Packages - GT

1

The alarm clock read “4:00 P.M.” when a knock sounded from the direction of the front door. The blond rolled over in his sheets, wanting to pretend it wasn’t there. And for several minutes, it wasn’t. But it came back with a vengeance, recruiting the doorbell to its cause, and he groaned as he rolled out of bed.

“Sign here, please.” a much more awake voice told him in a rather chipper tone, a clipboard quickly given him in haste. He groaned again as he took the thing in his hands and signed it without bothering to read it, then handed it back. The voice told him “Have a nice day, sir!” and went away, his eyes falling to the box on the step in front of him.

“Oh...” Christian said softly, only now realizing why that had happened. Finally looking up to the street, the truck that was obviously once there was now gone and he was stuck with the package he had no idea what was for. “Don’t want it to get rained on…” he muttered and crouched to take the box, pausing a moment to look it over. Wherever it was from, the return address was completely illegible. Too bad his conscience would never let him leave it there...

Closing the door behind him, he walked back to his bedroom with the package tucked under his arm. The blond momentarily wondered how badly his five-o’clock shadow needed a shave, but he didn’t bother acting on that thought as he simply flopped back into bed and let the package sit beside him. It was too soon to deal with anything; he would figure out what to do with it later during the night—for now, all he wanted was to get back to sleep.

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A young woman woke to darkness around her and cardboard beneath her, confusion already setting in. She knew it was cardboard by the slightly-damp cushiony feel that only cardboard possessed after being outside before a rain shower. The air was a muggy sort of chilled, like walking through fog at night, and she rubbed her arms. This was not what she last recalled before sleeping.

Reaching up above her head and out to the sides she felt at her surroundings. More cardboard. A box, maybe? Pushing against the top, she found it gave way after some effort, the sound of something ripping off it greeting her ears as well. The flaps opened and she saw more darkness—but she also saw a large mound-type thing in front and beside her. What was that? Where was she? In the distance “12:11 A.M.” displayed in glowing red.

A loud and heavy groan rumbled from the strange thing nearby, startling her enough to duck back into the box. There was shifting against fabric and the box was knocked, eliciting a yelp from her. The world quickly fell quiet again, but it didn't last long...