I immediately turned on the light, and what I saw stopped me in my tracks. Not because a monster suddenly appeared before me, but because I realized what kind of room it was.

There were weapons hanging everywhere. Rifles, pistols, revolvers, knives, bows, crossbows, swords—everything you could imagine. Why did they have so many weapons? And why so many old-fashioned ones? I'd never seen so many. In many states in the US, it was common to own guns, but where I lived, it wasn't quite as legal—especially not to this extent.

A heavy lump formed in my throat as I realized how illegal all this was. Why did they need...