Compass Call: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 3) (60 page)

“It’s gonna get cold. Do we have enough cold weather gear for everyone? I suspect we’ll see snow along the way, at least in Colorado.”

“I believe we do,” answered John. “I suspect we’ll be delayed by weather and terrain, but mostly by people . . . you know, to help them along the way,” said John, as he studied the map.

“I think you’re right,” replied Pete. “It took me three days to travel three hundred miles. If we’re lucky we should be able to drive a hundred miles a day. That means we’ll be on the road for at least eight to ten days . . . give or take.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said John, as he closed the map book.

“Don’t you want to write out the route plans?” asked Pete.

“Nope. I just wanted to give you an idea about the direction we’re traveling. I’ll provide more specific directions as we travel,” answered John.

Pete nodded and said, “Right . . . like from Eli.”

“Actually, I think most of our direction will come from the compass,” said John.

“Say what?”

“The compass. Here, follow me and I’ll show you,” said John. He led Pete into the garage, and after stepping over stacks of supplies, they stood before the gun safe. While John turned the dial he said, “I’m going to try to explain this to you in way that won’t make me sound absolutely crazy.”

“That’s funny,” said Pete, “It’s a little late for that.”

“Well . . . this is different.”

“You mean
more
different?”

John laughed and said, “Yeah, more different.” He finished the combination and turned the three-point handle, but didn’t immediately open the heavy door. Instead, John turned to face Pete. The glow of the oil lamp was dim compared to the concentrated beam of John’s flashlight, but it was warmer and more inviting, so John turned it off and said, “I was given this compass by the man we’re going to see in Colorado.”

Pete chewed on that for a moment and said, “I don’t remember reading anything about a compass.”

“That’s because you haven’t read anything about a compass. I haven’t given you that journal entry yet, but I’ll fix that as soon as we’re done here. Anyway, I was given this compass to guide us to him. It’s special, Pete. It will point us in the direction we should travel, and the direction will probably vary from the more direct route we just talked about. So once again I’m asking you to trust me, especially when I ask you to deviate from our established course,” finished John.

Pete nodded slowly and said, “Let’s see the compass.”

John opened the safe door and handed the small wooden box to Pete. Pete opened it and studied the brass compass for a moment before lifting it out of the box and holding it up to the light. The polished surface of the brass compass reflected the warm yellow light of the lantern as if the two were meant to complement each other. But Pete wasn’t dazzled by the finish, and with a comically furtive glance at John, he raised the compass lid.

John didn’t know what Pete was expecting to see, but he could tell his friend was disappointed. “It’s just a fancy compass,” he said, as he turned to align it with magnetic north. “It looks like a surveyor’s compass. And I like how the needle locks into place when you lower the arm.”

John nodded and said, “Do you have magnetic north identified?”

“Yup,” said Pete. “It’s that way,” as he pointed a finger to the far wall.

“Okay,” said John. “Now hand me the compass.” Pete handed John the compass and watched as he moved to align the needle to magnetic north, only John wasn’t facing the same direction that Pete identified. “Here’s my magnetic north,” said John, as he stood looking west.

“What? No way. Let me see,” said Pete, as he looked over John’s shoulder. “Hand it to me.”

John handed Pete the compass and watched as Pete realigned the needle to magnetic north. Once again, Pete was facing true north. “I don’t get it,” he said, while handing the compass to John.

John took the compass and realigned it as the needle pointed him to the west. “It’s like I explained, the needle will point me in the direction we need to travel,” said John, and then he added, “But it only works for me.” He noticed Pete’s confusion and said, “I can’t explain it, but I know it will be important for our trip. I’m sure we can make it there without it, but I wouldn’t want to try. I have a feeling this compass will save us a lot of trouble . . . it may add miles to our trip, but it will guide us.”

“No. You will guide us with the compass since you’re the only one who can use it,” replied Pete.

“That’s why I wanted you to see it . . . to understand its importance and function. It’s why I’ll need you to trust me,” said John

“You already have my trust, John. The compass didn’t change anything.”

“I appreciate you saying that, Pete, but this is different. And I wanted you to know what I’m responding to . . . what I’m dealing with,” said John, as he sat the compass in its box and returned it to the safe. “This compass will tell us the direction we need to go, but that could mean anything. I just know that it won’t be a straight line. I’m convinced it will lead us to do things along the way, to meet people, and even help them, like you did on your drive up. I’m thinking it will be to our benefit though,” finished John.

“I guess we won’t know until the end, but I’m fine with it,” replied Pete. “You know . . . I’m not surprised you have something like this, but I still need to wrap my mind around it. The compass is different from the other stuff you’ve been involved in.”

“True, it does raise my involvement to a new level, but I wouldn’t exactly call it different. I’d say it’s aligned. There’s nothing wrong with the compass, it’s just a tool. I’m the one that makes it work for us, so it’s still me and my abilities that are in question here,” said John.

“You’re right. I’m not questioning you. Sometimes I forget how unique you are. Thanks for sharing this with me. I know this must be hard for you . . . sharing this stuff with people who have absolutely no idea what it’s like.”

John shrugged and said, “It’s easier now than before. I’m just glad you’re with me.”

“I am. I’m with you all the way,” said Pete, as he put a hand on John’s shoulder, “But I’ll bring a straightjacket just in case.”

“Make it a matching set, pal, because you’re right behind me,” John quipped.

Pete laughed and said, “You still going to let me read how you got that compass?”

“Let’s do that, but will you mind if I sleep while you do?” asked John as he led Pete back into the kitchen.

“Not at all. Hey, what about Jeff? Are you going to talk to him before we leave?”

