The box

But then again, why not?

“But you don’t have any idea at all what youwant to find?”

“I guess not. I mean, it’s not so muchwhat we find as that we find something at all, you know?It’s like the way I wanted to solve the puzzles on the box. Itwasn’t what I expected to find, it was that I could findit.”

He stood there a moment, considering whathe’d just said. “For me, it’s not really where I’m going as how Iget there. Does that sound lame?”

Brandy smiled. “No. Not at all. I thinkmaybe you’ve just got your priorities straight.”

Albert shrugged. “I guess I’m not really allthat imaginative. I tend to look at the world logically.Mathematically, I guess.”

“I don’t know. I think it takes a goodamount of imagination to solve puzzles like you do.”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

They began to walk again.

After a moment Albert said, “I think I’dvalue knowledge more than treasure. I’d love to uncover asecret.”

Brandy smiled. “Like an eighty-year-oldgangster hideout?”

Albert laughed. “Yeah. Just like that.”

They continued forward and soon they weredistracted by a loud buzzing noise from somewhere ahead. Albertrecognized the sound at once. Flies. Lots of them. A tu

“Tell me we’re not going that way.”

Albert looked down at the map. “No. We gostraight.”

“Good.”

As they passed, Albert caught a brief,overwhelming whiff of decomposing flesh. Rat, he thought,pushing forward. Rats lived in places like these and they must diesomewhere. But once the tu

That’s stupid. And yet, there was nostupidity in being cautious. They still didn’t know who sent themthe box and key.

But it was too late now. If he turned backhe would have to voice his irrational thoughts and that would onlyserve to frighten Brandy.

But Brandy was already frightened. Thisplace was far creepier than she imagined it would be. She reachedinto her purse and pulled out her cell phone. “No signal,” she saidafter staring at the screen for a moment.

“Lot of concrete and rock between us and thetower, I’d imagine.”

“Yeah.” She put it back in her purse withoutturning it off. The idea that she could no longer phone for helpmade her uneasy.

Ahead of them, the tu

But it wasn’t quite that easy. Although thepassage they were now approaching was large enough to walkcomfortably in, even side-by-side if they wished—the first of itskind in a while—its floor lay beneath four inches of standingwater.

For a moment, the two of them stood insilence. They did not need to speak. They were both thinking thesame thoughts. The imagination held no end to the things that couldbe in that stagnant and trash-littered water, from human filth andgarbage juice to dead rats and live snakes.

Albert stepped up to the water’s edge andshined his flashlight into the darkness ahead.

“I’m…” Brandy’s voice failed her. There wereno words to describe the disgust she felt at the thought of whatshe knew Albert was thinking. “No. I’m not wading throughthat.”

“Maybe it’s just rainwater.”

“And maybe it’s not.”

The water was murky, but he could see thebottom. It was spotted with garbage, dead leaves and cigarettebutts and a shimmering, oily film covered the surface. There was nocurrent. He peered as far as his light would reach in bothdirections and then, satisfied that there were no bloodthirstycrocodiles waiting to snap off his legs, he stepped out into thewater.

“Oh, gross!”

There was an icy sting to the water, and asmell wafted up from beneath him, like an old damp cellar, but witha subtle yet unmistakable swampy stench. “It’s okay. It’s onlyrunoff from the street.”

Brandy made a sound that was more a growlthan a response.

“Come on. It’s not that bad.”

“I’m not getting my shoes in that.”

Albert felt a pang of impatience. Heunderstood that it was not an entirely pleasant idea, but he couldcertainly think of much worse situations than having to wadethrough dirty water. “So take them off.”

“No way!”

They stood there, staring at each other.Albert saw the cobwebs on her shirt and in her hair and felt hisimpatience drain away as quickly as it came. He was eager to reachthe destination on the map. His curiosity was driving him. Hehadn’t really been aware of what she must be feeling. He opened hismouth to apologize, but she didn’t give him the chance. With afrustrated groan, she stepped off into the water. Her face twistedinto an expression of pure disgust as it spilled over her heels andsoaked into her socks.

Albert stood there a moment, watching her.He suddenly felt very bad.

“Well come on!” she snapped when he didn’tmove, and he turned quickly to lead the way. He still wanted toapologize, but he sensed it would do no good.

They waded on, their flashlight beamsreflecting off the rippling surface of the water, making the moldyconcrete walls shimmer. The next turn was about twenty feet downthe tu

“That was horrible.”

“It was just drainage.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m sorry.”

Brandy shook her head. “Forget it.” In theend, it was her decision to follow him. It wasn’t his fault thatthe passage was flooded. “Are we almost there yet?”

“I think we are.” Assuming these next fewtu