Compass Call: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 3) (17 page)

Tony raised the microphone to his lips and said, “I’d say that concludes our meeting for today. Now remember folks, the census will begin early tomorrow morning. If you need emergency water, please see Ms. Beal and she will issue a coupon that you can redeem at the Anderson house. Thank you, and good day.”

Several people approached Tony with questions, but no one seemed willing to approach John, which was fine with him. He wasn’t trying to make friends, and was actually pleased with the distance he and his companions were being afforded by the people around them.

He watched as people interacted with Tony, and it always amazed him how some people gravitated towards authority, whether it was actual or contrived. John was never one to trust authority, even in the military, and often took his sweet time establishing an opinion about someone. He would hear rumors about other officers, but he always gave them the benefit of the doubt and allowed them to prove themselves. But for John, it was all about who earned his loyalty, and that had nothing to do with rank or position.

Susan Beal, the newly elected census and reallocation officer, was also inundated with people requesting water, and inquiring about tomorrow’s census. John was impressed with her calm, and watched as she listened intently and took careful notes. Occasionally, she would hand someone a piece of paper, which John assumed was a water coupon, or carefully make an entry on her tablet.

He liked the idea of the water coupons because it meant he didn’t have to make the decisions about who got water, and when. He really didn’t care what their criteria was, as long as people didn’t make a mad dash for his pool. The coupons also gave him enough time to meet with Tony without worrying about getting home to handle the distribution.

Pete whispered to John that the baby mom was leaving, so John turned to Paul and asked him to discreetly follow her and find out where she lived. Paul nodded in reply and left without a word. John then turned to Pete and asked him to return home and supervise the distribution of water.

Pete wasn’t happy about leaving John, but John insisted and told him not to worry, that if he wasn’t home in an hour he could come back with guns blazing. Pete grumbled a reply, but immediately jogged off in the direction of the house. Pete quickly got ahead of the wave of people leaving the meeting, but he kept running just the same, which didn’t surprise John.

John turned to see Tony’s wide rear end literally dropping over the truck’s tailgate. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Tony cut a straight path to John. They met half way, but John waited for Tony to say the first word. “That was quite an impressive display you put on. Thank you for not hurting that man more than you could have,” said Tony.

“It served a purpose,” replied John.

“That it did. Now everyone in the neighborhood knows you mean business, and that you’re not someone to be trifled with,” said Tony, with his palms facing upward as a sign of acceptance, or submission, John wasn’t sure which. Tony moved to stand alongside John, and after placing his hand on John’s shoulder, he led him back to the truck.

John never liked people putting their hands on him, especially strangers, and Tony was a stranger. It felt extremely patronizing, but he suffered it for the sake of intelligence gathering. John really
wanted to get inside Tony’s head, and the only way to do that was to let Tony think he was amiable, a team player, and somewhat open to his manipulation.

Tony parked himself on the lowered tailgate, and John, after leaving a comfortable distance between the two of them, did the same. John’s feet hit the ground, but Tony’s didn’t, and he thanked God for making him tall enough to do so. Tony, on the other hand, had to slide back or remain standing. He decided to stand. “So, John. How can I make it up to you?”

“Make what up to me?” asked John. He knew where Tony was going with his question, but he wasn’t willing to help him, especially since he knew Tony wasn’t being sincere.

“For ignoring your request . . . your offer to teach us preparedness those many years ago,” said Tony.

“It wasn’t that long ago . . . and it’s a little late for that don’t you think,” replied John.

“You’re right, but it must have been an issue for you because you mentioned it during the meeting.”

“Do you have any idea how your response, your rejection of that simple offer, has affected the lives of everyone in this neighborhood? If just a few people prepared it would have made all the difference for the neighborhood’s survival,” said John, as he looked sidelong at Tony. He noticed that Tony’s stooges, Joel and Randy, were standing a short distance away, apparently ready to come to Tony’s rescue if the crazy Rambo guy decided to attack their boss.

“Just how prepared are
you
?” asked Tony.

That was a question John was prepared to answer, but he wasn’t entirely convinced he could pull it off given what everyone could see, or at least think they could see, of his house from the street. Between the solar panels, the covered pool, and the boarded up windows, John’s house screamed of preparedness. After all, it’s what attracted Darrel to his house on the first day of ash fall, or at least that’s what Darrel admitted when he came asking for batteries.

Darrel was long dead, buried in Paul’s back yard, but thanks to Eli John knew his connection with Darrel wasn’t yet severed. He knew it was only a matter of time before Darrel’s motorcycle gang showed up to exact their revenge on his death.

As for looking prepared, John couldn’t help it, so he knew that lying about his preps wasn’t an option. He replied with, “Not enough,” and shook his head to emphasize his position. “Covering the pool was little more than providence, a fruitful experiment really. The solar panels were installed by the previous owners, but I did keep them running. They just started working again when the ash washed away, but for some reason they’re not working at full capacity. I think it has something to do with the hail storm. As for covering the lower windows, well, that was something I learned overseas. Homes built in Germany and Japan have built-in window covers. I liked the idea for storms and had everything ready. I covered them when I heard about the eruption.”

“But how are you doing with food?” asked Tony.

