Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

he asked, giving me a slightly devious smile.
    “Trip, you’re a good looking guy, we both can see that.   But in case you didn’t notice, I brought one of those with me.   So, no, I did not come here to be graced with your awesomeness.   I came here to survive.   To live.”
    He gave me one courtesy chuckle.   “Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it?”
    “Why?”
    “Because these are my swamps and I say who stays and who goes.   And I say you go.”   His smile left his face, leaving behind stone cold anger.
    “I’ll fight you for ‘em,” I said, my tone low and controlled.
    He smirked at me.   “What a joke.”
    “Do I look like I’m joking?”
    “You look like a hundred pound chick who doesn’t know when to stop talking.   You’re no match for me.”   He clenched his fists and flexed his pecs - I’m not even totally sure it was intentional.  
    “Then why say no if you’re not scared?”
    “There’s nothing to be scared of,” he said, coming even closer.   I could smell the musky maleness of him now.  
    Man oh man is he putting off the testosterone or what?
    He continued in a softer but more dangerous-sounding tone.   “I think you’re the one who should be scared.   You’re in this place, all alone with me.   Your friends aren’t going to be able to come and save you. What are you going to do if I get too close?”   He was practically touching me now, his hands remaining at his sides.   He loomed over me, taller than me by at least six inches.
    I didn’t move.   I got the impression from his body language and the look in his eyes that this was a game he was playing, calling my bluff.   It wasn’t giving me a lot of room to maneuver, if at any point in the game he was going to change his mind about his intentions, but I’d figure out a way to deal with that if it happened.   The important thing right now was to not show any fear.  
    I looked up at him, refusing to break eye contact.   “If you get too close, and I have to warn you, you’re almost to that point, I’m going to have to take you down.   And I can promise you … it’s gonna hurt.”
    He smiled, this time without malice.   “I like you.   Why is that?”
    “I have no idea.”
    “Doesn’t matter.   Because it doesn’t change the fact that you’re not staying here, and your friend Peter will be delivered into the nearest town at daybreak.”
    “No.”
    He laughed.   “No?”
    “That’s what I said.   I don’t recognize your authority over these swamps.   Since you won’t fight me for that right, they’re up for grabs.”
    “According to who?”
    “According to the laws of nature, stupid.   The strongest survive.   That’s obviously me.”
    He grabbed my wrist and squeezed it.   “You are either really brave or really stupid.”
    “Yeah.   I’ve heard that before.” I jerked my arm away.   “Fight me for it.   Fight me for the swamp if you’re not afraid of losing it all to a hundred pound white girl.”
    “Fine.   You want to get humiliated in front of two tribes and your friends?   Be my guest.   Let’s go.”   He pushed past me, knocking me to the side, storming out of the hut.   I let him get away with that part of the intimidation game so he’d continue to think I was easy prey.   I had the advantage as long as I was being underestimated.
    I followed him out of the hut, silently praying to my dad, in case he was up there listening, to send me the strength and control that I was going to need to earn the right to stay and live in the Kahayatle with my family.
    ***
    A space was cleared near the fire, giving us room to hold our fight.   The Creek indians were laughing and elbowing each other in the ribs, their gazes alternating between me and their fearless leader.   He was pacing around in the circle, occasionally hitting himself in the chest like an ape, getting his anger stoked up and his brain chemicals firing.   I’m not sure if he was aware of the actual physical changes he was bringing about for himself, but it didn’t matter.   For the next few minutes he’d have more strength and power than usual and it would help him enhance whatever fighting skills he already had.   I couldn’t assume he had none.
    I allowed the reality of my situation to naturally increase the levels of adrenaline in my system.   This guy was almost twice my size, outweighed me by a good seventy pounds - maybe more - and he had something to prove to the entire Creek