Brendan hurried through the empty streets pulling behind him a bright red wagon carrying the very box that has consumed his life. Frustrated in his inability to break the three locks, he intended to bring it to a locksmith, but before he could, his head was hit by a ball of ice. Dazed, Brendan stood on the sidewalk was more hail began to pour from the sky. Coming to his senses he opened the door to an abandoned shop dragging in his wagon. The dark clouds prevented light from reaching the store's windows. Brendan tried to light-switch but to no avail. "I guess I am going to have to wait out this storm," Brendan announced to the empty room. He sat with his back against the wall staring at his box and reminiscing about his encounter with Arizona Smith.
....
"What's in the box?" Arizona asked as she jumps down from a tree.
Completely caught off guard, Brendan could only foster up a "What?"
"Can I see it?" Arizona asked as she approached the red wagon. Before Brendan could say no, she places her hand on the padlock that gave the locksmith so much trouble. She claimed, "I haven't seen this metal in a long time."
"Can you help me break it?" Brendan pleaded, "I have been wanting to open it for a long time."
"Oh yes," Arizona declared, "This is the strongest metal known in the universe, but as soon as you pour hydrogen peroxide, it becomes like putty." She turned over the lock recognizing the veins etched on it, and her arms turned blue. "Oh no. Where did you get this box?" she questioned with panic seeping through her voice.
Brendan was curious about her arms but dropped it and explained, "I found it in my apartment when I moved in."
"This is bad. You need to get rid of this box. These markings on the back indicate something harmful," warned Arizona.
...
"Ha. What does she know? She is probably jealous," Brendan says to himself as he gets off the ground wiping the dust from the back of his pants. Deciding to spend his time a bit better, Brendan searched the store for some hydrogen peroxide. He opened a cabinet, but it was too dark to see inside. His hand danced around trying to feel anything resembling a bottle, but all it found was a serrated blade.
