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

zombies you can join Adam. Deal?”
    “Deal . . . thanks Daddy,” replied Abby, as she stood on her toes to reach up and give her dad a kiss on the cheek.
    John grabbed his flashlight from the kitchen counter and attached it to the Velcro patch on the right side of his helmet. With the helmet tucked under his arm, he said, “Alright, let’s get started.”

    John raised the curtain and scanned the yard through the side door window. It appeared as if the ash had stopped falling, but he couldn’t tell from inside with the lantern light reflecting off the glass. He studied the view for a moment and saw that everything looked flat, dark, and featureless. He knew the sun should be shining through the window, or at least be visible in the sky, but nothing penetrated the dark gray gloom, where the sky was the same shade of gray as the ground. He was curious about the local weather - if there was any local weather - but he couldn’t check with phone service out, or the emergency radio only producing static.
    He let the curtain fall over the window and turned to study Jenna’s face. The lantern didn’t provide a very flattering backdrop for her beautiful face, but it was more than enough to see how concerned she was. She gave John a thumbs-up sign when they made eye contact. John really loved her at times like this. He loved her all the time, but in times of stress, of difficulty, his love for her seemed to overflow, especially when she displayed uncommon strength. John didn’t understand why she affected him like she did, but at that moment, before he was about to step out into the ash, his love for her almost subdued him. It made him not want to leave her. He drew in a deep breath, smiled in return, and said, “OK, love. I’ll slip out and stand on the other side of the door until you lock it up. Be alert, OK. I don’t know how long it will take me to get things running, but don’t open the door until I give you the correct sign.”
    Jenna nodded and said, “You be careful, John Anderson.” Once again, John was struck by the romantic quality of the moment, as ifthey were caught up in some kind of black and white movie, or mushy romance novel. He smiled again and they embraced, as best they could in the tight space and John’s bulky outfit. “You look like some kind of weird space Soldier,” added Jenna.
    John kissed her forehead, and then slipped the mask down over his nose and mouth, and placed the clear goggles over his eyes. When he finished adjusting the helmet chin strap, he attached the flashlight to the Velcro patch without turning it on. He didn’t want to announce his movement in the darkness. Besides, he wasn’t sure how effective the flashlight would be in the ash. He just knew that he would need it once he reached the shop, and that it was always better to have and not need it, than need it and not have it.
    Jenna sat her lantern on the floor, and took up her position on the bench by the door. John lifted the long security hasp and opened the deadbolt. As soon as he opened the door he stepped out into the ash. Jenna quickly closed and locked the door behind him, and then briefly pulled the curtain aside to give John another thumbs-up. He signaled back and turned to survey the side yard from the top step. The ash had drifted up against the door, but didn’t collapse into the mud room when he opened the door.
    He quickly stepped over the ash dune, and as soon as the door was closed he used his feet to push the pile of ash aside. He paused on the top step and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. It wasn’t totally black. There was about as much illumination as he would expect to find on a very foggy night, with the street lights out, in a sandstorm, if such a condition was even possible. As for confidence, John was perfectly fine in the dark. He had spent a lot of time working in the dark, both literally and figuratively, thanks to the army. But he knew his property well enough to walk it