Compass Call: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 3) (50 page)

Corbin opened the door and stuck his head out to apologize, “Sorry, Mr. A.”

“What?” said Pete, “Why are you apologizing to him? I’m your instructor.”

“But he’s our commander. You said so yourself,” replied Corbin, standing his ground to Pete as he approached the door and began to push his way in.

“Yeah, well, when you’re a private, everyone is your commander. Just ask another private,” quipped Pete. “And please tell me you guys didn’t eat all the lunch!”

“We didn’t. Marissa saved you some. I think I’ll resume my post now,” declared Corbin.

“You do that. And good Job on the challenge. I’m impressed,” said Pete.

“Really?” asked Corbin, as he climbed the ladder. “Awesome!”

CHAPTER 14

W
hile John was sitting in the kitchen enjoying the last of his lunch, Corbin walked in to announce that a group of men had arrived and were assembling on the road in front of the house. John looked at Jenna with a worried expression, he had promised her that they would spend a few quiet moments together before he left for the train expedition. John stood, and after taking Jenna by the hand he silently led her to the last remaining place of privacy in the house, the master bedroom. In the old days an invitation to the bedroom would have meant something about passion, but since the disaster, and the inclusion of two and a half families, it meant business, or at least a private conversation about the future. That’s all Jenna wanted, a quiet moment to talk with John, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

John shut the door and embraced his wife. She hugged him fiercely in reply and laid her head against his chest. “Are things ever going to quiet down for us again?” she asked.

“I’d like to think so, but so much has happened in such a short amount of time . . . it’s only been about a week since the ash started to fall, and look at everything that’s happened,” replied John.

“Less than a week. It started falling on Saturday, and today’s Thursday,” replied Jenna.

“You’re right. For us it started before ash fall, but I wonder where all the time has gone. It’s been crazy busy. To me it feels like it’s been one long day. I’m really tired, but we still can’t rest,” said John.

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to rest again?”

John began rubbing her back and said, “I believe so. I’ve seen where we’re going. I think we can rest there. It’s a safe and beautiful place.” He waited for Jenna to reply, but when she didn’t he moved to the next sensitive subject on their personal list. “I also figured out how to keep Abby’s insulin cold while we’re traveling. Pete has a small plug-in mini-fridge. It’s designed for a six-pack, so it’s big enough for all her meds. I’m thinking we have an eight month supply,” said John.

When Jenna didn’t reply he said, “If it’s not the trip, not Abby . . . is it the biker gang stuff that’s bothering you?”

“No,” replied Jenna without lifting her head from his chest. He was frantically checking off items from his list, trying to think if he missed something, when Jenna said, “I had a dream last night.”

John was externally silent, but doing jumping jacks on the inside. He didn’t yet know the ramifications of her statement, because Jenna never talked about her dreams, but he was hopeful it was a good experience. He asked her many times before if she ever dreamed, and she said she did, but she never remembered them, so she didn’t have anything to talk about. It also probably didn’t help that she often criticized his dreams, but he was determined to get her to talk about it. “And?” asked John, in a soft and calm voice.

“You’ll probably just laugh at me anyway,” said Jenna.

“Jenna, my love, I will never laugh at you, especially about something that’s important to you. You know I dream, and I try to tell you about them, but they always seem to scare you,” he said.

“Well, that’s because you have scary dreams . . . and you always remember the details. It’s like you live the dream . . . like you’re a part of them, and that scares me too,” she replied.

“I don’t always remember all the details,” said John. “And frankly, I don’t know why I remember what I do. I’ve met other people who remember their dreams, but I don’t know a lot of people who dream like I do . . . or maybe they dream like I do, but they don’t talk about them. Because of my dreams, I’ve always been interested in them. It started when I was a kid . . . when I read about how Joseph interpreted
Pharaoh’s dream of the coming drought . . . you know, that Old Testament story?”“Interpreting dreams, and having them are two different things,” responded Jenna.

“You’re right. I can’t interpret dreams, that’s for sure, but I do like to hear about them. I guess I’m more like pharaoh in that regard. I have them, but I don’t know what they mean. I usually don’t figure out what they mean until they’re revealed to me down the road, at least that’s how it was before the disaster. Now everything has changed. I get answers much more quickly,” said John.

Jenna nodded and said, “I guess they’ve changed for me too, because I remember the dream I had last night, and it was . . . very different.”

“How so?” prodded John.

“Well, I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but I talked to Adam’s son.”

“Eli?” replied John, surprised and thrilled beyond measure. “You talked to Eli?”

“You know him too?” replied Jenna, equally surprised, but more shocked than thrilled.

“I do,” said John. “I’ve talked with Eli several times since the disaster.”

“You have?” asked Jenna. “Why haven’t you mentioned it before?”

“Because I thought you’d think I was crazy,” replied John. “But I wanted to tell you about it. I wanted to tell you about a lot of things that have happened to me during the last week. I’ve had so many spiritual events that I can barely keep track of them. I’ve written most of them down . . . if you want to read about them, but I’ve had a lot. It’s why I gave you my journal,” finished John.

“I want to read about them, but I didn’t write mine down, and don’t think I want to,” replied Jenna.

“Why?” asked John, with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m not like you, John. And mine was . . . special. I mean, I’m not saying your dreams aren’t special, but this was my first, and, well . . . I don’t know. I just don’t want to write it down.”

