Fleeing the Past . Christopher LaGrone

      The trainees looked at their fellow strangers with indecision as the union representative moved swiftly into the aisle, applying silent pressure to the first row to accept or reject the contract.

      Layne continued to dither while he looked down the row; everyone else seemed to be signing. But his mind was still constructing the scenes the agent had described, too much so to effectively weigh the pros and cons of the obligation. Membership required a twelve-month contract, $25 would be deducted from his paycheck twice each month when pay was directly deposited into his bank account.

      Agent Esterline was already standing at his row, waiting to collect the document. Layne signed and dated it and passed it to the trainee on his right while he visualized his interpretation of the chaotic shooting scene. But far more disturbing was the depiction of Agent Esterline laying on a couch drinking from a bottle of scotch with a prescription pill bottle and beer cans on a coffee table.