John stared at him, curious about why Tony was being so direct. “I had a four month’s supply before I took on two additional families. Now I’ve got about a one month supply . . . give or take. Our problem is variety. I have wheat, beans and rice, but it has to be cooked. Why do you ask?”

“I know you won’t let my census people into your house, so I thought I’d ask. But would you be willing to share some of your food with your neighborhood?” asked Tony.

“With limits . . . very severe limits. Like with the very needy,” said John, as he thought about the woman with the baby. “But I do have something to offer you. You mentioned an interest in sending out scouting parties, and to be perfectly honest with you, scavenging is the only way this neighborhood will survive. Fortunately, I know of a few possible scavenger sites not too far from here,” said John, “but you’ll need to organize a solid group of people to pull it off. People who can fight, and think on their feet in a pinch.”

“People like you?” asked Tony.

“Nope. I’m not looking for the job. I’ll help, but I’m not leaving my home undefended until things calm down,” said John.

“What do you mean?” asked Tony.

“I mean, right now is not a good time to be out running around unless you have no other choice. You’re right about the gang violence and all,” said John. “Did you know that Paul’s wife was recently raped by a biker here in our neighborhood? It happened just the other day, right down the street from this house,” said John, as he pointed south in the direction of Paul’s house.

Tony’s eyes flashed, and John wondered what he knew about the attack, but he said, “You’re kidding me! Wow! Was Paul the other guy standing with you?”

“Yes. His family moved in with us after the attack.”

“What happened to the attacker?”

“There were two of them, and I took care of it,” replied John.

“And how exactly did you take care of it?” asked Tony.

John looked at him, acutely aware that he had to move cautiously when dealing with the little wannabe dictator. John wanted to shape Tony’s perceptions of him, but vigilante wasn’t on the label, so he said, “Let’s just leave it at that. It’s not important how I took care of it, just that I took care of it.”

“That’s fine with me if you don’t want to tell me how you
took care of it
,” replied Tony, “but do you think more bikers will come . . . that more of them will return looking for trouble?”

“I don’t know,” answered John. “It’s possible. If one of them knows about us, then others might. But we can take some steps to hinder their access to us, and possibly even pose a suitable defense if they do return. But I doubt anyone will follow your man over there,” said John, as he nodded in the direction of Joel, “He may be pretty to look at, but he’s not a fighter, or a leader of fighters,” finished John.

“Then will you lead a security detail?”

“I’m too old for that,” said John.

“What about that other guy with you? What was his name? Pete? He looked like a Soldier,” said Tony.

“He’s one of the best. But I won’t speak for him. He was curious why our neighborhood didn’t already have security in place, so I’ll talk to him and see what he says.” John sighed. He stood up and said, “Look, I’ve got to get back home. It’s getting late.”

“Wait! You didn’t tell me about that scavenger place you mentioned,” said Tony.

“You’re right. It’s about twelve miles south of here, near Golden Triangle. It’s a big shipping container yard . . . right across the street from a big FedEx distribution center. Both locations offer some very lucrative scavenging possibilities. But be advised, the closer you get to Fort Worth the more dangerous it will be. People are already forming groups, both kinds of people, bad and good. Anyone with a desire to roam the countryside in search of resources better go armed and ready for a fight,” said John. He arched his back once, and then twisted his trunk left and right to perform a quick stretch.

“Can you teach some of our guys how to fight?” asked Tony.

“I can, but skill doesn’t mean anything without intent. Most of the people in this neighborhood are soft, which is why they’re asking to be led. They’re sheep looking for a sheepdog.”

“That guy you tussled with was a wolf,” said Tony.

“You think so? Well, he was a muscle-head, anyway. But people like him are more of a danger to themselves and others than to the enemy. I wouldn’t put him in charge of anything, but he might make a good grunt if he could stand taking orders from someone smaller and smarter than him.”

“Grunt?”

“A foot Soldier . . . a rifleman,” said John.

“Oh. Well look, before you leave, can we meet again tomorrow . . . say sometime before the meeting? I’d like to talk with you about how to defend the neighborhood, so I know how many volunteers to ask for. We can meet at my place, say, sometime around noon?” asked Tony.

John considered the request, and he paused just long enough to make Tony squirm. Tony faced John and said, “Look, I know you don’t like me, but I would be a fool not to enlist your support. I know you could bump me off my perch with very little effort, but I think we can support each other. I can keep my census people away from you, you know, give you some breathing room, but all I ask is that you work with me a little.” John shifted on his feet, as if to feign indecision. He already knew what he was going to say, but he wanted Tony to talk more, reveal a little more about himself. “John, the people here know and trust me, but they’re divided right now. If we work together, if we display a united front, I really think we can survive this disaster,” offered Tony.

“OK, I can meet you after lunch, but let’s make it thirteen-hundred hours . . . one o’clock,” agreed John.

“Excellent, I’ll see you at my place. I live just two houses down from here . . . on the right,” replied Tony.

“I know where you live. I’ll meet you there,” said John, and he began to walk away, but after a few steps he stopped and turned to face Tony again. “By the way, send whomever you want for water, but don’t send them after dark. Anyone who comes to my house after dark will be considered hostile,” finished John, and he turned and walked away. John saw Tony’s shadow as he walked away, and he was positive it was an extended middle finger. John smiled and continued walking.

CHAPTER 5