It needs to be delivered by 4:30 PM. And do so with a smile.
I checked my watch and breathed in deeply. 4:28. Time to get this over with. I ran my hand over my face and relaxed as much as I could, then pulled the biggest smile I had, ringing the doorbell.
It rang an incredibly long, low sound that echoed around what must have been massive rooms within. I heard footsteps on the other side of the door, approaching speedily. A lock unlatched. Then another. Then a chain. And three more latches before the door cracked open.
A bald, white man with a shining face slid his face out of the opening at looked at me with a smile.
“Hi! Welcome! Little early aren’t you?” he called jovially. I checked my watch again. 4:29. Punctual guys, I supposed.
“Yeah, I’m terribly sorry,” I said, increasing my already stretched smile. This wasn’t how I normally talked. ‘Terribly sorry’ wasn’t really part of my vocabulary, but I wasn’t gonna risk this.
“Hmm… “ he said, still staring at me. He didn’t open the door any more, so I raised the package towards him.
“Nice afternoon, huh?” he asked, not reaching for the package.
“Ummm, yeah — Yes, sir.”
“Got any plans?”
“I’m gonna go visit my parents once I’m done here.” my smile was faltering. Sweat was threatening to break on my forehead.
“That’s nice.”
I started to feel incredibly self-conscious as we stood facing each other. I could only see his head, floating out the door, his eyes pouring over me and always slowing over the package. Just as sweat started to break, the package started ringing.
I jumped back as the man jumped out the door, looking uncomfortable hungry.
“Four-thirty on the dot! Let’s go, come on in, hurry,” his face was pressed against mine as he led me inside.
“I’m not sure I should enter the — “
“Nonsense, come on,” he practically dragged me in.
The first floor was a pure white and smelled of incredibly strong garlic. My eyes started to water and I started coughing by the sheer intensity of the smell entering my system. Everything burned by the time we made it across the hallway and out another door. We were outside now.
“Ah, Nathaniel! How is the delivery boy?” asked a stout woman, drinking water from a wine glass.
“He’s a family man!” said the bald man, leading me to a chair to sit down in.
“Oh! I love a man with something to live for!” she said giddily.
“Are you comfortable?” Nathaniel asked as he sat me down.
“Yeah, I — “ I realized I wasn’t smiling anymore but at this point, it didn’t matter. “I’m a little uncomfortable being here, actually.”
“That’s understandable, we’ll be out of your hair forever in a minute. Is the chair comfortable, though?”
“Yeah, it’s fine…” I trailed off as I realized how many cameras there were pointed around outside. The woman was the only one out here, but she was speaking to a microphone and gesturing to cameras. It seemed that many people were watching this backyard.
“Ready!?” called Nathaniel.
There was an audience of cheers coming from speakers connected to the cameras and the lady.
“Let’s begin!” he yelled and some sort of transparent container fell around me.
“HEY!” I screamed.
“Place your bets, people! Last words?” called Nathaniel.
“Pleas to stop for 10,000!” replied a speaker.
“Oh! His family. His family for sure!” called the woman. “20,000!”
“I bet a man like him has a girl. 15,000,” called another through their speaker.
Nathaniel was nodding as he took all of these notes down on a piece of paper.
“What’s going on here!?” I exploded. I kicked at the containment, but it seemed that there were no openings in it. It was clear and had wires running through it. There were small microphones and speakers lined up on the wires. “Let me out!” I screamed, more out of frustration than anything.
“Time of death?” asked Nathaniel, not missing a beat.
“4:35!!” called someone, enthusiastically.
“Stop! Let me out!”
I only now realized that I was still holding onto the box and that it was releasing some noxious red fumes. It smelled awful, and I was wondering how I couldn’t smell it in all the time I was holding onto it. Seconds later, it burned to breathe.
“It hurts! Wait, please!” I felt fluids running down my eyes, and I don’t think it was tears.
“Stop talking kid, you’ll get me a nice $10,000 out of this,” spoke a speaker that had spoken earlier.
Were they betting on me? Were they betting on my death? I was in too much pain to get a grasp on the situation.
“Why isn’t he smiling?” the woman who was present asked, “why do they never smile? I thought they were asked to smile.”
“They usually get selfish at their time of death, dear,” Nathaniel said, sighing “they don’t sympathize with us because they don’t understand us.”
“Please!” I cried again, finally thinking to fumble in my pocket for my phone. As the screen was spattered with blood dripping from my face I saw that it had no signal.
I accepted that I was going to die. This was it. I brought in my own means to my end. I looked at the box as it continued to spew the gas and I collapsed in my chair.
“I hope you all — “ I started coughing blood and losing consciousness.
“Looks like the House wins last words again,” one of the speakers said, inciting some laughter.
Red poured over my eyes as I faded into black.