The Pulse Series (Book 1): Pulse Read Online Free PDF Page A

confusion. "What the f—"
    I slammed the book as hard as I could into the back of his head. He slumped forward and dropped the knife. I kept the book raised above my head, ready to bring it down the moment he moved.
    He didn't.
    After a few seconds to consider I smashed the book down on him again anyway. Better safe than sorry.
    I stepped back and dropped the book, my legs folding beneath me as the adrenaline wore off. My hands were shaking, I looked over to Chuck's still body and shuddered. He had been so close.
    I stood and rushed to my wardrobe, grabbing pants and sliding them on, then a shirt to pull over my tank top. When I finished dressing I ran to my desk and grabbed my backpack, filling it with as much food as I could fit. I was halfway to the door when I turned back and picked up the knife, slipping it into my backpack.
    I opened my door and squinted as the bright light from the hallway hit my eyes, but didn't stop moving as I made my way toward the front door. My eyes adjusted as I walked through the living room and I saw my mom lying on the couch. I paused for a moment. She was fast asleep with a needle still sticking out of her arm.
    I had never felt so angry in all my life.
    This was her fault. She was there to protect me. She was there to take care of me. There were things that moms were there to do, and she had failed in every way. I took one last look at the thing lying on the couch and walked out of the apartment.
    I threw myself down the hallway, down the stairs, and then out of the building's front doors. The moment the cold air hit my body was the same moment the reality began to sink in. I had nowhere to go, and it was the middle of the night. Nighttime wasn't a safe time to be alone in the city, especially in the area I was in right now. Police patrols seldom came through here, and even if they did I wouldn't have wanted the police involved anyway. They would force me to go back.
    I started to walk although I'd not yet decided where I was headed. I just needed to move. I had made it not fifty feet when a group of men rounded the corner and started walking toward me. Instinct kicked in and I slipped into a nearby alleyway and, after making sure it was deserted, hid behind a large trash can. The men walked past, clearly drunk, talking loudly of their exploits of the night.
    As I sat waiting for the men to pass I felt a shiver slide into my body that had nothing to do with the cold. My body spasmed in revulsion and I had to squeeze my eyes shut hard to prevent them from leaking. Chuck's face flashed behind my eyelids. I took a deep breath and forced my eyes open again. Now was not the time or the place for this.
    I pushed thoughts of Chuck from my mind, but it was soon replaced with the aftermath. I sat rubbing at my chest where the, for lack of a better word, explosion happened. It wasn't sore now, but I could still feel the small pressure. I still had no idea what had happened, but somehow it had frozen Chuck in place and let me escape. Confusion still flooded me when I realized where I needed to go.
    Trey.
    He was the only one who I could trust enough with something like this. I needed to talk with him about what had happened, and also about what I was going to do now. I had nothing to help me survive except a day's worth of food, some extra clothes, and the knife he had given me. But Trey had a plan. Trey had a way out of this situation. It had seemed risky at the time, but now it didn't look like there was another option. I needed cash and I needed it fast, and his plan was the only way to make that happen.
    I listened for a few minutes to be sure I was alone. Once ready I picked myself up off the ground and began to make my way to Trey's house.

FIVE
    I knocked on the window to Trey's bedroom and waited. About thirty seconds passed before I decided to try again, but just as I was about to knock the blinds were pulled back. Trey stood wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and holding a baseball bat