“I’ll have a letter ready for him on the off chance that we miss him at the train,” said John. The LED Christmas lights flickered once and went out. “The generator . . . I’ll fill it in the morning.”

“Want me to do it now?” asked Pete.

“Nah. Let me get the latest journal entry for you. I’ll bring it to you in a sec.”

“I’ll go check on Bonnie and see you in a minute then.”

When Pete left, John removed a tortilla from a bowl on the counter and slathered it with a generous serving of peanut butter. He wasn’t concerned about the amount he used because he knew they’d end up leaving the open jar behind to take a fresh one. The thought of leaving so much food behind bothered him too, more than he was willing to admit, but there was nothing he could do about it. A trailer would have been nice, but it was a little late to think about it. Regardless of the conditions, John had never been more committed to accomplishing a mission before in his life. It wasn’t just a personal motivation either, because it affected his family and friends, it was something bigger and more meaningful. He didn’t know what it was, but he was completely committed.

After grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, John picked up the small brass whaler’s lantern and made his way to the bedroom. When he passed the alcove bunker he heard whispers and looked up to see Pete, Bonnie and Corbin staring down at him. The scene reminded John of three owls perched high up in the tree branches. He wondered if they saw him as a potential meal, and asked, “Are you guys alright?”

Pete nodded and whispered back, “Just waiting for you to go to bed.”

“You afraid I’ll sneak out and do something exciting by myself?” asked John.

“Yeah, something like that,” whispered Pete.

“Goodnight, guys,” replied John, and he turned and headed for the bedroom.

John’s LED bed lamp was on, so he blew out the flame of his lantern and sat it on the nightstand. “I thought you’d be asleep by now,” John said, as he took a bite of his peanut butter loaded tortilla.

“I was waiting for you. I thought I’d snuggle up next to you for a bit before my shift begins.”

John chewed, swallowed and asked, “And when is that?”

“Midnight to one-thirty,” she replied and closed her eyes.

“Marissa and Marcus have one-thirty to three-thirty?”

“Three. She’s on till three. But Bonnie was working on some kind of deal, so it may change again. But that won’t affect you,” said added.

“Are you ready to go?” asked John.

“I guess . . . as much as I can. I don’t think I can sleep, if that’s what you mean.”

“When I was a kid, whenever our family was about to go on a road trip, I was usually too excited to sleep. That’s not the case here. I’m way more tired than excited,” said John. He stuffed the last of a tortilla into his mouth and bent to remove his boots.

“I filled the tub for you . . . it’s still hot and ready,” cooed Jenna.

“For me?” John asked playfully.

Jenna got up and went to him. “Well, you do need a bath. And it may be a very long time before your next. I can scrub your back for you?”

“You’re on. Only a fool would deny such a luxury at this point in the disaster,” answered John. “Let me just run this paper out to Pete. I’ll be right back.” A moment later John returned and followed Jenna into the bathroom. She lit two candles and turned to face John as she dropped her rob. He smiled and said, “I thought this was my bath?”

Jenna reached down to pick up her robe and John said, “Kidding, Jenna. I was just kidding.”

She smiled a reply and said, “I know you are. But sometimes I need to remind you that I’ve still got some leverage in this relationship.”

“Some leverage? You standing there naked is more than
some
leverage,” teased John. “But truth be told, we’re equal partners in this life. Besides, you’ve always held leverage over my heart . . . from our first kiss, to your motherhood, you’ve always been my . . . senior partner,” he replied. She went to him and they kissed.

After washing, they settled into a relaxing soak, and picked up a conversation about the upcoming trip. Jenna again expressed concerns about leaving everything behind, everything they worked so hard to build for themselves, but reaffirmed to John that she trusted him completely. John knew something had changed within Jenna, something profoundly spiritual, and he was grateful for it, but he wasn’t quite sure how it happened. She had always trusted him, but her words of support and commitment were much more sincere and heartfelt than ever before.

John wondered if maybe his perceptions of her changed. Maybe his spiritual awakening allowed him to see deeper into Jenna’s heart, to see her true feelings for him, feelings that were no longer masked or otherwise clouded by insecurities. He listened to her talk about the day’s preparations and cringed when she asked him about the train. He shared his feelings about it, which was something he didn’t do at the meeting, but he didn’t want to sound too excited. He dreaded the looming question, “If the train changed everything for the neighborhood, did it also change anything for us?”

He was grateful Jenna never asked the question, but more grateful to learn how hard the ladies worked to prepare for their departure. John knew they were busy, but not how hard they worked to get everything ready. John realized they wouldn’t be anywhere close to being ready to leave if it wasn’t for their effort. “Thanks for taking care of everything while I was out playing Soldier,” said John.

“This survival . . .”

“I call it survivalness . . .” said John.

“OK. This survivalness is a group effort. I don’t know how we could have made it this far without help,” said Jenna, as she turned and stretched a leg.

“You’re right,” said John. “I never thought we’d need help, or even find good help. No, I don’t like how that sounded. I meant to call them friends, not help. We couldn’t have gotten this far without our friends . . . they’re actually more like family now.”

“We’re are a bigger family,” agreed Jenna. “And I have a feeling it will grow some more. People will want to join us along the way. I don’t know how I know that, I just do.” She rested her head against his chest and asked, “Do you have a plan for deciding who we should or shouldn’t include in our family along the way? You know, like conditions, or particular job skills and such.”

John sighed and said, “That’s a good question. It would be nice to have someone in the company with medical experience, but to your point, it’s not easy to evaluate someone’s true intentions at a glance. The wrong person could destroy our company, be it a doctor or otherwise. In fact, I’d rather have a goodhearted landscaper than a selfish, self-possessed doctor.”