Cracking open the abandoned safe wasn't the worst part for 17-year-old Robin and her two friends. It's the curse that came after.

Chapter 1

The school bell rings, signaling the end of the day. I slam my textbook shut and quickly go to my locker to dump my books.

As I push open the front doors, I take a deep breath of fresh air. Some days, I feel like high school will never end. I start walking towards the parking lot, digging through my bag, trying to find my car keys.

"Hey!" Someone says to me. I jerk to a stop and look up.

"Geez, Tim, you scared me! Don't do that." I snap.

"Sorry." He looks down at the ground sheepishly. Even though we used to be good friends in grade school, we've drifted apart since entering high school.

"Well, I need to get home." I try to sidestep him, but he blocks my way.

"Wait." He throws his hands up to stop me. He acts nervous, which makes me anxious.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

I watch as Tim's eyes look past me at something else. I turn around and see Marcus approaching. He was my closest friend until he graduated three years ago and vanished on me.

"Marcus! What are you doing? Where have you been?" He meanders up to us. He looks like he's aged beyond his years, and I feel my smile drop when he doesn't smile back.

"It's good to see you, Robin," but his words sound hollow. I look back at Tim, who is beginning to look unsure of the situation.

"So, what's going on?" I try to sound casual.

"I need your help with something, and I think you will find the payoff worth your time." He struggles to make eye contact with me. This is not the Marcus I grew up with.

"And what's that?" I ask hesitantly.

"You'll have to see it." Then his eyes meet mine, and I see the sparkle that was there when we were kids, getting into trouble, but it was always worth it. This is the Marcus I know. I can't help but smile.

"Okay, where is it?" I ask. Marcus' smile gets bigger.

"Where's your car? You're driving."

—

Marcus has been fixated on looking out the window since we began our little trip. My anxiety has been climbing with every turn he tells me to take as he leads us further into the more dangerous parts of town.

"So when will you tell me where we're going?"

"We're almost there. I'll tell you when we get there." I let out a sigh.

"This is big," Marcus continues, "and it's better if you see it instead of me telling you." After a while, he directs me to one of the many abandoned houses in the neighborhood.

I get out of the car. "Is this it?"

"Yes and no. It's in the basement." I look at him with wide eyes and then at Tim.

Tim gives me a half smile, which does little to reassure me.

We head into the house, and it appears that no one has lived there for many years, maybe even decades. Marcus goes to a door and opens it, I follow him and Tim down the stairs to the basement.

"Okay, what am I supposed to see?" Suddenly I feel silly for letting Marcus talk me into being here. It's dark and hard to see. Marcus flips on a single hanging bulb, and an almost empty basement appears before me. "There's nothing here, Marcus."

"Over here." I follow him to the far wall of the basement. All I see are a few pieces of furniture covered with old dusty sheets.

"This is why we're here." Marcus pulls off one of the sheets, revealing a large antique safe. He looks at me and smiles. I cross my arms.

"And why do you need me here?" I question him.

"You're going to help us open it." He smiles at me.

Chapter 2

You have got to be kidding.” I turn and look at Tim, but he says nothing.

“I don’t know anything about cracking safes.” Marcus struts over, puts his arm around my shoulder, and turns me back towards the safe.

“That’s okay,” he begins, “Because you’re really smart. I know you can figure it out.”

Standing in front of it, the safe sits on the basement floor, nearly as tall as I am.

“Marcus... I don’t know anything about cracking open safes.” I repeat, but I can see he’s not listening to me.

“Look at this thing.” He kicks it with the toe of his shoe. “It’s ancient. It can’t be as hard to open as the modern safes we have today. Besides...” He turns and looks directly at me. “Imagine what could be inside.”

I catch a far-away look in his eyes. I assume he’s imagining the wealth he thinks could be inside and what it could mean.

I look at Tim; he just shrugs his shoulders and says, “It could be a game changer if there really were valuables inside.”

“He’s right! And whatever we find, we split three ways.”

I look at the safe again and notice scuff marks up and down the sides.

“I see you’ve already tried to open it.” Marcus turns away.

“We tried getting it open by brute force.” Tim chimes in.

“And why do you think I’ll do any better getting it open?”

Turning to face me again, Marcus says, “You were always the smartest kid in the class when it came to math and geometry. That must count for something at getting a relic like this open, right?”

I take a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed with the thought of trying to open it. The image of a stethoscope comes to mind, and then finding piles of cash begins to pique my interest.

Whoever lived here is long gone, so there couldn’t be any harm in taking what’s been left behind, right? If there was enough money, I wouldn’t have to bother going to college and racking up debt. I imagine myself never having to work for the rest of my life.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Marcus claps his hands together in excitement.

“But I’m not making any promises.”

“Great! When can you start?” Marcus rubs his hands together in excitement.

“Let me do some research and find out what it’s going to take.”

Chapter 3

Opening this safe is going to be complicated.

After some internet research, I’ve concluded that intelligence isn’t what will open it; it’s luck.

Even if I figure out how many numbers could be in the combination, there are endless possibilities for hitting on the right combination.

And that could take forever to find the right one. I dial Marcus’ number, and he picks up on the second ring.

“What’s the verdict?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to open it.”

“Giving up already on something that could be life-changing for us?” I don’t say anything, but he has a point.

“How about you walk me through it?”

I tell him about the tumblers and how the notches on the wheel inside the safe work.

I explain how to figure out how many numbers are in the combination and then how to use charts and graphs to estimate the number of possible sequences.

“Even with the correct numbers, the possible combinations could be in the thousands.” Marcus doesn’t say anything.

After a long pause, he speaks. “What do I need to do to convince you to at least try?”

“Do you not understand what I’m telling you?”

“No, I understand. But do you understand what the money would do for me?” I start to talk, but he interrupts. “And you would never have to work or want for anything. Both of us.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There is no harm in trying, right?”

“I guess not.”

“Please, just try, and if you can’t do it, at least we tried.”

I think about that for a minute.“Okay.”

“Great! How about we meet tomorrow after school?”

“Fine. Bring a stethoscope.”

Chapter 4

After a week of trying, I was ready to give up.

“We can't stop now!” I look up at Marcus from where I'm kneeling in front of the safe. “Yes, we can,” I grumble, feeling defeat.

“You already figured out how many numbers and which ones.”

“I think, I know which ones,” with a strong emphasis on 'think.'

“I don't understand. You have all those graphs. You have to be getting close.”

Scattered on the floor next to me are my graphs, with the numbers I assume could be the correct numbers in the combination.

“Marcus, if these numbers aren't right, then it's a complete waste of time.”

“Marcus, why don't you give it a try?” I look over at Tim. He's been here every day but has barely said a word until now.

“I don't understand any of this math stuff. Besides, Robin is doing a great job, and I believe she can do it.” I turn and stare at the combination lock as if I can will it open.

