After graduating from high school, I had moved into an apartment downtown and started working nights stocking groceries at a local store. I thought it would be a good way for me to overcome my severe social anxiety after being homeschooled for my entire life. After all, the city wasn't too busy at night, and I could sleep during the day when the masses were bustling about.

However, I soon found that my crippling fear of people didn't give me an ounce of reprieve even when the only person I regularly saw was the sole other stocker at the store. Even though he was nice, every time he got near me my hands started shaking, my heart started racing, and I felt like I was going to drop to the floor, curled up in a ball of hysteria.

I tried seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist, but neither of those helped as I barely was able to make it through the office doors before devolving into a blubbering mess.

That led me to applying for and receiving disability and SS and I quickly relocated to a single bedroom home on the outskirts of town, lost down the end of a long poorly maintained road with only my home at the end of it. All of my mail and anything that could identify my whereabouts was sent to my parent's home, and I would collect it monthly at night from a lockbox by the front door. I would then leave a note with items I needed such as groceries and toiletries along with some money, and would pick that up on my next visit.

This went on for quite some time, and I found myself quite enjoying my life of solitude.

One afternoon, that all changed. The sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon, and I was sitting on my worn sofa having a cup of coffee and reading one of my favorite books. I was just putting my book down and preparing to run water for a bath when a noise rang out so loud and so suddenly that I dropped my book on the floor and spilled hot coffee on my bare leg causing me to yell out in pain.

My heart racing, I realized that it was the doorbell that had given me such a fright and immediately my chest tightened up with so familiar feeling of anxiety. Who could possibly be coming to my door at this time of day when even my parents don't know my address?

Interrupting my racing thoughts, the doorbell rang out again as I raced to turn out the lights. Jumping on the couch, I curled up into a ball covering my ears and closing my eyes trying to wish away the person at my door.

Unfortunately, my wishes didn't have the effect I had hoped, and the doorbell began chiming out furiously and persistently as it seemed whoever was at my door urgently wanted my attention.

With tears streaming down my face and my breaths coming in short, painful gasps I got off the couch and approached the door, my legs trembling like mad.

I unlocked the door slowly as the doorbell continued calling out it's shrill unwanted chime, and just as I began opening the door my anxiety got the better of me and I blacked out, falling to the floor in a heap.

At what point I regained consciousness, I couldn't say, but as I slowly opened my eyes and conscious thought started to stir in my brain, I began to remember what happened. My eyes shot open and looked around wildly realizing that I was in my bed and my legs and arms seemed immobile, and they were in fact immobile as both sets of appendages were tied to the corner of the bed with ropes.

I couldn't see anybody in my room, but it was quite difficult to see since the lights were off and the thick curtains I kept over all the windows wouldn't allow any light in if it were, in fact, daytime outside.

Feebily, with a quivering voice I called out, "H-h-hello? Is anyone there?"

"Hi, Chris." An answer responded from the corner of my room with a voice that seemed somehow familiar...but from where?

"Who are you? Why am I tied up? What do you want?" A nervous torrent of questions poured out my mouth.

"Chris, it's me Tom....from the store."

"Tom?? What are you doing here, and why did you tie me up?"

The light flicked on, and I saw with horror that I was completely naked.

"Why am I naked?! What are you doing!"

"Chris, you're hilarious! I know you want me from the way you always acted so nervous and shy whenever you saw me at the store. You really made it fun to find you too, I had to look up the address you got your paychecks at, and then follow you home when you picked up your stuff from that lockbox. I watched that house for weeks! Thank you so much for this fun roleplay and now the fun is just beginning!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My mouth fell open in shock and my eyes nearly came out of my head as Tom stood up and dropped his pants.

"You're in for a real treat Chris."

Living outside the city had improved my life significantly, it's peaceful, quiet and relaxing. Never have I felt such inner peace then living in an area with a scarcity of people. That is until one day my doorbell rang out of the blue. It was on a Sunday morning and I just got done sipping the final remains of my green tea. The sudden noise of the door bell startled me, I forgotten that it was slightly broken and sounded more like a screeching cat then a bell, plus I think it was only the second time I've heard it.

"I'm not expecting anyone" I thought to myself.

Slowly, I crept up to the door and looked through the peephole to see who it was. There was no one there, so I cautiously opened up the door and a short gust of wind blew in, I continued to open up the door and saw nothing. Suddenly a booming voice echoed throughout the house.

