With that thought circling her mind, Candace more than quickly looked around for something she could use as a weapon. She picked up the umbrella lying next to the wall and held it like an axe.

She went to the kitchen, shivering. She looked under the small bench she used as a table and there was no one there. The bathroom. On tiptoe, she made her way over to it, facing the door and breathing hard, plucking up the courage to step inside.

She gripped the doorknob, sucked in a deep breath, and yanked it open, ending with a kick. There was no one there, but the tub was full and she hadn't used it to bathe after getting home from work. She showered, instead.

She dropped the umbrella on the floor and opened the bathtub drain to let the water out. She sat on the toilet with the lid down and let out a sigh. In the stillness of the morning, the phone rang, causing Candace to jump, scared.

Was it from work? It was too early for anyone to call if it wasn't an emergency. She ran into the living room and, once again, was stunned. Everything was in its place, nothing broken. She opened and closed her eyes a few times to make sure she was seeing straight. It's not possible that she was still sleeping, all this time! The phone was still ringing. She picked it up.

"Hello?" She replied weakly. At first she thought the line was dead, but then she heard a noise, as if someone were breathing slowly,with a phlegm in their throat. "Hello... who is it?".

"It's time." Candace immediately turned pale. She dropped the phone like it was on fire. Even with the phone away from her ears, she heard the voice repeating the same damn phrase, louder and louder. Desperate, she picked up the phone and slammed it against the door.

"Shut up!! It's not time for anything!" She was crushing the device, crying.

Knock, knock!

She stopped moving when she heard the knock on the door. She dropped what was left of the phone into her hands and went to look through the peephole. It was the neighbor, Mrs. Smith. Candance took a deep breath, wiped the tears on her pajama arm and opened the door, smiling awkwardly.

"My dear, are you all right?" the old woman asked, with a worried tone. Karen Smith was a widow in her mid-50s, who lived alone next door. Since Candace had moved there, she'd been practically adopted as Karen's, who didn't have children.

"Yes, it was just a nightmare, Mrs. Smith. Sorry to bother you at this early hour." Candace was embarrassed, as she knew the old woman didn't hear very well, but to have noticed the noise, it was because she was too loud.

"How are you, my dear? I was just worried. I thought you were yelling at someone, and as the violence has been getting worse lately, I feared for your well-being. Want to have a cup of hot milk with me?"

Karen's kind and sincere smile always warmed Candace's heart. She really wanted the milk, but she was afraid that she would continue to have these hallucinations – there was no other name for it – and put her good neighbor in danger.

"I'm just going to go back to sleep, Mrs. Smith. Maybe later I will accept the invitation."

"As you wish, my dear. Take a rest. You work too much." With that, she smiled, turned around and walked back to her own apartment.

Candance closed the door and leaned her forehead against it for a few seconds, before turning around and sliding to the floor. She shook her head no, as if to ward off this madness. 'Better get up and go clean up the mess I'd made with the phone'. And she would still have to buy another one, she reminded herself. She had been saving up every penny to buy a house and then a car. She didn't mind taking the bus every day, anyway. And now, because of some stupid outbreak, she was going to have to spend money on a new phone.

She picked up the shards of the device and threw it in the kitchen trash can. After putting the broom and dustpan away, she went back to her room to try to get some more sleep. Mrs Smith was right, she worked really hard. This week she had to cover two shifts, which left her without a good night's sleep for a long time. A tired mind could play tricks.

She lay on the bed, on top of the covers and closed her eyes. She didn't take long to fall asleep, but she was woken up by the phone ringing. She woke up and got up, groggy.

'It's not possible that I can't sleep in peace! Who will it be, now?' She hadn't realized that the phone couldn't be ringing, as there was no phone in the house anymore.

Already standing, facing the little table where the telephone had once been, she looked into space. Her confusion lasted a few seconds, until she remembered what happened minutes ago. But she heard the phone ringing. The sound came from the kitchen. She went there and the muffled noise inside the trash can continued, incessantly.

