In [yesterday's episode](https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/alarm-clock-dawn-an-original-novel-episode-31) Johann shared more of the truth with Seth, fully indoctrinating him into a select few people in the whole world who really knew the truth. They were not alone in the Universe, the cosmos was teeming with intelligent life and much of it was light years more advanced than them. Johann warned Seth the information would fundamentally change him and Seth could already feel the paradigm shift happening. Will this information change Seth in the manner Johann hopes it will? Only time will tell. 

### I’ve been dying to tell you about this and now I can! I’m honored to have been named as a speaker at the first annual [SteemFest](https://steemit.com/steemfest/@steemfest/first-names-for-steemfest-confirmed-many-more-to-come-ticket-sale-started) in Amsterdam. This is going to be incredibly fun and epic event to say the least. I’ll be sharing many more details regarding what I’ll be talking about soon (Hint: it’s related to Alarm Clock Dawn.) We all hope to see you there! ###

Welcome to today's episode of Alarm Clock Dawn!

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<center> *Did you miss Episode 31? If so [click here](https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/alarm-clock-dawn-an-original-novel-episode-31) to catch up.* </center> 

<center> Are you new to Alarm Clock Dawn? If so [click here](https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/alarm-clock-dawn-an-original-novel-part-1) to start at the beginning. </center>

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### CHAPTER 11 ###

Adam glanced at the subway's news crawl just long enough to read the latest headline.
----------> *As thousands of curious consumers are gathering nightly at the site, scientists announce the mysterious lights spotted over Terra Valley are attributed to a rare atmospheric anomaly* . . . -------> *More news to follow* . . . .

<center> ![](http://i.giphy.com/486YXlCDJQeuQ.gif) </center>

Adam shook his head as he grabbed his Holo, quickly slid off the back cover, and held down the reset button for five seconds with his thumbnail, wiping its memory clean. He then fished in his pocket for his C.ID card. He wrapped his headphone cord tightly around the Holo and his card three times, looked around, and then nonchalantly tucked them out of sight on a ledge under the seat. 

“Lawrence Street Station. Exit to the left at Lawrence,” the subway's voice dutifully announced. As the train car slowed to a halt and the doors slid open, VerbalTag's text kept looping endlessly through his head. Adam whispered it under his breath as though he was afraid he'd forget. *The base of Bell Rock . . . colorful prayer flags strung across the trees . . . the base of Bell Rock*. . . .

<center>![](https://s17.postimg.org/vvhwqhocf/images_1.jpg) </center>

Adam was dazed, his mind so preoccupied with thoughts and fears that the next few minutes were like missing time until suddenly found himself on the doorstep of his apartment. He placed his thumb on the sensor and stepped through his door. 

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It was only then that he became overwhelmed as the gravity of the situation began to tug at him. He felt his mind slipping into the extreme focus of survival mode in which his mission was to gather his things and get out of there as quickly as possible. 

Adam slid a small black backpack and a slick blue raincoat from the hook on the behind the door. From there no thinking was involved as he ran on pure instinct grabbing the black and white picture of his parents off the wall and the small cedar cigar box that held his vintage watch collection, carefully sliding each of his four watches, already wrapped in microfiber cloths, into his pockets. He then grabbed his last box of nutrition bars and ran into the bathroom, opened the backpack, and with a clean sweep of his arm pushed any toiletry he used on a daily basis into the bag. He realized his bag was nearly full so he had to choose wisely. Adam picked up his worn leather bound notebook off his nightstand and then went straight to his dresser drawer, grabbing three clean pairs of underwear and two t-shirts. The bag was now stuffed full. 

Adam ran to the front door then took one last look at the space that he had called home for the past fifteen years of his life. Although he recalled a few good memories that were made while living here, today Adam looked at his apartment with new eyes. It was confining and reminded him mostly of loneliness and the drudgery of his daily routine. Adam quickly closed the door behind him before he could start second guessing his decision to walk away. The very moment he shut the door he realized that there was more to living than longevity. For once in his life Adam was going to have the courage to truly live. 

As scrambled down the apartment steps and through the security door,  he caught the reflection in the glass of his face. Although it seemed like it happened weeks ago, the large bandage on his forehead reminded him of the throbbing pain from the fall in the craft earlier today. He stepped out of the building and looked up at the sky; it was the usual gray but not particularly ominous at the moment. The wind was calm and there was a gentle shower falling. 

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Adam turned his face in the direction of the sun's gentle glow as it filtered through the thin clouds overhead and drew in his first breath as a free man. He then slid on his raincoat, hoisted his heavy backpack onto his shoulder, and set out on his journey. 

*Ten miles north of the city,* he thought. The trip would take likely him hours on foot and nightfall was just a little more than three hours away, so he started his journey at somewhere between a fast walk and a jog. 

He became entranced by the sound of his own footsteps and was lost in euphoria at the sudden realization that he would never have to be awakened by the alarm clock to another dreaded day of sameness. In his wildest dreams he never imagined his life would take this turn but, nevertheless, he had just escaped his very own personal hell. This somehow made the worst of Adam’s fears of his uncertain future just a little easier to bear.

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*Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.*

<center> ![](https://s14.postimg.org/dlcthfcxd/image.jpg) </center>

Please visit [my website](http://www.ericvancewalton.net) to sign up for my author newsletter. My newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates on the release of the sequel and other special offers.

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