"You should not have opened the door!" howled the voice "I could've been an assassin or a vacuum salesman just hiding off to the side just waiting to stick my foot through the doorway."

Instinctually I turned around and motioned my hands in a karate stance with my only martial arts experience being a watcher of Bruce Lee movies. I got a good look at him and he was quite the peculiar looking person, he was sporting a long grey beard, wearing a neon orange safety vest on top of a dark grey robe and had a traffic cone on his head. He was also carrying a worn out stop sign on a post like it was a walking staff.

While trying to catch my breath I stuttered "Wh...Who are....you an...and how did you get in?"

"I am safety incarnate" the peculiar man exclaimed "and I got in because of your negligence to safety" he continued while showing me a checklist that had an X inside squares that was next to the sentences "Didn't open door to stranger" and "has fully functional doorbell".

Still breathing heavy, I had to sit down and try to process what was going on.

"Maybe a drink will make you feel better" the safetyman said as he materialized a coffee mug and handed to me.

I nodded thank you and took a sip, after just a couple of seconds I started feel very woozy and my vision started to get very blurry and I saw the safetyman slowly walk up to me with the list.

"I'll have to put an X on taking a drink from a strang...." he exclaimed right before I blacked out.

A few hours later I regained consciousness and gradually started to sit up. As I sat up I felt something fall off me and a heard small thud. It was a my wallet and piece of paper. I looked at the paper and it was the checklist with mostly X's in the squares and on the bottom it showed that I failed the inspection and that I was also charged $75. Finally I checked my wallet and saw that $75 was taken from me and that's when I learned there's always a price to pay no matter where you live.

​

The End

I twirled my moustache, as the hair from my head faded and grayed.The door was locked as I went about my daily business.The dishes,the radio and the television blurred my senses and overpowered my creeping depression and boredom. Something, Anything that makes me forget my hellish memories are welcome.The internet is much too complicated for my tastes. Sixteen miles from any internet and service providers was also a nice bonus with this house.

I walked around the house cleaning and checked my messages for any information about my army pension increase as well as National Service Bonus. I didn't get any calls, the way it was for six years and the way I would like to be furthur on.

Cleaning the table, I suddenly caught a frame that was about to fall on the ground .Removing the rusty nail from it, I briefly remembered the simpler times I had before moving here. Suddenly everything became too much to bear after she passed.I had a neat little garden I tended to and Connor Jr, my German Shepherd kept me company,roaming the village and travelling for miles upon miles and came back only after six in the evening.

Connor scratched my door today at three O clock today.I scratched my gut and opened the door.

"Whatzit, you ingrate, people mugged you on yer way back or what?"I said, trying to amuse myself, as he moved about excitedly and jumped around.

I fixed a drink for myself and a large chicken meal for the ingrate before setting it outside for some relaxing afternoon listening to the replays of the 80's hits and evergreens on the radio.

A car arrived in the distance,followed by two more in bikes. Never had the rebels been brazen enough to drive the dictators cars before.Were these the ungrateful power hungry gits, I fought for?

I readied my shotgun, for this day had been one I wished would have never come at all.I went to such great lengths to even change my identity and fake my death.Even now, things were a bit undecided whether they knew me or were just passing by.

I left Connor outwards again,tying a bag to his neck.The one command I taught him over many years.Delivery.He disappeared into the afternoon sun and I finally felt relieved.

KNOCK KNOCK.

"Who's there?"

"The Peoples Representatives."a female voice said, as they mumbled amongst each other.

I opened the door.This one knock knock joke would end badly for me.The bikers were equipped with AKRs and were being two dolts in my house.They confisticated my phone and hand held radio.

The female leader asked me "So,you are?"

"A former servant of the rebellion madam. But a humble farmer now."I answered as vaguely as possible.

"Name, old man.And ID."

"Victor Glass madam"I held out my laminated badge on my table for her to see.

She suddenly dropped the unpleasant manners and began being casual again,dropping her hat and coats at the rack and took out a pencil and a notepad.

"Do you mind, Mr.Glass ,If we have a brief break before leaving here?"she asked politely.

"No,not at all"I answered dreading my phone.Connor Jr had just went to my senior handler on the opposite side of the village.If she called now, this would turn into the most awkward catching of a spy in a long long time.

"So,you grow asparagus here?"she asked.

"Yes madam.Some water, alcohol maybe?" I asked hoping to inebriate then before my call came.

. Will continue this tomorrow.

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