24 Hours -- A Thriller

part 1

6:20am

When my cell phone began ringing at 6:20am, I knew immediately something was wrong. It was still dark outside and I fumbled around on my nightstand to reach my phone. Squinting because of the bright lights, I could see Ruby's name lit up on my phone. My heart skipped a beat, and I pressed 'accept'.

"Babe," I whispered, "what's up?"

"What is wrong with you?" she screamed back. Her voice pierced my eardrums and I moved the phone farther away from my ear. I propped myself up on my bed.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You sick pandejo! I can't believe you would do something like this. Leaving all that on my doorstep? You're disgusting. You know what, you better be glad I'm not calling the police about this, because if it were anyone else, I would!"

"I--", I started, completely bewildered, "honey, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't call me 'honey', Benjamin. I honestly cannot believe you right now. Rosalia saw it. She saw the pictures, she saw everything. So thanks that, Ben. Really, thanks a lot."

"Ruby, listen to me. I don't know what you think I did, but I haven't been over to your house since that night we called everything off. I swear," I pleaded. That was right, right? I tried desperately to remember the previous few nights but my mind was especially cloudy at this hour in the morning, most likely the symptoms for a hangover from hell about the come over me.

"Screw you, Ben," Ruby said sharply and disconnected the call.

I sat for a few moments in complete darkness, the phone still up to my ear. I had no words. Pictures? What pictures had I supposedly left at her door?

Three weeks ago, Ruby, my long-term girlfriend had broken up with me because she had "fallen out of love" with me. More like fallen out of love with my lifestyle. I had kept no secrets from her. I drank. A lot. Every once in a while, it might be possible I light a joint. She never liked when I did my so called "lifestyle" (her words) in her house, and so our dates usually consisted of spending time at my two-bedroom apartment or outside somewhere.

The breakup had been recent, and things happened like this often. I didn't really consider us as "over" as she perhaps thought, so I figured if I took a trip to her place right now, I might be able to mend things and she'd give me a second chance. Or third or fourth, I've forgotten what number I'm on now.

As I threw on a dirty pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, I realized I was still a bit woozy from the night before. I'd gone out with Chris and Jeff, two buddies from back in my college days. We'd hit up a few bars before I had one of them take me home because I was on the verge of passing out. Vodka was the medicine to my heartbreak. Regardless, I figured I could probably drive the four or so miles to her place. Just take it slow, I thought.

The morning air was shockingly cool and the sunlight was beginning to rise over the Colorado mountains to the east. I saw a few school kids waiting and shivering at the bus stop on the opposite side of the street.

I clambered into my small Jetta and backed out of the driveway. So far, so good, I thought to myself, rubbing my eyes a little more awake.

I knew this was a serious issue. Ruby was one of the most kindhearted girls I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing, and hearing her blow up at me like that really threw me for a loop. And sure, part of me was terrified that whatever I'd supposedly "left" on her doorstep was something dumb I had done last night in my drunken stupor.

Ruby worked at the local urgent care facility downtown near Mason Avenue. Glancing down at the small digital clock on my car stereo, I realized I only had about twenty minutes to catch her before she left her house for her shift beginning at 7:15. I sped up, cruising down the nearly empty street a little faster than normal. Maybe just a touch faster, I thought.

It was then that I saw the police car turn onto my street, just a little behind me. Oh, God, I thought. I'm still drunk. Slow down, slow down!

It was a miracle I didn't get pulled over, although the cop followed me for a little bit before turning down the road toward the police station. Considering myself lucky, I decided to stay a little under the speed limit until I reached her house.

Ruby won sole custody of her two young girls, Rosalia and Maria, in her divorce. Her ex ended up being deported somewhere in southern Mexico, which left her custody also of a nice, middle class two story house. Her alimony paid for the lawn services, which had apparently come yesterday due to her perfectly green and trimmed lawn. Yeah, she was out of my league, but that is why I couldn't lose her.

