The people who had been forced to move to the left side walked away slowly, their heads lowered and their steps heavy, while the rest of us remained where we stood, watching in silence as if none of us wanted to imagine that we could have been the ones sent away instead.
I let out a quiet breath and folded my arms again, my gaze shifting toward the guard as a faint thought crossed my mind.
So the first step to surviving this barren place was very simple—
Have money.
The guard clapped his hands once, drawing everyone's attention back to him, and his eyes swept across us with impatience.
"Enough wasting time," he said loudly. "Anyone who wants a proper house, bring your money now."
He pointed toward a wooden table that had been set not too far away, clearly prepared for this moment.
"Pay here and collect your token."
For a moment, no one moved.
Then—
