Jason stared at his computer screen, his pulse quickening as he read the email. Kill your boss, or your family dies. The words seemed absurd, like some kind of sick joke, but his heart told him otherwise. His hands shook as he scrolled down to read the details—how he should lure his boss, Mr. Hendricks, to an isolated highway and make it look like a tragic car accident. "Do it tonight, or your wife and daughter will pay the price," the email warned.
His chest tightened. He could hear the distant murmur of Mr. Hendricks talking on the phone in his office, unaware of the danger Jason had just been plunged into. They had a standard boss-employee relationship—nothing deep, nothing hostile. But this... this was madness.
Jason's phone buzzed. A text from his wife: “Hey, everything okay? We’re waiting for you to come home.” His hands trembled as he typed a quick reply, trying to mask his fear. The thought of losing them—his family—was unbearable. Could it be a bluff? Or some twisted prank? But how could he risk it?
Hours dragged by. The email haunted him, gnawing at his mind with every glance at his boss's office. He considered telling someone, but the email had been clear: they were watching. They’d know. The thought of what could happen to his family if he didn’t act suffocated him. He had no choice.
Later that night, under the guise of a casual chat about work, Jason convinced Mr. Hendricks to drive with him out to an isolated area, claiming it was a shortcut home. His heart pounded with every turn of the wheel. Sweat dripped down his neck as the streetlights faded into darkness, the two men now alone on a desolate highway.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” Mr. Hendricks asked, his tone more curious than suspicious.
Jason didn’t respond. His mind was in a fog, lost between panic and the urge to protect his family. As they approached a curve, he saw his moment—this was it. With a surge of adrenaline, Jason swerved the car sharply, slamming it into a guardrail. The impact was brutal, sending both men lurching forward. Jason felt a sickening thud as Mr. Hendricks's head struck the dashboard. Silence followed. The boss lay motionless, blood trickling from his forehead.
Jason sat there, panting, his hands still gripping the steering wheel. It was done. He had actually done it.
He stumbled out of the car, gasping for air. His entire body shook with the weight of what he had just done. There was no going back. He had killed a man—his boss—because of that damned email.
Just then, headlights cut through the darkness. A familiar voice shouted from behind the approaching car, and Jason turned to see Ryan jogging toward him.
“Jason!” Ryan called out, breathless. "What the hell happened?"
Jason could barely speak, his throat dry as sandpaper. "I... I did what you said. The email. My family—" His voice broke, choking on his words. "They said they’d kill my family if I didn’t kill him."
Ryan stopped in his tracks, his face contorting in shock. "What are you talking about?"
"The email!" Jason snapped, desperate. "The one you sent! It told me to kill Mr. Hendricks!"
Ryan’s face went pale, his eyes widening in horror. He took a step back, covering his mouth. "Jason... Oh my God... That email wasn’t real."
Jason’s mind spun. "What do you mean it wasn’t real?"
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, his voice trembling. "It was a prank, man. A stupid prank me and my friend pulled on each other back in college. I didn’t think... Oh God, I didn’t think you’d take it seriously."
Jason staggered back, his breath catching in his throat. His ears rang, his world crumbling. "A prank?" he repeated, his voice barely audible. "You... sent me that email... as a joke?"
Ryan looked like he was about to collapse. "I swear I didn’t think... I just wanted to freak you out, man. I never thought you’d actually—"
Jason’s legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, staring blankly at the wreckage. A joke. A sick, twisted joke. His hands were soaked in blood, and for what? His boss was dead, his life shattered—all because of a stupid email that wasn’t even meant to be taken seriously.
The distant sound of sirens wailed in the background, growing closer. Jason barely registered it. He was numb, trapped in the horror of his own actions, knowing he could never undo what had been done. The consequences would come—police, prison, everything. His life was over, and it had all been for nothing.
As the flashing red and blue lights approached, Jason’s eyes remained fixed on Mr. Hendricks’s lifeless body. The joke had ended, but the nightmare had only just begun.
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