Jack was a man of the road. For twenty years, his life had been a series of long journeys and late nights. His lorry was his home. He knew every motorway and service station in the country. This night, however, felt different.

The phone call had been strange. A voice, cold and without emotion, offered him a large sum of cash for a simple delivery. He had to pick up a single, large crate from an old warehouse and take it north. The instructions were very clear: “Do not open the crate. Do not stop. Drive straight to the drop-off point.” The money was too good to refuse.

He arrived at the empty warehouse at midnight. A small, silent man was waiting for him. He pointed to a large wooden crate. Jack used his forklift to load it onto his lorry. It was heavy, much heavier than it looked. He signed the papers and began his journey.

The first two hours passed normally. The road was quiet, just the hum of the engine and the sound of the wind. Then, he heard it. A soft, scraping noise from the back of the lorry. Jack turned up the radio and tried to ignore it. It was probably just the cargo moving.

A little later, he saw headlights in his mirror. They were following him. Jack drove faster, but the car stayed behind him. He felt a cold sense of fear. He had a bad feeling about this job. The scraping noise from the crate was now a clear banging sound. It was frantic, like something was trying to escape.

Jack knew he couldn’t continue. He had to find out what was inside the crate. He pulled off the motorway and drove down a small, dark country road. He parked the lorry and got out. The banging was very loud now. He looked at the heavy chains on the crate and quickly broke the lock. He pulled the wooden door open.

Inside the crate, he saw a young woman. Her hands were tied and there was a cloth over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror. She wasn’t cargo; she was a prisoner. Just then, he heard a car stop behind him. The men from the following car were here.

“What have you done?” one of them shouted.

Jack didn’t think. He helped the woman out of the crate and pulled her into the cab of his lorry. He started the engine and drove off the road, through an open field, and back onto a different road. He had to lose them. He drove fast, using all his knowledge of the local area. He turned off his lights and took a series of sharp turns down narrow lanes. The other car could not follow.

An hour later, he stopped outside a small police station. He and the woman, whose name was Lena, went inside and told the police everything. The police used Jack’s information to find the warehouse and the men.

Jack’s final delivery was not a piece of cargo, but a life. He learned that some things are more important than money, and he was glad he chose to do the right thing.

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Vocabulary Notes

Lorry
Definition: A large vehicle for carrying goods by road.
Example: “His lorry was his home.”
Similar words: truck, HGV (heavy goods vehicle).

Warehouse
Definition: A large building for storing goods before they are sold or sent to shops.
Example: “He had to pick up a single, large crate from an old warehouse and take it north.”
Similar words: storehouse, depot, storage facility.

Crate
Definition: A large, wooden box used for moving or storing things.
Example: “Inside the crate, he saw a young woman.”
Similar words: box, container, packing case.

Frantic
Definition: Feeling or showing a lot of worry and fear.
Example: “The banging was now a clear banging sound. It was frantic, like something was trying to escape.”
Similar words: desperate, panicked, agitated.

Conclusive
Definition: Proving that something is true, or ending a matter.
Example: “The detective found conclusive evidence of the suspect’s guilt at the crime scene”
Similar words: decisive, final, definitive.

Story written by Gemini AI.

Image created by ai magic x AI.

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