My friend Maddy asked me to leave her RV at an exclusive apartment complex parking lot. She had dropped it off at our home and needed it today. Why she had left it with us was not clear at the time. However, looking back, I understand now that she was frightened. Someone or something was trying to catch her up with her.
It was around 7:00am. I got up, showered, had breakfast, and got ready for my work day. Normally I would just head to work. The sky was hazy and the air was crisp. I set my GPS to the location. 3909 Grimroad Manor Drive. I was having a leisurely drive admiring the pine trees and the leaves of red, orange, and gold. I drove a long way but had my tunes on and enjoyed the comfortable seating. I started thinking about Maddie. Had she moved? How was she able to move without transportation?
Once I got there I saw the apartment complex had a large studio apartment on the left. The curtains were drawn. There were smaller apartments in this lavish surrounding. I say lavish because it was a mutual paradise. It was near a lake with waterfalls, rocks, and the river expanded for miles. I could hear the sounds of the frogs and cayidids singing. I saw dolphins and manatees in the water. I got distracted and noticed an attractive, slender blond woman walking upstairs towards one of the apartments. She was wearing a dress with a tan full length jacket. Everything looked normal.
Young people were on their inter-tubes enjoying the water and spending time together. All I could think of was what a nice place to retire and relax. Everything you needed was there. A camp store, a place to get supplies, a cafe, and a hiking trail. I could hear the laughter as I walked away. I wished that I taken the day off and was enjoying the river. However, it was a work day and I needed to walk to work. I did not need to start till 10:00am. It was 8:30 am now. I couldn’t remember if I left the keys with anyone or if I was walked off with them. I turned around and walked towards the street. I walked down so many streets that I lost count. I used my phone as my GPS to find my way toward my job location. The traffic was getting heavy and it took a long time to get to my job site. I was exhausted. I had miscalculated and was late for work. It was already 10:45 am. I tried to leave a message for my boss but I didn’t get any answer. I got to work and clocked in at the time clock.
I walked to my desk and my boss asked me to go into coaching on the computer after I signed in. I met with my boss and she asked for an explanation. I told her how I needed to drop off my friend’s RV and I had miscalculated to walk back. She asked why this was so important this morning. I didn’t have a good explanation. The only answer I had was that she asked me to. I got an occurrence and was warned to handle personal matters in my own time. She also said to make sure I had a car as a backup if you drop off a vehicle. I agreed. This was a foolish thing to do. I apologized and said it would not happen again.
I finished my shift and asked a coworker if I could get a ride back to the apartment area. My husband was going to meet me there. He agreed and drove me back to Grimroad Manor Drive. I was very glad that I didn’t have to walk. The roadway, that seemed so smooth and paved in the morning, was bumpy and had ditches my friend had to evade. The apartment complex looked more like a hospital or assisted living facility. I asked my friend to wait in the car while I walked upstairs.
When I walked inside the building, I was shocked! There were patients on cots throughout the front hallway. There was a nurse at the front desk. She asked, “Can I help you?” “Yes. I am the one who dropped off the RV earlier for Maddie Lennox. Do you remember me?” “Weren’t you the one who had a few glasses of wine earlier?” “No. It was 7 o’clock in the morning. Where is Maddie? Can I see her?” The nurse did not act like she knew who Maddie was. Madalyn Lennox! She lives here at your apartment complex. The nurse did not know who she was and said this was never an apartment complex. I was perplexed and started to panic. Where am I? I thought to myself, what have I walked into?
My husband drove by the complex and saw the deplorable conditions and called to say he had arrived. I answered and said I would be right there. I turned around, walked out the door, and walked downstairs.
Two men approached his car that were stocky-built and looked angry. They walked up to my husband’s car. Get out of the car!, one of them said. What are you here for? My husband cooperated and asked for me. He said that his wife was here to check on Madelyn Lennox who is a resident at their facility. They grabbed him by the shoulders, and forcefully took him into a room. He was treated as if he was one of the patients. He was given an injection and he felt drugged and very sleepy. Everything was spinning.
I walked towards the RV and saw my husband’s car. My husband was nowhere to be found. I stopped and looked at the scene before me. What once was a paradise was now a terrible place where people are lost or forgotten. No wonder Maddie asked for the RV! It was to escape! Now they are both missing! It was like I was in a hologram. I saw or imagined I saw something beautiful. The ugliness was hidden! Once I saw beyond the hologram I saw the deception. The haze of delusions. Luckily, I have my husband’s keys on my keychain.
I saw 2 men wheeling my husband out in a wheelchair followed by some teenagers. I wanted to rescue him! The question is, how was I going to be able to rescue him? My coworker was watching the whole thing and was relieved when I came to the car. “I’m going. I’ll call the police. You take your husband’s car and get out of here!” I knew that he was right.
Should I be brave and solve the mystery or get the heck out of there? It’s now up to the reader to decide.
