10. A mistake

Athena

We retired back to the omega’s quarters, which had soon become a home I was not ready to accept. We all marched along in our numbers into the thatched house. I didn’t acknowledge the massiveness of the house until that night. There was a large hall behind the masters’ lodge. Old rusty bunks with tattered beds were scattered all over the place. It was like a heap of organized mess, with a stench of rotten food hanging painfully in the air. Everyone slumped onto his or her bed. I looked out for an empty space for myself. Luckily, I found one at the extreme corner, close to the only tiny window in the room. It was no surprise that everyone took off their clothes immediately after they got in—there was only one source of ventilation. I was still fully dressed, still in shock that such a place harbored living beings. It looked exactly like an abandoned store room for unused household items. I slumped on the bed, as my body wanted. I sneezed for a minute stretch before I could adjust