Little black book

Austin woke to an obnoxious bang on his front door. He quickly hurried to put on his shirt and rushed to the door to see who it could be. As the door opened Austin realized it was barely pass dawn as the sun was still hidden behind a few clouds.

He didn’t recognize the girl at his door either.

“Hi, can I help you?” He asked. She smiled. Her face was warm and inviting.

“Did you check your phone?” She asked.

“Uhh...no you woke me up when you knocked. Do I know you?” Austin answered. She giggled.

“Here, I was instructed to give you this.” She pulls out a small box from her purse and holds it out in front of Austin. He hesitated but grabs the box. She smiles once more before turning around and walking away.

Confused by what just happened Austin closes the door and brings the box to his bedroom. Before even attempting to open the box he immediately checks his phone. A direct deposit of 20,000 dollars was made to his bank account. Although this had seemed like a miracle, reality set in soon after as he realized it must’ve came from the girl. He thought about chasing her but he somehow knew she’d be long gone by now. He instead grabbed a pen to tear the tape sealing the box together. When he opened the box the only thing that laid inside was a little black book. Confused, he grabs the book and opens it. There looked like there was some pages already torn out of the book. The first page reads only two words, “Austin Lexington”.

This sent chills up and down Austin’s spine. What the hell is happening? Skeptical but intrigued he flips to the next page. It read:

“The money is yours. As long as you follow the instructions on the next three pages. Follow them in order and do not read ahead before completion of a task.”

Although this gave him an uneasy feeling he turned the page and read on:

“Go to 1828 Clifford RD. You will see a big wooden barn. There’s only one window, go to it. In the grass by the window there will be a bright blue brick. Under it will be a box of matches. Light one and throw it inside the window. This won’t burn the barn down but it will destroy everything inside.”

This sounded crazy and like some kind of a scam. After all, what kind of wooden barn wouldn’t burn if you set it on fire. The whole request was odd. Austin loved the idea of an extra 20,000 dollars in his bank account but didn’t like the idea that he had to commit arson to keep it. Eventually his curiosity drowned out his anxiety. What if this barn didn’t even exist? What if this was some how some kind of a joke? He grabbed his car keys and decided he would find out himself. After a 20 minute drive he found himself directly in front of that wooden barn. Only the barn wasn’t actually wooden. Upon closer inspection Austin could tell it was painted in a way it would appear wooden but the house seemed to be made of concrete. Austin peeked into the window but couldn’t see anything inside.

The only light was coming from the same window he put his head through. Although from what the light from the window did illuminate, the barn appeared to be completely empty. The room smelt like gasoline. The bright blue brick was just below the window. He moved the brick revealing the box of matches. Austin looked around to confirm he was there by himself and once he felt like his surroundings were secured he lit the match and threw it inside the barn. In a panic he bolted to his car not stopping to look back at the barn. Once inside his car he grabbed the little black book and flipped to the next page. It read:

“Go to 7181 Rodgers Ln”.

He felt as though he got the worse out the way since this instruction seemed simple. He might as well finish the tasks so he can keep what he now considered “his” money. He drove to the address and then flipped to the next page. It read:

“Rip out all of the pages you read. Close the book then give it to you the person who answers the door.” A wave of deja vu rubbed over Austin. He just wanted the day to be over so he ripped out the pages and followed his last instruction.

As he got back into his car he hurried to pull off just Incase the guy had any questions. On the way back someone rammed the back of his car. When Austin got out to check if the other driver was okay he was ambushed and knocked out. When he awoke he was in a dark room covered in gasoline. His mouth duct taped shut. His hands and feet tied to the chair he’s in. His only light coming from a small window in the far corner of the room. From the window he can see the he guy whom he handed the black book to. Austin can tell the guy can’t see him. He tries to scream before it’s too late but the last thing Austin sees is the guys hand dropping the match in the window.