Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

in every direction, and expect the unexpected.”
    “Well, that’s encouraging,” I said.  
    “It’s goodt advices,” said Bodo.   “We will need some kindt of lookout that can see in all directions.”
    “I guess that’s why in all those war movies they have those towers at the prisons - so you can see anyone trying to escape no matter where they are.   And on pirate ships too.”
    “Yeah, but in the war movies, the lookout tower is the first thing that’s blown up.”
    “Keep reading.   I like what dis guy is saying.”
    “If your manpower is low, due to injury or simply unavailability, you may not have enough bodies to adequately guard your position.   Use whatever methods you have at your disposal to act as early warning systems.   A popular method used during the most recent wars is land-mines.”
    “Too bad we don't have any land-mines,” I said sarcastically.
    “We haf grenades.   They can be attached to a wire that pulls da pin out.   I’ve see dat in several movies.”
    Peter nodded.   “Trip wires.   Totally done all the time in jungles.”
    I shook my head.   “We’re missing the critical piece - wire.”
    “We have clear fishing line,” corrected Peter.   “I don’t think it has to be metal.”
    “I guess you have a point - so long as we don’t need the stuff for fishing.”
    I went back to the book and flipped through some more pages before stopping to read another passage.
    “One of the biggest problems you will face is boredom.   Hours will be spent doing nothing, as you contemplate what the enemy might be doing and when they might strike.   Sometimes there is no intel and other times the intel is inaccurate.   The important thing is to use your free time wisely.   Train, train, train.   Practice hand-to-hand combat.   Make weapons.   Build your stores.   Play games with your comrades.   But never give in to the boredom and do nothing.   Down this path lies insanity.”
    Those words sent chills up my spine.  
    “He’s right, you know.   There are people going crazy right now, all around us.   I don’t know if it’s boredom doing it or just desperation, but it’s definitely happening,” said Peter.
    “You got that right,” I agreed.   Canners came to mind, and Sissy and Jimmy too a little bit.   I could see how a life spent inside of a Cracker Barrel could lead someone down to crazytown.
    I looked through the book some more, noticing that he had sections on making weapons and traps, but deciding to study them later.   I was tired and needed a break from thinking about dying, killing, and defending myself against zombie attacks.   I thought about the days when my biggest worry was a chemistry exam.
    “What are you smiling about?” asked Bodo, looking at me from across the tarp.
    I leaned over and shoved the book back into my bag.   “Oh, just how my biggest concern used to be a chemistry exam - and now it’s whether I’m going to die tomorrow or not.”
    “Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?” asked Peter.
    “I don’t know.   Call me crazy, but I kindt of prefer dis world to da last one.”
    “Yeah.   No doubt about it,” I said, “you’re crazy, alright.”
    “But don’t you agree?   I mean, here we chust survife with our brains and it doesn’t matter who you know or how much money you haff.   You just work hard and think about how da world works and you can survife.   You can make friends and it doesn’t matter what your clothes are or what kindt of car you are driving.   Da food is more healthy and da air and da water is better.”
    “Sure,” agreed Peter, “but then you have the whole canner thing.   That part’s not better.   Neither is the fact that we could starve to death or die from a simple cut.”
    “No, we won’t starfe to death.   Not in da Everglades.   It’ss full of life.   Birds and snakes and gators and deer and all kindts of mammals.   Dare’s so much rain here all da time, we’ll never run out of water.   And for da injuries, we can make some things like alcohol to kill da germs.   I can build dat for sure, it’s not a problem.”
    “You know, Bodo, when you put it like that, it doesn’t seem so bad,” I said, surprising even myself with what I was saying.   “I mean, I know you’re creating this little illusion and all, but if I don’t think about it too hard, it does seem pretty okay.   With you guys in the picture, at least.   I don’t think I’d want to