Waiting for Sirens

Well now you know my story. I could’ve been selfish Nate. I could’ve set you up the way they set me up. But I wanted to do something worthwhile with my life. So, I decided to save yours and I need you to save mine. I know they will try to kill me once you complete your first task, so follow these instructions:

My whole life I was looked down upon. Before I was born, no one thought I would amount to anything. My mother did a lot of bad things in her life and it didn’t stop when she was pregnant with me. After I was born, the doctors didn’t believe I would survive the night but somehow, I’m still here. My grandparents took me in because my mom bailed. Nan and Pop don’t hate me, they just don’t believe in me. I can’t blame them to much I guess, seeing how my mom turned out.

School is worse. I get beaten up a lot because everyone thinks I’m insignificant. And since I’m skinny, I’m an easier target. My feelings of worthlessness began to increase. I started to give up but then the notebook came.

It was a rainy Tuesday morning when it came into my life. As I approached my locker, I could immediately tell it had been opened. I didn’t think too much of it, because people were always messing with my locker and placing mean notes or pranks inside it. So I braced myself for the usual but all I saw was a little black notebook. I looked around but saw no one out of the ordinary. So, I grabbed the smooth notebook and opened it. It read:

Dear Reader,

Are you tired of feeling worthless? Tired of feeling empty? Have you ever wanted to be the reason someone smiled? Have you ever wanted to be important to someone, to make their day worth living? To make your own life worth living?

Well, we have the perfect solution. Our team is looking for someone just like you!

What exactly do we do? We provide small tasks to our employees and they complete them for a handsome fee. For example, a task may be to pick up a cake and deliver it to someone’s home. That’s it! Then your money will be directly wired to your account. By doing these small tasks you provide much joy to our customers. In this life we all need a purpose, yours can be making people feel worthwhile. We guarantee that your presence will put a genuine smile on their face and yours! Sounds interesting right? Give us a call at 555-555-555, what do you have to lose?

This was the craziest thing I have ever heard. I looked around again, threw the notebook back into my locker and went to class. But it was something about it that I couldn’t get my mind off of. I kept sliding my hands across my pen, remembering the feel of that notebook. It felt important, a step above me. The place where I long to be. But who put it in my locker? Was it a prank?

I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so after school I limped back to my locker. I got jumped in the bathroom during fourth period by the way. It was the normal two guys and a new guy I’ve never seen before. I guess he was trying to prove his worth. But as I was on the ground with a black eye, I looked into his face and could tell he was just as lost as I was. He ran out and the other guys just laughed.

When I finally made it there, I grabbed the notebook and headed home. I was reading that page over and over when I suddenly found myself taking out my phone and dialing that number. A lady answered, she was nice. I smiled and I could tell she was too.

That was four months ago, and I’m still working for them.

My life was finally looking up. I would be sent random tasks through an app for the job. Recently one was to pick up flowers from this address and deliver them to a Ms. Sanders. Another one was to pick up two German Shepherds from another address and deliver them to a Mr. Roberson. The pick-up places were always a bit spread out but I didn’t mind because each job was worth at least $500 and went up from there. Which is insane I know, but I guess the company makes great money! So far, I’ve made $20,000. I loved it, not only for the money but because I had an opportunity to make someone happy. No one had ever taken the time to smile at me or appreciate something I did for them. But it was different with these people, they truly appreciated what I did. Some even invited me inside for water and a little chat. It may not be big to you, but for me it was everything. I finally mattered.

Then things changed. I went to school one morning and overheard Saiya’s conversation. She’s a cheerleader whose father is chief of police in our town.

“Apparently,” Saiya began, “she had flowers delivered to her house. No one knows who sent them, perhaps a secret boyfriend. But inside of the wrapped flowers was a spider! My father said it appears that as she was cutting them to place in water, the spider jumped out and bit her. She went into anaphylactic shock…and well, her sister came home and found her. The spider was still on the counter.”

McKenzie said, “There has been way too many fishy deaths in this town. Remember Donny’s death?” The girls reflected in silence. Donny was a guy on the football team who didn’t quite fit in. He was really weird and I would catch him staring at me sometimes. Everyone was shocked when he went missing and was found hanging in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. It just happened a couple months ago.

“Poor Ms. Sanders,” McKenzie continued. I can’t believe she’s dead. What did the flower shop say about it?”