I parked in her driveway and walked up to the steps. I used to have a key to the house, but she'd swiped that from me the night we ended things. I'm not going to lie--that hurt more than the things she said accused me of.

I looked down at the welcome mat and obviously didn't see anything. I could not have been here last night, I thought. There's no way.

I knocked three times on the door and Ruby yelled from inside, "Who is it?"

I hesitated before saying, "It's Benjamin, Rubes."

There was silence in the house before I could hear her walking up to the front door. She pulled back the curtain to the side window and had a sneering look upon her face.

"Are you serious?" she retorted, and unlocked her door. She only opened it a crack and I could tell I was in trouble.

"Hey. I know you have work in a few minutes but I just needed to make myself clear," I started, but she interrupted.

"Stop lying to me, Ben. Please. Not now, I have to go to work." She turned away from me and tried to slip on her right shoe. I pushed the door open wider.

"Ruby, I didn't come here last night. Whatever you found had to have been left by someone else. I swear on my mother's grave. I was not here."

She looked into my eyes and I could tell she had been crying. "You didn't leave it?"

"I don’t even know what 'it' is!"

"The box, Ben. The box full of--of--horrible, disgusting things," Ruby exclaimed, pointing to the living room couch. There sat the box. It was wooden, made of a dark oak or something like that. It was shaped like a briefcase of sorts, but quite a bit smaller. There was a small metal latch that kept the box closed.

"Ruby, I've never seen that box in my life," I said as I entered her house. I made my way toward the box and lifted the latch, which then allowed me to open the box. There were a variety of items in the box, but one of the first items that caught my eye was a knife. It wasn't any knife, however. I recognized it as the wedding knife that Ruby and her ex-husband Josue had used to cut their wedding cake. Normally, I wouldn't be able to tell a specific wedding cake knife from a rat's ass, but this one was unique because Ruby was married on el Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. The handle of the knife was beautifully carved into a bejeweled skull. It was unmistakably Ruby's knife.

"What the…" I asked, completely bewildered.

There was a folded piece of paper resting on top of the rest of the items. It was a cream colored paper with bright red ink. It said:

Rules of the Box

1 - If you open the box, there is no closing it. The game has begun.

2 - Tell anyone about the box, and you die.

3 - Give the box to the police, you will die.

4 - Be at 4523 Roxanne Street with Benjamin Reece at 7:00pm tonight, or one of your daughters will die.

I was stunned when I saw my name at the bottom of the note. What made me even more astonished was the note was written clearly in my own handwriting. I stared at it longer, not totally sure what I should do.

"If you think this is some kind of sick joke to get back together with me, you're more perverted than I thought. How could you possibly threaten my daughters, Ben? What were you thinking?" Ruby asked, standing behind me. I turned around slowly, still holding the letter.

"Ruby, I never wrote this letter."

"Ben, I can't deal with this anymore. Get out of my house. Get out. And take your damn box with you too," Ruby exclaimed, holding the door open. She motioned with her hand that she wanted me out.

"Ruby, I don’t think you understand, I did not write this! I have never seen this in my life!"

"Ben!"

There was a silence between us, so thick you could cut it with a knife. Finally, knowing that she did have to go to work, I gave up my efforts of denying and picked up the box.

"Yes. Please. Take it. Get it out," she said, closing the door behind me. She rushed to her car and got it, but I held the door ajar so I could speak to her.

"Ruby, baby, can we please talk? Please?" I pleaded, trying not to sound desperate. "I'm sorry about that night. I'm so sorry, and I admit that it's all my fault. Please don't go."

"Ben, I have to work. Let--me--go!" she cried, putting the car into reverse.

"Fine!" I yelled and slammed her door closed. I notice that part of her jacket got caught in the door, but she didn't care. She squealed her tires down her driveway and took off toward the hospital.

I watched her drive away for a few moments and then looked down at the wooden box in my hands. I had no idea who the creep was that left this box on Ruby's doorstep, but I was certain it wasn't me.

Right?

-

Read part two: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/work.php?id=131762