Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

We don’t really have the swamp anymore, so we can’t risk leaving the ranches and farms understaffed.”
    “That makes sense,” I said. “Maybe we could work out some kind of exchange system where people go back and forth for different periods. If they want. Or they could just stay in one place. It makes no difference to me.”
    “Everyone just needs to be happy,” said Rob. “That’s the goal, right?”
    “Yes. Security first, happiness a very close second.” I smiled at Rob’s enthusiasm. It was dark and late, and I knew he’d had as rough a day as we had, but he was full of energy. No way was I going to burst his bubble and tell him about Kowi, Jason, and Coli now. Waiting wasn’t going to change anything.
    Rob sent a few birdcalls out ahead of us and soon we were joined by a group of kids. Among them were Trip and Paci. Both of them looked at me intently as they greeted me.
    “Welcome to the main ranch,” said Paci, hugging me lightly. “The last stand of the Miccosukee and Creek tribes.” He stepped back and turned his attention to Trip.
    “Welcome,” said Trip, shaking my hand firmly. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. He just stood more stiffly and puffed his chest out a little.
    Bodo walked up and held his hand out at Paci.
    Paci didn’t hesitate; he shook Bodo’s hand and smiled. “Welcome to the ranch, Bodo of Germany.”
    Bodo made a slight bow, sealing the formality of the process. It was almost funny, but at the same time ceremonial. I wondered if things would ever not be weird among the three of us.
    “I hear we have some cattle for Haven,” I said as we walked through some trees and into a large hut. It was connected to several others and covered in the standard thatched roof. As people saw us coming, they stood and walked over to greet us. Trip led the way into the third hut from the end where he finally stopped.
    “Hungry?” he asked, gesturing to the food that rested in bowls on a long, narrow table made of bamboo poles.
    I gladly dug into a big bowl of the usual Miccosukee fare - grilled vegetables, mystery meats and hunks of fresh bread. The bread was my favorite; it had been too long since I’d had any that wasn’t rock hard.
    I was halfway into my meal when LaShay arrived.
    “Giiiirl, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she exclaimed, bumping into people on her way over to give me a one-armed hug. “Damn, you got littler or somethin’.”
    “I haven’t had any good Miccosukee food in a while I guess.”
    “Well you need to get yourself some cooks over there or somethin’, ‘cause you lose much more and you’re just gonna disappear.”
    “Peter would never let that happen. What’s new with you?”
    “Well, I still only got one arm as you can see.”
    Several kids nearby giggled. Apparently, LaShay had made the idea of being handicapped a laughable thing, which was probably good. Better than having it be a stigma or a reminder of a horrible past.
    “But I’m gettin’ good with this one I got left.”
    “You should see her swing a bat,” said Jeremy. He’d walked up behind her and stood just to her side.
    The big smile on her face told me his opinion was important.
    “Oh, don’t be braggin’ on me like that. I’m still learnin’. Softball was never my thing before but I kinda liked it.”
    Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m just glad I have her on my team.”
    I smiled and shook my head. “I leave you guys for what … a week? And you’re already playing softball out here?”
    “We always had it out here,” said Jeremy. “We’re just expanding our league.”
    “Maybe Haven’ll have to get a team together,” said Rob. “We could challenge the ranch.”
    “Haven versus Ranch. I like it,” said Jeremy.
    “So what happened after we left you?” asked Rob, settling in next to me and Bodo on the floor.
    A large group had gathered around us and everyone was listening intently to what we had to say. I felt the mood deflate considerably as my expression revealed that my news wasn’t good.
    I cleared my throat before starting, not looking forward to being the bearer of bad news. “Well, we rode with that kid Jackson back to his ranch, the Triple Bar D.” I looked around and noticed several kids nodding and looking at each other. Jackson seemed to pass their test, because I saw no angry looks or fear in their expressions.
    “We also met his sister, Katy,” added Bodo. “And his birds.”
    We