Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

totally thought he was dead. She thought you were dead, dude.”
    I breathed out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I totally did.”
    Fohi smiled, eyes shut again. “Tricked ya. Ha. Now I know you like me. Played right into my hands.”
    Yokci was shaking his head, saying nothing, but his jaw muscles had smoothed out and he looked less tense.
    I leaned over and got close to Fohi’s face. “I do like you. And I need you here helping me, so seriously. No dying.”
    “‘Kay.” He frowned and turned his face towards Rob. “Oh, man. What’s that smell? Oh, shit, Rob. Smell of death! Grim Reaper’s coming for me!” His hand floated up blindly and landed on Rob’s arm, gripping it and shaking it a little. “Help me! Help me! Don’t let him take me! I’m too young to die!”
    I backed away. “Eff you, Fohi. I’m going to get some lunch.” I stood to leave, but didn’t get out of the alcove before I heard him say, “She better be going for a shower too before she kills someone with that Grim Reaper action she’s got going on.”
    Peter giggled all the way over to the buffet with me.
    ***
    I was swallowing a big lump of stale bread down with a gulp of tepid water when movement out by the gate caught my eye. I slowly lowered the bottle down to the nearby counter and walked towards the glass door, picking my way through the seated and standing settlers. Several of our newest members were already at the lobby entrance, staring out.
    “Who is that?” asked one of them.
    “Canners?” asked another, fear in her voice. She backed away, tripping over someone sitting on the ground. “Oops, sorry!”
    “Watch where you’re walking,” grumbled the older girl sitting with several others in a circle.
    “Those aren’t canners,” I said, recognizing the tattoos and shaved head hairstyle of one of the guys standing there.
    Yokci came up to stand beside me. “That’s Paci,” he said. “What’s up with that? What’s he doing here? And who are those other people?”
    “I have no idea.” We both moved to the door at the same time.
    “Where are you going?” asked Peter from the clinic area.
    “We need to go let them in,” I explained, turning the lock on the front door.
    “Take this,” said Ronald, appearing at my side to press a gun into my hand.
    I looked down at it, hesitating. “I don’t need that. These are friends of ours.” I raised my head and looked him in the eye. “Seriously. They’re family.”
    “All of them?” he asked, eyebrows raised at me.
    I looked out the front doors again. “I guess. I don’t know. We don’t know all of them.”
    “Exactly. Take the gun.”
    I scoffed at his suggestion. “What … you think our friend is bringing canners in? I don’t think so.”
    “Ever heard of kidnapping? Bad guys forcing good ones to do bad things? Geez, don’t be so naive.”
    “You don’t know Paci,” is all I said, pushing the gun back into his hands. I left him standing there and strode out the front door, Yokci hot on my heels.
    By the time I was halfway to the fence, I was surrounded by not only most of my old friends and those picked up on the road but also Flick and Derek.
    My heart was racing the closer I got to Paci.
    His eyes bored into mine, not sparing a second look for anyone else.
    Bodo was next to me. I glanced over at him and noticed he had no expression on his face or any obvious body language that would tell me anything about what he was thinking. That could be good or bad.
    The heat was rising in my face to the point that I probably looked like a tomato by the time we finally got to the gate. What is Paci going to say? What will Bodo think? I can’t believe I kissed him! Man, he’s as cute as he ever was.
    Paci rested his hand on the chain links in front of him, still staring at me.
    “Bryn,” he said when I got close.
    “Paci. Glad you made it.”
    He nodded once, now finally looking at someone else. “You found him.” His eyes were on Bodo for only a second before they were back on me.
    “Yes. I did.”
    Bodo put his arm around my shoulders. “Yess she didt. She rescued me from da Amazons because she luffs me.”
    Part of me wanted to push Bodo off, and that just made me feel terrible. He loved me and I loved him. It was so simple. So why it suddenly felt all complicated, I had no idea. I didn’t love Paci, I just … admired him. I was grateful to him for standing up for me. That had to be why I couldn’t stop feeling all messed up whenever he was