Chapter One

Steve watched the falling rain with dismay, particularly when he noticed the window was leaking. He'd attempted to patch up the cracked window but his temporary repair was no match against the torrential downpour and blowing wind. As he secured the canvas to the window, he knew it wasn't going to hold.

The weekend to date had been almost a complete disaster and he was more than ready to go home. It was only his reluctance to negotiate the slippery and narrow road to the cabin in the bad weather that kept him there. It had been a difficult drive when he arrived, and he wanted the weather to improve slightly before he attempted to return. The low clouds and fog meant visibility was very poor and he wasn't so reckless that he wanted to risk his life. He knew, although he wasn't enjoying himself, he was better waiting for the weather to clear, even a little. From the moment he'd arrived, in fact before he'd arrived, the weekend he'd so happily planned and looked forward to had seemed to spell disaster.

After months of trying to get his father to take a break, he thought he'd at last convinced him to do so. He wanted to take time out from both their busy schedules and to just relax, and maybe do some fishing. More importantly, to spend some quality time with his father. He'd booked a cabin in the mountains belonging to one of his colleagues, and at last it had appeared as if the long overdue vacation would happen.

The first hitch in his plans had been caused by his father's reluctance to leave one of his patients. He'd been distracted and worried, and it was clear his heart wasn't in going on vacation. He'd made a last minute, and unwelcome, decision to join Steve at a later date. Steve hadn't been entirely surprised by his stance, although he admitted to himself he was slightly annoyed. His father possessed a strong work ethic and he always made himself available for his patients, but Steve thought at times he took it too far. Everyone was entitled to a break, and there were many competent doctors at Community General. But as he drove to the cabin, Steve's slight annoyance faded and he admitted to himself that his feeling was largely disappointment, rather than annoyance. It hadn't been easy for him to get the time off and he'd really been looking forward to it, but his father could be as stubborn as he could be himself. He grinned to himself at the thought. His father would deny this fact strongly, but it was true. Stubbornness ran in the Sloan family.

The next apparent disaster was the cabin itself. Peterson had assured him it was a very comfortable cabin in an isolated location. Steve had wanted to ensure it was comfortable for his father did not share his love of the great outdoors and wouldn't appreciate staying somewhere that was rough. It was isolated, Peterson had been correct in that assessment, but the comfort level was another issue entirely. It was a log cabin, but the wood wasn't of good quality and was crumbling in parts, and the windows were cracked. After the long and tedious drive to find the cabin, Steve wasn't very pleased to see what poor condition it was in. He walked to the front door, looking around with an increasing feeling of dismay and displeasure. A push was all it took to enter the building and he looked at the dusty and barren interior with horror. There was no way his father would accept this place and he felt strong disappointment himself. It definitely wasn't worth the rent he'd paid for it. The furniture was ramshackle and didn't look strong enough to sit in and kitchen area was tiny. There was a stove, but as Steve looked at it closely he doubted he would want to light it for it didn't look too safe at all. There was no fireplace or heating and as a sudden gust of wind blew through, Steve shivered. He continued his inspection with absolutely no pleasure, feeling thoroughly cheated and knowing his father wouldn't be very impressed either. The bathroom consisted of a toilet and shower, and small washbasin and wasn't even clean. The two bedrooms were also small and Steve noticed there was only one blanket on both beds. So much for linen being provided! Steve rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait for his dad to arrive! He looked around, wondering if there was anything he could do to improve matters and he decided a quick clean up and dusting might make things look a little better. Deciding to do this before he moved his clothes and food in, he set to work.

After half an hour of solid cleaning, the place looked marginally better with the cobwebs and dust cleared, but Steve was sneezing and coughing badly by the time he finished. He walked out to his truck, shivering as the wind ripped through him, and he looked askance at the dark and unwelcoming sky. The weather had been threatening on the drive up, and now it looked like it was about to let loose. Sure enough, the rain started as he got to his truck and by the time he was back inside, he had become soaked through. It was difficult to get warm, especially with the wind and rain coming in through one of the broken windows. Steve had some canvas in the back of his truck and he raced out to get it.

*

Steve sank back in the wobbly and uncomfortable chair. The cabin was far from suitable but he was exhausted from his efforts at cleaning it up and making it habitable. He was still cold, although he'd changed his clothes and he watched the torrential rain falling. He contemplated calling his father with his cell phone to ask that he bring up some more blankets with him, but the cell phone was dead and he didn't really fancy driving back to the nearest town and phone booth, so he decided he should just make the most of what he had. He grabbed the novel he'd never had the time to finish and started to read. Maybe this wasn't so bad, he thought. A clap of thunder caused him to jump and the lightning flash made him rethink, especially as the lights flickered. Although still the afternoon, the sky had come over very dark and Steve had needed to put the lights on, but the lightning flashes caused them to flicker and he watched warily for a moment before deciding to get his flashlight out ready in case he did lose power. After getting the flashlight, he sat down again, turning his attention back to his novel. After a few minutes, an unusual scratching noise started, but then it stopped. Frowning slightly at the sound, Steve decided he was imagining things when it stopped, and he settled back down, but noise returned before long, and he reluctantly stood up to investigate. Without warning the lights went out and he fumbled for his flashlight, glad that he'd had the forethought to keep it within easy reach. He walked to the door and peered out, nothing was there. Flashing the light around outside, he could see no sign of anything except the trees and bushes moving with the steadily increasing wind. He turned back to his seat when he heard it again - much louder and more distinct, and coming from the side of the cabin, rather than the front. Grabbing his coat, and shrugging it on, he decided he would try to find out what it was. It didn't sound like the wind, it sounded like someone or something was scratching on the wood. He walked around the corner, trying to shelter against the pelting rain, determined to investigate.