Packaged

For Tory, working and living in Los Angeles is the okay of times and the not-so-great of times. Manageable. Tolerable. Acceptable. Barely.

That is until an unexpected package appears on her doorstep. Its arrival jolts her out of that comfort zone. Strangers, unpleasant and violent, come hunting for the Package. They make clear to Tory that not giving it to them will have consequences. As one of the interested parties remarks, “I would not undervalue safety. Like so many things in life, it is most desirable when it cannot be found.” The Package though is not all that it appears. Handing it over proves problematic. Then, what is already difficult morphs into being very near to impossible.

The sudden dangers threaten the familiar confines of Tory’s job in software development. She discovers at her office, allies, even friends, who were unknown. As she explores the city that becomes stranger and more perilous, she finds someone new, someone very different. An ally? Or perhaps someone with an agenda all his own. With a simple touch and a slight breath, he layers more mystery upon her.

As Tory struggles to reveal what the Package is and why so many people desire it, she finds friendship, love, dreams. If only she can survive, her life might just evolve beyond the barely bearable.

Packaged by Leslie R. Lee weaves elements of the surreal into every day Los Angeles.