Delivery Driver Ryan Saw a Terrified Boy Hiding Behind Packages — Then an Older Woman Looked at the Child and Screamed His Name
Chapter 1 — The Boy Behind the Boxes
Ryan Carter had delivered packages to apartment buildings for almost nine years.
He had seen everything.
People arguing in hallways.
Dogs escaping through open doors.
Children racing elevators.
Neighbors accepting packages for strangers.
Nothing surprised him anymore.
Until Tuesday afternoon.
Ryan stepped out of the elevator on the seventh floor of Westbrook Towers carrying three medium boxes against his chest.
Apartment 7B.
Apartment 7D.
Apartment 7F.
He checked the labels.
Then he noticed someone watching him.
A little boy was crouched behind a stack of packages near the wall.
Ryan stopped.
The child couldn’t have been more than six or seven.
His knees were pulled tightly against his chest.
His hair was messy.
One shoe was missing.
But it was the boy’s expression that made Ryan lower the boxes.
He wasn’t playing.
He wasn’t hiding for fun.
He looked terrified.
“Hey, buddy.”
The boy didn’t answer.
Ryan smiled carefully.
“You live up here?”
Nothing.
The child just stared at him.
Ryan glanced down the hallway.
Every apartment door was closed.
He looked back at the boy.
“You okay?”
The child moved one finger toward his lips.
Ryan frowned.
A silent warning.
Don’t talk.
Ryan slowly straightened.
One of the packages in his hands belonged to Apartment 7D.
The door directly across from the boy.
Ryan walked toward it.
He knocked.
For several seconds, nobody answered.
Then locks clicked.
The door opened.
A man in his late thirties appeared.
Tall.
Clean shirt.
Calm face.
Friendly smile.
“Can I help you?”
Ryan looked at the label.
“Delivery for Derek Collins.”
“That’s me.”
Ryan handed over the box.
But instead of leaving, he glanced toward the packages.
The little boy was still there.
Derek followed Ryan’s eyes.
His smile changed.
Only slightly.
Then Derek stepped farther into the doorway.
Blocking Ryan’s view.
Ryan immediately noticed it.
“Is that your kid?”
Derek laughed.
“What?”
“The boy over there.”
Derek didn’t turn around.
“Oh. Him.”
Ryan waited.
Derek shrugged.
“Neighbor’s kid.”
Ryan looked past him.
The child had disappeared behind the boxes again.
“Which neighbor?”
Derek’s smile faded another inch.
“Why?”
Ryan adjusted his scanner.
“Just asking.”
“You deliver packages, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then deliver them.”
Ryan stared at him.
There was nothing openly threatening about Derek’s voice.
That almost made it worse.
Ryan took one slow step backward.
“Have a good afternoon.”
Derek began closing the door.
Then footsteps came from the other end of the hallway.
An older woman stepped around the corner carrying a grocery bag.
She was perhaps seventy.
Silver hair.
Blue cardigan.
Reading glasses hanging from a chain.
Her name, Ryan would later learn, was Margaret Ellis.
She looked toward Ryan.
Then Derek.
Then toward the boxes.
The child peeked out.
Margaret froze.
Her grocery bag slipped from her hand.
An orange rolled across the carpet.
Her face went completely white.
“Noah?”
The boy stood.
Margaret screamed.
“Noah!”
Derek slammed his apartment door.
Ryan suddenly understood.
The boy hadn’t been hiding from strangers.
He had been waiting for someone to recognize him.
