Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

I’ll do it.   What are da rules?   I kill anyone I see?   Or just anyone who is trying to kill us?”
    “We don’t know how many there are, so only shoot if there’s no other way to survive.   I’d rather they just left without knowing we were here.”
    “What if only one of dem is a problem?   If we shoot him and make dat loud noise, everyone will come.”
    “Which is why I won’t be under that tarp.   I can take anyone out who bothers us, without making any noise.”
    I could see Bodo nodding his head.   “Uh-huh, like da Special Forcess.   I like dat idea.”   He stood up.   “Okay, I will see you later den.   Hug for good luck?” he said holding out his arms.
    “Maybe another time,” I said, standing so I could pick up the edge of the tarp.  
    “Okay.   Anudder time.   Dat is not a problem.”   He pulled his bike in closer to Peter, covering it better with the tarp and then walked away.   A few seconds later, I heard the leaves of the nearby tree rustling.
    “I’m going to cover you up, Peter.   You got your gun and bullets?”
    “Yes.   And Bryn, be careful, please.   Don’t do anything unless it’s totally necessary, okay?”
    “You got it,” I said, as I pulled the tarp up over his head.
    “You should have hugged him,” came his muffled voice from underneath.
    “Shut up, you idiot,” I mumbled as I jogged over to get the water collector and bring it back to set on the ground near the base of the tree hiding Peter.  
    Once all our stuff was hidden, I stepped up to the lowest branch, just above where Peter and Buster were sitting, putting the toe of my sneaker on it and grabbing a higher branch to lift myself up.   The leaves were quaking, sounding like they were making enough noise to be heard all over the grove.   I got into the best position I could as quickly as possible, to be able to see what was going on below with Peter and across the way with Bodo.   The darkness made it impossible for me to be able to pick out his actual form, but I knew he was there somewhere and that he had a gun to watch my back with.   I just prayed he knew how to use it and that I wouldn’t get shot in any crossfire.  
    Minutes crawled by like hours, and I felt the sweat trickling down my back.   Every time another car exploded, I jumped.   They must have been adding their own gas to the flames, because those cars couldn’t have had much fuel left in them to cause such big explosions.   Maybe they had grenades or something.   It made me think about what Bodo had said earlier, about armies and their equipment.   There were all kinds of weapons caches around these towns, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it would be the canners who would focus their energies on finding them.   Normal people like me and Peter and Bodo were just trying to find a home and a way to survive peacefully.   Weapons and bombs shouldn’t have to be a part of our lives anymore.   Friggin canner zombie jerks.   I was going to have to consult George’s journal when we got up the next day.   Maybe he had something to say about setting up a good place to survive in a world that had become a battleground.
    My mind had strayed far afield, but strange voices coming from the open space between the highway and the grove brought it zooming back to the present.   I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could tell they were drunk.   They were being loud and their speech was slurred.   When they got closer I realized why I hadn’t been able to understand them - they were speaking Spanish.
    My legs had fallen asleep, being stuck bent up in the tree, so I slowly moved one and then the other, to get the circulation going again.   I wouldn’t be of any use to anyone if I fell to the ground on my butt when I got out of my hiding spot.   The sharp tingles I felt in my legs told me the blood was moving again.   I slowly lowered myself out of the branches, keeping my body as close to the trunk as possible, trying to blend in with its form.
    The voices seemed to split apart.   One was heading over to where Bodo and I had gotten our oranges and one was coming this way.   I couldn’t see him yet, but I could hear him.   He was singing something and occasionally laughed and burped.   He stopped moving all of a sudden and I almost moved away from the tree to see why, but then I heard the sound of liquid hitting the ground and realized the guy was peeing.   Thank god, he hadn’t