Free Lamp Black: Second Edition, Disaster, Preparedness, Survival, Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 2) by Kenneth Cary Page B

the heavy gloom around him, commanding his ears to detect anything unusual or out of place. He was glad he turned off his flashlight, but he wondered if the intruder already saw it and moved to take up a better position in order to ambush him. John was convinced an intruder was waiting nearby; waiting for him to make a mistake, to lower his guard and expose himself to attack. But John was ready. He completed his transition to tactical mode. It was a completely natural transition for him, long practiced despite the fact that he hadn’t engaged it since his retirement. He wasn’t afraid, but he wasn’t reckless either. John knew, from experience, that alertness and nerves were always better than careless and reckless behavior.
    The only sound was the whispering of ash. It filled his ears through the hood of the painter’s coveralls. He decided to cut ear holes in the hood before his next excursion, or better yet, he’d just leave the hood down. While at a crouch, John backed down his trail and waited. He noticed that the intruder’s trail continued beyond the pool towards the back of John’s property. He followed the new trail as he instinctively released the safety strap over his pistol.
    Ready for action, John followed the trail as it led around to the back of the shop. Whoever the intruder was, John saw that he was determined, nosy, and in danger of being shot. Anyone walking around in these conditions had to be up to no good. All of John’s senses were heightened, and acutely focused on tracking the intruder. He blocked out concern for his lower back, that it hurt from walking at a crouch, or that no one in his family knew they were in danger, but he continued forward, cautiously stalking his prey.
    Each step was deliberate and measured, perfectly balanced and set for immediate action in any direction. He moved his right hand from his pistol and moved it to his vest, where he released the safety strap for the combat knife. He silently drew the knife and passed it to his left hand. He wasn’t sure why he drew it, only that if felt good to hold. If necessary, he knew he could quickly drop the knife, but it seemed to focus his attention even more.
    He completed the intruders’ circuit through the ash, having followed it around the far side of the shop to end at the same corner where John had stopped during his first search for the door. The sound of the generator seemed louder than before, and he realized it was probably louder because he was more open to the sounds around him. John stopped at the corner of the shop and knelt to survey the area around him. It was difficult to tell, but it looked to John as if there was a dark mass moving away from the side door. He considered running forward and engaging his target, but he wasn’t sure he could reach him without jeopardizing his own footing. It wouldn’t be good to trip and fall just as he reached his target. Besides, John wanted to understand the intruder, to figure out what his intent was before confronting him.
    John stopped at the shop’s side door and noticed two hand prints in the film of ash that coated the window. He quickly turned to follow the trail back toward the house. He moved with greater speed now that he knew where the intruder actually was, and he wanted to get closer to his target. John found the intruder leaning against the window of the side door, apparently trying to look through the gaps in the heavyblanket that hung over the window. John silently drew his pistol, and with a knife in his left hand, holding it similar to how he would a flashlight-pistol combination, he moved to within striking distance of the intruder.
    The intruder was much smaller than Darrel, which immediately released a load of tension by several degrees. He was wearing dark pants, a dark colored sweatshirt with the hoody pulled up over his head, and high-top court shoes. The intruder’s hands were bare and visible on either side of the door as he bobbed his head around