Big Joe had actually died since he had forced Dave to wait for 

the sign

.

Heart attack while getting on the highway. Veered over to the other side and collided with an oncoming 

Ford

F-150. The autopsy said the crash didn't kill the large, middle-aged man. He had still been alive after the wreck, but died of the clogged coronary minutes after.

Dave was stuck waiting for the sign however. He feared for his life. Each time he extended his time out of the apartment he thought 

Big Joe

might appear behind him and strangle him with one hand. That's the kind of man Big Joe was Dave thought.

Dave nibbled on his finger nails. They were ground down to the skin now. Nervous habit he hadn't had since college back when he was cramming all night for exams.

Fuck he thought. was he moving forwards or was he moving backwards? he almost cried when he thought this. He was definitely moving backwards. He had lost his family. His job. And now he was sitting in a hotel room waiting for something that was called the sign with no idea what the sign would be, who it would come from, when it would appear.