Apocalypsis 04 - Haven

the source of the smoke, I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or more worried than I already was. It made no sense.
    “What’s going on over there?” asked Paci as we pulled up to the gate.
    “I have no idea, but I’m going to find out.” I slid to the ground as soon as we stopped. I fell on my butt but jumped up in a hurry, ignoring the bruises I’d just added to my collection.
    Several people came from inside to greet me at the gate, one of them Peter with the keys. He was smiling.
    “Oh my god, Bryn, you have no idea how happy I am to see you,” said Peter, a little out of breath and searching for the right key to unlock the gate.
    “What the hell happened here?” I waved over at the huge bonfire that was sitting on top of the mass grave we’d just filled in before I left.
    “Lots of news, lots of news.” Peter stuck the key into the lock and turned the tumblers. “Where’s everyone else? Are they okay?” He searched my face as two kids pushed the gate open for me. Before I had a chance to answer, he looked up at Paci. “Hi, Paci. Welcome back.”
    “Thanks, Peter. Trip’s on his way. He’s in the swamp buggy.”
    Peter’s face turned pink. “Oh, that’s nice. What about the others? Are they all here? How many did you bring? Did you get any of the supplies I put on the list?”
    I gave him a secret smile. As if he cared about anything but that dope with the tattoos. I nudged him as I walked by and gave him a look.
    “Shut up,” he said, falling into step beside me. He turned around and shouted over to the kids at the gate which now also included Jamal and Ronald. “Let anyone in who says the oath! Take all weapons as they enter!”
    When he turned back I put my arm through his. “So, tell me all about how much you missed me and why you’ve decided pyromania is a good decision for Haven.”
    “I’ll have you know that first of all, I missed you way too much. No more going anywhere without me. And second of all, we had a little skirmish here while you were gone, and we had to burn the bodies.”
    I stopped, effectively jerking him back by the elbow.
    “Hey! Watch it, lady. Delicate constitution over here.”
    “Bodies? You’re burning bodies? Whose bodies?” I was horrified not only by the idea but by his casualness over the whole thing.
    “Yes. We had to. We can’t bury everyone who dies here. We’ll run out of space, and it’s not good for the water under the ground. And they’re canners, not our people, so don’t worry about it.”
    I started walking again, but this time without hanging onto Peter’s arm. “Canners are people too, you know,” I said in a low tone.
    Peter grabbed my shoulder and forced me to stop and face him. “No, Bryn, they’re not. They came here to murder us, and we killed them in self-defense. They’re not human, they’re monsters. I don’t have any pity for them and neither should you.”
    I nodded. “I know that. I know. It’s just … I’m getting sick of all the killing, I guess.” My gaze dropped to the ground.
    “Some bad stuff happened on the road, didn’t it?”
    “Yes. Some really bad stuff.” I was trying really hard not to cry.
    “Tell me.” He reached down and took my hands in his. “Go ahead and cry if you want. I won’t mock you.”
    “It’s not that. It’s just that I’m afraid that if I start I won’t be able to stop.”
    Peter shrugged. “So what? Everyone needs a good cry every once in a while. It’s cleansing. So tell me what happened. I’m all ears.”
    “Jason and Kowi are dead.”
    “Whaaat?!” Peter’s hand flew to his mouth. “You’re not joking, I know you’d never joke about that, but … that can’t be true.” He dropped his hand and took mine again, squeezing it even harder.
    “It is. Canners hit there, too. They were having a friggin’ party when we arrived. But that’s not all of it. First of all, we ran into a kid with a semi full of kids on the highway. We hijacked his truck and went to his ranch and met his sister, his big herd of monster cows, and his carrier pigeon messaging system that he has set up all over the state.”
    Peter crossed his arms and stared at me for a few seconds. “Did you find some peyote on your trip? Is that what I’m seeing here? Are we tripping?”
    “No, I wish I was.” A commotion at the gate took my attention away for a second. All the kids were coming out of the prison to ooh and ahh over the animals that were arriving. Derek was taking things