“The L-T is waiting for you.”
I walked along the same deserted aisle to the back office. The door was ajar and I knocked on it as I peered inside. The fat Lieutenant was still behind the desk and I suddenly wondered if he ever left here at all.
“Kale, Kale, you little shit, come in, come in,” he beckoned in a loud, boisterous manner.
I stepped inside and it was if the nothing had been moved since my last visit. The Lieutenant still had on the same faded blue button up shirt, the food containers still scattered on the floor and the same cigarette smoke seemed to hang in the air. I held the gun out for him to take.
“No, no…sit down. Keep it. You earned it.”
I sat down and was secretly pleased to have my own gun now. I had never owned one before. I tried to act cool about it because that is what a professional would do, or so I thought.
“You had a busy night, eh?”
“Yes, sir. I killed the baker.”
“Hah! That is where you are wrong little man,” the fat man laughed. My face drained of color. I hadn’t killed him? But I saw him lying there. I suddenly feared that I was about to meet my end for failing on my mission.
“Don’t worry Kale. You did much better, even if it was by accident. We keep it to ourselves, huh? Tell me what happened.”
I told him the story of how I got there, finding the broken boards and shooting the baker in the back. I left out the part with the girls and skipped to the end.
“Oh, but that’s not all you did is it? Please, tell it all,” his tone suddenly serious I knew he knew.
I told him how I had found the woman naked and then raped the daughter downstairs. I wasn’t sure how the Party felt about such things, but I hoped I might get a pass if I was completely honest.
“You did well, Kale. The baker is now better than dead. He is paralyzed. No movement. Now he will be a burden to the community. Plus, the girls are now…well, they are not saying so much, but everyone knows that they were raped. Before there was hatred, but no fear. Now, because of you, there is fear!”
I let out of huge sigh at not being in trouble. The praise was nice and I hoped that I could get a few more jobs that might pay money. The fat Lieutenant was looking over me like a prized student and I felt uncomfortable.
“Okay. Now, we talk money. How much do you charge for paralyzing this man? Huh? Speak up, speak up.”
I had no idea how much to charge for such a thing. I was just hoping to get on the good side of the Party so they might have a few errands for me to run to make some money.
“Uh, I don’t really know. I just wanted you to know that I was here if you needed me for something. I won’t charge anything.”
The Lieutenant stared hard at me and I gulped, hoping I hadn’t offended him.
“So you just want to make a name for yourself. I like that. The Party likes that. Here is one hundred for you,” he said handing over the bills. It was more than I’d ever had at one time. “Come back to see me in two or three days and I will have another job for you. Then we will talk money. Do you want to be a member of the Party someday?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Stick with me and you shall.”
I left the Lieutenants office and made my way out to the street. It was early afternoon and the sky was a clear blue. The sun was out and warmed the cold street. The gray hair man was leaning into a car window talking with someone and gave me a nod as I walked past. I returned the nod as if it was something I did every day. I still carried my bag of stolen food and headed on the long walk home. I stopped by a local black market dealer to get a can of oil first. For the first time in months I would have a warm night’s sleep and hot bath. I was excited about my future.