REM

7:15

Looking at a new property wasn't that daunting, but when I drove up to it and saw how rundown it looked, there was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that urged me to stay away. The man didn't seem like a crook, but he did seem a little strange.

When I shook his hand I took notice of his receding white hair and the black marks on his forehead. He seemed like an eccentric old man, but no one I should be too concerned about.

I took mental notes of everything he showed me in the house, which was old and required a bit of work. When we checked out the barn, that was when my gut instinct kicked in again and told me something wasn't quite right.

Reluctantly following him through the open sliding door, I found a shower area inside as if it were meant for animals. There were buckets and shelves filled with towels and other cleaning supplies. It all looked so out of place to me.

"Well, what do you think?" The old man asked as he smiled and dabbed his sweaty brow with a multi-coloured rag he pulled from his back pocket of his overalls.

"It doesn't look too bad," I answered, convincing myself that it really wasn't all that bad. "I do need to go to work though, so I will have to call you later about moving forward."

"Oh, all right. If you need to shower before work you can test the facilities out in the barn if you would like." He smiled and then walked toward the open barn door. Stopping before he walked outside, he turned around and faced me. "There are towels on the shelves there. Help yourself."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

Waiting until he disappeared, I slowly walked over to the towels. They were folded neatly, which implied they were clean, but as I touched the one on top, it felt damp.

A shiver ran down the side of my body, opposite my right hand as I wiped it on my jeans. The lights flickered as I wondered what the hell I was still doing there.

Not wasting another second, I headed for the door and nearly jumped ten feet in the air as the old man caught me off guard.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just coming back to check on you."

Check on me while I bath? I thought. The dude was really creeping me out.

"Yeah... thanks for the offer, but I really need to get going. If I'm late for work they'll start calling me. Thanks." I raised my hand in thanks and then walked quickly toward my car waiting in the driveway.

Looking back over my shoulder once, I made sure the old man stayed where he was. He didn't move, but I knew that I was no longer interested in buying his property.