Rendezvous

Chloé

It's still odd to wake up in peace, if you can call it that. The sun shines in from the windows that span wall to wall only adding to the peaceful feeling.

But I know this is just an illusion. My mind is constant chaos even in my sleep. I'm always waiting for the explosives to blow or to catch a bullet. I still hear the screams of comrades...friends.

I put a hand in King's fur and grab the small remote from my nightstand. I hit the power button. King flinches as the powerful sound of a cello blares through my loft. I was persuaded to purchase a set of very clear bluetooth speakers that I could place wherever I liked in the house. I was told they could drain out almost anything. It was a solid investment. It helps with the screams.

As I stand from my bed, the black sheet falls away from my naked body. The clink of dog tags manages to reach my ears. I'm wearing five of them and they have a lot to say.

I continue barefoot to the windows. Nothing but empty warehouses surround my building. I wanted to be left alone so I bought all the warehouses in this area, about eleven, and the few cargo holds with them. I renovated the center building, mine and now it's home.

My view of this ghost town doesn't get old but I find myself in the kitchen. Bacon, eggs and hot chocolate make the perfect breakfast. After cooking I feed King, topping his bowl with a piece of bacon then I sit on my blue couch in the living room and turn on the tv on the wall. It's on a renovation channel and I can't hear what they're saying but I don't really care.

I don't realize I've dozed off until I hear a loud bang which places me right back in the middle of combat. I reach for a weapon that's not there. The banging stops when I get to the window and see that I have a visitor.

Pulling on some old military clothes, I head down and open the door.

I salute the woman in front of me, "General."

"At ease, First Lieutenant."

I relax.

"I heard they'd allowed you to take King," she says rubbing him down much to his delight. She stands, "So this is where you've been hiding."

She's dressed casually in dark jeans, a white tank and long cream sweater coupled with taupe riding boots. Never mind her attire, she still has an air of authority to her. Her brown eyes smile within an equally brown face but her mouth is in a straight line. This is a business call.

"I'm not hiding, sir."

My eyes squint with the sun in my face.

"You're surrounded by nothing. It's three o'clock in the afternoon. I'm sure you've been nowhere."

"You cannot be sure of that, sir."

"We're not at the compound, Chloé. You may call me Simmons."

I smile at that. Never a first name with her, no matter how close we are.

"The reason I came to see you is because you were supposed to pay my buddy a visit. You remember? The one I told that you were trustworthy; that you weren't broken. I told him you could do this."

"I never asked you to do that," I say turning my back to her in frustration, my accent as thick as ever.

"You need something to keep you busy. You're going to go insane out here by yourself with your demons. You've always needed to have your hands in something, that's why you moved up in the ranks as fast as you did."

"That's also why I got out as fast as I did. All the skills in the world and-

"You can't keep blaming yourself for that. You-