10

It was nice and warm inside the barracks. Bright lights were on everywhere, and the place smelled of fresh wood panelling. It was divided into two floors, with the top floor being little more than a long corridor, with rooms on both sides, and a shared bath room with showers at the far end. Each guard had his own room, and Bjorn was pleasantly surprised when Ante told him he could have a room with a view of the fjord, which Bjorn was more than happy to accept.

"I had expected a room at the back, to be honest," Bjorn remarked as Ante let him into a room half way up the corridor.
"Well, some of us are a little paranoid, and prefer to have a room away from any potential action."
"Action? You mean they are afraid of an attack?"
"Yeah."
"Like being bombed?"
"I think some of us would prefer a bunker, to be honest."
"Isn't that a bit over the top? Which side are you on?"
"I'm on their side, of course!" Ante replied with a grin. "I would not think of bombing this place."
"I mean, which side of the building are you."
"Oh, I see. I'm right next door to you. I got a view too."

Ante gave the wall to his left a light knock, to indicate the location of his room, while chuckling from his own joke.

The room was spartanly equipped, but larger than Bjorn had expected, with a desk and office chair in front of the window, an easy chair next to the bed, a closet to hang his clothes, and a TV attached to the wall next to the window that could be easily viewed from the bed or the easy chair.

Bjorn tossed his back pack onto the bed before letting Ante show him the shared bath room and the downstairs area. They had passed the living room without greeting anyone on their way up the stairs. But coming down, they went straight into the room where four men were gathered around a table, playing cards.

The men put down their cards and introduced themselves to Bjorn, asking him if his trip had gone smoothly, and saying a few words about themselves. None of the men seemed eager to return to their game, clearly happy to see a new face. Their eagerness to talk about themselves and their duties made Bjorn feel very welcome. However, by the end of their talk, Bjorn could only remember the name of one of the men, and had to ask Ante to repeat their names when they went into the kitchen.

"Thomas, Frank, Espen and John," Ante said. "Not exactly difficult names to remember."
"No. You're right... And Espen is the nerd, right?"
"Nerd?"
"Yeah. The autistic guy?"
"Autistic? Ah... I see what you mean. He is not really a nerd. You'll like him. Frank is the odd one. He is one of the bunker boys."
"And he is the one with short dark hear."
"Yep."

Bjorn went through the names in his head once more while Ante showed him around the kitchen. Leading Bjorn over to a large fridge, next to a window with a view of the fjord, Ante explained how he was responsible for breakfast and dinner, in return for limited guard duty.

"It is a great deal. I get to cook, which I like, and I get first pick when choosing days off and when to sit in the box."
"And what about me? When do I have to sit guard?"
"Frank has put you up for the day shift," Ante said, pointing to a sheet of paper hanging on the fridge, "which is the six hours from nine to three. He decided to go easy on you this first week."
"So Frank, the bunker boy, is in charge up here?"
"Yes and no. He is the chief officer. But he is very accommodating and flexible when it comes to planning our shifts. He really is a nice guy."

Ante went on to say a few words about the daily schedules, referring to Frank's Excel sheet on the fridge, before showing Bjorn where he would be sitting during meals. The seating arrangement was important, explained Ante, since some get grumpy if they find their place occupied. However, this was only important during meal times, and Bjorn should feel free to come into the kitchen and grab something to eat, and sit wherever he please at other times, as long as he made sure he left the kitchen clean and tidy after use.

Opening the fridge, Ante asked Bjorn if he would like to have a bite before either retiring or joining the card players in the living room.

"I have not had anything to eat since Kirkenes," Bjorn said, accepting Ante's offer.
"Well, let me heat up some left over lasagne for you!" Ante said with an extravagant gesture, taking out a big serving dish with a few ready cut pieces in it. "One or two pieces?"
"Two please," Bjorn said, feeling hungry at the sight of the dish.
"And do you want some wine to go with that?"
"Wine?" Bjorn asked baffled. "What does Frank say about that?"
"He is a nice guy," Ante answered with a smile. "I told you! He does not take the rules and regulations too seriously."
"Well, then I'll have a glass of red wine."