Dangerous Delivery

I used to work as a driver for FedEx.

You never really think of a delivery job as being dangerous aside from dog attacks or getting into an accident, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been attacked by dogs.

Let me just say that any job can be deadly given the right circumstances...

One day I was on my usual route, just listening to music and day dreaming between stops. I pulled up to a house to drop off a package and I honestly had that cliche feeling of being watched. As I was walking back to my vehicle, I noticed there was an old rust bucket truck parked on the street facing me. It was a few houses down so I could really tell who the driver was, or even if anyone was in the truck.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if the truck was there when I pulled up or not. Ignoring the uneasy feeling I just hopped into my vehicle and drove off. My fear started to sink in when I noticed in the rear view mirror that the truck pulled away just after me and was following me. Trying to stay positive and not let my mind get carried away, I just assumed that they just happened to be leaving at the same time. I flipped my turn signal on and sure enough they did the same thing.

I felt a knot in my throat as I drove down the lonely two-lane highway with this sketchy truck tailing behind me. The worst part was that I was in a very rural area with little traffic and of course... no phone signal.

I remember gripping the steering wheel as my heart started racing as I just prayed to myself that this truck would eventually turn down a side road. I checked my GPS to see where I’d be going but I was going to be on this road for a few more miles.

The truck didn’t ride my ass, they just stayed a car length or two behind and I still couldn’t get a good look at the driver.

I tried speeding up to test the truck and unfortunately they followed my lead still managing to stay the same distance behind me.

Freaking out at this point, I started thinking of ways to lose this person, so I saw a side street coming up. I thought about turning at the last second but muscle memory kicked in and I used my signal and slowed down to make the turn. As soon as I made the turn, they were right behind me.

As a policy, drivers aren’t allowed to carry weapons so I couldn’t risk stopping if this driver was dangerous. I’m not a weak person, but I’m also not the most intimidating either, not to mention I had no way to know if this driver was armed.

I finally got to my next stop and turned on my hazard lights. The truck stayed back a few driveways in length and I could just feel their eyes on me as I pretended not to notice them and take the package to the front door. My immediate plan was to alert whoever was home that I was being followed and ask them to call the police, but of course nobody was home.

As I was walking back to the vehicle I looked up and saw that the truck was pulling away and they drove down the road and out of sight. I was very confused but grateful they were gone. Why would they follow me to a house? Maybe they knew the owner and wanted to see what they were getting... but how would they know I’d be going there next?

I figured I’d just drive myself nuts with questions so I just went back to my normal routine. After a few stops, things got weird again...

I pulled up to a house that looked beyond abandoned. Grass up to your waist... covered windows... and no car in the driveway. I checked my paperwork to make sure I had the right address, and everything matched up.

Occasionally we get special instructions for delivers such as where to leave packages. This one happened to say “please leave at back door” it isn’t usually out of the ordinary, but after my unnerving day so far... this didn’t feel right.

I sat in that driveway for what felt like half an hour, but was probably only a few minutes. I finally built up the nerve to get out and take the package to the back, given the fact that nobody seemed home. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

I walked around the back corner of the house and my heart sank... there was a dirt driveway in the back and parked there... was that same truck that was following me. I know it was that damn truck. I could feel my body trembling when all of a sudden I heard the back door swing open. I dropped the box and ran as fast as I could back to my vehicle. As I ran around the house I could hear swift heavy footsteps racing through the trailer to the front door.

I couldn’t bring myself to waste a second to even look at the house as I jumped in my vehicle and throw it in reverse and speed out of there. As soon as I got back on the road I looked in the mirror just in time to see that truck speeding out of the driveway after me.

I could’ve cared less about speed limits at that point, I just needed to lose that truck or find another living person to help me... safety in numbers.

As this truck was gaining on me, I saw in the distance that a traffic light was coming up and turning red. I was tempted to drive through it but I didn’t wanna risk someone else’s safety so I regrettably slowed down and stopped. I stared into the rear view mirror, watching the truck slam on it’s breaks and almost rear ending me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the truck wondering what was about to happen. To my horror the driver door swung open and the only thing I saw was a boot hit the pavement and I tore my eyes away to see if the light changed when a miracle happened... coming down the hill ahead of me was a state trooper... thank god. The light turned green and I started driving toward the oncoming police car. I glanced back and saw that truck make a quick turn and drive out of sight. I thought about stopping the state trooper to tell them what happened but my stupid ass didn’t do it. I just kept driving and got the hell out of dodge.

As soon as I got signal, I was on the phone telling my manager that I will never deliver in this area again and to report the address of that sketchy house.

Turns out, that house had been foreclosed for several years... I never got the license plate of the truck, or even a description of the driver. The package didn’t have a name on it, which happens more often than you think but it didn’t make finding this psycho any easier.

I never heard anything else about it, and I still don’t know what that driver’s intentions were... but I hope I never see that rusty truck again.