Dreams Ltd (2 page)

“That’s enough Mr Brahms. Let’s get down to business.”

“Well, alright, if you wish so. Let me remind you that you are here because you have asked the Corporation to give you a certain amount of money which you had received immediately. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any complaints about the service, the actual money transfer or anything else?”

“No.”

Brahms nodded in satisfaction.

“Then let’s get down to business. We hope that what the Corporation will ask you in return will not be regarded by you as too complicated or too time-consuming.”

“I can only answer your question when I hear about the nature of the task”

“Of course, Mrs Moore. We’d like to ask you to deliver this parcel to its final destination.”

From somewhere under the table appeared a cardboard box sealed in plastic. There was no text was visible on it.

“If I understand correctly I’m not supposed to know what’s inside. Am I right?” I frowned staring at the box.

“You are absolutely right!” he confirmed brightly as though he just heard the most valuable and appropriate comment ever. “You cannot open the box under any circumstances and as you probably understand you also must not lose it”

“I hope it's not something explosive?”

“No, the parcel isn’t dangerous for you at all.”

“OK. So where do I have to deliver it to?”

Brahms stopped looking at the box and looked at me.

“The City. You need to go there, find the right person and pass the parcel. After that your mission is accomplished.”

The simplicity of my future task made me want to exhale with relief. At least they are not asking me to kill someone. But this simplicity made it hard for me to believe that everything will go as easily as “Mr Mop” has described it.

“If everything is so simple, why would you not deliver it yourself?” Thin lips on Mr Brahms’s face stretched into some kind of a smile.

“We wouldn’t be called the Corporation if we did everything ourselves, would we?”

There is some logic to your words, you son of a bitch. You need someone like me to do the runs for you.

“Good. Tell me the name of the city, address and the name of the person this box is intended for.” I decided to get into the thick of it. The sooner I start the sooner I finish. Especially since it all looked more than doable.

“You see ...” Brahms cleared his throat. “In fact, the situation is not that simple. The city is called “Area 33" and it is a closed city. We also cannot provide you with a specific address. You’ll have to find this man yourself. But his name we’ll give you with pleasure…

“Wait ...” I interrupted him. “What do you mean a "closed city"? If the city does not even have a normal name, just a number, and moreover, is considered to be a confined place, it is very likely to be dangerous! Am I Right?”

“I won’t be arguing with that” Brahms’s eyes narrowed. “But fifty thousand and four hundred is not a small amount, right?”

“I see-e-e-e…” I said, understanding perfectly well where he was going with this.

The man was silent for a few seconds, waiting for my new emotion to burst but as he realised that they won’t come he continued.

“So, the person's name is Christopher Laroche. The only thing I’m certain about is that he is in that city. You’ll have to find him. Since it is not possible to enter the place without the necessary documentation this will be provided for you.”

“Can you give any more information about this the place? What is going on there? Are they conducting some sort of experiments there?”

“No, as far as I know, no experiments are conducted there. And this is not a military site. The rest you’ll have to find out yourself.”

It seemed to me like Brahms was trying to move on from the unwanted subject as quickly as possible and I was trying my hardest to keep the conversation going

“So, where is it located this “Area 33”, show me on the map, please.” I pointed to the map hanging on the wall.

“OK”, he paused for a moment and then reluctantly got up and went to the map. “There it is. Here.”

His hooked finger slipped somewhere in the neighbourhood of the south-west of Klendon City.

"Maybe two hundred miles, two hundred and fifty…” I figured in my head. “Not too far but not too close either"

“It looks like there is not a lot but mountains”

“What do you expect a closed area to look like?” Brahms grunted and returned to the table. “Maybe we should draw some castles to attract tourists?”

I did not acknowledge his sarcasm.

Now this whole task did not seem so easy but it still seemed achievable. Of course it will take some time and I’ll have to ask Linda to look after the shop, but she knows what to do. No wonder - we have worked side by side for nearly three years.

I sighed and tried to stretch out my numb legs. My head was buzzing with fatigue and the lack of information made my thoughts go randomly round in circles. However as the difficulty of the task increased I felt a relief. Possibly it was irrational but the simplicity of the mission scared me a lot more than its complexity. If this area was open, like any normal city my suspicious mind would begin to search for a trick or hidden agenda. But now… Maybe they just do not want to get their hands dirty with any sort of closed areas? It is unpleasant that this has now been entrusted to me but at least there was an explanation.

“When will I be able to read the documents that you provide to enter the territory?”

“You will get them directly at the entrance of the border. Any other questions?” Brahms, oddly enough, also looked tired.

“I would like to familiarise myself with them now.”

“I cannot provide you with this opportunity. Documents are being prepared by another department. They will be given to you at the entrance to the city.”

Damn! I can’t get a lot out of you.

“When will I need to go there?”

“At dawn.”

