Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

Please keep him safe, please keep him safe!
    Aside from the obvious grief I’d feel if Trip got hurt, I didn’t even want to consider how poor Peter would suffer. Thoughts of my sensitive friend who’d already been through too much pain made me want to wrap Trip up in a giant bulletproof body cocoon and roll him all the way to Haven on a damn dolly. This was a stupid idea. Why did I let him go?!
    When Trip finally made it to within ten feet of the girl and nothing happened to him, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Maybe the Miccosukee and Creek would be able to keep this chief. Maybe this chief wouldn’t be killed in cold blood like Kowi had been.
    We waited for what seemed like forever for Trip to negotiate our passage through the treehouse kids’ land.
    ***
    I was looking through the binoculars when Trip turned around and started waving my sling around in a circle. I couldn’t tell what he was trying to do. “What the hell?”
    “What’s he doing?” asked Paci. He twisted around to look at my face.
    “Here. Take a look.” I handed him the binoculars.
    Paci watched for a few seconds and then kicked our horse as he lowered the glasses away from his face. He handed them to Rob as we rode by. “Come on, everyone! He’s telling us to advance!”
    The convoy started up again, and I wasn’t sure if I was happy we were moving or not. My butt had gotten somewhat of a rest, and now the damn saddle blanket was grinding into my nether regions again. I was going to have a rash where girls should never ever have rashes. I gritted my teeth through the discomfort, knowing that this pain meant I was alive and that I was better off than a lot of kids this week. I had zero right to complain.
    Paci’s horse took the lead and Winky’s came just behind and next to us.
    “Should we get our weapons out?” asked Winky.
    “They should be easy to get to but not out. We don’t want to be threatening,” said Paci.
    “I agree. And I also think everyone on foot and with the animals should stay back,” I added.
    “I will take care of dem,” said Bodo, sliding off the horse’s back in a not very elegant maneuver. He disappeared behind us.
    Winky snorted. “Can’t handle the horse.”
    I turned around to watch Bodo go, and he was limping and reaching down to rub his crotch. A small part of me was glad I wasn’t the only one suffering.
    Bodo gave directions to the people behind us to drop back.
    Paci urged the horse more and we put more distance between the rest of our friends and the treehouse kids. Winky stayed even with us, and the swamp buggy was right behind. We were a pretty effective wall if anyone decided to start shooting, but I was hoping it wouldn’t to come to that.
    As we got closer, several other kids came out of the trees to stand by the girl in red. I recognized one of them. “Who’s that girl? The one with the raggedy clothes?” I asked. All of them looked pretty well-dressed, all things considered, but not her. She looked like a homeless beggar.
    “That’s that Gail girl. Remember? She came to Haven with me. She was with those two guys I picked up on the road as I came down.” Paci’s tone said he was about as thrilled to see her as I was.
    My uneasiness increased. “She was bad news.”
    “Maybe. She had an attitude, that’s for sure.” Paci’s voice lowered as we got close enough that they might hear us.
    When we were just a few feet behind Trip we stopped. I leaned into Paci so I could swing my leg over behind the horse.
    My plan to make a super cool getting-off-the-horse move ended in total failure. And happily for me, Trip turned around just in time to enjoy it along with all the treehouse kids and probably all the kids behind me, too.
    I fell into the dust at the horse’s feet when my legs refused to cooperate. I’d lost circulation or something, everything numb except my butt, which was currently feeling the pain of having fallen from about five feet up.
    Trip walked over slowly and lifted me up by my armpits, making me look like a toddler to these strangers. Several of them laughed out loud. Others were kind enough to cover their smirks with their hands or turn around.
    “Thanks,” I said quietly. “Guess I lost my legs for a minute there.” I banged first one foot then the other on the ground trying to get the tingles to go away.
    “Way to make a first impression,” he said. There was no smile on his face, but I got the distinct impression he was laughing at me.
    “Never