The Delivery Driver

The rain had not ceased.It fell in relentless sheet, drumming against the windows of Ethan's modest apartment.The events of the previous night played on a loop in his mind —the unmarked package,the eerie building at 47 Ashmoor Lane,the cryptic man who had spoken of deliveries with more than just destinations.

Ethan's sat at his small kitchen table, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee .The bitter taste did little to rouse him from his thoughts.He had scoured his delivery logbook again that morning,hoping to find some record of the mysterious package.But there was nothing.No entry,no signature,no trace.It was as if the delivery never happened.

A knock at the door jolted him from his reverie.He hesitated,his heart pounding, before rising to answer it.Standing in the hallway was a woman,her dark hair plastered to her face by the rain.she looked to be in her late twenties,with sharp eyes that seemed to take in everything at once.

"Ethan Cole?" she asked.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. can i help you?"

She extended a hand. "Detective Laura Bennett".I'm investigating a series of unusual incidents in the Hollow District. May I come in?"

Ethan stepped aside, allowing her to enter.she took a seat at the table pulling a small notebook from her cost pocket.

"Mr. Cole, have you made any deliveries to 47 Ashmoor Lane recently?"

Ethan's stomach turned."I...yes,last night.But it wasn't on my schedule.The package has no return address,no recipient name ."

Detective Bennett nodded, jotting down notes."You're not the first courier to report something like this.Several drivers have received similar unmarked packages,all directed to the address. And each time,the building appears abandoned."

Ethan leaned forward."There's a man over there.Tall, gaunt with piercing eyes.He said I was early and mentioned something about deliveries with more than just destinations."

Bennett's eyes narrowed."Did he give a name?"

He shook his head."No.He just appeared out of the shadows."

She closed her notebook."Thank you for your time, Mr. Cole. If you remember anything else, please contact me."She handed him a business card before rising to leave.

As the door closed behind her, Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.The rain continued to pour and the shadows in Brinlake seemed to deepen.