“Maybe we all need a break. You know, get some fresh air.” Tim calmly says.

Marcus walks over to Tim and drops his voice so low I can't hear them. Maybe I don't care what they say because I'm too tired to care.

I rub my eyes, trying to get awake, when I hear them. I turn and see Marcus and Tim arguing about something.

I pick up the stethoscope and place it on the safe door, listening for what feels like the hundredth time as I turn the dial. Did I just hear a click?

I grab the paper with the list of the most recent numbers. I rotate the dial and hear another click. I turn it in the opposite direction, yet another click.

My heart speeds up. I keep going down the list, and suddenly hear something drop loose inside the safe's door.

I sit back on my heels, reach for the handle, and pull. With a loud click, the door cracks open, and with it, a burst of air escapes.

I feel a strange sensation come over me. I take in a massive gulp of air, now realizing I have been holding my breath. Marcus looks past me, his wide eyes fixed on the safe.

“You did it! I knew you could do it! Let me see.” Marcus pushes me out of the way and jerks the door wide open. What appears to be thousands of small, wadded-up pieces of paper spill out on the basement floor.

Reaching down, I pick one up and unfold it.

“A lottery ticket?”

Marcus takes a handful and examines them. Tim finally speaks, “You think there could be winners in there?”

I pick up some more, sifting through them and noticing the dates. “This one's from twenty years ago,” I say in awe, and Marcus grabs it out of my hand.

“That doesn't make any sense.” In his disappointment or excitement, Marcus starts rooting through the remaining tickets in the safe, scattering them out over the floor. “There has to be something else in here.”

He keeps digging until all the lottery tickets are out, and the pile around our feet almost reaches our knees. Then Marcus stops, and we all three peek inside the now-empty safe.

“That's it?!” Marcus asks in bewilderment. Then his eyes fall on the pile. “There has to be a winner in there somewhere. Why else would someone hide them in a safe?” I look at Tim, who has a grim look on his face.

Marcus takes notice of him. “Don't just stand there. Help me.”

We sit down next to the pile and start sorting through the tickets. I quickly notice that the tickets are from all over the country, from different states.

“How do we know if any are winners?” Tim asks.

“There are thousands of tickets here, if not more,” I say, but Marcus isn't listening. He continues rooting through the tickets.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“One that's recent.”

“This doesn't make any sense, and surely, if someone won, they would have claimed the money instead of hiding it in a safe.” With this, Marcus stops what he's doing, his eyes still on the pile before him.

He stands, and I can see the disappointment on his face. With one last look at the safe, he turns and leaves without saying another word. I look at Tim's sad face, and then we both get up and follow after Marcus.

When we get outside, Marcus begins walking away. Tim catches up and puts a hand on his shoulder, but he angrily shrugs it off.

“Marcus, I'm sorry,” I start to say, but Marcus whips around and faces me.

“Don't say you're sorry.” Running his hands through his hair, he continues. “You don't get it, Robin. You're smart; you have a ticket out of this town. I'm stuck in a dead-end job, treated like crap, and paid peanuts.” I've never seen him this angry before.

“Marcus, it's going to be fine.”

“No, you don't get to say everything is going to be fine.” He starts pacing back and forth. “When I found that safe, I thought, this is it! I've got a ride to freedom.” He stops. “But now it's gone.” He kicks the tire of my car.

“Hey, enough.”

“Let's get out of here before we get mugged,” says Tim, and adds, “even though we don't have anything to steal.”

Neither Marcus nor Tim say anything on the ride back. Tim tries to give me a reassuring smile, but I'm feeling anything but reassured.

I see something in his eyes, and it is only now that I realize Tim is probably feeling the same way as Marcus.

Chapter 5

I have trouble sleeping that night. I keep tossing and turning, replaying what happened, and still seeing the defeated look on Marcus’ and Tim’s faces.

I know where Marcus was coming from. He knew I had secured a scholarship to college, not prestigious, but good enough to get me out of this dead-end town.

Finally, when sleep comes, it’s not restful. I dream I’m back at the abandoned house. I go to the safe, pull open the door, and see it’s empty.

It’s difficult to see, so I take a closer look. I see something in the back, something written on the inside wall, but I can’t make it out. I lean forward when an icy fear grips me. Something is wrong.

A loud ringing noise breaks the spell. I jack-knife into a sitting position. It’s my alarm going off.

I reach to turn it off and see my hand is shaking. Was there something more in the safe? I have to go back and check it out.

Chapter 6

I’m back at the abandoned house. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and tell myself that it’s just a creepy house, nothing more.

I make my way to the basement. The safe is exactly how we left it, piles of lottery tickets littering the floor, the safe door still hanging open.

I push the door further open and take a look inside. I use the flashlight on my phone to be sure I don’t miss anything. Nothing, the safe is empty, nothing written on the inside.

I sit down, feeling defeated. At some point, I have become invested in this safe like Marcus has. I look back at the lottery tickets, maybe Marcus was right, and there is a recent one. I pick up one dated two weeks ago.

“Yes!” I pull out my phone to see if the numbers are a winner; my heart is pounding as I navigate to the webpage. I stop breathing. I check the numbers again and again. It’s a winning ticket! I can’t believe Marcus was right.

But something on the website catches my eye. I scroll down.

“What?” Someone already claimed the prize. Well, then, there are two winners, right?

The update says only one winning ticket was drawn. But that can’t be. I’m holding a winning ticket in my hand. I get a pit in my stomach. Something’s not right. Is this a duplicate?

I pick up another ticket, this one from eight years ago. I check the winning numbers. I feel my heart stop again.

Another winning ticket and again only one winner, and the prize money has already been claimed. I look down at the pile.

This can’t be happening. I check ten more tickets across four different states from the past ten years. All winning jackpots have been claimed by only one winner.

This isn’t making any sense to me. Why would someone have a safe full of worthless, duplicated lottery tickets? And not just a few lottery tickets but thousands from all over the country over decades.

I stand up, needing to take some air. But before I can take a step away, the safe door slams shut. I spin around, facing it. No one is in the room with me.

Then a wind from nowhere blows all the lottery tickets up into the air, and they begin swirling around me. I try to run, but my feet are rooted to the ground. Then the tickets fall to the ground, and I realize I’m not at the house anymore.

I suddenly find myself in darkness.

Chapter 7

I find myself in near-total darkness. As my eyes adjust, I see a door in front of me. I rush to it, reaching for the handle. I find there isn’t one. I run my fingers all over, trying to find some way to open the door, but it’s sealed shut.

Stepping away, I feel my breath start to increase. “Don’t panic,” I try to tell myself. I turn around and see a large floor-to-ceiling window stretching across the back wall, showing a pitch-black night sky outside.

