orphic

Julian’s day at work had been long and hard, defined by the inescapable pattern of ignorance and under-appreciation he’d come to expect from his employer. With lead-lined feet, he dragged himself up the lonesome staircase he’d been climbing for years, looking forward to another night of familiar mediocrity.

But as his door came into view, the familiar red wood still marked by curls of peeling paint, he stopped. Something was different; something was new.

Before his door sat a large brown box.

Strange, he thought. He wasn’t expecting a package.

Julian stooped to pick it up and was instantly surprised by the unexpected weight the box held—if he had to guess, somewhere in the realm of 10 pounds. Heavier than any package he’d received before. Fueled by curiosity, he brought the package inside and abandoned his normal routine, instead flitting to the kitchen for something to open the box with.

He fished a pair of scissors from the junk drawer and returned to the mysterious box. With one swift strike, he cut through the binding tape and tugged open the cardboard flaps.

Inside, a little black notebook greeted him. Beneath the notebook sat a large, plastic-wrapped package. He gave the notebook a quick once-over before he tossed it to the table and carefully sliced opened the plastic wrap.

A sliver of green met his eye, and his heart jumped. Surely not, he thought. His curiosity now insatiable, Julian tugged hard at the plastic, revealing exactly what he thought he’d seen. His grip on the scissors slackened before they slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor.

Inside the plastic was hundreds of stacks of five-dollar bills, neatly bound into packets and laid in an orderly fashion.

His first thought was that he’d somehow become the butt of an elaborate prank. There was no way in Hell that a box of money just showed up on his doorstep. Where did it come from? Julian scrambled to find a return address on the box, but there was nothing written on the cardboard save for his name and apartment number.

His second thought, as the moments dragged on and reality began to sink in, was that something this fortuitous could not come without a steep price tag. Things like this don’t just happen; not without a catch. His breath caught in his throat as he pondered what price that could be.

He suddenly remembered the black book he’d tossed to the side; perhaps there was something inside that would tell him more. But as soon as he opened the book, felt the tattered pages in his hands and saw the gnarly handwriting scrawled before him, he knew he was in deep shit.

He could barely feel the air in his lungs. He read and then reread the first few sentences, struggling to believe this could actually be reality.

Congratulations are in order. After meticulous observation and consideration of your skills, you have been selected.

His blood ran cold. Something in the message struck a deep chord, and he already knew; his past, the one he’d struggled so hard to keep hidden away, had been found out. And now someone intended to use it against him.

Your task is simple. Tonight is the inauguration gala for Senator Tucker; his daughter will be in attendance. You are to help us relocate Tucker’s daughter to an undisclosed location; on the backside of this message, you will find exact coordinates and an invitation to the gala.

Julian’s mind wound back to that night; to the blood, the rusty smell that clung to the air. He could once more feel the weight of the piece in his hand, hear the sirens beginning to sing in the distance. The air around him turned gelid, any shred of warmth sucked away by the ice-cold terror gripping him.

His eyes drifted once more to the book, heart pounding as he continued to read.

Do not contact the police. Do not inform anyone of this delivery. Do not attempt to discard the notebook or the money. Donot attempt to keep the money without following through. We are watching. We have always been watching. You have seventy-two hours to complete your task; failure to do so will mean repercussions. Your time begins now.