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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

She left the bathroom and closed the door. How long their connection would last once they landed in D.C. was an unknown for her.

Julian let the spray of water from the shower cleanse him. He was in desperate need of cleansing.

Word came there was no one in the insurgent’s house. But he saw movement. What he didn’t see was the girl. It was a mistake and it haunted him. Was she pushed into the room? Used as a decoy? He’d never know. For once he’d pulled the trigger and she was blown away, bullets from everywhere rained like thunder.

He’d planted that so far deep inside, he thought he was safe. But whatever happened in the desert brought that young girl back like lightning.

He got out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror.

“What the fuck are we doing here?”

His tortured eyes reminded him of the men under his command—drunk on the rush of firefights and the nearness of death, and the horror, lack of sleep, and desperate need for forgiveness.

He remembered one of the younger men, Brian Halloway, who was sent stateside after flipping out collecting body parts, blathering that he could feel spirits. Not just around the bodies and shattered pieces of flesh, and not just the Marine dead, but the spirits of all the dead of Iraq. That episode was enough to get him discharged.

He thought of Brian as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He could feel the spirit of the young girl around him and knew he’d never be able to sequester her deep inside him again. He also knew he’d never talk about it again. He had told Dominique, but if she ever brought it up, he’d chalk it up to a bullshit story just to get her off his back.

The truth was, he knew remembering was part of something bigger.

20

20

It was almost midnight when the government plane landed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Creeping fog and spitting rain made a less-than-warm welcome for Dominique and Julian, jet-lagged and exhausted.

Senator Ledge stared out from the back seat of a government vehicle. He wiped the condensation that formed on the glass as his son and Dominique were escorted from the plane down to a covered area of the tarmac.

Dominique’s boss at The Washington Post, waited for her under a large doorman’s umbrella outside his limo.

Dominique was disappointed when she saw him. She hadn’t asked for him to pick her up. She wanted to be with Julian. Maybe it was just that they’d come out of their river of fire alive and that was the intense bond…