Glancing around, finding myself in a small ten-by-ten-foot room. An expensive desk sits in front of the window, along with an executive chair.

Where am I? How did I get here?

I feel my body starting to shake. Just when I feel like I’m about to pass out, the chair in front of me swivels around, revealing a man sitting in it. I let out a squeak of fear and jump back. His hands are folded in front of him, watching me.

“I see you found the safe, how unfortunate for you.” The man says.

I stare at him dumbfounded.

“Where am I?” I hear my voice quiver. My eyes dart around the bare room, and then I remember the door. “I want to leave. Open the door.”

“Robin, there is no door.”

I turn around, and the door has disappeared. When I look back, the man is still sitting calmly in his chair, staring at me. I take a few steps closer to him.

“You only get to leave when the next person finds and opens the safe.” He tells me.

“I don’t understand, what are you saying?”

“You. Opened. The. Safe,” He enunciates every word clearly. “Which brought you here,” he gestures around the room.

“And where is here?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I like to call it the dark room, but call it whatever you want.”

“How do I leave?”

The man abruptly stands up and says, “I already told you, when the next person opens the safe.”

Dumbfounded, I ask, “And when will that be?”

He shrugs again, “Who knows.” He stands, placing his hands behind his back, walks over to the window, and gazes out into the night. “Where did you find it?”

My mind is still swimming, “Find what?”

“The safe, where did you find the safe?” He asks again, irritated.

“It was in an old abandoned house.”

The corner of his lip twitches, “How appropriate,” and adds absentmindedly, “An easy find.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand what’s happening to me, let alone this conversation.”

He snaps his attention back to me, and his lips curl into a cruel smile. “But you already figured everything out, and you’re so clever,” he says sarcastically.

He then walks around the desk to stand directly in front of me. I notice he looks slightly different than he did a moment ago, but I can’t put my finger on why.

“You concluded that the safe was full of winning lottery tickets. Yes, they were all duplicates of winning tickets, but you still questioned why someone would fill a safe full of useless lottery tickets.”

“You’re still not making any sense to me!”

He lets out a sigh and says, “Those were the winning numbers I chose. Greed makes people do terrible things. It infects the human mind and breaks it down faster than any cancer ever could.”

He looks away as if thinking. “Maybe I’ve been here longer than I realize. What year is it?”

“2024,” I respond.

He looks down at his hands, smiling. “Time is running out.” He looks back at me. “And you’re going to take my place and decide who wins the lotteries, just as I have been doing.”

“You’re telling me I’m here simply because I opened a safe? Why didn’t I come here the first time I opened it?”

His lips twitch into a smile, “Well, we can’t have witnesses now, can we?”

Now I have the urge to scream.

“What if I refuse to play along?”

“Oh, you have no choice. You will stay, and you will decide the lottery winners. Boredom will set in and force you to. You’re the one who opened the safe, so this burden passes on to you. The safe will move to another location, unknown to you, and you will serve in this position until the next person finds it and opens it.”

“And how long will that be?” I ask.

He shrugs and adds, “The real kicker is…,” as he moves back to the other side of the desk, “you will stop aging until the safe is found again.”

“Then I can go home?” I ask, sensing myself teetering on the edge of hysteria.

“Yes, however, your lost time will not be returned to you when your service is completed.”

When he turns around, I realize the change in his face — wrinkles that weren’t there before. He sits down awkwardly in the chair, I can hear his old bones creaking as he moves.

“You just better hope someone finds it sooner rather than later, or you won’t have much time left to live out the remainder of your life.”

He chuckles in a raspy voice, and suddenly, I see his skin begin to turn gray, his cheeks start sinking in, and his hair turns white and begins falling out.

“Enjoy playing God,” and with that, his body begins to deteriorate into a pile of skeletal bones, turning into a pile of dust, and disappears.

Then I let out the shrill scream I had been holding in and crumbled to the floor.

Chapter 8

When I finally stop screaming, I pull myself together and inspect every inch of the room. Within minutes, I find nothing–no bathroom, bedroom, or refrigerator–just a room with a desk, chair, and a huge window overlooking a city that I don’t recognize.

It’s dreamlike how high up the building I’m standing in is. The wall behind me still has no door, no way to escape. The only thing that greets me is the pitch-black night sky.

The mysterious man’s remains are gone, and there is no evidence that he was ever here. It is only then that I notice a computer sitting on the desk. I don’t remember it being there a few moments ago.

I take a peek at the monitor. It’s paired with a wireless keyboard and mouse. I swallow, take a deep breath, and slowly lower myself into the plush executive chair, facing the monitor.

A map of the United States with red dots scattered all over is on display. I zoom in on a state. A list of names appears on the side, along with a headshot of each person.

“I guess these are all the people who have bought a lottery ticket.” When I click on a name, a live video with the person in it pops up.

“What is this?” I see a man working at a desk in an office.

“Hey, can you hear me?” He doesn’t respond. This must be him in the present, real time. Under his name are numbers, lottery numbers, and the jackpot it belongs to. I look down at the desk, noticing a blank lottery ticket next to a pencil that hadn’t been there before.

Where did this come from? I pick it up. I get it; apparently, this is how I pick the winners. I write the numbers on the blank ticket that match those under the person’s name, lay the ticket on the desk, and watch it magically disappear.

I don’t wait to see if this guy wins because I suddenly snap. Rage begins to fill me, and I shove the monitor off the desk, but I don’t hear it hit the floor.

I break down and begin sobbing so hard that I start choking, trying to catch my breath. The complete silence in the room has an unearthly feel. I don’t think I’m connected to the real world but in some kind of limbo.

Am I in a nightmare of my own making or in someone else’s?

After what seems like an eternity, I finally begin to calm down and decide to get out of the chair and inspect the computer that I’m sure is lying in pieces on the floor.

To my surprise, the computer is nowhere to be seen. I look around, and when I look back at the desk the computer has suddenly reappeared on the desk in the same spot it was before.

I want to start screaming again, but this time in anger. Everything that is happening to me right now, I blame on Marcus.

It’s all his fault. I didn’t need to find a safe with money. I had a scholarship and was getting out of our dying town.

He’s the one who wanted what was in the safe. Yet here I am instead of him.

As the man said, “Greed makes people do terrible things.” Surely, with this power, there is a way I can get back at Marcus. The one thing Marcus would hate, other than not winning the lottery himself, would be seeing someone he knows win it.

I type in Marcus’ name, but it doesn’t come up on the list. Guess he hasn’t bought a lottery ticket.

I quickly search our town for anyone who has bought a lottery ticket. Then I see a name I wasn’t expecting: Tim’s.

I bring up his live video feed. It appears he’s working in a factory after school. If Tim won, would he share the money with Marcus? I study the prizes for the lottery, and an idea comes to me.

