Abandon your old life, and start a new one here!

Submitted into Contest #75 in response to: Write about someone whose job is to help people leave their old lives behind.... view prompt

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Fiction Crime Speculative

My name is John Maddon, and my job is to help people leave behind their old lives.


My office is located in a small, inconspicuous space in a crowded commercial building, in the middle of one of the busiest areas in New York City—Chinatown. I picked this spot when I first started my business five years ago, as my profession demands the privacy of my clients be held at the forefront of my priorities. But if privacy is important, why select such a crowded place to settle? My response to that comes in form of a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: "And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." Instead of prevailing in total secrecy like some of my other competitors where people come to leave behind their old lives, I find that I am able to afford as much privacy as them, with the added benefit of my clients' having less anxiety. And to do so, the first step was to renovate my office to look as though it were any of the other offices on that floor. Camouflaging. As a result, my office's total mediocrity would arouse barely any attention from a passerby, and its extreme normalcy makes it perfectly hidden from the hustle and bustle of the great New York City. Who would even care to search my office?


I am quite fond with words, and the words that most excite me are those whose meanings are ambiguous. Officially, I operate under the title "Psychologist," with my motto being "Abandon your old life, and start a new one here!" To an unsuspecting eye, one might think that I assist poor souls whose mental states are crippled by some tragic events by offering a listening companion to whom they are allowed to vent their troubles in an effort to leave behind those thoughts and move on with life. But I am no such being. The title of "Psychologist" is merely a façade for legality. In fact, my graduate diploma from the University of Michigan hanging proudly on my office wall is nothing more than a forgery. My profession is one that is significantly less noble than a psychologist. By "abandon your old life," I quite literally mean that my clients only come to me if they want to abandon their current identities, and I am here to help them "start a new one."


My clients come to me from every walk of life. From painfully average office workers needing a refreshing start to a new life, to women fleeing from domestic abuse to murderers and felons evading the authorities, they must first contact me, and to do so is a troublesome process by itself. As my profession veers somewhat into the illegal side of the law, I am forced to place my website containing the authentic intent of my job, location and phone number on the Dark Web in order to not arouse any attention, while my fictitious website is designed to look a bit sketchy and my pricing is listed high, diverting anyone’s desire to have me as their psychologist. In fact, as a safety measure, I must personally interview each interested client before granting them access to my website. It is a risky profession for sure, but the reward is quite worth it. It turns out that desperate people are less inclined to worry about financing such an escape as they are worrying about actually escaping their lives. Most of the time, out of their minds, my clients would offer me an unreasonably large sum of cash without my even telling them my rates first. I'd accept as much as I morally allow myself, of course, leaving them a reasonable amount for their journey.


Once I ascertain that the client is legitimate, I send to them a letter detailing their next steps to hatch a successful escape. E-mails leave too much electronic evidence, so it is thus that my letter must be in paper and must be delivered to them discreetly in person. It is thanks to my vast network of seemingly normal-looking people that I can pass on this letter with absolute certainty that it will reach my client in total oblivion. I simply hand the letter to the person with an address and a generous tip, and they carry it to the location, dropping it off for the client, and immerse themselves back into society as if nothing had happened at all. Sometimes, they are a janitor handing the letter to a hiding fugitive in their building; other times, they are simply a mailman slipping the letter to a client stuck within an abusive house at a specific time when her husband is sleeping or is away.


You might be wondering what is in the letter. It is as thus:


"Dear Client,


Thank you for choosing me as your guide. I promise to do the best I can to help you leave behind your old life and start a new one. But firstly, I must ask for your complete trust in me. I might be a mere stranger to you, and we may perhaps never meet in person, but you must put your complete, unwavering trust in me, as you may not pull through without it.


I do not know your current situation. You may be in great danger right now from the authorities or from your own family members, or you may be in total safety. Whatever is your situation, it is imperative that you follow these directions as closely as possible in order to ensure a successful escape:

·     In total secrecy, attempt to gather all of your necessary documents (birth certificate, passport, social security number, driver’s license, any form of ID, etc.) You must try your best to gather these, as they are crucial for your escape. *Note: if you are a fugitive hiding from the authorities and do not have any documents on you, please skip this step and the following steps if not applicable+.

·     In a spare duffle bag, pack a few sets of clothing, a light jacket, snacks, water, and a flashlight, if possible. Roll cash tightly and shove it into any possible hidden compartments. Be sure to secure the important documents in a plastic bag.

·     If you have a computer or phone, wipe from your history anything connected to this plan and delete any identifying files and data. Turn off Bluetooth and Wifi. Leave as much as you can as it be.

·     Be sure to delete ALL of your social media accounts; distance yourself from everyone by all means possible. Wipe from your phone and computer ALL photos of yourself also to prevent or delay any attempts to find you. Destroy any physical pictures of you also.

·     Once you have deleted all photos and files on your computer and phone pointing to this plan, turn them off and leave them on your bed or wherever you usually leave your phone and computer. You will not be needing it from now on.

·     Gradually withdraw cash from an ATM. (Emphasis on “gradually”) You must not give yourself away. Wear a hood and mask as to avoid your face from being captured by the camera. BE AS DISCREET AS POSSIBLE. Repeat over a course of several months until you are out of cash, then shred all of your credit cards.

·     Once all is done, meet at [insert location] on [insert date], where a [insert description of vehicle] will meet you and further directions will be given then. Be sure to leave behind ALL technology.


FINAL STEP: PLEASE BURN, SHRED, TEAR, OR IMMERSE THIS LETTER IN WATER UPON COMPLETION. THIS LETTER IS NOT TO BE SEEN BY ANYONE BUT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT.


Best of luck,

Mr. Maddon "


As you can see, it is quite hard to simply disappear. But that is precisely the reason why I am here. Over the course of my career, I've helped almost a thousand people successfully escape from their old lives. Forging passports, birth certificates, and even green cards, I can safely say that I quite am a master in my field. My clients are now on practically every single country in the world, living soundly and quietly in their new lives. I am so good at my job, in fact, that all of my clients' families have given up on the search for their missing husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, uncle and aunt. There is simply NO WAY to find them!


I dare say, after all that I have experienced working in this field, I have learned quite a bit about humans. One in particular is that many of us absolutely hate our lives. Whether it be a profound regret we bear upon our shoulders until the day we die, or a dreadful mistake that can cost our lives, there cannot possibly be any person in the world who is wholly content with their life. Sometimes, we simply want to vanish out of thin air, disappear from society without leaving a trace, live as if no one had known us at all. Fortunately, that is all possible. If you want a fresh start to life, one in which no mistakes nor regrets have been made, and if you want to pave your own journey in life with nothing holding you back, visit the Dark Web and search my name! I look forward to hearing from you and possibly helping you escape from your turmoils and tragedies in life.


All the best,

John Maddon.

January 07, 2021 06:58

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