Epilogue

x - x - x

Jerry labored up the steps, cursing internally at his aching knees. This was his last stop before the end of his run and he was Tired with a capital T. He was already running way behind on schedule because of some freak ghost incident in the park. The stupid Guys in White had blocked off all the surrounding major roads and he'd been currently passing the park so he was trapped inside the barricade. Not to mention that ghost kid had frozen them all like popsicles so they couldn't get back to their vehicles to get the hell out of his way.

So yeah, that's the kind of mood Jerry was in as he knocked one, two, three times on the door of apartment 340. The medium sized package was fairly light. He didn't know and didn't care what was inside. He hadn't bothered with curiosity about his deliveries for ten years.

He heard a faint thumping noise from within, like maybe someone falling out of bed or running into a wall.

A muffled male voice said, "I'll get it!"

A girl's voice seemed to scream from the back of the apartment, "You can't answer the door like that!"

"Oh, right." The guy's voice was just on the other side of the door now. "One sec!" it called to Jerry.

There was a strange searing noise and the cracks around and underneath the door suddenly lit up with a strange blue light. Before Jerry had time to wonder what the hell that was, the door flew open.

A tall guy was standing there rubbing his eye tiredly. He was only wearing striped cotton pajama pants, and his chest was riddled with old scars and faint bruises. Jesus, Jerry thought, this guy a gangster or something? The scars seemed to fit him strangely, since he was on the lean and gangly side and he looked more like he'd be punching keys than punching other guys. That was when he noticed his messy mop of black hair seemed to be littered with… snow?

"Who is it, Danny?" That girl peeked her head around the end of the hallway. Her black hair was covered in snow too. Other than that her bare shoulders suggested she might've been naked, unless she was wearing a strapless shirt. Jerry quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to incur the wrath of her boyfriend in case he really was a gangster.

Jerry's gaze drifted to the floor, around the apartment, up to the ceiling and walls. Huh. Everything in their apartment was covered in a fresh layer of snow.

"That package for me?" the black-haired man said, grinning stupidly.

"Yeah uh… just sign here," Jerry said, offering him his clipboard.

"Sweet, this is probably my headphones, Sam!"

"Great, so you and Tucker can live online in that game? Why don't you just lease an apartment there?" She rolled her eyes and disappeared back down the hall.

Gangster-guy leaned forward and said to Jerry quietly, "She berates me about video games but you'd never guess she was a way more hardcore gamer that I am."

"Right." Jerry cleared his throat, trying not to stare at the icicles hanging down from their hallway ceiling. "Well, I hope you have a good day sir."

"You don't know the half of it," he said with a mysterious smile as he swung the door closed.

That's it, I'm moving out of this freaking city, Jerry thought as he drove his UPS truck away.