I pick up the blank ticket, and copy Tim’s numbers on it. I lay it back down on the desk, and just like that, it disappears. Now, all there is to do is wait.

Chapter 9

I wait. There is no clock on the computer or in the room. The only thing I can see are the live streams that I’m able to click on.

I get up, and begin pacing back and forth in the small room, occasionally glancing toward the window and the unchanging black sky.

Then, a sound from the computer catches my attention. I sit down. Tim is now home, looking at something on his phone. I figured out I can move the ‘camera’ angle by moving the mouse. I see he’s watching the live stream of the lottery drawing.

I hope this works.

“Tim put that phone down. You know the odds of winning are slim to none.” Oh no, Marcus is there. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? My palms begin to sweat; I quickly wipe them dry on my jeans. I may be regretting my decision.

I look over Tim’s shoulder as the numbers start coming up. After the first number, I notice Tim’s posture change. The next number appears, and he goes very still—the third number and then the fourth. His shoulders drop when the fifth number comes up. He sits back in his chair.

“Come on, Tim, figure it out,” I whisper.

Tim stands, putting his phone in his back pocket. I let out a breath. I see Marcus talking to someone whom I don’t recognize. My plan isn’t working. But suddenly, Tim sits back down, pulls his phone out, and goes to the lottery website. I see Tim sit straight up in his chair.

Tim didn’t win the jackpot, but he did win $200,000 for four winning numbers.

I wonder what he’s going to do now.

“Tim quit staring at that phone and get over here,” Marcus calls. Tim doesn’t move, and Marcus stomps over, “What’s...”

“I just won $200,000,” Tim says in a whisper. Marcus freezes. Then Tim looks up at him with a big smile on his face and shouts in jubilation, “I just won $200,000.”

He stands up and pushes past Marcus, hugging the girl behind him. Marcus stares after him in shocked disbelief.

“Congratulations, Tim!” says the girl, and Tim turns back to Marcus. “Hey man, what do you think? I can go to college.” This breaks Marcus out of his trance.

“That’s great.” But Marcus doesn’t sound sincere.

A smile comes over my face. My plan worked. The only thing I could think of to get back at Marcus was someone else getting what he so badly wanted.

I sit back in my chair. Although this doesn’t get me out of this bizarre dark room, seeing Tim win the lottery at least makes me feel a little better. I start to stand up but stop.

Marcus whips around to face Tim. “You know you could share that money.” I freeze, sitting back down. I guess the show isn’t over yet. I see Tim frowning.

“What are you talking about? College is expensive. Life is expensive; you know that. This money isn’t enough to retire on.” Marcus curls his hands into fists.

“After everything we’ve been through, you want to hoard money that wouldn’t just change your life but your best friend’s, too?” I hear the anger in Marcus’s voice, and I feel my anxiety rising.

Tim shrugs, “I won, you didn’t.” in a matter-of-fact voice. Marcus approaches Tim.

“Well, you can’t collect that money without the ticket. Where’s the ticket?” Marcus shoves his hands in Tim’s pockets. With a hefty shove from Tim, Marcus falls to the ground.

“Get a hold of yourself.” Tim turns his back on Marcus, and something changes in Marcus’s eyes. He quickly gets to his feet, pulls a small handgun out of his back pocket, and points it at Tim.

“I’ll take that ticket by force if I have to.” Before Tim can turn around, Marcus pulls the trigger and shoots five times. The girl screams. Tim slowly falls to the floor.

“What have you done, Marcus?” the girl cries. Marcus doesn’t look at her but goes straight to Tim’s body and starts rooting through his pockets.

He pulls out the lottery ticket and whispers something in his friend’s ear before bolting out the front door.

The girl is crying. She tries to push Tim onto his side but can’t; he’s too heavy. The screen starts to go fuzzy, and the last thing I see is the girl pulling out her phone to dial 911.

The screen goes black. It was only then that I realized tears were streaming down my face.

I try to bring the image back up, but I can’t. I guess I’m only allowed to see the outcomes of someone winning the lottery, and it breaks my heart to see Tim’s.

Chapter 10

I don’t know how much time has passed since Marcus shot Tim. I’ve been sitting in the office chair, hugging my knees and staring out at the night sky. All I wanted to do was punish Marcus for getting me into this mess and, instead, I got Tim killed. I also wondered who the girl was that had been with Marcus and Tim.

I have noticed that I feel no hunger. I don’t seem tired; no matter how much I try, I can’t sleep. There isn't even the urge to go to the bathroom. I guess time truly has stopped for me.

The only thing I wish now is to know if Marcus got away with the money and for killing Tim. Reason tells me that he got caught, but I may never know.

If I’m lucky enough to get out of here one day, that’s the first thing I’ll try to find out. I finally turn back to the computer; if I want any chance of surviving here, I have to press on.

At first, I pick random people across the country to win small amounts, $50 or $100, nothing more significant. I’m afraid to see the same thing that happened to Tim happen to someone else.

I eventually come back to my hometown when a thought occurs to me. Maybe I can figure out what happened to Marcus and Tim by getting a glimpse into the lives of others when they win the lottery.

As I go through the list of people in the town who bought lottery tickets, I start to recognize some of them. But strangely, few people are buying lottery tickets, and I wonder why.

Perhaps I could start something to help motivate people. I randomly pick people to win small amounts of money and watch their reactions, looking for any information that can help me.

At this time, I see the jackpots for many of the lotteries have been growing steadily, some of them the largest ever. I need a safe person to win the money, someone who won’t have any harm fall upon them.

I pick an elderly woman next to win a five-million-dollar jackpot. She checks her lottery ticket, realizes she has the winning numbers and begins crying. She stands up, clutching her chest, and falls over dead from a heart attack. Oh no, what have I done?

The video stays up; apparently, there is more to see. I watch what I assume to be her adult children, finding her and the lottery ticket.

They quickly realize it’s a winning number, and all four of them end up in court fighting over who gets the money. I feel bad about the lady but even more so for Tim, probably because Tim still had his whole life ahead of him.

Then the computer dings. I look around the screen to see if something has changed. Something new has appeared in the corner—a dot. I click on it, and a news article titled “Grown children fighting over lottery winnings won by their dead mother” pops up.

I read the article, which confirms everything I saw in the video. I guess I get to see how my choices influence lives and may even affect society—great, more pressure on me.

I give more and more winning lottery tickets to the people in my hometown, still hoping to glean some information about Marcus.

More local news articles pop up that have little interest for me until a national one appears. The headline reads, “Unusual amount of winning lottery tickets in a small town.” I read through the article.

Apparently, people are noticing a large increase number of lottery winners in my hometown.

Maybe now, more people will buy lottery tickets. And they do, but none of them can tell me what happened to Marcus. Then I notice that a police officer buys a lottery ticket. Now, this could lead to something.

