It's 2 AM and something wakes me up. I roll over and my wife is gone. “She must be using the bathroom” I mumble to myself as I fall back asleep.

230 AM

I wake back up and the bed is cold. Where is she? I get up and notice the bathroom light is not on. I check the bathroom anyway and she is not there. “Sarah!” “Sarah!” but there is no answer. The cats look at me and act weird. “Where is she?” I ask the cats. I follow them around in case they know where she is, but they don't.

I worry. I call her phone and hear it vibrate on the night stand. I look by the front door and notice her purse and keys are still there and the front door is still locked. “What the Hell?” We live in an upstairs apartment with just a front door. How did she get out, lock it and leave her keys? I look through the house carefully just in case she is hiding or stuck. What if she fell down somewhere? Not a trace of her. I put on my clothes to look for her outside. Where else could she be?

4 AM

Not a trace of her outside. I did not run across anyone but there is a car parked in the middle of the street. I just assumed it's broken and will soon get towed.

I decide to call my mother in law. If anyone knows where Sarah is it would be her. Maybe Sarah is mad at me and decided to stay with her parents. Our marriage is pretty happy and we have not argued for a long time but it's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. But why didn't she take her purse and phone? Or her car? Or anything?

Normally, I would wait longer to call but my mother in law is a notorious early morning bird. She is already up. I call her cell phone. No answer. So I call the landline (they still have one) and there is no answer. I leave a voicemail on both.

430 AM

Back to bed. I can't file a missing person report until she is missing 24 hours and I don't want to go over to my inlaw's house until everyone else is up. I have nephews who are toddlers and I don't want to wake them up banging on the door. I don't really sleep.

830 AM

I am dressed and am in my car. I get on the highway. I am in my thoughts about what made my wife leave me. Up ahead I see a car. I look again and it's not moving. “Oh shit!” I slam on my breaks and almost rear end it. No one is in the car. “What the Hell!” “Why didn't they get the car off the road!”

I pull my car on the side of the road and put my flashers on in hopes I can prevent a wreck. I dial 911 for assistance but no one answers. I keep calling but get no response. I try for thirty minutes and notice something strange. No one is driving down the highway and I live in a busy city!

9 AM

Back on the road. The highway is littered with abandoned cars. I have to drive on the side of the road to get anywhere. I am officially freaking out. What should I do? I decide to head over to my inlaws anyway. I really can't come up with an alternative plan.

10 AM

I finally get to the next town. It took a long time because of all the stopped cars. I decide to stop at a gas station to see what is going on. It's empty. I check McDonalds and its empty. Everything is empty. It's a ghost town.

1030 AM

I get to my inlaw’s farm. The vehicles are in the driveway so they should be home. I knock at the door and no one answers. I look in the windows and don't see anyone. I try the back door. Locked. “Hello!” I scream “Hello!” In anger I start to kick the door. I throw a full fledged temper tantrum.

But then I hear something. “Uncle Jawed!” “Uncle Jawed!” I know I heard it this time. It's my three year old nephew Finley. “Finley!” “Jared!”

I run over to where my nephews sleep and look in the window. I see Finley with tears rolling down his eyes. “No one has let me out of my room!” “Where's Mimi?” “Where's mama?”

“I don't know buddy but I going to get you out"

11 AM

I don't know where anyone is or what happened but I better figure something out quick; I have a three year old nephew I need to distract.