“That’s fine, but will you tell me about it?” asked John.

“There’s really not that much to say. I mean, it was very emotional. Much more emotional than anything I have ever felt in a long time. I woke up crying,” said Jenna.

“That’s typical, I think. Emotional constraints are less pronounced . . . people speak without deception. There’s something about communicating on this side that inhibits open, honest dialogue. All of my spiritual experiences have been emotional,” replied John. He didn’t want to rush Jenna, but he also didn’t want to keep Jeff and the guys waiting.

John was about to suggest they continue their conversation later when Jenna began to tell her story. “Eli talked to me like this, like two regular people talking, but without words, like mind talk,” she said, and watched his expressions. John only nodded, so she continued, “He took my hand and we were standing on a grassy hill overlooking a green valley. At the bottom of the hill was a white farmhouse. He told me it was our destination.”

She looked at John again, but he gave nothing away. He was so excited she saw the farmhouse he could barely contain himself. He wanted her to continue, to share her experience freely and without interruption, so he listened carefully. “Eli told me you opened a door for us, for me, and that made it possible for me to receive . . . I don’t know, more awareness, or something like that. He said I shouldn’t be troubled by your visions, and that you needed my help to complete your mission, or purpose, or something like that. I’m sorry, John . . . now I wish I wrote it all down,” moaned Jenna.

“It’s OK, babe,” said John, as he tried to sooth her rising emotions.

She wiped her eyes and said, “I’m OK. I also asked him about Abby, John. I asked Eli about my baby girl, but he said he couldn’t answer my question.”

“What do you mean?”

“Eli is Adam’s boy, so I know Adam makes it, but what about Abby? Will she have children, too?” asked Jenna, as tears began to flow freely
down her cheeks. “I’m really worried about my Abby. I’m worried she won’t make it.”

“She’ll make it, Jenna,” said John.

“How can you say that? Her insulin will run out when there’s no way to find more,” she cried.

“I have a strong feeling she won’t need insulin by then,” said John, as he stroked Jenna’s hair.

“What do you mean?” asked Jenna, as she rubbed her eyes again.

“Just that her health will change, that she’ll be healed,” replied John.

“Healed?”

“Yes. Healed,” answered John. “There are so many changes taking place that I’m convinced something will change for her as well. But don’t worry about her medication now . . . when we’ve got plenty. Abby is never far from my mind. The next time I see Eli I’ll ask him about Abby, OK?”

“You can do that? You can talk to Eli again?” asked Jenna, as she once again looked up to study John’s face.

He nodded and said, “Yes, unless he’s busy. I can communicate with him pretty much whenever I need to.”

“I’m still trying to come to terms with all this change stuff, and I’m not talking about the disaster. Don’t get me wrong, the disaster was crazy . . . it still is crazy, but this spiritual stuff, that’s somehow crazier than the disaster. Yesterday Bonnie was telling me about Pete’s experience, and I was wondering if Eli came to me because I was just thinking about what Bonnie said,” she finished.

“I don’t think Eli came to you because you were thinking about what Bonnie said. I think he came to you because you’re important . . . that it’s important for you to be aware of what’s going on around us . . . spiritually speaking. Have you talked to Marissa about her experiences?” asked John.

“Yes. She’s a believer, too. She absolutely worships the ground you walk on. It almost makes me jealous.”

“That’s only because I rescued her from the bikers,” said John.

“It’s more than that,” said Jenna. “It’s spiritual. It’s about your gifts . . . that’s what she calls them, gifts.”

“Jenna, I . . .”

She reached up and lightly put a finger over John’s lips. “I’m not so jealous that I need an explanation, or a justification, but I was curious about why she was so enamored with you, so I prayed for an answer.”

“You prayed?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I pray more than you think. Anyway, I wanted to know what was going on with you. I wanted to know if you were . . . OK,” said Jenna.

“So you prayed about me?” asked John.

“The same night I prayed, Eli visited me. I don’t think that was a coincidence,” replied Jenna.

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” said John.

“As we stood together on the grassy hill, Eli told me about your work, what you were called to do. He didn’t say much, but I was shown a lot, and all of it was about you. Some of it was the past, but most of it was in the future . . . the near future, but also the distant future, because you looked older than you do now.”

“Maybe you can enlighten me then, because I have no idea what I’m doing,” replied John.

“Eli said you would say that,” smiled Jenna. “But he also said you would know what to do, and when to do it. He told me not to worry about you.”

John pulled Jenna close and whispered tenderly in her ear, “Do you know how much your words mean to me? I’ve desperately wanted to share my experiences with you . . . everything that’s happened to me since the disaster, but I was afraid, Jenna. I was afraid you would become hard, and turn away from me. I was afraid you would never want to know about my spiritual awakening. Now that you know about it, I don’t know how to deal with it, but I’m glad. Actually I’m really
happy. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I love you so very much. Thanks for telling me.”

“I love you, too,” whispered Jenna in reply, and then she pushed away and added, “I think you better go. You have people waiting for you out front.” They kissed, and shared another warm and loving embrace. “I’m not worried about you anymore, John Anderson” she said.

“And I’m not worried about you anymore either, Jenna Anderson. I’m the luckiest man alive,” replied John.

“That you are,” she said with a smile, “now go!”