As he wins the jackpot, I watch the video carefully. Then, a news article appears about him. It talks about his family and what he’s going to do with the money, and I finally get some helpful information.

The article comments on how ironic it is that he wins the lottery after apprehending Marcus twenty-five years earlier for shooting Tim over a winning lottery ticket. What? Twenty-five years ago?

I feel myself get lightheaded. I’ve been here that long. I’ve been so focused on my lottery obsession that I wasn’t even aware of how society was changing, on the screen, right in front of me. Little things like technology, cars, and the changing clothing styles.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I go back reading the article. It talks about Marcus and how he was caught by this police officer after trying to flee the state. He was found guilty of Tim’s murder and has been in prison ever since.

There’s my answer. Marcus was apprehended for killing Tim. I don’t feel anything, probably because I think I knew all along he wouldn’t get away with it. Or maybe being in this limbo is changing me, numbing my feelings somehow.

I swivel my chair around to stare out the window. I don’t know how long I sit like this until boredom finally sets in. I guess that guy was right; boredom would force me to continue his work picking lottery winners.

I turn around and start randomly awarding people money, some small amounts, others large amounts. Videos start popping up showing how it affects their lives. Most start out as positive, happy people for their good fortune, but for some, it leads to disastrous outcomes.

Money is stolen, marriages are broken up, and friends are fighting. After learning Tim’s fate, I turn the videos off. But just like that, they pop right back up. After a while, I realize that no matter what I do, I’m forced to see the outcome of my choices.

I continue like this for an unmeasurable amount of time. Because of my boredom, and since this is my only entertainment, I begin making more radical choices.

After I have given out what I guess to be hundreds of winners, I begin leaning towards giving jackpots to people who I think will tend to have a more interesting outcome.

This goes on and on. Some people die, some don’t. Some kill each other, some don’t. Some spend all the money and end up right where they started; some give it to a charity. But it all ends the same way; money never makes a person any happier.

I occasionally take a break and stare out the window, and during one of these breaks, I feel an unfamiliar presence enter the room.

“Where am I?” I hear a voice behind me say. Turning my chair around, I see a middle-aged woman standing before me.

“I see you found the safe; how unfortunate for you,” I say, and then ask, “What year is it?”

And just like that, I’m back in my hometown.

Chapter 11

I shield my eyes from the bright sun with my hand. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust after going so long without seeing such a bright light.

Lowering my hand, I see how time has caught up with me.

I examine the liver spots and the wrinkles on my hands. Based on the current year the woman told me, 50 years have passed, and I’m now 67.

I am surprised at what little emotions I feel about my current situation. No anger. No regret. No fear. I guess deciding the fate of so many people will do that to a person.

I try to take a step, but my foot kicks something. I look down, and at my feet is a large duffel bag with an envelope on top.

I pick up the envelope, open it, and read the short sentence on a slip of paper. ‘Payment for your services.’ I crouch down, which is much more difficult than I thought it would be at 67.

I open the bag, and wads of cash greet my eyes. There are thick bundles of hundred-dollar bills inside. I try to lift the duffel bag, but it’s almost too heavy for me to pick up. There could be a million dollars here, if not more.

How strange to be presented with so much money. I guess in a way I did win the lottery. I had lost hope a long time ago that I would escape my prison, but now that I’m here with all this money, what am I going to do?

I have watched so many lives be ruined when given this kind of money, and I never once saw it bring happiness to people.

I have become a true believer that money absolutely cannot buy happiness.

I look around and see all kinds of strange new buildings and people carrying around electronics in their hands that I have no idea what they do.

What a strange world I have returned to. Even though I watched so much life on the computer, it didn’t prepare me for the world I’ve returned to.

Then something crosses my mind; maybe this money can do something for me after all. I feel myself smiling.

Perhaps I have learned something from watching so many people win the lottery. But first, I’ll have to find out if Marcus is still alive.

Chapter 12

I’m at the state prison, seated in a small visitor’s room, drumming my fingers on the metal table.

It’s been 24 hours since I’ve been freed from my one-room nightmare. Continuing to wait patiently, I study the wrinkles on my hands, still trying to get used to the changes of aging, when the door suddenly swings open.

I look up, and a correctional officer meets my gaze and gives me a nod. Behind him walks in Marcus. I’m not sure if I would have recognized him if I hadn’t known it was him.

Marcus doesn’t look at me, just shuffles in, wearing a prison uniform, waiting for the correctional officer to unlock his handcuffs and shackles.

He slowly walks over, sits in the chair opposite of me, and finally makes eye contact. I can tell he doesn’t recognize me.

“Hello, Marcus.”

“Hi.” He responds. I wait, continuing to drum my fingers on the table. My silence seems to make him uncomfortable.

“So, who are you, and why did you want to see me.”

“I guess you don’t recognize me after all these years.” He looks away, boredom etched across his face as I continue. “Yeah, I wouldn’t care about the little high school girl who opened a safe full of useless lottery tickets, either.”

His eyes snap back to mine and studies my face for a moment.

“Robin?” I slowly nod my head. His face changes, and he lets out a half-hearted laugh.

“Where have you been all these years? You disappeared after we opened that safe, and no one ever heard from you again.”

I stop drumming my fingers on the table and lean forward.

“We opened the safe? You mean I opened it.” He waves his hand in the air in an act of dismissal.

“You know what I mean. What happened to you? Where did you go? The whole town was looking for you.”

“Ah, yes, I got sucked into some kind of limbo hell after opening that safe.” He sits and stares for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“You have one crazy sense of humor.” He chuckles as he sits back and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I’m getting out of here next week, finally made parole,” nodding in approval to himself.

“So I hear.”

Still chuckling, he asks, “So what did you do in this limbo hell?”

“Decide who would win the lotteries.” His smile drops off.

“What?” He lets out a nervous chuckle. “That’s a strange thing to say.”

“After I opened the safe, I went back the next day. And to my surprise, I was transported to some kind of dark room where a man I had never met before explained how I would take his place, choosing who wins the lotteries.”

Marcus sits silently, studying me. So, I continue my story.

“It sounds crazy, saying it out loud, but that’s what happened. Punishment for your greed.” I tilt my head to the side. “Of course, the only way I was going to get out was when another person found and opened the safe to take my place.”

Marcus looks away, looking uncomfortable.

“I’m the reason Tim won lottery money.” I press on. “It was enough money to turn his life around but not enough to share; from where I was sitting, I knew that was the only way I could get back at you.” Marcus remains unmoving, not meeting my eyes.

“That isn’t even the funny part. When I did return to the ‘real’ world, I was rewarded with more money than I could ever dream of spending. More than you would have ever won in any lottery. And the only two things I could think about was how, because of you, my youth was taken away and that you killed Tim.”

