Animals

Day 2

Monday, May 11th

As I filed away information into my laptop inside the comfort of air conditioning, there was a knock at my motel room door. This concerned me since no one knew I was here. In case it was someone from the Midnight Anarchists to rob and murder me, I pressed the key on my laptop that I'd set to encrypt it at the touch of a button. I had an incredibly techy friend who wrote me a code that was nearly impossible to crack and we were the only ones who knew it.

Peering through the peephole, my hand reaching for the gun resting on the table, there was a confused woman standing on the other side, her eyes squinted from the bright sun. She wore a motel uniform. "I don't want turndown service," I said without opening the door.

She frowned. "No, I'm from the front office. Someone named Gary dropped this off and told me to give it to you right away."

It was my turn to frown. Gary never mentioned anything about a package or about sending me anything. "Okay, uh... Ca-Can you just leave it there on the ground, please?"

She rolled her eyes, mumbling to herself something I couldn't quite get as she put the box down and walked away. From the looks of her, she was complaining about being treated like a common servant when she probably thought she should be living the life of a queen. I'd never met a snooty woman who worked at a motel, but there was a first for everything.

Once she was far enough away, I opened the door and slowly slid the box in with my foot, watching for any eyes that might be spying. I left it on the floor as I locked the door. I couldn't hear any clicking, so if it was a bomb, it hadn't started yet. Considering she knew the name Gary, I shouldn't have been as wary about the box, but the whole thing was odd.

With a sigh, I plucked up the envelope on top of the box and ripped it open. Inside there was a piece of paper with a note.

Deliver this to the address at the bottom of the paper. Be careful with it and don't let anyone know you have it. And, under any circumstances, DO NOT OPEN THE BOX. Ask for Hennich. He'll know what to do with it. G.M.

It took me reading it through a couple times before I finally grasped what he was telling me. I was a delivery boy. They might as well have slapped a hat on my head and a pizza in my hand and sent me on my way. I had a bachelor's degree and suddenly I was diminished to nothing. At least I wasn't getting minimum wage.

Since I was still in my pajamas, I dressed and threw my hair into a ponytail before I grabbed the box and my keys. I sat in my car for a minute, entering the address into Google Maps. It was 20 minutes from here, and the thought of driving 20 minutes out of my way to drop of a box that I couldn't open irked me. Was the government always this demanding?

I listened to the radio, occasionally mumbling unhappily to myself as I sped down the highway, following the directions given to me. The box sat in my passenger seat, still and begging to be opened. It was taped sealed, but I could always stop off and buy some more tape to close it. Curiosity had my eyes flicking back and forth from the box to the road.

Who was Gary to tell me what and what not to open? I mean, what was so important and secret inside this box that I couldn't see it? With hesitant thoughts, I pulled one flap of the box, hoping I could peer at what was inside.

From behind me, a honk blared loudly causing me to glance upwards. Traffic had stopped and I was going 60. I slammed on the breaks, my hands white-knuckling the wheel as I screamed quietly. My car lurched but skidded over the road, coming to a stop just inches away from the car in front of me. I stared at the back end, my heart racing in my chest and my breath coming out in pants of fear.