Pulse: When Gravity Fails (Pulse Science Fiction Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

closely, Mother.”
    More individual trees crumbled around the edges of the band of destruction. Roman looked for a fissure or sink hole where the forest floor might be breaking over a magma pocket of some ancient, forgotten volcano, but there was nothing. The ground was whole.
    Motion to the south drew his attention and he panned the binoculars. Another band of trees collapsed in the wake of the phenomenon. It was further from him and Roman could not see the exposed floor from his vantage this time. He could see the band was thinner this time, but miles longer.
    He watched with his jaw open as thinner trees bowed slowly down from their tops.
    “Show due respect to our invisible tiger master.”
    Roman heard a screaming roar build around him. He looked around for the source and then lowered the glasses.
    The fighter raced over the top of the tower close enough to shake the entire structure. Roman thought he was going to be flung right out the opening. A mist of gooey film lighted on his skin and smelled like spilled kerosene. As he watched the fighter drift down toward the forest, Roman touched the sticky paste over his arms. “Jet fuel?”
    The fighter hit the trees and clipped through the ones that were still standing before gliding into the space of the open band like it were a prepared landing strip. “Was this a military operation?”
    He brought the lenses back up which were partially obscured by the film of spilt fuel from the air. Roman cursed in English. “That’s not a Russian craft.”
    As he watched the plane hit the ground in a tumble over the fallen timber, Roman saw the smaller trees rise from their bow like they were raising their heads to watch the crashing enemy plane.
    More crackles and falling trees traveled up the hill below him. Roman took his view off the plane and followed the path of falling trees approaching him. “Is that you, Tiger?”
    Roman felt his legs grow heavy and he felt dizzy. The binoculars increased in weight until he finally let go of them and they pulled on the strap along the back of his neck.
    The hatch slammed closed behind him and then ripped loose tumbling down the ladder. He heard the scream of metal on metal and Roman dropped to his knees. “What is happening?”
    The tower collapsed around him and Roman was plunged into painful darkness.
     
     
     

4
     
    Sean Grayson – West Memphis, Arkansas
     
    Sean ran through the open door of the apartment, but then the ceiling came down. Sean barreled forward to keep from getting buried. He turned and saw beams down and burning over the doorway. An engulfed sofa from the apartment above sat on its side in flames.
    Baker’s voice hit the radio. “We have a man trapped inside.”
    The milk was spilled across the table. The cup rolled off, but seemed to fall it slow motion. It bounced on the kitchen tile with a click and then floated slowly back up cutting a trail through the smoke. This had to be one of those moments where time seemed to slow down.
    “Up, up, and away,” Sean said.
    He ran down the hall, but then another collapse brought the ceiling down around him. The drywall warped into waves on both sides and exploded into powder and splinters. Sean dove forward toward the bathroom instead of back out of the collapse.
    He shoved the chunks of wall off of him as he looked back at the burning debris which now filled the apartment. The chunks of wall lifted off of him and twirled in the air without landing again.
    Sean could see through the missing section of wall into the kitchen. The balloon cup was still spinning in the air from its bounce creating a cyclone effect in the smoke. Now the plates, forks, and bits of food were dancing through the smoky air in the kitchen too.
    Sean blinked and looked through the open face of the bathroom. The toothbrush floated by. As he watched, the shower curtain parted itself and lifted up in the air like it was being blown by a wind. A beam lay across the tub and he saw a small hand