I settled my trunk in the living room as I took a look at my surroundings. Mold, plagues and clutter filled the space.

“You arrived at the best of times, for me to keep this shelter open I need to pass the health inspection,” Master Sin’Clair said.

“I expect you to fulfill every task, David,” the Master said as he gave me the tour of the shelter, starting with the kitchen. This kitchen is a health hazard, I can taste the rat excrement and the moldy foods in the sink. There is barely any light in here too and with the humidity it is a perfect breeding ground for roaches.

“One of your main tasks is to cook 3 meals a day for 20 people and I expect you to clean every single pot, plate, cup and utensil. And I better not find anything unclean, is that clear?”

…

There is so much I need to complete in this small space. Clean the stacks of plates and store them, fix the broken table, eradicate the plagues, purge the fridge, replace the leaky faucet pipe.

“David.”

Throw the garbage out, organize the pantry by order of expiration dates, disinfect and fumigate the entire space, polish the floors and surfaces, buy groceries.

“David…” Master threatened with gritted teeth.

Plan meals for the week, prep them, clean the dishes, polish the floor and throw out the garbage.

“Yes, Master,” I finally answered.

“When I call you, you will respond immediately. Is that clear…?”

“My apologies, Master. I made a mental note on my task to restore the kitchen in a timely manner. However I must disclose with you my limitation to these tasks.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“I am not certified to do basic household chores, nor am I certified to handle basic plumbing--”

“I don’t care,” The Master interrupts me. “Hurry up we got other rooms you need to tend to.” the Master walked out the kitchen down the hall into the bathroom.

I can taste the human waste down my throat, my hand shields my nose and mouth but I need to breathe regardless. The toilet was no longer white, inside the bowl had rust and fecal matter stains. The shower is covered in grime and the shower head by the way calcium collected will not spray normally. The sink basin was cracked and broken and a bucket rests beneath it to collect water. I can see the antennas of a roach peaking through the drain hole of the sink.

“Making another mental note I presume?” I heard the Master say.

“No, not yet. This one will take a bit more time,” I say as I look to the floor, which the tiles were broken or loose. I stepped on a loose tile and many small roaches scattered across the bathroom.

“Hey! be careful!” I can hear the panic in the master’s tone, I can guess he is afraid of roaches. The Master rushed out the room trying to get the roaches off him. There is a lot of work to do here, I need to remove all the tiles and replace them, replace the sink and the pipes, replace the toilet, remove the grime from the shower, disinfect and fumigate. I do wonder why I was chosen to do common household chores his eyes are soft…

…

I turn but the Master is no longer there. No one is in here. I am not sure who said that or where it came from but I do not hear any radio or television signals.

“Hey!”

I look back to Francine who wandered down the hall. “David, how are you holding up?”

“I am faring well, I lost track of Master Sin’Clair. Have you seen him?”

“I did see him rush out the front door screaming about roaches, I’m guessing you stepped on a nest?”

“Affirmative. Your entire shelter is a health hazard,” I say and Francine sighs while shrugging.

“I warned him about the roaches and the rats but he doesn’t listen to me. I guess it’s because I don’t have a Y chromosome.” Francine crosses her arms and looks towards the bathroom. “I’m sure he will listen to you.”

“Unfortunately, I warned him about how I am not a certified plumber or electrician. I am designed for combat and scouting.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, I can definitely deal with the plumbing at least.”

“I get the sense you are more than qualified for his needs.”

“Yeah, well… He doesn’t trust my girl brain to do male work. He thinks I can only cook and clean. And even then he doesn’t even let me do it…”

Francine obviously didn’t agree with how her father treated her but his word is law. “I must ask, he mentioned I must cook for 20 people, who are the other 18 people in the shelter?”

Francine sighs again, “they are working in the factory, they get out at 6:00 P.M. Some of them have children so they will arrive around 4:00 P.M.” My watch says 2:13 P.M. I wasn’t expecting such a time crunch on my first day.

“Master Sin’Clair will need to forgive me, for I won’t be able to complete my task as soon as he wants.”

“I am aware, what he wants is impossible. Let’s tackle the kitchen together, what do you say?” She says as he flexes her left arm and winks.

I nod and walk with her to the kitchen to at least clean it.

The first thing I do is to pick up all the garbage and put it in a bag. I sort the dishes and start to wash them.

I hear the radio static, Francine is possibly looking for a clear signal.

I hear a giggle right before a song starts to play and Francine sings along in content. That laugh was not the same tone Francine has. Francine has a curtain masculine form but her voice is higher than the one I heard.

“What?” Francine stares at me puzzled. “You don’t like the song?”

“Hm?” I looked at her, puzzled.

“You’ve been staring at me, everything alright?”

“I am quite alright, my apologies.” I turn back to the pile of dishes to wash them. I am not quite certain if Francine heard it too, maybe she did but it is a normal occurrence. I never partake in radio. Prism forbids it so I am uncertain of the culture. But I did hear something else earlier down the hall, His eyes are soft…

…

Soft eyes?

…

Thinking about this is making me feel uncomfortable.

…

Why does it make me feel this way?

…

“Hey! I will take out the garbage! Be back in a bit!”

…

My eye doesn’t feel soft when I touch it.

…

The radio is giving me a headache, I should shut it off. I turn one of the many knobs and I hear a plethora of white noise, faintly though, I hear a giggle. I attempt to locate that giggle between the channels.

“Hey, I think we can start dinner. How does a roast chicken sound?”

I found the station.

“David? What are you doing?”

I can hear it clearly, the giggle.

“David, what’s wrong?”

… that is not a giggle.

“Hello, Earth to David!” Francine shook me. “Do you not like music?” I can’t hear it anymore.

“Hm? No, I just thought I heard something.”

“You mean the static…?”

“Yes, there was a laugh in the static.”

Francine doesn’t look too comfortable with what I said. She took several steps away almost nearing the doorway of the kitchen. “I didn’t hear anything, all I heard was broken static. You sure you’re okay?”

...

“I am positive, my apologies, we should start the meal before everyone gets home.” If francine cannot hear it, then that means there is an anomaly in the frequency, I must be cautious about it but for some odd reason, my chest hurts when I think about it. I think I should study this anomaly before I confront it.

In the meantime I have pending tasks.