Free The Pulse Series (Book 1): Pulse by Steven Laidlaw Page A

made our way to the door. With a bit of noise it opened up by itself and folded out into a stairway.
    I squinted into the brightness of the daylight as I stepped off the last step and onto the tarmac. Large, green trees encircled us. They could have gone on for half the world for all I knew. I could see mountains nearby and the sea of green ran up the base of them too, so I knew this wasn't a small forest. The air was a bit cool for the time of year which meant we were further north than New York. The smell that filled my nostrils was unlike anything I had smelt in my life, even with the plane fuel burning right at my back. The sweet and tangy air left an odd taste in my mouth which would take some getting used to. When I turned to look for any sign of civilization, all I could see was a small white building on the corner of the short runway.
    I turned to Bradley. "Not what I expected from the military. I thought you guys were the richest organization in the country."
    Bradley smiled and shrugged. "Close to it, but I think the underground drug trade is beating us this year. Anyway, this isn't a military facility in the strictest sense. Its purpose is ferrying people to and from the training camp."
    "It's not with the other military training camps?"
    "No. We have… special needs."
    I nodded, even though I didn't quite understand, and followed him and Gus toward the building. I looked around at the landscape. This would be the perfect opportunity to make a run for it. Only two things were stopping me. The first was that I had no idea where I was or where the nearest town was, so without supplies I would be dead within a few days. The second is that I kind of didn't want to any more. Bradley's words had piqued my interest, and if what he said was true I didn't want to risk missing an opportunity to see the facility.
    When we were halfway to the building I heard the plane fire up again and watched as it started taxiing out onto the runway. I turned back to ask Bradley a question and realized they had keep walking without me.
    "The plane is leaving?" I called out as I jogged back up to them.
    Bradley nodded. "It comes at our request."
    "What if I don't want to stay?"
    Gus's deep voice rumbled from up ahead. "Then in a weeks time, on the supply delivery, you can catch a lift back out on it."
    I looked up at the mountain of a man. "So what do you do?"
    He grunted.
    Bradley clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Sergeant Peterson here is our public relations officer."
    Gus grunted again.
    "I think you need a new one," I mumbled under my breath.
    Bradley laughed. "You might not like his methods, but he got you here didn't he?"
    I didn't respond to that and followed them past the building to another black sedan. We all jumped in, Gus in the driver's seat, and pulled out onto the road.
    "How long until we get there?"
    "Another two hours." Bradley turned to look at me over his shoulder. "Know any good driving songs?"
    I sighed and turned to look out the window at the scenery as it went past. I was so used to concrete and brick that I had no idea how big these forests were. I had seen them in books and on TV of course, but it was hard to appreciate the scale without being there. I couldn't see more than thirty feet into the woods with how thick it was, but I knew it would go on for days, or even weeks, if I tried to walk it. I felt myself smile at the view.
    "Beautiful, isn't it?"
    I turned to Bradley and saw he was looking at me. I nodded and turned back to the window, not wanting to miss anything on our journey. This had been the kind of thing I had wanted to do, even if I didn't know the specifics. Seeing things I had never seen before and getting new experiences. That was when it hit me.
    I was out of the city.
    Even though the circumstances weren't like I imagined, it didn't change that fact that I was free of that life. I would never have to live in that kind of fear again. That constant state of vigilance.
    It was every bit possible I