I almost didn’t feel surprised. I just stretched out my hands in front of me and rubbed my tired face. On one hand it is bad - I have no time for packing, on another hand - it’s good. As I said before, the sooner I start the sooner I finish. If it’s not going to take more than a few days I’d prefer to go there as soon as possible. Yes, get it over with and come back with no debts and no liabilities.

“Do you have any further questions, Mrs Moore?” Brahms asked indifferently, reaching for another cigarette.

“I have plenty of questions. It’s just hard to think where to ask”

“Get some rest” He obviously noticed the signs of fatigue on my face and it was to his advantage as I had no energy to concentrate or insist or argue about anything. “Decide what to ask later. You’ll be given a room on the fifth floor where you can sleep. You will be also provided with food and you will have access to the bathroom should you wish to refresh yourself.”

All that sounded damn nice, especially the idea of a cushy bed. And I was forced to give in.

“Alright” I rubbed my eyes wearily. “I guess I really should get some sleep. But I still have many questions. Do not forget that.”

“Of course” Said Brahms softly. “We won’t forget.”

He picked up an internal intercom and pressed the button:

“Lee, please escort Mrs Moore to her room. We are done for today.”

As I was leaving the office and followed the woman in red skirt I was still thinking about everything that Brahms said. The City… I must not forget to pick up the box and write down the name of this Laroche.

I forgot to pick up the box from the table. I remembered suddenly and as I was going to turn around when another thought came. They won’t let me leave this place without it, no worries. And after I get some sleep and have some food – I’ll ask my other bunch of questions.

At least, those were my thoughts at that very moment.

Tossing and turning in bed, I tried to find a comfortable position which would allow me to fall asleep quicker. The room I was taken to was unpretentious but comfortable. The lay out of the room reminded me of a hotel: a wide double bed, bedside table, lamp, three chairs and a couple of paintings on walls. To complete the resemblance there should be a TV but it was missing. The windows were tightly draped; I tried to open the curtains to look outside but they were pinned to the walls. I backed off without putting in too much effort into pulling them off. If they don’t want to show where we are – it’s their choice. I washed my face, turned off the lights and went to bed. Impenetrable darkness surrounded me.

My head was spinning from all that has happened today. A new collection of accessories came to the shop in the morning - Linda and I sifted through the various items and added the new stock to the database. I sleepily thought I should give her a call in the morning and warn of my temporary absence. I opened a women's clothing boutique three years ago and during this time it began to bring a small but steady income. A business like this was not difficult to run and I only hired four employees, yet I enjoyed being there every day, looking after employees, ordering new collections, thinking of strategies to attract new customers. Overall everything was going quite well and I was thinking about opening a second shop but perhaps bit closer to my apartment. Even though Alex used to pick me up after work every night I still wanted a chance to walk there and back to enjoy the warm summer air.

I didn’t notice how my thoughts returned to Alex. I remembered the smile on his face and his mischievous eyes. But lately he’d not been his usual happy self as before he’d disappeared. He completely stopped smiling and he was always frowning. Something had changed. How could I have missed that moment? Looking at him I saw this intense, even frightened look on his face. I tried not to press him with too many questions but support and take care of him, but nothing seemed to bring him back to his usual self. Alex turned from a very eloquent guy into a withdrawn and alienated man. What was it that he knew? Was he aware of the troubles that were about to start or was it just because of his misunderstanding with Elmer?

Elmer was the one who received the kidnappers’ ransom demand, and the one who refused to pay it.

What a great business partner he is! Bastard…flashed through my head but I had no energy for any real anger. OK, we’ll deal with you later.

I heard someone’s footsteps and muffled voices in a hall. And as soon as they faded away I fell asleep.

I was woken up at 7am. I could tell the time by the digital clock that was standing on the bedside cabinet. The room, because of the dense curtains, was just like the night before, plunged into darkness. Wincing painfully from the loud sounds I reached for the lamp, turned on the light and yawned.

A trolley laden with plates was delivered into the room.

“Breakfast, Mrs Moore” alerted me the same woman who accompanied me into the room last night.

What was her name? Oh, yes – Lee.

“Thanks, Lee!”

But as soon as I threw my blanket out of bed I had to pick it up quickly and cover up my semi-naked body again – two men entered the room.

“Hey!” I said indignantly, at the same time trying to wrap myself up in sheets. “May I at least get dressed please?”

“Sorry, Mrs Moore but we must inform you that you have just twenty minutes for breakfast and dressing up. The car is already waiting, and we must go as soon as possible.”

I instantly thought about Brahms.

“What about my morning meeting with Mr Scott Brahms? He promised to answer my questions!”

I didn’t even have time to think about the questions I was going to ask but my hasty departure would deprive me of any possibility to ask them!

The two men exchanged cautious looks.

“Mr Brahms has not arrived at the office yet. And he probably will not appear until later this afternoon. We must make sure that you catch today’s bus that’s going to "Area 33". The bus only goes there once every few days so it would be quite unfortunate if you missed today’s one.”