Chapter 4
I stood staring around the basement bedroom in awe. Deep cream coloured carpets covered the hardwood floor, a king sized four post bed set in the middle of one peach coloured wall, while the other contained a curtain covering what must be a huge false window, as it showed me a view of a zen garden, complete with slow moving stream, stone pathways and manicured shrubs littering well trimmed lawns.
Taking out my toiletries bag I headed to what must be the ensuite bathroom, finding it every bit as luxurious as the bedroom itself, with a rainfall shower and separate deep jetted tub. A woven basket held an assortment of body washes, scrubs, and hair products, as well as a pair of fluffy peach coloured towels that were as warm as if they’d just come out of the dryer. Another oddity to ask about.
What is this place? Nothing at all was what it seemed to be. Finishing my shower, I donned a comfortable pair of black leggings paired with an oversized light blue hoodie and resolved to call Karl to finally get my answers. Only to realize I was in fact in a bunker, with predictably zero cell phone service.
At just that moment a landline phone on the night stand rang.
"Hey, are you all freshened up yet?"
"Just now, thank you. I have a million questions for you"
I could hear Karl’s laughter through the phone "I’ll pick you up in just a moment".
A moment was apparently literal, as barely ten seconds had passed before there was a knock on my door, followed by Karl entering without waiting for an answer. I guess I forgot to lock that.
He looked me over once, nodded to himself and headed straight for my luggage. "You’ll need some shoes for the garden" he muttered, withdrawing a pair of blue vans that matched my hoodie. Vans I was absolutely sure I did not own, much less pack for my very first business trip.