Jenny wasn't sure when she first felt sick, but she knew that it struck quickly and with the force of a moving train. She had been working at home when an overwhelming sense of nausea brought her to her knees. A series of brilliant light flashes filled her head, and she had no chance to maintain her balance. Jenny fell to the floor and shivered uncontrollably for what seemed like an eternity. The fog eventually cleared, and she was able to pull herself up into a chair. "What the hell was that?" She took a tissue from the table and dried her eyes. Mascara was running down her face and smeared across the tissue as she worked to compose herself. As a 35-year-old, healthy working woman, she'd never had anything like that happen to her before. She took a few deep breaths as her equilibrium slowly returned.
It was just after her vision fully returned that she noticed the strange envelope sitting on the table. It was tucked in with the rest of the day's mail collection. Generally, it looked like any other envelope, but something in her gut gave her chills when she noticed it. She reached out and opened the nondescript envelope. The letter inside was pointed:
DEAR JENNY, HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY? BY THE TIME THAT YOU READ THIS LETTER, I'M SURE YOU MIGHT BE FEELING A LITTLE UNEASY. PERHAPS YOU'RE FEELING NAUSEAUS AND DISORIENTED. YOUR VISION GOES IN AND OUT; YOU FIND YOURSELF SHIVERING AND CONVULSING UNCONTROLLABLY?
Jenny shuddered. What was going on? The letter was terrifyingly accurate in its description of her recent attack. She'd been poisoned and some maniac was getting a thrill out of torturing her! She needed to call the police and have the letter checked for fingerprints! They would hunt down the maniac and arrest him, for sure!
AND JUST IN CASE YOU'RE PREPARED TO CALL THE POLICE, DON'T BOTHER. THERE ARE NO TRACE ELEMENTS ON THIS LETTER AND TRUST ME: YOUR LIFE IS IN MORTAL DANGER IF YOU DO NOT ACT IMMEDIATELY!
Her heart skipped a beat. Mortal danger? The poison was fatal! Forget the police, she needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible! How long did she have to live? Minutes? Hours?
HOWEVER, YOUR LIFE CAN BE SAVED IF YOU FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS. YOU DO NOT HAVE LONG TO MAKE YOUR DECISION, SO LISTEN CAREFULLY. YOU WILL STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND COME TO MEET ME IN PERSON AT THE COOL BEAN COFFEE SHOP AT THE CORNER OF BROADWAY AND 22ND STREET. YOU WILL MEET ME AT NOON ON THE DAY YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER. THERE I WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH WHAT YOU NEED TO STOP THE PROGRESSION OF YOUR NEWFOUND SICKNESS. BEFORE YOU COME, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME RULES YOU MUST OBEY. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN MORE PAIN, SICKNESS, AND EVENTUALLY...THE END OF YOU.
1. YOU MUST COME ALONE. NO ONE MUST KNOW OF YOUR MEETING.
2. YOU MUST DRESS IN YOUR MOST ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS ATTIRE. SKIRT ABOVE YOUR KNEES WITH A LIGHT-COLORED TOP AND HIGH HEELS. YOU CAN WEAR UNDERWEAR, BUT DO NOT WEAR A BRA!
3. YOU WILL ORDER TWO CHOCOLATE MOCHA'S WITH A SHOT OF ESPRESSO AND SIT DOWN AT ONE OF THE OUTDOOR TABLES.
4. YOU WILL NOT DRINK THE COFFEE UNTIL I ARRIVE.
5. DO NOT LOOK FOR ME. I WILL MAKE MYSELF KNOWN.
6. SEE RULE #1. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.
Jenny was stunned. What kind of sick person would do this to her? As she read over the instructions again, she felt a tight knot forming in her stomach. She caught a faint glimpse of colors in her peripheral vision and could tell that her sickness was getting worse.
YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
What was she going to do? Some strangers had poisoned her and now what? He wanted to blackmail her. Telling her where to go and what to wear? And the threat to her life if she told anyone about this? Her husband needed to know what was going on. She looked over at the clock and noticed that it was already 10:30AM! She needed to get dressed and get to the coffee shop. But what was she thinking? Get dressed? For whom? This random person in a letter demanding that she put on her work clothes sans bra before their meeting.
In any other situation, she would have hesitated or outright refused, but the letter's description of her sickness was frighteningly accurate. If meeting this stranger was her only means of recovery, then there was little choice.
* * *
Despite her progressing sickness and the overwhelming anxiety, she was suffering, the warm Sun felt nice against Jenny's face as she sat patiently at the outdoor table at Cool Bean Coffee. She hated coffee, so this was certainly not the kind of place she would normally visit. In front of her, two paper cups filled with chocolate mocha awaited her company. She struggled with two more sickness attacks while waiting. She did her best to remain composed to not draw any attention to herself. Her biggest fear was letting this stranger think that she had told others about her sickness or the letter.
Then, suddenly, a man came from behind her and sat down at the table. He gave her a friendly smile and took a sip of coffee.
"Hello, Jenny." His voice was calm and friendly. Jenny was frightened by how non-threatening he was. "You're not looking well."
"Who are you?" She asked. "You poisoned me, didn't you!" She quietly snapped in between nursing a newly developed cough.
"I did no such thing." He calmly replied. "There is not a molecule of poison in your body." Jenny sat quietly staring at this strange man. He wasn't a large man or threatening in any way. He was of average build with longer hair and a short, graying beard. His smile was warm and inviting, despite its obviously sinister nature.
"Then what's wrong with me? Your letter..."
"...was very specific on your symptoms, yes." He completed her sentence. "Unfortunately for you, I have not poisoned you. So, calling the police or going to a hospital would do you no good. In fact, I am the only person in the world with the capability to rid you of your little...problem."
Jenny shivered and coughed again. "Please. I don't want to die. Please, help me. I don't understand what you want or why you're doing this to me."