Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

over and didn’t say another word.
    I wrestled with myself about whether to keep talking. But I couldn’t think of anything else to say other than one last thing.
    “I’m sorry, Bodo. If I could take it back, I would.”
    No response.
    It took me a long time to fall asleep, and when I finally did, nightmares of being left behind and abandoned by the boy I loved filled my head and left me crying silently in the dark.
    ***
    When I awoke, I was alone on my blanket with only a sleeping kitten and Buster to keep me company. Peter was standing with a group of girls across the room and Bodo was nowhere to be seen. I left the ball of fur suffering under the poodle’s anxious attention to use the temporary latrine that Peter had a group dig out the day prior. On my way out I looked around, but still didn’t see Bodo anywhere.
    When I emerged from behind the tarp that served as the latrine’s door, Rob was standing outside.
    “Hey, Rob, what’s up?”
    “Just draining the main vein. You know how it is.”
    “Ew. Too much information, dude. Why are you using the outhouse, though? Can’t you just go anywhere?”
    “Technically, yes. But Peter is making everyone go in the same place. He says he wants to control disease and sanitation or whatever.”
    I laughed. “Awesome. Well, enjoy.” I gestured to the tarp as I walked by.
    “Wait up for me. I’ll just be a second.”
    I stood back a few paces waiting for him. He talked while he wizzed.
    “We need to get going on our little rescue plan or whatever. There’s no reason to wait. Fohi’s not going no matter what he says, and the longer we wait, the more time we give those asshole canners a chance to get in there again and in bigger groups.”
    I nodded absently, thinking about the nightmare of walking in on a recently fought canner war. The casualties would be horrendous.
    “Yeah. I know. The logistics suck, though … I wish we could take Peter with us.”
    “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” said Rob, coming out and tying the straps on the front of his pants. “Dude’s been up since before dawn planning with a group of other OCD kids. He’ll have our every move mapped out before lunch.”
    I smiled. “There’s a group of them?”
    “Yeah. They’re calling themselves the City Manager’s Corps or something like that. Bunch of Peter disciples. I won’t be surprised if they start saluting him soon.”
    “Peter disciples. That just sounds so wrong.”
    He laughed as we walked back to the lobby. “Tell me about it. But it seems to make him happy and keep his mind off … well, you know … stuff, so whatever.”
    “Trip, you mean.”
    “Yeah, maybe.”
    “So what’s the deal with Trip? I mean, did he say anything to you guys about Peter or whatever after we left?”
    “Nah. He didn’t say anything. But he was obviously really upset, and I think everyone knew it wasn’t over you.”
    “Why doesn’t he just admit he’s in love with Peter or likes him or whatever and get over himself?”
    “It’s not that easy. Trip’s dad was really harsh. Being gay would have been like a sin against the family or something to that guy. Trip didn’t even want to admit it to himself for a really long time. At least, that’s what it seemed like from where I stood.”
    “That’s sad.” I wanted to think that my dad would have loved me no matter what my sexual orientation was, but maybe you could never know how someone would react until you actually came out to them.
    “Yeah. Sucks. But it’s stupid, because I think a lot of people who knew Trip suspected it about him and would have been really supportive if he’d just trusted us with his secret.”
    “But if he wasn’t even admitting it to himself, how could he admit it to you guys?”
    “True. But I think based on how he’s acted around Peter that he’s not in denial anymore. At least not totally.”
    We reached the door and he pulled it open for me.
    “Don’t be so sure about that,” I said. “He sure seemed to be wrestling with the issue the way he dealt with Peter.”
    “Maybe he’ll get a second chance to make it right,” said Rob, looking over at Peter and his gaggle of followers.
    “I hope so,” I said, going over to the alcove where Fohi was still resting.
    He was still lying down, but decidedly less gray around the mouth. His lips actually had color in them today.
    Paci sat next to Yokci, both of them watching, but saying nothing. I just glanced at them once and