Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

then put the other end of the plastic in the bucket on a slant.   The rain hit the plastic and ran down into the container.   It was big enough to catch a volume of water that filled our bottles each day, which was convenient.   Less than a drop of bleach, just a finger-dab really, was enough to sterilize anything that might be wrong with the bucket or the clouds above our heads, germ-wise.   I still wasn’t convinced there wasn’t some weird form of pollution going on.
    I went back to join the guys and found them already sleeping under the tree.   It was hot and muggy as hell, so the shade made for the most decent napping situation we could hope for.   The rows of trees caused a slight wind tunnel effect which was slightly cooling on my sweaty skin.    
    I figured Buster would wake us up if anyone came around, and our stuff was camouflaged with the green tarp, so I laid down next to Peter and fell asleep without worrying overly much about being attacked.   Having Bodo there, even though he wasn’t a skilled fighter, made me feel better.   Our numbers were growing, and so were our odds for survival.
    ***
    Once again I was awakened by booms, only this time it wasn’t thunder.   The rain had already come and gone.   The noise I heard was the sound of exploding cars.  
    “What the …,” I started to say, but Peter’s hand on my arm stopped me in mid-sentence.
    “Shhhh.   Someone’s blowing up the cars,” he whispered.  
    Another big explosion sounded in the distance, and then a fireball burst up from the highway somewhere.
    “Dare are some craaazy people out dare tonight,” whispered Bodo.   He’d moved over to my other side, kneeling and trying to peer through the trees.
    “What should we do?” whispered Peter.
    I looked at their two faces, barely able to see them in the dark.   My watch said it was around midnight.   “I’m not sure.   Stay put, probably.   I’m afraid if we move they might see us.”
    “What if they decide to come into the groves?” said Peter, his fear almost palpable.
    “We’ll need to hide.   We can take the tarp off the ground and get under it.   Or we could climb up into the trees.”
    “I don’t think we should leafe da bikes and da trailer alone.”
    “I agree,” said Peter.
    The sounds of shouting, yelling, and occasional singing greeted our ears.   Flashes of memory hit me, visions of the beer cans and liquor bottles spread around the pool area of the cop’s house - where the canners were having their bar-b-cue.
    “I think they’re canners,” I said.
    “Me too,” said Bodo.
    Peter grabbed my arm, squeezing it.   “Bryn, I’m not afraid to admit that I’m scared out of my wits right now.”
    I patted his hand.   “Me too.   Don’t worry about it.   They’re not going to come out here.”
    “How do you know?” he whispered, panic lacing his words.
    “I don’t.   I’m just hoping.”   But really, I was thinking that it was very likely they’d come out here.   Someone had been picking these oranges, and it was probably someone coming from the highway.   We’d already seen some burned cars, so that told me the canners lived nearby.  
    “I think we better get ready to hide,” said Bodo.   “The sounds are getting closser.”
    I didn’t waste any time arguing.   “Okay.   Let’s do this.   Peter, your job is to keep Buster quiet.   So far he’s only let out one of those muffled woof things, but all we need is one of his barking frenzies to grab the canners’ attention.”
    “Okay.   I’ll do my best.”
    “Bodo, you and I will get the bikes pulled in closer to this tree, take down the water collector, and then cover everything up … including us.”
    “Are we all going to be under the tarp?” asked Peter, gripping Buster now like his life depended on it.
    “No.   Just you and Buster.   I’m going up in the tree.   Bodo, you’re going to get in that tree over there, next to us.   Take my gun.”
    “No!   You keep your gun,” he insisted.
    “No.   I can fight.   You can’t.   You need it more than I do.”
    “Hey.   Dat’s not … very … I don’t know.   Right or something.”
    “Take it, Bodo.   She is right.   I need a gun too.   It’s the only way I was able to save us last time.”
    “Oh, so I’m like da protector of da family over dare in dat tree?”
    “Yes, if that makes you happy,” I said sarcastically.   I guess even German guys had their egos.
    “Okay.