The present tense is a rhetorical device used to make the sudden, unexpected action seem more immediate, and thus, dramatic. Both events take place in the past. A similar technique would be the use of "this" instead if "that." "We were walking down the hall, and suddenly this monster jumps out."

I agree that it sound better if all tenses were past tense. Just when I thought I was out, she PULLED me back in again. Why present tense PULLS was used is unclear without more context. Perhaps the surrounding story is being told in present tense?

The original sentence is grammatically incorrect. It should be "she pulled me in again". However, this incorrect usage is fairly common among native speakers.

Hello Liusu, In the sentence, the person had thought before she had pulled him in. It is used in the past tense because the action of him thinking was something that happened before the action of her doing something. I hope this helps and isn't confusing!