Apocalypsis 02 - Warpaint

like we have some meetings ahead of us that you’ll be expected to come to, and some training on your end.”
    “Yeah. Believe it or not, my schedule’s open. Last week I was totally booked, but this week? Not so much.”
    I could hear the grin in his voice. “Well, that’s convenient. Because I’m pretty sure my friends and I have plans that will keep you busy for … oh … the next year or so.”
    I knew he didn’t mean that I could only stay there with them in their swamp for a year, but it did get me thinking about how long I wanted to be here and under what circumstances.
    “You know, Kowi, I’m still not really sure who I am here with you guys … who any of us non-indians are. I mean, what our roles are. Maybe we should start with figuring that out.”
    “Let’s take a walk. I want to show you something.”
    I shrugged. It’s not like I had anything else to do, other than scare up some grub and maybe find some better shoes. Mine were still damp and very smelly, and I’d given up hope of them ever not being disgusting again. I eyed Kowi’s very practical moccasins and wondered what I’d have to do to score a pair of those.
    I followed him a short distance through the trees, picking my way over interconnected roots of cyprus trees that made small, linked islands all over this part of the Everglades. The tribes called it Kahayatle. Many of the indian kids who lived here had recently taken Miccosukee names for themselves, I guess as a sign of respect for the way of life that was keeping them fed, clothed, and safe - unlike many other teens who were starving and dying. The white man’s ways had ended up yielding nothing but desperate kids who had no idea how to survive except by attacking and killing others who were weaker.
    I had quickly earned the nickname Nokosi -the Miccosukee word for bear-for being so protective of my family. Peter, Bodo, and Buster were my newly adopted family members; and even though we’d only known each other for a short while, we were as close as anyone could be in this new world - the one that only had teens living in it anymore. Some strange virus had moved across the globe like an out of control wildfire and wiped out our parents and younger siblings, leaving a few million teenagers to battle over the remaining resources. Survival of the fittest had taken on a whole new meaning for all of us.
    I’d fought Kowi and his tribesmen for the right to stay in one of their chickee huts, and I’d fought the chief of the Creek indians to be able to stay in the swamps for as long as I wanted. In exchange for their generosity, I had agreed to train all of them in the martial art that my dad had taught me called krav maga.
    They were going to need my skills if my fears ever came true. The cannibals -canners as we called them-were coming. They had already attacked one of the Creek indian sisters not very far from here, cutting off her arm in the process. It was only a matter of time before they arrived in Kahayatle looking for their next meal. It would be my job to get the former members of the Seminole Nation ready to fight back … to fight for their lives. Our first step was to get them united again. I had my work cut out for me, acting as mediator to two very prideful leaders and many followers, most of whom were related in one way or another but seemed to have some deep-seated rivalries.
    Kowi and I came out of the trees that ringed this root-island in time to see the beginning of the sunrise. It was glorious. The sky was lit with peaches, yellows, purples, and blues. I’d never seen anything like it.
    “Wow. That’s just … amazing.”
    “I know. I like to get up every day and watch it. It keeps me grounded. Sometimes, all day long, I see nothing but ugliness. At least with this, I can start the day with beauty.”
    “It kind of makes you think there’s hope. That every day starts with a promise,” I said, not even really thinking about what I was saying.
    “Yeah. Exactly.”
    Kowi turned towards me; I could see the movement out of the corner of my eye, but I stayed facing the glowing orb of the sun that had made it above the horizon. It felt weird, being out here alone with him, the two of us experiencing this poetic moment. His girlfriend would probably want to smash my face if she were here to see it, and who knew what Bodo would think. I still wasn’t sure that I cared what Bodo thought, but I sure didn’t want any drama with a jealous Coli. She was a cranky