Please, would you proofread my short story

[licinio]

Are you saying now a present conditional is right? I thought you'd said the past conditional was ok! Now, to recapitulate: which (1. or 2.) would you choose in the following sentence? (Just leave the should/would choice behind. It's not what interests us now).
My choice, as I said earlier, would be 2, present conditional, because it's a mixed conditional sentence in my opinion (impossible past event - unreal present situation). Thanks.

In those early days, I thought I should have fled the country as soon as I had received my draft card. Now I
1. should have been
2. should be
somewhere in the West sitting in a cafe and enjoying warm days outside, but instead I was experiencing the most difficult moments of my life in this godforsaken town.

[Tdol]

Are you saying now a present conditional is right? I thought you'd said the past conditional was ok!

Is there some rule that says that only one form is ever possible?

[licinio]

Absolutely not, but different forms carry different meanings especially when verbal tenses are concerned. This was the reason of my asking. If anyone would be so kind to take the time and look into the matter, their help will be greatly appreciated! Cheers.