She felt lightheaded—not overwhelmed, but drained. The past few weeks of anxiety, doubt, and strange occurrences had all funneled into this one absurd truth. She sat down on the edge of the deck without saying anything, closed her eyes for a moment, and focused on her breath.
The next thing she remembered was waking up in a hospital bed. A nurse adjusted something on a monitor. Beside her sat the neighbor woman, who stood as soon as Rose opened her eyes. “You fainted,” she said simply. “I’ll let the officer know you’re awake.”
A few minutes later, a uniformed officer stepped into Rose’s hospital room. “Mrs. Marshall,” he began, “the man we found is Glenn Matthews—the former owner of your house. He was reported missing two years ago, shortly before the property went into foreclosure. Turns out, he never left. He’s a known doomsday prepper. From what we’ve gathered, he believed a global catastrophe was imminent and built a survival bunker beneath the property in secret.”
“He went underground voluntarily—completely off the grid—and had been living there ever since. He still had the original door keys, which is how he was able to access the house without leaving signs of forced entry. He tapped into the home’s power and ventilation systems for basic survival. That explains the cold spots and strange activity. He’s now in custody and undergoing psychiatric evaluation.”