Apocalypsis 02 - Warpaint

overcrowding, ozone layer depletion or any of those other things adults were always moaning about. Maybe you think this world sucks -and I agree, parts of it do-but the other parts? They aren’t so bad. Especially now, that the tribes are going to work together and build a nice community here.”
    “It’s just more people to worry about as far as I’m concerned,” she said, looking out over the crowd. She snapped her attention back to me. “So. What did you want to talk about?”
    “Nothing. You can’t keep a secret, and I don’t want the whole tribe knowing my business.”
    “I’ll keep it a secret, if you promise it won’t hurt my people.”
    “I promise. This is just my personal thing. It has nothing to do with you guys.”
    “What then? What is it?”
    “I need you to show me how to sneak around without being heard.”
    She laughed. “What?”
    “You heard me. I want to learn how to walk around and not sound like an elephant lumbering through the trees.”
    “Why? So you can sneak up on us and listen to our conversations?”
    “Please. Like you guys talk about anything worth listening to. No. I want to learn for practical reasons. Someday the canners are gonna show, and I want to know how to sneak up on them and snap their necks.” It sounded good to me. She didn’t need to know my real reason was so I could follow Bodo and find out what he was up to.
    She thought about it for a second before agreeing. “Fine. I can show you. It’s not a big deal, really. I don’t know why you had to go on and on about it.”
    “Me? That was you!”
    “Whatever,” she said, turning to join her friends again.
    “When?” I asked.
    “After our next session,” she said, without looking back.
    I left her to her weaving conversation and went back to get Peter. I dragged him away from a grateful-looking Kowi and brought him back to our hut, pleased that I had finally figured out the path to get there. I was tired of having to be escorted everywhere all the time. I realized halfway back that I hadn’t broached the subject of going after the canners with Trip and Kowi when I had everyone together. That was stupid.
    “What did you talk to Coli about?” asked Peter, distracting me from my thoughts.
    “Nothing.” I tried to sound all casual about it, but I should have known Peter wouldn’t go for it.
    “You’re planning something, aren’t you?” He stepped over a log before continuing. “I know what you’re doing; it’s that Bodo thing, isn’t it?”
    “Shhhh, shut up. We’re almost back to our hut.”
    “Put me down as thinking this is a bad idea. Get that voting machine out of your butt again so I can make it official.”
    “It’s not a machine , idiot, it’s a system . And you don’t get to cast a vote. I live in a dictatorship and I’m the dictator. If you don’t agree, just keep your thoughts to yourself.” I looked at the firm line of his lips and stubborn jaw and added, “And don’t you dare tell Bodo, or I’ll give you the worst wedgie you’ve ever had in your entire life.”
    “I’ll fight back.”
    “No, you won’t. Your nuts’ll be too far up in your throat to do that.”
    “Youch,” said Peter, respect in his voice. “You don’t mess around with your wedgies.”
    “No, I don’t. They’re krav maga wedgies and a whole different animal.”
    We arrived at the edge of our hut to find Bodo lying on one of the mattresses.

Chapter Two

    I STAYED IN THE LIVING area of our hut, refusing on principle to go talk to Bodo first. As far as I was concerned, he was the one who had stormed off and acted like a jerk, so it was his responsibility to make things right.
    I heard him talking to Peter and tried to listen in and figure out what they were saying, but they were speaking in annoyingly low voices that made the individual words impossible to discern. I acted busy, messing up Peter’s can arrangement on the shelves.
    My attempts at eavesdropping were interrupted by the arrival of Trip. He was the last person I expected to be making a dinnertime food delivery.
    “Hey,” I said, as he walked up and handed me a big basket of food. I could see all kinds of things mixed together inside. I guess the boys and I will be sharing tonight. I dropped a hunk of bread on the ground for Buster to chew on while he waited for the real food to arrive. Buster was partial to the hunks of deer or gator meat we’d been getting.
    “Hey. Kowi asked me to drop this off on my way