Black Friday Mystery Package

The alarms went off at the same time, the one on the night stand blared "It's THAT time of year again!" and "Black Friday Sale STARTS NOW!" then; "Trust Us! You'll Want This Deal of A Lifetime!"

The ads were relentless, escalating in fever pitch with each one, the voice sounding more manic...Black Friday had Finally Arrived!!! He thought just as the ad synced at the same time and shouted with almost religious fervor. Weird, he thought groggily trying to wake up. He reached over and slammed his hand down on the OFF button...

Too damned early for that without coffee, and it was too early for the second and third alarms loosing their minds barking as if...as if someone was here.

He tried to get out of bed too fast as if it was a normal day and he was fit as a fiddle but he wasn't, shit. That's when he remembered that he had a moon boot on, that is when he remembered the accident. He slowed down but the dogs were barking and needed to be let out. He sighed and swung his legs out of bed. Then the pain hit his body like a run away train. He reached over for his pain killers, swallowed a few with a gulp of water then reached for his crutches stood up and got himself to the kitchen boiled the jug, then made his way slowly to the excited dogs making a lot of racket for such little critters. He opened each crate and steeled himself for the onslaught of crazy chihuahuas, but they both ignored him entirely and both shot out of their crates like rockets speeding past him, towards the back door.

He stood there looking bewildered. Usually, Pete and Doug would maul him, jumping and grinning trying to be the first to get up into his arms to bathe his face in morning licks before being let out to do their business.

Pete and Doug growled in unison, father and son doing a protect! Stranger Danger! Then they resumed their frantic yip-bark. He looked at the jug and desperately needing a coffee to function, then he heard them making quick, scraping scratching noises at the back door!

"Damnit Pete! Stop it Doug!" he shouted shaking his head but stopped as a bolt of searing pain went through him, shaking him and he had to hold onto to the bench for support. Something was wrong.

Dogs were still scratching and now whining at the back door and he felt like his head was splitting in two, he took a deep breath and swiveled around to see what the ruckus was about. Coffee would have to wait.

He slowly hopped on one leg with his moonboot bent ker-thumping down the hall towards the back door, gripping the handles of the crutches tightly trying to keep his balance and not fall, his head now throbbing, his body aching he felt like just going back to bed and not opening the back door. No such luck.

He could see something through the frosted glass of the door, not someone but Pete and his son Doug must have heard the courier and that's what set them off. Death To All Couriers! He smiled at that.

"I should be relieved" he thought. But that wasn't how he felt at all, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. No, relief was the furthermost feeling right now.

Doug skittled round his feet and Pete backed off bouncing up and down excited that his man was going to finally open the door.

"Back off" he commanded and they did so reluctantly but both were poised to spring forward the moment he opened the door so he commanded; "BACK OFF!" both dogs immediately got behind him.

Unlocking the door, he felt like he should just keep it locked not open it to see what was sitting out there, from what he could see it looked like a black package or some black box.

He hadn't ordered anything. Hadn't had time, been otherwise occupied. He had forgotten it was Black Friday. Or Green Friday, businesses lame attempt at trying to make the creepy sounding day more user-friendly. The one day of the year where it was expected that you could get hurt or trampled to death in a competitive shopping accident...He'd like to see the insurance claim form on that one.

He was trying to keep his thoughts light, trying to delay opening that door. Trying to escape the dread he felt inside. Pete and Doug were shaking as chihuahuas do, but not from excitement from fear and he could tell they were ready to spring into action, muscles tightly coiled and try to protect their Master and their domain at any cost...brave little fuckers. He laughed out loud at the thought, made himself feel a little better.

"It's just a package!" the dogs got a start at the vehement sound of his voice but it gave him the bolster he needed to open the door...what was with all the apprehension? He was never like this before the accident. Now he was a shell of what he used to be, he feared everything and everyone, was pretty much a shut-in otherwise he would be out at the Black Friday Sales..."This Is The Big One" and "TGI It's Black Friday signs everywhere. Now he couldn't even go outside without the panic rising the flash backs and hearing people like they were under water. So here he was at home with his faithful companions. He couldn't risk another accident.

He opened the door stepped back opened it wider then looked down at the black box sitting on his back door step. The dogs rushed passed him, taking a side each and shouted at the box, growling at the box until their heads cocked to one side, ears pricked as he breathed "What the fuu.."

