Trent awoke from his dream with a nasty coughing fit and felt warm and shaken up. He blankly stared at the door to the bedroom, recalling the dream. It felt so real, it felt far too real. Maybe I should go for a drive. Just to be safe. I can leave, just for an hour or two. He made up his mind to go check on his car and drive around for a little bit, to settle his racing thoughts. It wasn’t real, right? No, of course not, I’m going to be just fine. He grabbed his jacket from the foot of the bed and left for the car.

Upon opening the front door, Trent found the hood of his car was propped up, and as he approached, he immediately noticed that the battery was missing. No, no, no- this isn’t right, no, where would it have gone, who could have and why- no, oh my god I have to find it- In a panic, he spun around and looked in the snow desperately trying to find footprints, or his battery, or anything really- all for it to be in vain. There were no tracks, no battery, no signs or clues at all as to where it had gone.

This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. This has to be a bad dream. Just a bad dream. Trent’s anxiety began to weigh on him, manifesting as literal heaviness on his shoulders. This is just a nightmare. His body tensed and his breathing quickened as he desperately tried to hold himself from breaking down. He slammed the hood of the car shut as hard as he could and went back inside, locking the door behind him, and sat down on the couch, desperately trying to keep it together.

This is real, not a nightmare. I should call Sharon, but I can’t get service out here. The field, I know I can get service there, but…

What if it isn’t safe?

Maybe I could walk to another house or something on the road, but this place is so far away from other people… “10-mile radius of no people nor houses around,” Sharon told me. If I don’t collapse on the way there, what if no one’s home? What if I freeze to death on the way there? What if I get lost and never make it? Trent’s anxiousness manifested in his jaw, clenched so tight he could bite through steel. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts focused and rational.

I’ll be safer here. I have food, enough for two weeks if I have to ration it, and plenty of water. I have the fireplace if the power cuts. The building works as a shelter from wild animals and the weather. And then, Sharon, or someone, someone will come after a week. Charles might get worried. I gave him the address, right? I will be fine. This is fine. After choosing to stay, Trent went to the kitchen to make himself breakfast.

Once he finished eating his hastily made meal, he found his eyes drawn to the office again. Was it real? I’d only know if I checked in the office. But I could stay here, right? I can ignore this. Should I ignore this? Trent was conflicted, wondering if it was worth going back in there and tapping his hand on the dining table while he thought.

Maybe it’s not real. But how will I know for sure until I check?

No, I have to know the truth. Trent got up, trying to muster up the courage to follow through with this. He slowly approached the door, and then opened it harshly and was met with a wall of heat. Why the hell is it so much warmer in here than anywhere else? He pushed himself through the doorway, crossing the threshold and entering a much hotter climate than the rest of the house. He started to sweat from the heat as he went back over to the worktable.

So it was real.

Both drawings had not changed since Trent had seen them the night before, and seeing his own car in the cabin sketch still made him uneasy. I’d remember drawing this. I know I didn’t. His body trembled while trying to rationalize the situation and prevent himself from melting from the heat.

That man, Cahoon, he isn’t real. Right? He was only in my dream and my picture. It’s a coincidence, a bad one. Trent grabbed his drawing of the deer, looking closely at the hiker drawn next to the deer. But who-

“You really should take more pride in your work. Truly you will be a fine catch.”

Trent instantly dropped his drawing on the floor upon hearing words in his ears. No. No. That couldn- The heat that was so present in the room vanished, and Trent began to shiver and cough. Is he behind me?! Trent looked around for what he assumed to be Cahoon in fear that he was there, watching him, and then to the picture on the floor, before making up his mind and getting the hell out of there.

Breathe dammit!

Trent sprinted out of the office, slamming the door behind him before freezing up whole he struggled to breathe. No, NO. This cannot be fucking happening. I need to- Another cough came from Trent’s mouth as he suddenly felt all of the hairs on his body stand on end.

“Are you worried about him, sir? Don’t be afraid of him, sir. Cahoon is quite nice, sir,” A quiet, raspy female voice whispered from the kitchen. As soon as he heard that Trent bolted for the front door without a single second thought.