Gemotions

The package sat on the front step, a plain brown rectangle. The address was hers. The name on it wasn’t. “Mr. Silas Blackwood.” She’d never heard of him. She knew a bit about the previous tenant, a man who had been the subject of hushed conversations in the building. He had departed suddenly and without explanation.

She brought the package inside, setting it on the kitchen counter. Her heart started to pound in her chest. She should just call the post office. She should. She walked around the package, avoiding looking at it. But the feeling kept growing, an internal pressure.

She found herself reaching for a knife, her hand shaking. She took a deep breath, fighting the internal scream of apprehension. She looked one last time at the package before beginning.