Chapter 228
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The guards came and woke Eve up shortly before 6am. She wouldn't have time for a shower or breakfast herself. Eve was able to wash up a little, then put right to work. The supervisor gave Eve some on the job training. Eve learned how to clean dishes, or at least make them presentable, and how to prepare powdered eggs and milk. This food was rumored to be army surplus, left over from wars that Eve only knew from history class. Eve was able to sneak little bots and pieces for herself during the breakfast shift. After this she had a little time for a real breakfast before cleaning the kitchen up and beginning to prepare lunch. In many ways it was the same as breakfast. After this Eve was exhausted, but at least dinner was someone else's problem. Although this might take some getting used to, Eve was learning another skill, preparig food that was edible, if not tasty, for large numbers of people.
After her lunch shift Eve walked around. She was free from the barracks until sunset, wasn't sure what to do. There were small games of baseball or football at times. An inter-faith sanctuary with muslim services o Friday, jewish services on Saturday, christian services on Sunday. The other four days anyone could come in and worship. There was a library, could help ease boredom. So could the movie theatre. Anyone not working could come and watch whatever was playing. The films often involved "re-education" shorts to swaythe prisoners away from the collective. But most films were just mindless entertainment to keep them out of mischief. Tara mentioned a black-market for little treats, candy, shampoo, ciggarettes. There were ways to get these things. Sadler gave some to keep the prisoners pacified, if they did their jobs, but not much. There were some charities that gave these things to prisoners, family members on the outside, or giving something to the guards. Eve decided not to give the guards anything. Not sex, and not intel on her fellow P.O.W.s. With 523 days until impact, Eve might be stuck here just waiting it out.
Over the next week Eve tried to adapt to camp 81. She worked her shifts, bonded with Tara. The inmates were allowed to write letters, which might be somewhat censored by the authorities Eve didn't have many friends left in New Jersey. Maybe Nadia was back there, Eve wrote to her. She also wrote to Adam but they wouldn't tell her where he was specifically. Eve went to the sanctuary on Friday. Some made plans to escape, they were more patriotic than Eve. Some believed they could escape through the mine, but there was the danger of it collapsing on escapees. The majority felt safer here than outside. Eve saw colonel Sadler here. It was the same man who supervised the construction of the Ark near Caseyville in Pennsylvaia. He'd changed, more stern, his face even seemed harder. Clearly the war changed him, as it had changed so many.