“Why are you telling me all of this nonsense?” He fidgets in his chair, looking like he’s ready to end this conversation.

I ignore his question. “I have wondered what you whispered in Tim’s ear when he was bleeding out on the floor.” Marcus uncrosses his arm and leans forward in his chair, giving me a piercing gaze.

“How did you know about that?” He asks.

“Because I saw the whole thing.”

“But you weren’t there.” He says it almost as a question.

“Tell me, Marcus, what did you say to him? Don’t you want to tell someone after all these years?” Marcus looks away.

“I don’t remember.” He quietly says.

“You don’t remember? I find that hard to believe.” I scoff.

“It must not have been important enough to remember.” He shrugs, still not looking at me.

“You killed your best friend and don’t remember the last thing you said to him?”

“If we were that good of friends, he would have shared the money with me, and none of this would have happened.” He waves his hands around the room, indicating his present situation.

I lean back in the chair, slowly drumming my fingers on the table again.

“Don’t you want to know what I did with all that money I received?”

“I think I’ve had enough of your crazy talk.” He crosses his arms again, leans back in his chair, and takes a deep breath.

“Aren’t you just a little curious, Marcus?”

After a long pause, he finally says, “Sure, what did you do with it?” In an ‘I don’t care attitude.’

“After spending fifty years watching what other people did with their money, I knew I wanted to spend it on something that money couldn’t buy.” Marcus rolls his eyes.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sure it does,” I say cheerfully. “I was 17 years old yesterday, and today I’m 67, and what do you think I am going to do now?” I ask sarcastically.

Marcus just stares at me, waiting to hear what I say next.

“I used that money to bribe the security guard to smuggle something into the prison for me.” I reach underneath the table and pull out a handgun that had been taped to the underside of the table.

As I pull the gun out, Marcus’ eyes widen, but then visibly relaxes. “You may be crazy, but you’re not a killer.” I laugh at this.

“If only you knew the people that died because of the choices I made.”

I pull the trigger, hitting him square in the chest. He grabs his chest as he slowly leans forward on the table. “Oh, Marcus, if only you hadn’t been so greedy, this wouldn’t be happening right now.” He manages to look up at me as I pull the trigger again. This shot ended his life.

I put the gun down on the table. The door swings open, and a guard comes rushing in when he hears the gunfire. He first looks at me and then at Marcus’ dead body.

“What?” He stammers.

I motion toward Marcus and say, “He wasn’t quite ready for his parole.”

I lean back in the chair and smile. “As for me, I think my stay in this prison will be much more pleasant than the one I was recently released from.”

Chapter 13

I’m lying on a cot in my jail cell, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the look on Marcus’ face when I shot him. He didn’t look afraid or angry, more like betrayed.

I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to block out the image.

I thought getting revenge would give me peace of mind and justice for Tim, but instead, I’m feeling a deep sense of sadness and regret.

I hear a voice say, “Did killing Marcus reap the rewards you were hoping for?” I jerk to a sitting position. On the other side of my small cell is a woman sitting in a chair that wasn’t there before.

I look at the door; there’s no way she could’ve gotten in without me hearing her.

“How?” I stammer. I study her. She sits with her legs crossed, her hands clasped together, resting on one knee. Despite the fact that she magically appeared in my cell, there is something very unnerving about her.

She doesn’t say anything, but sits there watching me. I swing my legs over the edge of the cot and sit facing her.

“How did you get in here?” I incredulously ask. She doesn’t answer; instead, looks away for a moment.

It’s when she turns her head back towards me that something seems familiar about her. Had I seen her before? But where? Did I know her from school? Or could she be someone I had awarded money to?

That’s when it hits me.

“You.” I point at her. “You were in the room when Marcus shot Tim. You were the one who called 911.”

Smiling, her eyes meet mine. “Very good. I’m impressed.”

“But you look the same. You haven’t aged.” I say. She continues watching me with the same frozen smile on her face. I begin to feel fear like I’ve never felt before. “Who are you?” I ask in a whisper.

“Your story has been, by far, the most interesting. You never do what I expect.” She replies, ignoring my question.

“What are you talking about?”

She tilts her head, “Come on, Robin, you’re clever. You can figure it out.” Her words send chills down my spine.

In so many words, it’s similar to how the man spoke to me when I first appeared in the dark room. I look around the room. There’s no indication of how she got into my cell undetected.

I look back at her.

“Are you the one that put me in that room?” I ask, assuming she knows what I’m referring to.

“Don’t ask questions for answers you already know.”

Now I’m angry. I stand up, look her square in the face, and challenge her. “What do you want? Are you here to torture me some more? Why don’t you be straight with me?” My hands curl into fists, the joints aching from arthritis, reminding me of my age. I fight back tears, refusing to cry. She looks up at me.

“You never answered my first question,” she says; I try to remember what’s been said. She asks again, “Did killing Marcus reap the rewards you were hoping for?”

I see myself playing with Marcus when we were children. My despair as I watched him shoot Tim and the shock of seeing myself shoot Marcus.

I feel a deep emotional pain explode in my chest and begin sobbing. I have to sit down for fear of losing all control and falling to the floor: So much pain, so much grief, and so much regret.

The terrible things that I have done isn’t me. I’m not this person. But I shot and killed one of my best friends just because he convinced me to open a safe, not knowing the consequences.

Finally, my tears slow to a stop, leaving me completely spent. The woman shows no reaction to my crying outburst, remaining still for a length of time before speaking.

“Humans always say that if they could do it over again, they would choose differently, but I have never believed that. At least until now.”

I wipe my eyes, waiting for her to continue. “So I will offer you what I have never offered anyone else before.”

I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. What more can I endure?

“The chance to go back and choose differently.” She says.

“You can send me back in time?” I ask.

She smiles. “If you want.”

“Yes, please.” My voice is now barely above a whisper.

“But with one catch. Opening the safe this time may not result in the same outcome.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. She shrugs her shoulder.

“Maybe it will have the same contents as before, or maybe something will be different.” As she tells me this, she looks like she’s trying not to smile like a cat playing with a mouse.

“You mean… like money?” She shrugs again and looks away.

“Maybe, or maybe not. Do you want a second chance?” She asks.

I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”

In the next instant, I’m back in the old house’s basement, standing in front of the antique safe again.

Chapter 14

“So what do you say, Robin? Are you going to help us out or not?” Marcus is standing next to me, young and unharmed. I look down at my hands, youthful again. I look back at Marcus’ smiling face. My eyes fill with tears; I throw my arms around him, giving him a big hug.

“Whoa, what’s gotten into you? Are you okay?” I hear genuine concern in his voice. I wish things could go back to when we were kids, a time when we weren’t worried about how much money we had or what our futures held.

“Please don’t open the safe.” I plead. Maybe the curse has been lifted, or maybe not; I don’t want to take a chance.

