Solo Driver

Susie pulled up to the rest stop. She was sleepy from the long drive and needed to stretch her legs. There were no other cars in the parking lot. It was a dimly lit area, but she needed to use the restroom. She noticed it was three a.m. as she grabbed her phone and exited her 1967 gold Mustang. The wind was howling and she could hear thunder in the distance. She darted into the building.

Humming sounds were coming from the fluorescent lights. The vending machines were empty. There were no travel maps or tourist brochures. "This is odd," she thought. Susie continued down the long dark gray that carried an odor to the restroom.

The restoom was dilapidated with graffiti written all over the stalls. "Boy did I stop at the wrong rest stop. It doesn't make sense why this public place hasn't been updated. Someone isn't doing their job. I am going to have to submit a complaint. "

After washing her hands in the stained, porcelain sink, she turned to dry her hands. "Of course, why would I think the hand blower would work." Susie had a long drive ahead of her. She needed to stay alert. She turned back to the sink to splash some water on her face. Susie looked into the mirror for a pep talk with herself. She gasped; there was no reflection looking back at her. She waved her hand. Nothing. "How can this be? I don't understand." Puzzled by the mirror she told herself it was time to go. She could see a bright red blinking EXIT sign in the distance. She walked down the long hallway. She pushed the door open expecting to see the outside. Instead, another hallway.

The hall was dull gray and carried an odor. Just the same as the previous one. "No, no, no" she screamed falling to the floor. Sobbing intensely, she tried to understand what was going on. The lights went out. There was a rush of cold air surrounding her. Susie's chest began to tighten. She held her breath as long as she could. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket. No service, no help, no one coming. The time, three a.m. She turned on the flashlight and simultaneously screamed, "Who's there?"

The lights turned back on. Although, dim. No one was standing there. She breathed a sigh of relief. Trembling uncontrollably, she managed to stand up and get control of her breathing. She slide her hand on the cold concrete wall. Making her way down the hallway. Her hand touched something warm and slightly soft.

Susie shined her flashlight on it. There were three black and white printed flyers of female travelers. She noticed the large letters at the top of the page, MISSING. One of a child, another of a teenager, and the last one was a young adult. She stepped in to take a closer look at the familiar images. Her vision became blurred and she started to hyperventilate. The photos were of her. 'I am not missing. I am right here, " she said out loud. "This has to be a cruel joke. Who would do something like this to me? " Especially on my thirtieth birthday. She could see the bright red blinking EXIT sign in the distance. She ran down the long hallway. Threw open the door. Desperate for an escape but found another hallway.

The hall way dull gray and carried an odor. The fluorescent lights overhead made a buzzing sound. "Am I ever going to get out of here?" Susie could hear a sqeaking sound. The sounds sent chills up and down her spine. The sound grew louder. Her heartbeat accelerated fast, then faster. Suddenly the squeaking noises halted. The hallway was quiet. Susie calmed down.

The light in the distance began blinking on and off. What was there? She cautiously moved toward the unknown, expecting to find danger. It was a faded red Radio Flyer tricycle. Just like the one she received on her third birthday. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Susie, happy birthday to you and many more!" Everyone clapped. She remembered riding up and down the driveway with balloons attached to the handlebar. Giggling at the "toot-toot" sound of the rubber horn. The memory faded.

Susie continued down the dimly lit hallway searching for a way out. "Whoosh" "What was that?" Something flew by Susie. A click, a clack, a rolling sound in the half-lit-hallway. She froze. On the floor sat a pair of bright, white, leather, roller skates with four wheels. "How can these things be from my past?"

It was Susie's thirteenth birthday. She and her friends were hanging out at the local roller rink. No parents around. They were enjoying hip hop and upbeat pop music on the loud speaker. They went round and round the wooden skating rink floor, laughing and flirting with boys. Susie stood there reminiscing about her teenager years. "Where have the good times gone?" She could see the bright red blinking EXIT sign in the distance. Feeling defeated, she slowly made her way to the door. She stood there for a few seconds preparing. Pushed the door open. It was another hallway.

The hall was dull gray and carried an odor. She stepped inside, hung her head, and dropped to the floor. "How long have I been here? It must be daylight by now." Susie checked the time on her phone. Three a.m. "That's impossible. What's the point? I'm never getting out of here." "Bzzz" She looked up while wiping her eyes. "Maybe, I'm getting rescued. Maybe, someone missed me." She jumped to her feet, hurried down the hall.

There sat a faded white Honda Elite scooter. The kind she had bought herself on her twenty-third birthday. "Yes, sir! I can work as many hours as you need me to work." Susie wanted many material things in life. She planned on making as much money as she could. "When I retire, I will be able to travel the world." Susie thought about all the holidays, weddings, vacations, birthdays, and funerals, yes funerals she had missed. "My life can't be over. I haven't lived yet. I want to live."

Suddenly, there was a surge of electrical power. The fluorescent lights became brighter. "What's happening?" She could see a bright green solid EXIT sign in the distance. Mentally exhausted, Susie made her way down the hall and to the door. She hesitated, then pushed. It opened. She let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, I'm free!" The sky was blue, sunny, and peaceful. Everything looked ordinary. Susie took her phone out. Service was restored and the time was nine a.m. "Was I really in there six hours?" She looked back at the building, confused. Her life forever changed.