She put her foot on the container's pedal and stomped. The remains of the telephone set were there, piled up, vibrating slightly.

Candace picked up the garbage bag and went downstairs, in her pajamas, to toss the damn phone and its phantom ringtone out of her house, away from her ears.

"Go ring in hell, damn it!" She sputtered as she tossed the bag into the building's garbage can.

"What did that poor bag do to you, missy?" Candace turned around and saw a black man, in his late thirties, athletically built and much taller than she was.

"Nothing. It's just that the phone broke, that's all. I had a rough night. Sorry for my yelling at this hour of the morning." She apologized awkwardly.

The man raised an eyebrow.

"It must have been a very difficult night indeed. It's three in the afternoon."

Candace hadn't checked the time on her watch since she'd woken up from her nap. After listening to the man's words, her stomach growled loudly, as if it had just remembered that it was long past lunchtime. She cringed, not believing how much more shameful the situation could get.

"My name is Malcolm Miller." He offered his hand for a shake.

"Oh, I'm Candace Adams. My pleasure. And I'm sorry, but I've never seen you around here." she commented.

"I do not live here. I just came to visit an old acquaintance. He pointed to the building opposite. "I was on my way out when I saw a shocking pink figure marching. I had to see what it was about."

She felt her cheeks burn.

"I left in a bit of a hurry. " She loked down at her pajamas. At least it was clean and decent.

"Oh, no problem. By the way, how about we eating something? I saw a pancake shop on the next block and they looked delicious. Then you tell me more about this poor phone that was so angrily thrown into the trash can."

He had a charming smile and Candace, who had never dated a man, felt nervous. During high school, she was very busy with her home chores and schoolwork. Then, in college, she needed to be an excellent student, to keep her scholarship and get a good job."

"It's all right. But wait until I change clothes. I won't go to the store wearing pajamas."

"Right. I'll wait down here. " He said and leaned against the wall.

Candace ran into the building and up the stairs at a speed she didn't even know she was capable of. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and pulled out a light blue dress with flowers at the hem. It was simple, but very beautiful. She slipped on her white sneakers, grabbed her wallet, and went downstairs.

When she walked out the front door and turned toward the spot where she'd left him, she realized there was no one there. She was disappointed, but a tap on her shoulder made her turn around and there he was.

"I was a little uncomfortable on that wall. So, I wet to sit on the bench almost opposite this building. You went by so fast you didn't even see me."

"I…sorry. It's just…" She stammered.

"Relax. Let's eat?" He smiled.

She shook her head and they headed over to the pancake shop. 'Pancakes of All Flavors'. They weren't all flavors, but they were delicious, anyway.

They entered through the rounded door, with pancake decals taped to the sides. It looked silly, but it gave the place a special, unique air. There were plenty of places to choose from, and they opted for the one at the back.

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Pancakes of All Flavors! I am Jacqueline and I will serve you today!" A very lively blonde girl arrived on roller skates, offering the menus. She couldn't have been more than 16 years old, thin and with light brown eyes.

"Oh, hello, Jacqueline! Thank you very much! We're gonna take a look and once we choose, we'll call you." Malcolm replied to her, who bowed exaggeratedly and walked away, back to the counter.

"She must be a rookie, or she wouldn't be so happy," Candace commented. She worked at a dinner during a summer vacation. It was one of the jobs she hated most in her life, as the men in the place were very rude and cheeky.

"It seems that we have the voice of experience here! Tell me more about it." He put his elbows on the table and his hands under his chin, smiling.

She laughed softly. He was funny.

"I don't have much to say. I've worked as a waitress and it wasn't the most pleasant experience."

"Mm. With all due respect, you're a pretty girl. Some men fail to show the necessary respect toward girls like you, I must say." He said, getting more serious.

"Yes, unfortunately. But, we are not here to talk about sad things. Pancakes!" She reminded him, smiling.

"You're absolutely right, Miss Adams." He picked up his menu and began to scan. "I think I already know what I want."