It smelled of heavy diesel exhaust and dry sand.

I pulled open the thick metal door to the barracks hallway.

The military housed us in shipping containers converted into long, narrow corridors.

A long row of gray wall lockers ran down the hallway, broken up by identical doors to the individual bunk rooms.

The hallway was empty and silent.

I stopped beneath a caged ceiling light and took my phone back out of my pocket.

I opened my text thread with Haley.