“What are you talking about?” He pulls away from me. I stare into his eyes, trying to see the innocent boy from my childhood, but instead, I see a young man who’s turned bitter.

“Please don’t open the safe,” I repeat.

“Why not? Do you know what’s in it?” I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. I know he won’t believe my crazy story. I wouldn’t believe it myself if someone told me this safe was cursed.

I see him becoming exasperated with me.

“So, are you going to help or not?” I shake my head no.

“I’m disappointed in you, Robin. I thought we were better friends and you would help me. I mean, just imagine what could be in this safe. It could be life-changing for both of us. What’s the problem? Why won’t you help?”

“Just trust me on this? You don’t want to open that safe.” But Marcus waves me off.

“I don’t get you. You’ve changed, and I can’t say for the better.” I lower my head. I feel the frustration rising up in me.

“Funny, I could say the same thing about you,” regretting the words as soon as I say them.

“You know, just get out of here. We don’t need your help.” I look over at Tim, who appears shaken by our confrontation.

“Greed makes people do terrible things. Are you prepared to do terrible things, Marcus?” I ask.

He lifts his chin in defiance. “Yes.”

“Then open the safe and enjoy playing God.” I sneer at him. I turn on my heels and start walking away.

“You’ll regret this, Robin.” He yells as I disappear up the stairs.

“No, you’re the one that’s going to regret this,” I say under my breath.

Chapter 15

After our confrontation, I spend every day trying to call Marcus. He picked up the first few times, but then blocked my number.

All I could think about was trying to convince him not to open the safe. I even went to his house, but finally gave up when he wouldn’t come to the door.

Convincing Tim was just as hard. He would just smile and shrug his shoulders. But after a few weeks, he even gave up helping Marcus and got a part-time job after school, working at the factory.

But I wouldn’t give up trying to figure out how to stop Marcus. I could hide it somewhere, but realistically, I knew the safe was too big and heavy to move.

Maybe I could damage the lock somehow, but I knew that wasn’t plausible due to the thick steel plate protecting it.

Before I knew it, three weeks had passed when I see Tim at school. He rushes up to me, “Did you hear about Marcus?” He asks. I freeze.

“What happened to him?”

“He’s gone, disappeared. The police are looking everywhere, but there’s no sign of him. It’s like he vanished into thin air.” The worry is evident on Tim’s face. I instantly feel sick to my stomach.

“Hey, are you okay?” I nod my head yes. I don’t hear anything else he says.

“I have to go.” I skip the rest of my classes and drive straight to the old house. I run down the stairs and come to a dead stop. The safe is gone.

“Oh, Marcus, what have you done?” I should have done more to stop him.

I had been afraid the safe was still cursed, but I also thought the mystery woman wouldn’t be that cruel. Guess I was wrong.

Chapter 16

20 years later

After waiting more than ten minutes, I’m finally seated at a table in my favorite café. I don’t need to look at the menu; I always get the same thing.

I give the server my order, then take out my tablet. Whenever I can’t stand being alone at home working, I come here.

I start sorting through emails and work orders. It seems like no matter how hard I work, I can’t get ahead. I should have been promoted by now, but the ideas I come up with are never the ones my boss picks for new projects. If I don’t start making more money, I may have to give up my apartment.

I look out the window and see the rain has started to fall—a perfect fit for my mood.

“Hello, Robin.” I turn and see a man sitting down at my table. At first, all I can do is stare at him.

“Here is your coffee,” the server says, sitting the cup down in front of me.

After recovering from the shock of seeing Marcus, I ask him, “Would you like anything?” He shakes his head no and the server walks away.

“There hasn’t been a day go by that I haven’t thought about you. I gave up hope of ever seeing you again.”

Marcus doesn’t respond but turns to look out the window.

“I have just one question for you,” he says, still not looking at me. “How did you know?” I know exactly what he’s referring to, and I won’t pretend otherwise.

He turns to stare directly at me, I say, “Because I opened it first.” Flexing his fingers, he places his hands flat on the table.

“You opened it before me and knew what would happen?” I hear the anger in his voice. I wonder if he blamed me for being trapped there, like I blamed him.

As incredulously as it sounds, I tell him my entire experience, how I killed him to get revenge for him killing Tim and the mysterious woman who gave me a second chance.

“I tried to stop you, Marcus, but nothing I said or did could convince you otherwise.”

“Well, you didn’t try hard enough.” There it is, that same snippy attitude from our last conversation.

“Look, I’m not responsible for your actions. I didn’t make you open that safe. No one did. And it sounds like you haven’t learned anything from being trapped in the dark room.” We glare at each other for several seconds before I finally ask, “What happened to you?”

He solemnly says, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” I say back.

“I wanted to do something with my life. I didn’t have money to go to college and felt trapped in a dead-end job that didn’t pay much.” He looks away. “What year is it?”

“2044,” I say.

“Geez, I was in there for 20 years.”

“You should count yourself lucky I was there for 50,” his eyes meet mine.

“You were trapped for 50 years?!” His reaction makes me chuckle.

“You sound almost impressed.” Marcus cracks a smile.

“Yeah, I guess I am; I don’t think I could have lasted 50 years.”

I wave my hands nonchalantly, “20 years, 50 years, it all feels the same.” But his smile falls away, and he’s back staring out the window. Only this time, his eyes look far away.

“The things I did,” Marcus whispers almost to himself.

“I did terrible things, too.” He looks back at me and I see regret in his eyes.

“No, Robin, I gave money to people I knew would do bad things with it.”

Nodding my head in agreement. “Yeah, me too.”

Wanting to change the subject, Marcus looks down at my tablet and asks, “What are you working on?”

I let out a sigh. “Just work that probably won’t go anywhere.” I look up at him, and he seems confused. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I thought that you went to college.”

“I did and found out the hard way that it doesn’t guarantee life is any easier afterward.”

Curious to know more about his experience, I ask,“So, how much money did you get?”

Marcus looks confused. “What money?”

“The money you got when you were freed from the dark room. The money in the duffle bag. I almost tripped over mine.”

Still looking confused, “I didn’t get any money,” he slowly says.

Before anything else can be said, a person pulls out a chair and sits down at our table. I can’t believe who it is.

“Hello, Robin.” It’s the woman who gave me a second chance, the same mysterious woman who, I assume, put Marcus and me in the dark room. She’s smiling, but there’s something sinister about it.

“Who’s this?” Marcus asks. Obviously annoyed, our conversation has been interrupted.

“I’m a friend of Robin.” She cheerfully says.

“No, you’re not. What are you? And why are you trapping people in that hellish limbo?” She ignores my outburst and directs her next statement to Marcus.

“You know, Marcus, you haven’t been nearly as entertaining to watch as Robin.” Her eyes flick back to me, winking.

