The past - part 1

Candace went to the patient's room and found him lying down, peacefully sleeping. She met with Scott before entering and asked him to allow her in, to which he very reluctantly agreed. She watched the old man sleep for a few minutes. What happened to her to have such a hallucination? Could it be that she had a problem at her house, with fungi? But, she started having strange sensations inside work that night, so the fungus wouldn't be in her house, exactly. With these thoughts, she didn't notice when Joseph woke up, until he called out her name.

"Miss Adams?" He was lying still, just looking at her.

"Huh?" She looked around, waking up from her reverie. She stared at him. He motioned with his finger for her to approach him. She did so.

"I need your help." He said softly, looking around, still lying down.

"With what, Mr Staton? Want me to call Scott?" Joseph made a frump. He didn't like that nurse guy because he was too rough. And he knew the guy had bad intentions towards Candace. He just knew it.

"No. It's about…that." The last word was just a whisper.

"And what would 'that' be?" she questioned him. She knew he could only be referring to the two strange episodes the two of them had been through. Joseph was holding the sheets, clearly nervous.

"I have to tell you, before she stops me for good."

"What are you going to tell me, Mr Staton?" Candace was holding her breath now. Joseph closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before looking straight into her eyes, as if he had taken courage.

"I'll tell you about that night. That terrible endless night." He shuddered, as if remembering something very bad, that sent shivers down his spine. He released the sheet with one hand and patted his side on the bed. Candace didn't want to get that close, but she was very curious. Maybe he could clarify what was happening to her, after all.

*Start of FlashBack*

Joseph had taken a break from Harrison's Accounting, so he would spend Christmas with his son, Harry, who lived with his mother and stepfather in Rapid City. Leaving Madison, Wisconsin, it would take him at least eleven hours, so he'd better get out of his house soon, or he wouldn't make it to lunch the next day.

After putting his suitcase in the backseat of his Dodge Charger, Joseph checked if everything was all right with the car, got into the front seat, adjusted the mirrors, and started the engine, leaving his lonely house behind.

After approximately three and a half hours of travel, Joseph was exhausted. He worked all day, a shity day, full of problems. He got home and it was almost seven in the evening, just having time to shower, put on his clothes, pack his bags and hit the road. It was after eleven at night and he began to feel the heavy sights. On top of that, it was snowing heavily and the car, despite being new, was having a hard time. The snow tightened within minutes and he was forced to pull over to the side of the road.

The car's heater started to fail and he was more than freezing right there. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to get out of there, or that the car would be surrounded by snow and the door would jam for good. He rubbed the glass and spotted what he thought was a small house, more like a cabin, a few feet down the road. He was close to Albert Lea, he believed after that amount of time driving, but he wouldn't expect to get there. Not with the road covered in snow and the car showing signs of trouble. Gathering courage, Joseph pulled over, opened the car door and pushed it with some difficulty, due to the snow and wind. He got out of the vehicle, slammed the door, and ran as best as he could through all the snow until he reached the cabin.

The place had some trees, surrounding the little house. There seemed to be a few things hanging there, but he didn't think much of it, as his priority was something else: getting in there and getting warm. He knocked at the door a few times without any response. He started to get restless. He looked back and realized that his car wasn't even visible there anymore due to the white veil of snow. He knocked again and as the result was the same he decided he would go in and apologize to the owners later. The door was locked, but he decided to risk a trick that his father taught him: if there is a potted plant nearby, lift the plant and the key will be inside. Said and done. With shaking hands, he opened the door, which creaked with the movement, complaining for being opened at such a weather. He walked in and closed the door then, leaning against it, catching his breath.

After a few moments, he turned toward the interior of the house. It was all very dark, and he needed to find something to turn on a light and, of course, the fireplace. Groping, he reached the other wall, near the fireplace. He had a lighter that he always kept in his pocket, in case of emergencies, as he didn't even smoke. He thanked heavens for another teaching given by his father. That man was his hero, even after been gone for so many years.

As soon as he managed to light the fireplace which, by divine grace, had usable wood in the house, he looked around. He found a lantern with a candle inside and, once again, used the lighter. He was already hungry. In fact, he'd been hungry since he'd set foot in his own house, but in the rush and believing he'd stop by the bakery before heading down the highway, he hadn't eaten anything when he got home from work. Unfortunately for him, the bakery was closed, as was the convenience store at the gas station he'd passed through.

Joseph looked down at his belly, already a little larger than he cared to admit. After getting this job as an accountant, he ended up neglecting the gym and his own body, gaining a good few pounds. He sighed and went to the 'kitchen', which was actually just a few steps away from where he was. The cabin, in fact, was not well divided. It was just a single space, with things scattered around, determining the rooms.

He rummaged through the cupboard, but all he found were expired cans and a few opened, destroyed boxes. Rats, most likely. The place was clearly abandoned, so no food. He took a long breath and went to 'explore' the place. The floor was more than dusty and now with a thin layer of snow that had probably gotten in when he opened the door during his entrance. Near the kitchen table, the cupboard he'd rummaged through was under the sink. The sink was tiny and barely had space to put some dishes and pans. It was obvious that this place was built by someone with very few resources.

In the corner of the wall, in the kitchen, some glass bottles. Perhaps they were once filled with water, but now, they were empty and dusty. In the living room, in addition to the fireplace, which was nothing more than a poorly made but safe hole, there was a small wooden armchair and some old cloths on top of it. No sofa. He walked to the corners of the house. One of them was empty and the other must have been the bedroom, as a thin torn mattress was crumpled on the floor, with some torn cloths. The house smelled faintly of mold.

The last item was a small closet. Maybe where the clothes were kept. He went over and opened it, but it was empty except for a wooden box on the bottom shelf.