December 31st

Orvan lived a peaceful, happy life in his small house, with his three goldfish-Lucy, Scarlet and Sophia. His job, however, was unreasonably busy and messier then he had wanted it to be. 

For example-he currently had to deliver something, on a holiday. It irritated him considerably, but he knew better than arguing with his boss.

He had woken up late for his standards, and it bothered him-if he didn't finish the task by today, he could get fired, or maybe worse. But still-no worries-he could take his time. 

After a light shower, he changed into casual clothing-some jeans, an undershirt and a hoodie. Now with the right outfit for his work, he decided to have a hearty breakfast before he left. Stuffing himself with a few pancakes, some fruit, and milk, he wiped his mouth and headed out-prepared for the day ahead.

He needed to get a parcel-and that was easy enough-finding the right package was going to be the hardest part. He grabbed a paper with all the instructions he needed, then headed to his Sedan and wished for coffee-it was going to be a long ride. 

Two hours later, he was at the destination-a storage site, filled to the brim with materials lying around everywhere, shipping crates galore and wrapped crates. 

A sturdy wire fence surrounded everything, and although the workers were supposed to keep tabs on everything there, they didn't work that well. Orvan knew the tips and tricks that came with his job. 

This time, a man was waiting at the front. 

The two seemed to eye each other up-Orvan decided to take a shot. 

"I think there's a juice stain on your shirt," Orvan pointed out as the man looked downward. 

"Oh, good heavens, there is!" The worker dabbed at the stain with a napkin, before pointing at a long box in the corner. 

There was a pause.

"Number four?" The man asked. 

"Number four," Orvan confirmed as the man let him through the gate, helping him lift the box into his trunk. 

The box itself was almost 6 feet long and two and a half feet wide, a dark oak, elegant yet clunky. Orvan had to bend his back seats forward to fit it in-truly a tight squeeze.

He finally sat down before checking the paper for more details-there was something on the back.

Name: Maria Abalos

Sex: Female

Height: 5'7

Weight: 160 pounds

Hair/Eyes: Brown/Green

Address: 104 Sandstorm Road

Specific instructions: Suprise me-Malik

Orvan drove off, wondering how he was going to surprise him. 

By the time he had arrived at her house, it was almost five in the afternoon-not ideal for him, but he could still finish the job. 

Finally-house 104. He snapped on some gloves before going out. With no point in dragging it out, he walked up and rang the doorbell.

There was a small wait, then a middle-aged woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?" she-Maria asked.

"You've won something," Orvan replied-his go-to answer.

The woman looked skeptical.

"Really?"

"Yes-in fact, the prize is in my trunk-let me get it."

He dragged the case from his car to the house, putting on a great show, acting he was straining from the weight. 

"What's inside?" Maria asked.

"I believe it contains bathroom appliances or something," Orvan answered.

"Now if you could help me put this in-"

Maria stepped in the way, still not convinced.

"And who sent it?" She demanded.

Orvan was surprised but he stayed confident, shrugging casually.

"I think Costco, or maybe Wallmart?" Orvan shrugged again. "I don't know, I'm just the delivery guy."

She seemed to think a bit, before shrugging herself.

"Sure, bring it in."

Orvan grabbed the box steadily and eased it through the doorway, looking one last time behind him. No visible peering eyes, the houses nearby had their shutters pulled down, everyone sleeping in so they could stay up till 12. Good. 

Orvan slowly settled the case down on the floor in her house, then accidentally bumped into her door, the door slowly swinging shut.

As he grabbed the wall to steady himself, he moved his hand inside his hoodie-then-

Orvan pulled a throwing knife out of a hidden pocket inside his hoodie and hurled it at Maria's head.

The blade buried itself into her forehead, and she toppled over, a bit of blood splattering onto the floor.

Orvan swiftly opened the box-inside, a lot of things. First, a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide to wipe away all traces of blood. Second-duct tape, preventing further blood from spilling.

He carefully peeped out the door-nobody seemed to have noticed, nothing peculiar, no murder-nothing. He wiped away all blood and taped up the wound.

He carefully put the fresh corpse inside the case with all the evidence-then he dragged the box outside, shut the door, put the case in the back of his car, and drove off. 

It was about five-forty when he arrived in Hader's Woods-driving deep in, he spent about twenty minutes driving before burning the case. The frame of the box was strong and could survive the fire, but the contents couldn't.

He spotted a toolshed-he had forgotten the passcode-he hastily busted the lock, grabbed a shovel and started digging a hole.

Tearing dirt and grasses, hacking away at gravel and rocks, was a cold and tedious process. He wanted coffee. 

Hours later, a sizable hole was there-and at last, he shoved the box inside. He tiredly shoved dirt over it all, carefully putting the torn plants back on top, shoving roots into the soil.

He brushed away any footprints, then drove off. Orvan felt lucky-maybe Malik would give him a promotion.

It was almost eleven when he arrived home, breathlessly telling his boss that he finished the job on the phone. 

There was still about an three hours before midnight, and he happily drank some Coffee and took a shower. He then headed to the pet shop, buying a goldfish.

He wracked his brain for possible names for the fish, then laughed. Of course, he was going to name it Maria.

Just like Lucy, Scarlet and Sophia. 

When the clock struck twelve, Orvan was already searching up his next target.