Hours slipped by. Nate watched tutorial clips on his phone, paused, rewound, tried again. He slid a thin magnet along the back, a trick someone swore would “wake up” a lazy release. The dial gave a reluctant sigh, then a delicate click that sent a shiver up his arms. He tugged the handle, it refused, he tugged again, and the seal loosened with a soft gasp like a held breath leaving the room.

He eased the door a hair and froze. A dry scent escaped, old paper and lavender that did not belong in a garage. He did not look inside yet, not even a peek. Instead he set his phone to record, just in case, because number 5 will surprise you and he did not even know what number 1 was. He counted to three, swung the door fully open, and felt his stomach drop at the sight of what waited in the dark.