The Wrong Package — Part 2: Round Two

Daniel spent the entire afternoon thinking about the message.

“Round two begins tonight.”

He had considered throwing the second key into the trash.

He had also considered calling the police.

Instead, he did what any sensible person would do.

He ordered pizza.

“If someone wants me to solve a mystery,” he muttered, opening the box, “they can at least let me eat first.”

At exactly 8:00 p.m., there was a knock on his door.

Daniel stopped chewing.

Another knock.

He slowly walked toward the door and looked through the peephole.

Nobody.

He opened the door.

A small black envelope sat on the floor.

He picked it up.

Inside was a photograph.

It showed his office building.

On the back, someone had written:

“Look at the clock.”

Daniel immediately called his friend, Marcus.

“You won't believe what just happened.”

“Did you finally get that promotion?”

“No.”

“Then I'm not interested.”

“Someone is sending me mysterious keys.”

There was silence.

“Okay,” Marcus said. “I'm coming over.”

Twenty minutes later, Marcus arrived.

They examined the photograph together.

“The clock,” Marcus said. “Which clock?”

Daniel looked at the picture again.

There was an old clock visible through one of the office windows.

“That's strange,” he said. “That clock hasn't worked for years.”

“Then why would someone tell you to look at it?”

The next morning, Daniel and Marcus arrived at the office early.

They went straight to the old clock.

Daniel removed it from the wall.

Behind it was a tiny metal box.

His hands trembled with excitement.

“Open it,” Marcus whispered.

Daniel used the second golden key.

Click.

The box opened.

Inside was a USB drive.

And another note.

This time, the note said:

“You are not the first person to find this.”

Daniel stared at Marcus.

“What does that mean?”

Marcus picked up the USB drive.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

They plugged it into Daniel's computer.

A single video appeared.

Daniel clicked it.

The screen showed a man sitting in a dark room.

The man's face was hidden.

He leaned toward the camera.

“If you're watching this, Daniel, then you have already found the first two keys.”

Daniel nearly fell out of his chair.

“How does he know my name?”

The video continued.

“There are five keys in total. The first four will lead you somewhere. The fifth will tell you why.”

The screen went black.

Then one final sentence appeared:

“Do not trust the person helping you.”

Daniel slowly turned toward Marcus.

Marcus was staring at him.

Neither of them spoke.

Then Marcus laughed.

“You don't seriously believe that, do you?”

Daniel didn't answer.

Because at that exact moment, his phone buzzed.

A new message appeared.

UNKNOWN NUMBER:

You shouldn't have brought Marcus.

Daniel looked up.

Marcus was still standing beside him.

And suddenly, the room didn't feel quite as safe as it had five minutes earlier.

TO BE CONTINUED..........