My hands began to shake. This couldn’t be the same Ms. Sanders I delivered those flowers to a couple of days ago.

“They told the police that they didn’t have an order going out to a Ms. Sanders on the 15th or any day,” Saiya responded.

My eyes grew big and my heart grew weak. The 15th?! No, that can’t be!

“What about the other incident Saiya,” another one said.

“Now that one was insane! The poor guy was mauled down by his new dogs. He supposedly got them from the shelter last week and they attacked him last night. The neighbor heard him screaming and called the police. When they got there, well, there wasn’t much of him left intact. But the weird thing was that the dogs seemed fine. Sweet even, according to my dad. I didn’t know German Shepherds could do something like that.”

“Didn’t the shelter have something weird to say about this one too?”

“Yes! They said that Mr. Roberson did in fact go to their shelter and pick out two Shepherds he wanted. He asked the shelter to hold them until the following weekend. But they said on the day he was supposed to pick them up, he called and cancelled. It’s crazy how fast things make the news…”

I immediately ran to the bathroom, slammed shut the stall door, and opened the app for my job. None of my tasks were there or corresponding messages. Nothing! I started typing: Who are you? What is going on? Why did those people die? I’m going to the police!

I kept the phone in my hands and stared at it for what seemed like forever. Then I got a response.

Thank you so much for your time and the effort you put into performing your tasks! Unfortunately, at this time we regrettably will have to terminate your employment. Here are your instructions for termination:

1. Do not share any of this information with anyone.

2. Find someone you would like to offer the job to but do not give any specifics.

3. Once you find someone, put the black notebook in a place where only they will retrieve it.

4. You have to make sure they take the job before you are fully terminated.

5. Once they have completed their first task, you will meet up with one of our representatives who will pay you handsomely for your lasting discretion.

These instructions will disappear in 10 minutes. For your safety, please don’t do anything stupid.

Now it all makes sense, all the deaths in our town aren’t accidents but murders! Someone is hiring kids like me to intercept deliveries and replace them with something that will kill the victim but make it look accidental. It was Donny, he must have been roped in and when his time was up he passed on the book to me. The day I finished my first task he went missing. And now I understand why I was chosen. He studied me, he knew I was desperate for validation and wouldn’t ask any questions. Now that I think back, he was in the hallway that day.

With all those thoughts swarming in my head, I was so angry I screamed. Tears began to roll down my face when someone said, “Hello?”

I tensed, looked under the door and recognized the shoes. It was the guy who beat me up and ran after.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

I slowly started opening the door, not caring if he would pulverize me again.

I looked at him but was surprised to see that his eye was swollen this time.

He said, “oh it’s you, look man I’m sorry about…”

“It’s fine, happens a lot.”

He stared at his shoes. “It shouldn’t though. I was trying to prove myself, didn’t work obviously,” he pointed to his eye. “I’m on their list now too I guess.”

I started to walk away but he said, “Is there any way I can make it up to you? I really am sorry, sometimes I just want to belong. Sometimes I feel so worthless.”

Then a thought came to me and before I realized it I said, “You’re not worthless. In fact you can help me. Would you like a job?”

“Uh okay. What, are you in a bind or something?”

“Yea, what’s your name?”

“It’s Nate.”

That night I went home and wrote everything that happened in the notebook. At the end I wrote:

I know they will try to kill me once you complete your first task, so follow these instructions.

1. Call the number on the front page of the book.

2. Accept the job. Be eager and appreciative.

3. Once you receive your first task, complete it.

4. They will then text me an address where I can meet them for the payout. I will text it to you.

5. Drive to the police station and tell them a murder is about to be committed at that address.

6. Stay there and wait.

I gave him the notebook yesterday. I don’t know if he will do as I ask. If he doesn’t, I will die and he will be next.

Then my phone buzzed. It read: 321 McGinty Lane.

I texted it to Nate, waited thirty minutes and headed there.

As I walked up the stairs of the abandoned house my heart dropped. I waited to hear sirens, but it was dead quiet. I had to do this now if they were to be caught in the act. I knocked on the door and as it flung open, two men grabbed me, punched me in my stomach and put a bag over my head. I tried to yell but couldn’t. Then as they were placing me on a chair… I heard sirens.

Sirens.