Safety First

Who rang my doorbell? I'm not expecting anything. I don't get visitors. I check the door camera. No one is there, but I can see a box on the ground. It shouldn't be there.

There's a big sign on my front door that says: "Leave all deliveries inside the gate at the side of the house." I don't open my front door. I only go outside by the side exit, and that's only to retrieve my deliveries. It's too dangerous to go out the front.

I haven't left my house in six years. I've done some bad things in my life. A lot of them. I've made too many enemies to take chances. My little house is like a fortress. Bulletproof glass. Reinforced walls. Alarm system. Prison grade locks. Even if something gets through that, I'm always carrying a gun, and I got others stashed in every room. I may be paranoid, but you don't live as long as I have without being paranoid. My home may be like a prison, but it's a comfortable place to live out what time I got left. 

This delivery has me kind of spooked. Why did they ignore my sign? Nobody leaves stuff upfront. I check the video footage from my doorbell to see who dropped off that thing.

It's a drone! Damn! I've never gotten anything by drone before. I heard some places were gonna start using them, but it's still surprising. How the hell did it ring the doorbell? I can't really tell from the video but I guess it had some sort of arm. Who knows?

I switch back to the live feed so I can get a better look at the box. I zoom in and can see it's a nice wooden box, kind of like a humidor. There's a label on top and I can just make out my name. I can't tell too much else.

It can't be a bomb. It would have exploded already. It really looks like a box of cigars. Who the hell would send me cigars? So few people know where I am. I keep in touch with my sister, but she wouldn't send me cigars. My friend Dominic, but I haven't heard from him in a couple of years. The only other person I can think of is maybe Jimmy, but I never told him where I was, did I? He's still in prison anyway. 

Most likely would be Dominic. We worked together for like 30 years and I knew him for a couple years before that. We smoked a lot of cigars over the years. We'd finish a job, get a drink and have a good cigar.  Last time I had a smoke with Domnic was when I told him I was coming here. It was the last time I worked, too. Jimmy, Dominic and me had to burn down a taxi company that was behind on payments. It went ok, but somebody ID'd Jimmy. That was too close for me, so I decided I was done. I'd been planning it anyway. I'd had my house built in this small town near Vancouver. Nice area, not that I ever see it. I disappeared about a week before Jimmy was sentenced. I felt really bad about Jimmy taking the fall, but life ain't always fair. 

So, I'm sitting here waiting for it to get dark so that maybe I can see what's in the box. I still haven't decided. Should I just leave it there? But I figure that not knowing is probably worse than knowing. It could be anything. Maybe my sister sent me an early birthday gift, although it would be really early 'cause my birthday isn't for two months. I really think it has to be Dominic. Could be he's even sending some sort of warning. Yeah, I think I better check. I'll wait until just after midnight.

It's ten after twelve. I just had my third glass of Scotch tonight. I checked my gun and tucked it in my belt. I take one last look at the live feed from the doorbell camera. There's no one out there. No drones, either. I go to the door and open it slowly. I step out on my front steps for the first time in years. It feels weird, and I admit it, I'm kind of scared.

I stay alert as I go down steps to where the box sits. I bend down to pick it up, and almost as soon as I do, the lid pops open. It scares the hell out of me, but it doesn't explode or anything. There aren't any cigars in the wooden box, just a note. I take it from the box. It says:

"Hey, Mike. Guess who got paroled? Your pal Dominic told me where you were before I shot him. You guys should have done more for me. All these years and I never heard from either of you so I decided to visit. Say hello to Dominic when you see him. -- Jimmy"

I look up from the paper to see if Jimmy is around, I don't see anyone, but I drop the box and grab my gun. I start backing up the stairs. I can't believe I was so dumb. There's a red light that catches my eye. I start to aim in its direction. I'm too late, though. The red laser has made its way to my forehead. I shoot in its direction anyway. Maybe I'll get lucky. I don't, though. Jimmy must be pretty far out there with a rifle. Then I hear the loud crack as he fires. So careful all these years just to be caught so easy. It's weird but I think I actually see the bullet coming like in slow motion. Could be my imagination. Doesn't matter. I'm dead now.