The Package

It was just like any other Sunday, peaceful and quiet. William had just settled down so he could watch the big game. Before he could turn the TV on, a knock on the door startled him. He wondered who it could be because the wife and kids were out of town. He opened the door to find no one there, nothing but a package on the front porch. At first, he thought his wife ordered something but there was no name, no address, just a package wrapped in brown paper. He looked down the street to see if there was a car leaving or person walking who might have dropped it off. He decided to call his wife to see if she was expecting something, but his call went to voicemail. Hesitant to bring the package inside the house, he placed it in the garage until his wife called back. This was all weird and he scratched his head as he walked back in the house. “Let me chill and watch the game”, he thought to himself as he turned on the TV. He was just in time; they had just started the first quarter. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Assuming it was his wife, he answered only to hear static on the other end. He was about to tell his wife that he couldn’t hear her until he looked down and saw the call came from an unknown number. Brushing it off, he hung up the phone. The phone rang again and this time, there was dead air on the other end. Annoyed, he hung up again. Suddenly, both his cell phone and the house phone rang, his wife’s number showing on the cell and an unknown number on the house phone’s caller ID. Picking up his wife’s call, he asked her if she tried to call earlier, in which she said no. He asked her if she was expecting a package, and she said no. She asked him what was wrong, and he said he would call her later. Answering the house phone, William’s hands trembled as a deep, raspy voice on the other end asked, “Did you open it?” William shakily responded, “Open what?” The voice responded, “The package.” In a panicked voice, William asked, “What’s in it, who is this?” The caller laughed evilly and hung up. William dialed *69 to get the number of the caller, but it was unavailable. Rushing to the garage, he thought about what to do with the package. He could open it, but he really didn’t want to. He could just throw it away but what if the person who dropped it off was watching the house. How did they get his phone number? Was it somebody he knew? What was in the package? William walked outside of the garage observing everything. He watched as neighbors walked their dogs, cut their grass wondering if they could be the culprit. He began to think about the safety of his family and realized he needed to get rid of this package. He was going to the police. Grabbing his keys, he carefully placed the package in a metal toolbox and placed it on the floor of his car. His cell phone rang, and it was his wife again. William decided not to answer, he didn’t want to worry her with what was going on. He didn’t even know what was going on. Driving down the street, all he could think about what was in the package. As he entered into the busy intersection, his cell phone rang again, and William saw it said unknown. William pressed answer and said nothing. The raspy voice on the other end laughed, then finally said, “I see you and I know where you’re headed. Not a good idea.” Choked up, William responded, “If you tell me what’s in the package, I won’t go to the police.” The raspy voice said. “Pull over to the side.” William looked back wondering who was following him. Once again, the raspy voice said, “Pull over and open the package.” Veering over, William finally pulled over to the side of the road and parked. The raspy voice continued to give him directions. “Take the package out the toolbox”, it said. Reluctantly, William did as he was told. Whoever was on the other line was enjoying this torment. “Don’t worry, it isn’t a bomb. Now, open the package”, the voice said. William ripped the paper from the box, saying a prayer and thinking about his family. Taking a deep breath, he slowly lifted the top of the box……….