Bleeding At The Commander
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The commander sat in his office, staring at the stack of papers on his desk. He was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open and had to force himself not to fall asleep where he sat. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep; it was also the fact that he’d been working nonstop for over a month now without any time off or rest.
Even though there were only two months left until the end of the year, he still hadn’t managed to get everything done. Not even close. And since the day after tomorrow would be Christmas Eve, he knew that this weekend wouldn’t give him much respite either.
“I’m going home,” he said with a sigh as he put down the pen he’d been using to write notes. “If I don’t take some time off soon, my family will come here looking for me.”
He stood up from behind his desk and walked out into the hallway before turning right towards the elevator. As the doors closed behind him, he took one last look around his office building: the large windows that let in plenty of light during the daytime, the comfortable chairs scattered throughout the hallways, and all those beautiful paintings hanging on the walls.
When the elevator reached its destination, the commander stepped outside onto the street where he saw three people waiting for him by the entrance. They were dressed in black suits, which made them stand out among the other pedestrians walking past them on the sidewalk. One of them wore an earpiece, while another held something resembling a tablet computer in their hands.
“Commander!” they called out when they spotted him. “Please wait a moment.”
They didn’t have to tell him twice. While the commander waited patiently, the trio approached him and stopped about ten feet away from him. Their faces were hidden under dark sunglasses, but he recognized the voice of the man standing next to the woman who spoke first.
“It’s good to see you again, sir,” she said with a warm smile. “We’re glad we’ll finally get to meet your lovely wife today.”
“Yes, thank you for coming,” the commander replied politely. “And please call me ‘Tom’.”
“Of course, Tom. We’ll be happy to do whatever you need us to.”
The woman nodded her head slightly as if agreeing with what the man beside her had just said. She then turned back towards him and smiled gently once more.
“You’ve probably noticed our presence already, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alice, and these are my colleagues, John and Ben. We work for a company that specializes in providing security services for high-profile individuals like yourself.
Our job is to protect you against any potential threats and ensure that nothing happens to you or your loved ones.”
“That sounds very important,” the commander remarked. “But why did you choose me?”
Alice glanced at the man standing next to her. After a brief pause, he answered.
“Because you’re a highly respected officer in the military police, and because you’re married to a famous actress. Your life has always been surrounded by danger, so we thought that hiring someone like you would make things easier for everyone involved.”
“What kind of dangers am I likely to face? Is there anyone who might try to harm me or my family?”
Ben shook his head.
“No, none whatsoever. You really shouldn’t worry about anything happening to you. We can guarantee that no matter how dangerous the situation may seem, we’ll handle it properly.”
The commander stared at Ben for a few seconds. His expression remained neutral, but he couldn’t help feeling suspicious about the way the man talked. Wasn’t it obvious that he was lying? What else could he say to convince him otherwise?
“So, I should feel safe knowing that you’re protecting me?”
John nodded enthusiastically.
“Absolutely! In fact, you won’t even notice that we’re here. That’s exactly what makes us special. No one will ever know that we’re watching over you.”
“Well, I guess that’s reassuring,” the commander muttered. “Still, I want to hear it from you directly. Are you sure that you can provide me with adequate protection?”
Alice looked at the man next to her and frowned.
“Are you asking whether we’re capable of fulfilling our duties? Yes, we absolutely can. If you think that we aren’t, you can fire us anytime you wish.”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“However, if you decide to hire us, you must understand that we cannot guarantee absolute safety. There are certain risks associated with our profession, and unfortunately, we can’t eliminate them completely. But rest assured that we’ll do everything in our power to prevent any incidents from occurring.”
“Understood. So, what are your terms?”
Alice smiled again.
“Our fee is twenty percent of the total amount that you receive from the insurance company after the incident. It doesn’t sound like much, does it?”
The commander sighed. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to refuse such a tempting offer, especially since he wasn’t planning on filing a claim anyway. Besides, he needed to find a way to pay for the repairs to his house, and this seemed like the easiest solution.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he told her. “My salary isn’t enough to cover all the expenses related to the damage caused by the explosion. I don’t have the money to spare right now.”
“In that case, I suggest you file a claim with the insurance company immediately,” Alice suggested. “Then you can take care of the fees later.”
“If you insist…”
After looking around carefully, the commander decided to go inside the building instead. The two men followed him into the lobby, where they took a seat at a small table near the front desk. A young receptionist appeared shortly afterward and greeted them with a friendly smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Commander,” she began cheerfully. “How can I help you?”
“Hello, Rebecca. How are you doing today?”
“Oh, fine, thanks. And you?”
“Not bad, actually. I’d like to ask you something about the insurance policy that covers my home.”
“Certainly. May I know which company you have an agreement with?”
“It’s called the Standard Insurance Company.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Okay, let me check their website for you. Please wait a moment while I look up your account information.”
A few seconds later, the girl returned to the table.
“Mr. Commander, I apologize for taking so long. Here are the details regarding your insurance plan: the coverage period is three years, and the premium amounts to thirty-one thousand five hundred dollars per year.”
“Is that correct?”
The girl smiled.
“Yes, sir. However, please note that the amount varies depending on the location of the property. For example, properties located within the city limits cost more than those outside of town. Also, some areas are considered high-risk zones, and therefore require additional payments. Do you live in such a place?”
“No, I don’t believe so.”