He snaps, “What are you talking about? Is that why I didn’t get any money like her?” motioning towards me.

The woman lets out a long sigh. “I have to agree with Robin. I don’t think you’ve learned anything.” But Marcus isn’t listening; he’s fixated on one thing.

“Why didn’t I get any money?” Marcus growls at the woman.

“Because you have to make one more decision before I award it to you.” Holding my breath, I’m terrified of what else she could throw at us.

“You have the choice to either go back to the moment you opened the safe or remain in this time at your current age.”

Marcus and I look at each other.

“If you choose to go back in time, the safe will contain the money you want, but if you take the money, Robin will be sent to the dark room to resume picking lottery winners indefinitely.”

I search Marcus’ eyes for some indication of what he’s thinking—my mind is racing; there has to be a way out of this.

“What will happen to Robin if I stay in this time?” Marcus asks. The woman looks at me with boredom on her face.

“She will also remain here. Nothing will change except you won’t have your money.” Money is all Marcus has ever wanted since this whole thing started.

“Marcus, please don’t do this,” I plead with him, but he’s still not looking at me. He appears to be mulling over the deal he’s just been presented with. He finally looks my way and then down at my tablet. I look down to see that an email from my boss has popped up.

“Robin, what did you go to college for?”

“Business, why?” What is he thinking?

He nods his head, indicating he’s made a decision. “Send us both back,” he states.

“And why would I do that?” The strange woman asks.

“Give me a chance to surprise you. I have a deal of my own to present to Robin. You can take her if she doesn’t accept my deal.”

With panic in my voice, I ask, “Marcus, do you have any idea what you’re asking?” The woman takes but a moment to consider what Marcus has proposed.

“Okay, but if it’s not interesting enough, you both go back to picking lottery winners. So are you absolutely sure, Marcus?” Marcus meets my eyes and nods.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Wait! Don’t,” I try to get out more, but just like that, we’re standing in front of the antique safe again.

Chapter 17

I look over at Marcus. His eyes are fixed on the safe. I continue to watch him, but he doesn’t look my way. Several seconds pass before he speaks.

“You said I didn’t learn anything while being stuck in the dark room.” I begin to panic. This is it. Marcus will finally get what he wants and is willing to sacrifice me to get it.

“Marcus, can I just say…” But his look stops me in mid-sentence.

“You told me that I killed Tim to get his lottery ticket. Did I really do that?” I nod ‘yes.’ “And when you left the dark room, you went to the prison and killed me.”

“Yes,” I say in barely a whisper.

“Robin…” I can’t look at him. He finally says, “We can do better.”

“What?”

“We can do better,” He repeats. “Robin, have you ever played the stock market?”

“No, but what does that have to do with right now?” He turns to look at me and slowly smiles.

“What? What are you thinking?”

“You were a business major, and you know every company that will fail and succeed for the next twenty years.”

“Just like winning the lottery,” I say.

“Just like winning the lottery,” he says back. My eyes fall on the safe.

“But what if we become corrupt with all that money, like the people we gave the lottery winnings to?”

“We won’t because we know what it’s like on the other side, and we have each other to keep each other in line.” He sounds so sincere. “Let’s make the world a better place in whatever way we can,” And there it is, the sparkle in his eyes, just like when we were kids.

I smile.“I have to say, your deal is much better than what that conniving woman was offering,” at that, we both laugh. Marcus puts his arm around my shoulders, and we start walking towards the stairs.

“You do realize, though, that we have no money to start investing in the stock market.”

But Marcus waves me off. “We’ll figure that out,” then we trip over something, and both fall down.

“What happened?” I ask. I look, and at my feet is a duffel bag. I look at Marcus.

“That’s the same type of bag that had money in it when I escaped the dark room.” Marcus looks at me with surprise on his face. We both sit up and reach for the bag. I see a note on the bag and start to reach for it, about to pick it up, when Marcus stops me and says, “Stop! Don’t do it. Let’s just leave.”

Marcus is right; I should walk away. After everything that’s happened, the last thing we should do is trust that woman. She said if what Marcus had to offer wasn’t interesting enough to her, she would send us both back to the dark room.

I pull my hand back, and at the same time, a gust of wind flips the note over and lands on the floor, revealing the message.

“Something to get you started,” I read out loud. Before I can change my mind, I reach for the zipper and yank it open.

“Why did you do that? Are you crazy?” Marcus yells.

“Marcus, look!” The bag is filled with hundred-dollar bills. I pull a handful out and hold it in front of Marcus. He picks up the note, rereading it. Then, something catches his eye behind me. I follow his gaze. The door to the safe is wide open.

“This is getting too weird,” Marcus says.

We both stand and walk over to the safe. It’s empty.

“I don’t get it,” I say.

“Do you think it’s a trick?” Marcus asks. I look at the handful of cash in my hand and see the duffel bag still sitting on the floor.

“For some reason, I don’t think it’s a trick. Something is telling me we passed some sort of test.”

“Then let’s take the money and never come back,” Marcus brushes past me and grabs the bag. “Come on, let’s get out of here before anything else can happen.”

We start climbing the stairs.

“Hey, where have you guys been?” I look up, and there’s Tim standing at the top of the stairs. I look at Marcus, and he just shrugs, giving me a big grin.

“What are you talking about, man? Where have you been?” Marcus says, smiling. And with that, the three of us leave the basement, never to return.

Chapter 18

A woman appears in the familiar dark room. A man is standing, staring out the window into the never-ending night sky. He doesn’t turn around to look at the woman; he already knows who it is. He clasped his hands behind his back, shifting his weight.

“You’ve taken quite an interest in these two.” The man says.

The woman smiles. Robin described this woman as conniving, but standing in this room; she appears to be a completely different person.

“Maybe it’s because they remind me of us.” At that, the man turns around—the same man who appeared before Robin when she first entered the dark room.

“You just can’t give up on the human race, can you?” He asks.

The woman comes forward to stand next to him. Tilting her head, she says, “I’d like to think there are more people doing good than bad, and sometimes they just need a little nudge to see the greatness inside themselves.”

The man snorts in disagreement.

“You don’t agree?” She asks.

“I don’t know what to think. Maybe I’m not as optimistic as you are.”

She responds, “I find that hard to believe. You really don’t have to help me with my little endeavors, yet here you are.” At that, the man turns to look at the woman. She smiles. The man grunts and looks back out the window.

“Robin would be furious if she knew how you tricked her. Especially how you appeared to her in the darkroom as a middle-aged woman pretending to have found the safe.”

“I was surprised she didn’t recognize me. ” The woman replies. “She seemed so much more observant than that.”

“Oh, look at that; the sun is starting to come up.” The man comments.

“Maybe things are taking a turn for the better.” The woman says.

“We’ll see,” he replies.

“Yes, we’ll see,” she says, smiling.