Setting Exercise

Setting Description – A Homeless Shelter

The building could have easily been mistaken for an abandoned warehouse. It was outdated and in much disrepair, much of the windows broken, the paint peeling from the siding, and the roof missing many shingles. The shrubs looked as if they had not received water in years, and the inside was no different. The floor was lined with cots, visibly dirty and infested with insects, along with a few wobbly chairs and tables. The conditions were deplorable, similar to that of farm animals, not livable for any type of person. Cobwebs lined the ceiling, as dust coated the parts of the floor that were still visible. It was almost impossible to see the other side of the room due to the dust that hung in the air, also inhibiting any normal semblance of breathing, more or less a struggled wheezing. The smell was that of decay and utter filth. Beneath the nonsense and unintelligible mutterings of the inhabitants, a faint buzzing was audible. The source was the lights, which seemed to never cease flickering, and were certainly in need of dire replacement. The people themselves, those of which were not sleeping, seemed to be either on the brink of starvation or insanity, or both. The sense of despair and desperation in their eyes was frightening; as their faces told a story of a life filled with hardship and sorrow. Their garments seemed to be caked on to their bodies, along with the grime of living on the streets. The bathroom and kitchens were no different, the flies exceeding any countable number. The conditions were nothing close to livable.