“All right then. As far as I can see, your premiums are quite low compared to other people living nearby. Have you had any accidents or claims filed against you recently?”
The commander shook his head.
“Nothing out of the ordinary has happened lately. Why do you ask?”
“I just wanted to make sure that nothing unusual occurred in the past. Did you know that most companies charge higher rates for customers with a history of making frequent claims?”
“That’s true, but I don’t think that applies to me. My house hasn’t been damaged during the last twelve months.”
“Very well. Let me show you the list of available plans. Which one would you prefer?”
“I’ll take the basic package. Is there anything else that I need to do?”
“You only have to sign the contract once you’ve made your decision. You can also visit the branch office closest to you to fill out the necessary paperwork. Otherwise, you can send someone to pick it up in person. Would that be okay?”
“Sure.”
The commander signed the document and handed it back to the girl. She placed it in a folder along with a pen, and gave both items to John who quickly filled out the form. Afterward, he passed the documents over to Rebecca.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Commander. We hope that you enjoy your stay here.”
“Thanks, Rebecca. I appreciate your assistance.”
As soon as the girl left the room, the commander turned to his companion.
“What did you think of that?”
John shrugged.
“Seems fair. They didn’t try to cheat us, and they offered a good deal. What’s not to like?”
“Exactly! Now we can finally start rebuilding our lives!”
***
Several hours later, the commander was sitting in his car waiting impatiently for the traffic lights to turn green. When they eventually did, he drove through the intersection without even slowing down. Once he reached the highway, he accelerated rapidly until his speedometer showed eighty miles per hour.
At the same time, he kept glancing at the rearview mirror to check if anyone was following him. Satisfied with the results, he relaxed slightly and focused on the road ahead. He knew that his pursuers were probably still behind him, but he couldn’t afford to stop driving yet.
If he stopped too early, he might lose sight of them before he could get away from the city. Besides, the farther he got from the blast site, the better chance he had of losing the tail completely.
Ten minutes later, the commander arrived at the outskirts of the village. It wasn’t big, but it boasted several houses built on a single street. There weren’t many cars parked in front of the homes, but he saw a couple of trucks belonging to construction workers. Judging by their size, they must belong to the local authority. Most likely, they were working on a renovation project.
“This looks promising,” he muttered to himself. “If I’m lucky, I should find a vehicle suitable for transporting the bodies.”
He pulled onto the side of the road and switched off the engine. Then he opened the trunk, grabbed the crowbar from its resting place under the spare tire, and walked towards the first house. When he was close enough, he noticed a man standing next to the entrance. The stranger looked around nervously and seemed to be searching for something.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you looking for this?”
Without thinking twice, the commander took the object from the man’s hand and stuffed it into his pocket.
“Oh, thank you. I thought I’d lost it somewhere.”
The commander nodded.
“Please accept my apologies. By the way, what are you doing here? Don’t tell me that you’re part of the reconstruction team?”
The man shook his head.
“No, I work for the government. Our department is responsible for monitoring radiation levels in the surrounding area. That’s why I came here today. I was supposed to measure the level of radioactivity in the soil, but I forgot to bring the equipment with me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. I always carry all the required tools with me when I go on duty.”
“Well, I guess you’re telling the truth. In that case, let me introduce myself. My name is John Smith. I’m an insurance agent.”
“An insurance agent? Really? How interesting. May I ask how long you’ve worked for the company?”
“Since yesterday.”
“Wow! And you already managed to sell some policies? Impressive. Well done, Agent John.”
“Thank you, Sir. But please call me John.”
“Okay, John. So, where exactly does your agency operate?”
“We have branches in every major city across America. However, most of our clients live outside of the metropolitan areas. This means that I spend a lot of time traveling between towns. Right now, I’m heading to another town to meet with more potential customers. Do you know which state this village belongs to?”
“Yes, I do. It’s called New York.”
“That’s right. As you may or may not know, the United States used to be divided into fifty states. Unfortunately, some of them disappeared during World War III. Some people say that they were destroyed by nuclear weapons, while others believe that they simply ceased to exist due to natural causes.
Anyway, there are only forty-nine remaining states nowadays. Did you happen to notice any other buildings besides these houses?”
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Because this village doesn’t appear to be inhabited anymore. You see, after the war ended, no one bothered to rebuild it. Instead, they decided to relocate everyone living here to safer locations.”
“Really? Wow, that’s amazing. I mean, nobody would ever dare to abandon such a beautiful place. Where did they move to?”
“They moved to Florida. A small town near Orlando.”
“Florida? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not really. According to the locals, the radiation levels aren’t high enough to cause serious health problems. On top of that, the climate is much warmer than here. Since moving to Florida, the citizens of this village haven’t experienced any illnesses caused by radiation poisoning. They also received compensation payments from the American government. Not bad, huh?”
“Yeah, it sounds pretty good. What happened to the land where this village once stood?”
“It’s still empty. No one has dared to build anything on it yet. We can’t blame them either. After all, the ground is contaminated with radioactive waste. If someone builds a house over it, the structure will probably collapse within weeks.”
“You’re absolutely right. Let’s hope that we won’t need to worry about that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work. I have two more houses to visit before lunchtime.”
“Sure thing, Agent John. Good luck!”
John turned around and started walking towards the car. He didn’t even bother locking the door behind him.
The End