Gemotions

The delivery man had just left, and the package rested innocently on the floor, like a coiled snake. It was for "Mr. Silas Blackwood," the previous occupant. He didn't know Silas Blackwood. He knew nothing about the man. He wanted nothing to do with him. He had a strong urge to simply push the box back out the door, pretend it wasn't there.

His hands felt numb. He couldn't even bring himself to touch the cardboard. He kicked it gently, sending it skittering across the hall, then quickly turned away, hoping that ignoring it would make it vanish.

The silence of his apartment felt oppressive, amplifying the drumming of his pulse in his ears. He wasn't sure he could cope with the possibility of what might be in that box.