a section of cord before putting the knife away.
“You did not know I would be helping you. You needed to avoid discovery,” Roman said, “Why risk it on me?”
“My brother Carter saves people.” Michael braced the sticks around Roman’s ankle and wrapped the cord around them.
“You trying
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