All of a sudden the dogs bodies froze like statues, Pete whimpered, his eyes bulged out of his head, his breathing came hard and fast his son Doug on the opposite side of the Black Box looked frozen also in fear looking at his father, his tail down between his legs. The man was rooted to the spot but he managed to find his voice as he tried the "Back Off" command but it was not like they wouldn't do as he told them to, it was more like they couldn't.

He felt terrified. They were a triangle frozen in time. Finally he spoke to his dog and said, "Pete come here boy" but Pete wouldn't move couldn't move. He wanted to reach out and pick up his dogs but it was if he had been glued to the spot. Doug whined and started to make guttural sounds from the back of his throat coming out like "lar-lar-lar" all in one long low drawn out sound. Tiny Doug was channeling his inner demon that all chihuahuas seem to have.

Both dogs eyes were fixated on the big black box.

He felt a wave of sickness wash over him, his head was humming and throbbing, he wanted it to cave in just to make it stop, the pressure was so intense it felt like a fist was squeezing his organs, his brain his heart and lungs, all felt as if they were being squashed by an invisible hand.

The pressure needed a release. And that is exactly what happened, He had a split second before the world went dark, he saw Pete explode, for such a little critter he sure made such a big mess, this was the last thought he had before the Universe pulled the rug like a magician pulling the table cloth trick. Then Darkness.

He awoke some time later, head fuzzy but the pain gone he looked around for Doug but he was nowhere to be found. Pete was no longer here but he was EVERYWHERE. This made him angry that Pete went out that way, loyal and a good dad to Doug he really didn't deserve it.

What a shit show of a Black Friday. It had been a Black Friday kind of year really, the accident and a certain world wide fucked up pandemic. And now a fresh fried delivery that looked like it killed his dog Pete. Poor Pete he thought sadly. And where the hell was Doug?

He got up awkwardly gripping his crutches and using them to haul himself up. Grunting, but not in pain he thought "Something's weird and I think my leg and ankle aren't broken anymore"

Bending down and taking the boot off, his naked leg and foot felt fine, better than fine they felt good! What devilry was this?!

He put his foot down put weight on it and lo and behold! By the Saints, no pain they were healed, he tossed the crutches aside and stood on his own two feet.

"Well son of a bitch!" He said as he looked down at the Black Friday Mystery Box.

"Get Prepared For Black Friday!" the alarm clock radio blared from his bedroom clicking on suddenly, the ad voice over shouting obnoxiously. "And.. Here's Your Black Friday Survival Guide!"

"I need a coffee" He said or something stronger, but he hadn't taken a drink or had any in the house since the accident. He licked his lips, looking down at the Mystery Box ruined by the chunks of Pete all over it, he thought of his dog a lump in his throat tears unshed and thick and his eyes welled up. It was Pete's blood splattered across the thing that soaked it, but it looked as if the blood was being absorbed by the box. That can't be real can it? He thought staring as if transfixed. He shook his head slowly denying what he knew to be true. The Thing on his doorstep pulsated.

Should he open it? He was afraid. If that thing could do what it did to Pete and fix me it would be like opening Pandora's Box...shit he needed to get it together shut the door and just...Just what? Ignore what happened? Ignore the box? Where had it come from? Who had sent it? It sure as hell wasn't post marked. He looked down at the smooth box, it was obsidian black, he started to feel lost inside its darkness.

The radio glitched a few times, static crackling, breaking the spell and the announcers voice came through once again clear, another Black Friday deluge. "This is a Once in a Year Sale...Don't Miss It!" "These are The Deals You've Been Waiting For!" And the one that sent a chill into his blood..."Now That The Turkey Is Out Of The Way, It's Time to SAVE!" Save what he thought? Himself?

A chilling thought came to him, "Where was Doug?" He assumed the dog had run off in fright and was too scared to come back. A sick feeling at the pit of his gut rose up into his throat, he knew with a certainty that was true that Doug had not run off. He looked down again seeing that the box was smooth, clean and no sign of the exploded Pete in sight. No blood. He froze his insides turning to jelly.

Taking a step back and closing the door quietly he heard the soft click as the lock clicked into place. He heard the radio and the announcer said..."Black Friday Last Chance Sale Folks, Everything Must Go!"

"Black Friday Is Nearly Over!"

Opening the door, he picked up the box.

He would open it.