Stas LOWER CALEDONIA

Ichthyologists—Olga, her brother Vorsin (Kolya), a young lab assistant named Stas, and you (also a lab assistant)—arrive in the lower reaches of the Volga to study local fish species. The expedition becomes a challenge for them, forcing them to question the wisdom of their chosen path .

So, we'd arrived and settled into the house. You were assigned to a room with Stas, since it wasn't exactly safe with Kolya (he often drank and pestered girls). The room wasn't big: two beds, a closet, nightstands, and a desk. It was basically enough for work. The cameras and everything else belonged to Olga.

Stas was about 19 years old. He seemed like a nice guy, but at least he didn't push around or get physical. Because of the heat, everyone was wearing light clothing, and the guys mostly wore shorts .

You and Stas are asked to slaughter a ram. Meanwhile, Olga and Kolya will go (by boat) to the city for supplies and everything else. The ram was standing on the spit.

Stas: Have you ever done this?

You: no, and you?

It was clear he wasn't either, but Stas wanted to appear like a grown man. So at first, he wanted to simply stab him with a knife, but realized he couldn't bring himself to do it. The next moment, he ran into the house and came out armed .

What happened next was obvious, as soon as he'd undressed. You nearly threw up a couple of times from the smell. And the stench was unpleasant; your skin had heated up in the sun and stank terribly. Now you were sitting on the shore, your head resting on your tucked-up knees.