Pandora's Box

• Kyle Bardic, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2015

Here I am, standing in my apartment; with a package on the table labelled ‘Fragile’ with a small print below it that reads ‘do not open’. Curiously I decide to rip it open; the sight burns my eye sockets, leaving me with a million scenarios darting through my mind. There before me, lies the biggest pile of diamonds I have ever seen, I thought this stuff was only existent in the movies.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and freaks the hell out of me, my boss is calling. I answer and mumble the word ‘hello’, he replies with ‘Joe? Is that you? I left a package at your apartment I need you to deliver it to an old acquaintance of mine by 8 o’clock on the dot, he’ll be waiting at the abandoned subway station just past the bar, don’t open the package or your head will be on a silver platter!’ he hangs up, leaving me shivering thinking of how they’re going to torture me when they find out I opened the package.
I decide to drive there, the drive is slow and frightening; my daydreams turn into dark and gritty trances as visions of my boss holding me at gunpoint are the only things I can think about. Eventually I reach my destination and see a single man ready to accept his gift. I get out, he walks up to me and asks for the package, I hesitate to answer which causes him to pull a gun on me; instantaneously I hit the gun out of his hand and go for a head-butt but get stopped by a blade penetrating my gut. Falling to my knees I look him in the eyes and he stares back with a look of fright on his face then proceeds to raid my car and run off with the package. I struggle to get up but manage to make it all the way to the driver seat of my car, I drive myself to a hospital and collapse just outside the front door I see a bunch of people in surgical clothing run out and come pick me up off the ground just before I blackout.
The next thing I know I’m in a hospital bed with 13 stitches on my abdomen and a text from my boss saying ‘Nice wrapping skills :) , I hope you’ve had a fun time on earth because it’s about to end buddy!’, The hospital blacks out, gunshots echo through the whole building. I hear footsteps but can’t see anything, a hand covers my mouth and a blade comes to my neck the unknown man whispers in my ear ‘Goodbye Joey, you always were among the best.