re: Want to help create a /r/nosleep story?

Scott found an old rag and tied it around Daniel's hand, staunching the flow of blood. They stood up and looked around the cellar once more. "Should we go now?" Joel queried uncertainly. "Hell no!", Daniel replied. He grabbed the broken bottle of wine off the floor and threw it at the feasting cat in the corner, sending it scurrying into the darkness at the other end of the cellar once more with a hiss. "This is the best find we've ever had. I'm not gonna let a little cut and some stupid cat chase us away. We've got all weekend to check out this score." The other two shrugged and resumed, finishing off their wine before opening three new bottles.

They made their way to the corner where the cat and the rat had come from and looked around. Behind the toppled boxes was another door. It looked ancient, dark oak planks with a heavy latch and an old rusted lock, the sort that was opened with those classic style keys. "Now this is money." Daniel crowed, kicking boxes out of the way to clear the space. He walked back towards the stairs and returned with his crowbar in his bandaged hand. "Luckily I brought my skeleton key."

He jammed the beak of his crowbar into the wood behind the latch, digging it deep, then grunting laboriously as he hefted against the rusted metal, to no avail. He tried again, straining, but with as much luck. "Are you two gonna just stand there with your fingers up your asses or give me a hand here?" He shot accusing looks at his two friends, who looked dumbfounded for a moment before setting their bottles down and grabbing hold of the iron haft. "Okay, on three. One...two...three!" They lurched upwards in unison, putting all their weight into the effort, and after a few seconds of resisting the latch gave up the ghost and bolted free from the door frame with a crash, swinging limply, the tenacious lock still attached but as good as useless now. The three panted triumphantly at their accomplishment, then looked at each other, as if wondering what to do next.
"Well, go ahead and open it!" Daniel's command fell flat in the lantern light, echoing off the basement's stone walls.
"You open it." Joel said nervously, accompanied by a nod of agreement from Scott.
"Don't be such a pussy." Daniel's tone was menacing, but held an air of apprehension as well, "scared another kitty cat is gonna jump out and scare you?"
"Whatever. I'll do it." Scott brushed Daniel aside and grabbed the rusted handle, "since you don't have the balls."

He gave the door a tug and it swung heavily outward, making the group stumble back. A damp smell of rotten wood and mold and stale air filled their nostrils, making them purse their lips and wrinkle their noses unconsciously. They peered into the blackness together...an unsettling silence broken only by the sound of their breathing and the faint creaking of disused hinges. Scott grabbed the lantern as the other two brought their flashlights, shining them in tandem to ward off the permeating darkness of the room.

At first glance the room seemed empty, bare stone walls, great big blocks stacked in an uneven pattern, about twelve feet by twelve feet. Daniel shoved past Scott and stepped into the room, shining his light one way, then another, stepping a foot further into the dark. His friends followed slowly after.
Joel placed his hand behind him on the wall as he edged around the room, feeling the dampness of the smooth stones. He brought his light up to the ceiling in the middle of the room. Hanging in the center was a single light bulb on a cord, its pull string barely swaying with the movement of their intrusion into this seemingly forgotten hideaway. Scott warily trod towards the center and pulled on it, and all three gasped as the lone bulb responded, flickering once, twice, then staying on, chasing away the black with warm yellow light.

"Did anyone think to try the switches?" He asked the others.
"Did anyone think to try the switches?" Daniel mimicked his question in a mocking tone, then shook his head.
"I tried upstairs but nothing came on," Scott offered, "this must be on an older circuit that didn't get cut off."

The three looked down simultaneously, all spying the same object at once. It was a wooden box, roughly a foot wide, long, and deep, with a wooden top. No latch. No lock. "What the hell is inside it?", Daniel wondered out loud, asking the question that was at the forefront of all their minds.
"I'm not sure I want to know." Joel pointed a finger at the wall the door had been on, where they hadn't looked before. This wall was concrete, and much newer than the others. In the same ruddy brown paint had been written on the wall, in large, hand painted letters.

DON'T LOOK IN THE BOX.

The all mouthed the words silently, slowly. So ominous, almost taunting. For several interminable moments none of them spoke, only read the words there over and over and over. Daniel broke the eerie stillness. "Well we have to look in it now. There could be anything in there. Money. Jewelry. Gold even."
Joel shook his head from side to side in a furious arc. "No. No no no no no no no." He was adamant. " I don't care. I don't wanna know. Let's just go. I don't feel well."
Scott and Daniel looked at him, intrigued by his sudden fear. He wasn't always the most fearless among them, but they'd never known him to shy from such a tempting prospect.

"Dude, it's probably just something the owners left to scare off intruders." Daniel said. "Like us." Scott muttered solemnly.
Joel was resolute. "No, I don't want to know and I don't care. Seriously guys, what if it's a trap or something?" The fear was palpable in his voice, which was quavering at this point. "Let's go. I'm getting out of here."
He made to leave when Daniel's outstretched palm stopped him, shoving back against his chest. His heart was pounding at this point.
"You aren't going anywhere." The final word from Daniel's lips was pure intimidation, his lips forming into a sneer. "We came here together, and we'll leave together. And we aren't leaving until we get whatever is in the box."