Compass Call: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

Go ahead. I’ve got watch now. Thanks and sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning,” said John, as he turned to climb up the ladder. Before sitting, he peeked through the blanket flap. After turning off his flashlight, he pinned the flap up and looked out into the dark yard beyond. The darkness was near complete, and the absence of buzzing and chirping insects seemed to thicken it.
    John concluded that placing sandbags in front of the alcove window was the first order of business for the day, and that it would be a perfect job for Adam and his companions to support. The three young men worked well together, and they seemed to trust Adam as their unofficial leader. That relationship helped John because it allowed him to communicate all suitable tasks directly through Adam, and then Adam would enlist their help to accomplish the mission. John knew that he could count on Adam to get the job done, which was comforting, but the sandbag mission would require adult supervision. He wondered how the other boys would take to Pete when it involved hard work, because Pete didn’t mess around when it came to work. Like any teen, Adam was prone to slacking, but he could be a hard worker. John knew his son would set the example for the other boys.
    In retrospect, John realized that he began to treat Adam differently, with more trust and responsibility, when he learned that Eli was Adam’s future son. It still amazed John to think he was being spiritually guided by his unborn grandson, but he couldn’t spend too much time considering it without feeling a little thin. So much had happened since his awakening that he was beginning to wonder who he really was.
    John found that the best way to cope with his feeling ‘thin’ was to focus on temporal issues, like how to build a good sandbag bunker in the alcove, or what to take when they left for the mountains. Wondering about the ‘who’ and ‘why’ of spirit communications was the least of his worries since the disaster happened. Leaving the house was a much bigger distraction, and it actually hurt his head to think about it. There was no way they could take everything with them, not without a large truck or several trailers. They would have to immediately start planning for their trip. With so much to do, and so little time to get it done, he wondered when they’d be able to leave.

    Marissa was the first to rise. She went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast as soon as Paul settled into bed. As she passed through the blanket curtain that separated the entryway from their personal space in the living room, she smiled up at John and waved. John waved in reply and turned back to the window.
    It was still dark. The blue band of illumination that served as a prelude to morning was still an hour or more away. He would record the break of dawn with an entry of EMNT, followed by the time. Early Morning Nautical Twilight was a military term for the pale blue light that existed prior to sunrise, and it was known as the preferred time to launch raids. John wasn’t worried about being raided, at least not yet, but he preferred to be wide awake before EMNT for that reason alone. At the moment, his log entry was little more a point of reference for the future.
    As dark as it was, the hazy moon managed to provide just enough light for John to see two dogs sniff the ground around his mailbox. One of the dogs, a medium-sized one, lifted his leg and marked the post with a quick squirt. The smaller dog sniffed the spot, and then turned his attention to the larger dog’s butt. John wondered if the larger dog was the one he saw the other day, while he was walking toCorbin’s house. It had a familiar build, but it was hard to tell in the low light, and from the window. The two dogs trotted off, and John recorded their departure in the log.
    Stray dogs would be a problem in the days and weeks to come, so recording their visit was important for everyone. He also hoped the entry would incline the others