Some file out and head back to their bunks. Others stick around, finishing their drinks, talking and laughing, too wired to even consider going to sleep. Zane and Sarah get into a contest to see who can do the most push-ups and Sarah wins with ease. Rachael, Chloe and Kevin are doing shots, enjoying the last bit of liquor they ll have in weeks. Reggie is break-dancing.
Laughter fills the room.
Despite all the horrors that the men and women in this room have seen, despite all the terrible losses they have endured, despite the very nature of their existence having changed dramatically overnight for the worse, they can still laugh. This comforts me. As I look around I realize that although humanity in general may very well be soulless the people in this room are not, but rather very much alive and filled with remarkable spirit. Such is the nature of men with the weight of the world on their shoulders and the fate of human existence in their hands. Against these odds you can only laugh.