You give your shirt a last wring and duck out of the little fenced-off area that you share with the neighbouring families. There's plenty of empty huts on the outskirts of the settlement, of course, but not one person has even suggested moving their family into an abandoned house. It would be as bad as desecrating the tombs of the previous owners - worse, even, as most of the dead never had a final resting place. Instinctively, the survivors huddle in on each other, living as close to the centre of the camp as possible. The hub of activity? The meeting hall.
The hall is the only real building among all the hand-built shacks, thrown together out of any materials accessible and mended thoroughly. It was a small, brick farmhouse before it was designated as a headquarters by the then council - young, strong people, full of hope for the future, who had optimistically dubbed themselves 'The Revolution'. Like there was any hope of such an organization surviving. It was added to and enlarged by the coming generations, eventually spreading out into the sprawling civilization it is today.
You enter the hall, stumbling over the concrete blocks that form the floor of the extended lobby. Inside, only a few people are still waiting. As you right yourself and head towards the tunnel-like corridor that leads to the huge kitchen, generally accepted as the council room, a hand on your shoulder stops you.
"Morgan! There you are! Everyone's waiting! You'd better get on with it, they're in a pessimistic mood today."
You turn to see a vaguely familiar face. A young man you've spoken to once or twice, who seems to think that as you're the same age, you should be best friends. Solomon? Or is it just Sol? You give him your trademark nervous grin.
"Hey. Sol, isn't it? Yeah, I'm all sorted to start. Everyone in there?"
"Of course. Try your best to cheer them up, alright? They could do with some optimism."
As you stride quickly down the corridor, you can't help but wonder whose side Sol is on. 'Try your best'? Who the hell does he think does all the work around here? He's not in charge of this whole disastrous 'revolution', is he?
