The Lonely Painter
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I have spent the last three days in my little office, staring at a blank sheet of paper. I sit there for hours and don’t move or talk to anyone but you. The longer it goes on, the more scared I get that if I say something to anyone else they will think I’m crazy. I am going out of my mind with worry over what is going on out there.
And then when I finally do speak—if I ever do—what can I possibly say? What words could possibly convey the horror that is happening outside my office door? I had no idea things were this bad. I thought we were winning until about an hour ago…
I’ve been trying to figure out how all this happened so quickly. Did someone know ahead of time what was going to happen? Or did some sort of computer program come into being and start making decisions based on its own criteria? Because the enemy has certainly changed tactics since yesterday morning.
They are attacking from multiple locations now and moving much faster than before. At first, I thought maybe some of the enemy units had gotten smarter and figured out where our lines were, but it isn’t just one unit doing this. It’s every single unit.
The enemy is coming at us from all directions. It’s like watching a huge swarm of bees swarming around your head. So many of them, and they’re all headed straight for you. How can any person fight against such overwhelming odds? But even as I write these words, I realize that, right now, I’m not facing those odds.
We have air superiority. Our planes and helicopters can fly circles around their airplanes.
Even though they managed to blow up a few of our fighters, most of our pilots are still alive and flying. If only we had a way to kill all the people who are driving the tanks and armored vehicles. Maybe if we did that, we would be able to take back control of the city.
But how do you stop hundreds of thousands of enemy troops? I feel like I should already know the answer to that question, but I honestly don’t. And while I’m sitting here worrying about what to do next, the entire world outside my window is falling apart.
***
The Little Doctor’s Room
I also want to ask whether there might be some sort of airborne virus that could infect the enemy forces without affecting the civilians. Someone in Washington must know about this kind of thing. There have been reports of diseases spreading among the civilian population.
According to one report, the World Health Organization is saying that this is a new strain of bird flu that is resistant to antibiotics. It has caused at least two deaths and infected more than 100 others.
However, as far as I can tell, no one has noticed anything unusual happening with the enemy troops. Is that because they are immune somehow? Or is it because they aren’t actually sick? Does it matter? What if we found a way to create an airborne weapon that would target just the enemy soldiers? Would that work? Would it end the war? Could it cause them to retreat?
It seems impossible, but what if? Maybe I shouldn’t give up hope quite yet. No matter how hopeless it sounds, the worst thing I can do right now is give up.
***
The Lieutenant Colonel’s Office
There hasn’t been any movement by the enemy inside the city limits for several hours now. The attack continues from the outskirts of town, but the fighting there is sporadic. Some of the tanks have broken down, and many of the troops are disorganized.
They keep running into groups of our troops who have taken cover behind the walls of buildings and houses. Their infantry is either dead or incapacitated, and they have no artillery support. Our soldiers are holding their ground, and it looks like the enemy will soon run out of supplies and ammunition. All we need to do is wait for the enemy to run out of food. Then the rest will be easy.
It’s amazing how quickly things can change. We were enjoying a nice break from the action when the enemy suddenly attacked again. We watched them get bottled up for a couple of hours, and then they broke through and came after us. One of the armored vehicles crashed right into the gate of the hotel where I’m staying. It was probably abandoned, but it doesn’t really matter. It won’t be a problem anymore.
I don’t know how the enemy is planning to go forward. They seem to be stalling for time, but I’m afraid they could decide to launch an attack on one of the bases that we have set up in other parts of the country. Either way, we’ll deal with it. The world will be a better place once we’ve finished off this terrorist group.
There is no doubt in my mind that they started this war, and we will finish it. This isn’t a war between nations; it’s a war of good and evil. Those people are evil, and they deserve to die.
***
The Captain’s Office
We’ve lost control of the area around the city. The enemy attacked us from the east and north today. They must have anticipated that we would try to defend the south, and they struck before we could react. The air force performed admirably, but they weren’t able to stop the enemy from sending a large number of reinforcements to the city.
We were able to hold the eastern front, but we couldn’t prevent the enemy from taking control of the entire southern region. A large part of the army has retreated back to the capital, and they’re trying to hold off an even larger enemy force. I think we’ll be able to stall for a little longer, but I’m not sure exactly how long that will last.
If the enemy comes at us from the west, we may be forced to withdraw to the northeast. That would leave the western and northern regions unguarded.
As much as I hate to say it, we might have to abandon the southwest. Right now, our only advantage lies in the fact that we haven’t been able to take any casualties. We need to figure out a way to kill as many of the enemies as possible. We have to fight smarter, not harder.
As I look out the window, I see a large, black cloud rising high above the trees. I wonder if we can use that to our advantage. It’s going to get dark soon, and I’m worried that the enemy will send another wave of reinforcements to the area. The last thing we need is a surprise assault. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.
***
The Director’s Office
It’s been three days since the enemy attacked. To make matters worse, the weather has turned bad. It’s rained almost nonstop for the past two days. The rain makes it difficult for the helicopters to fly, so they haven’t been able to drop any supplies in the last few hours.
The soldiers have taken shelter under whatever cover they can find, but most of them are still exposed to the elements. Our guys are tired and hungry, but they have managed to maintain their position. I hope we’re able to hold out until dawn arrives.
I walk outside and see that the clouds have finally begun to clear. I’m surprised by how quickly the sky has cleared. I suppose that’s all the more reason why we need to hurry and finish off those damned terrorists. We need to end this war before the weather turns again.
***
The Commander’s Office
The enemy launched a major offensive last night. They attacked us from every direction, but our men held them off. In the process, we were able to take control of the city. It took us longer than expected, but we’ve killed thousands of the enemy. Now we’re waiting to see what the enemy does next.
They’re probably expecting us to attack them. We could easily crush them if we wanted to, but I feel like it would be wrong to do anything so reckless. Instead, we should focus on finding a way to end this conflict peacefully. We need to learn from history and realize that wars aren’t worth fighting.
Unfortunately, the enemy has a different idea of what’s best for the world. All we want is peace, and it’s important that we remember that.
***
The President’s Office
The enemy made another attempt to capture the city tonight. However, their attack failed. We beat them back and destroyed a large portion of their forces. Many of our soldiers lost their lives, but it was necessary to keep the city secure. There was no choice but to attack, and we had no other option.
I’m relieved that we were able to win, but now we need to focus on rebuilding the city after the battle. My thoughts go out to the families of those who died in the line of duty. I wish we didn’t have to worry about losing our boys, but I’m proud of what they accomplished. I know they fought bravely and did everything in their power to protect the people of the city.
The End