HUM by Dan Hawley (book club reads .TXT) 📗

“Nothing,” Sam replied as she slid on her robe. “I was just saying the moonlight makes me look pale. I need a tan.” Sam tied her robe loosely as she entered the living room. “What are you doing?”

Jason had his head cocked to one side as if exerting himself to hear better. He made his way from the fridge to the laundry, then back to the kitchen. He checked the bathroom and office and then into the bedroom to stand by the bed. Jason reached down and grabbed Sam’s phone to silence the music.

“Hey, I’m listening to that,” Sam started, clearly annoyed.

“Shhh,” Jason sounded as he held a finger to his lips.

“Did you just shush me?” Sam’s eyes widened.

Unapologetically, Jason shot her a sharp look and hissed, “Babe come on. Give me a minute.”

His head cocked one way and then the other as he looked around the room, confused and angry. “Can you not hear that?” he pressed.

Samantha paused and listened. At first, she heard only silence. But then, “Oh yeah. I do hear that. Like a faint buzzing sound. It’s not a big deal, is it?”

Jason crept towards the bedroom door and stopped in the doorway. He looked up the right side, across the top, and down the left. Slowly, he pivoted and lay his ear gently against the wall. Behind the paint and drywall, Jason found the source of the sound. A vibration, constant and dull, setting his nerves on edge.

“Son of a bitch,” he exclaimed. “It’s coming from the wall.”

“I can barely notice it,” Samantha sighed as she took her earphones from the dresser and popped one in each ear. “Just ignore it.”

“Ugh,” Jason sputtered. “It sounds like power lines. Or like one of those friggin’ green transformers that buzz outside buildings.”

He made a disgusted face and stuck his tongue out as Samantha turned on her phone to listen to music and unpack.

CHAPTER 2

The next morning, Jason’s eyes opened to the smell of fried meat and the sound of sizzling and popping in the next room. His stomach growled. Groggily he pulled himself from the sheets and made his way towards the kitchen.

“Smells good, babe,” Jason commented as his mouth watered in anticipation. “Where did you get the grub?”

Samantha looked up and smiled.

“You were out like a light, so I googled the nearest grocery store, and it turned out there is a cute market just around the corner. I just grabbed a few things, but we will need a big shop later.”

“Hell yeah!” Jason exclaimed. “You’re the best. Need me to do anything?”

“I got this,” Sam replied.

Jason pulled out a stool and sat down. Stretching his arms up and out, he said, “I didn’t sleep very well, I don’t think. It took me a while to get to sleep with that damn noise. I finally put in earphones. Seems to be quieter this morning though.”

Samantha shrugged, plated the meat and eggs, and slid the plate in front of her man.

“Turkey bacon, huh?”

Jason poked at the thin stripes of meat with his fork. Samantha rolled her eyes.

A loud ding from the toaster oven signaled the bread had become toast. She pulled the toast from the hot oven, threw the pieces onto a plate, and began to butter them.

“Maybe you’re just stressed about the move and everything. It’ll get better,” she said reassuringly, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She folded a lock of Jason’s hair back and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before sitting down beside him at the island.

“Well, after breakfast, I’m going to ask Chester if there is anything he can do about it.”

Jason grabbed a piece of freshly buttered toast and dipped it in the pale-yellow yolk of his eggs.

“I think the office opens at 10 on Sundays.”

The lobby of the building was bright, with floor to ceiling windows at the entrance. The sun’s glare from the freshly buffed stone tile partially blinded Jason as he nodded to the concierge sitting at his desk.

“Good morning sir,” the smiling concierge said as Jason passed. The cream furniture of the seating area looked stiff and uninviting. Jason wondered if anyone ever sat there. He opened the door to the office and went inside. The office had a classic “old man library” feel to it, with walls of books and a handmade wood desk near the back. Behind the ornate desk, Chester sat engrossed in his reading.

“Good morning Chester,” Jason offered, in a tone that he meant to sound apologetic for interrupting the large man.

Chester looked up from the papers, startled. Apparently he hadn’t realized that someone entered the room.

“Oh, hello, Jason. How are you settling in?” Chester asked as he shuffled his papers back into a pile and into their folder.

“Pretty good.” Jason nodded. “The view is incredible up there, and everything looks like it did in the pictures, so we’re pleased with that. It’s just…”

Chester raised an eyebrow.

“Please, sit if you’d like,” he said, gesturing to the armchair in front of his desk. Jason hesitated. He didn’t want to complain. Chester was very nice and looked busy, and Jason didn’t want to take up too much of his time.

“Well,” Jason began as he slid into the seat of the big, comfortable chair. “There seems to be a hum…”

“A hum?” Chester asked.

“Yes. A hum coming from the walls?” Jason more asked than stated. “It sounds crazy, but when I put my ear up to the wall, I can hear it sort of… buzzing.” Jason’s statement left his face looking confused, as if he was questioning his own words.

Chester’s lips formed a tiny, playful smile under his beard.

“You were listening to the walls?” he asked in a lightly mocking tone.

“I mean,” Jason stammered. “I was lying in bed, and I heard this buzzing sound—I thought it was the fridge, so I got up because it was so loud, but then I realized it wasn’t the fridge. It was in the wall.”

A moment passed, and