#020 Jump - The Endless Sound
Story: Unknown
Characters: Unknown
Prompt: #020 Jump
Word Count: 1203
Evan couldn't remember how everything had started, or when it had started. He couldn't remember the exact moment that everyone started to forget who they were. It couldn't have been so long ago but it felt like forever, and the world felt smaller than before. It was only temporary, a claustrophobia he knew would disappear the moment the screaming stopped. That horrible, Earth shattering noise that had started on Day Zero. He didn't know if it was the people anymore. If the people, the creatures, were the ones making those noises, or if it was something in the electrical wires that crossed overhead, or on the televisions that were still turned on in the stores, some fragment of society telling them that everything would be over soon. It was under control.
It was far from under control, he knew that for sure. Looking outside would make that obvious, but even if someone didn't move that far, it was clear. The noise never stopped. It was always there, like static on a station that just refuses to come in correctly on a rainy day. It was exactly like that.
Evan didn't know why he was any different. Why he wasn't like the people running and screaming in the streets, bloodied and broken, tearing at everything in their path as if destroying everything they could get their hands on would make them sane again. If they could pick up the pieces to put themselves back together. There were those, the people who had turned into the monsters, who refused to stop. There were also the ones who refused to listen to the call.
His ears were ringing. He wasn't sure how he had managed to fight to the top of the building, or why no one had tried to kill him, rob him, destroy him yet, but they hadn't. No one seemed to notice him. They just kept going and he wasn't sure why. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not. Why was he different? What had he done? Why, why, why?
Though no one seemed to notice him, he'd grabbed a baseball bat from his home before he had left. Maybe he should go back. No, he should definitely go back. It had to be safer there, but Evan was scared that the moment he would start to go, something would change. Maybe they would finally start to notice him. Maybe they would follow him. Maybe they would be waiting. It could be a trap, it had to b--
No, no, no. Stop, stop. It was too noisy. Too loud. Why couldn't it just be quiet?
Evan put his free hand up and rubbed at his ear. The noise didn't change. He could still hear the screaming, that inhuman noise from the streets below, that static hum in the back of his head, source still unknown. It was too loud to think.
One noise snapped him to attention, the sound of the door behind him slamming shut. He had closed it and left it unlocked for easy access to return to the ground floor once he was finished examining the area, but now he wondered if his escape was blocked. And one of them, one of the people, was standing there, blank faced and staring straight ahead. It was a young man he recognized, a high schooler whose name he couldn't remember. Someone he had always seen in passing while working. Those days, the simple days, were gone.
Wrapping his fingers around the handle of the bat, Evan watched the other carefully, examining his movements, but the young man never came any closer. He moved ahead, nearly shuffling, his uniform in disarray. Blood covered the front of his shirt, parts of his face, and also from his ears. His hair was matted, likely with blood, but the strands were too dark to tell.
Would trying to speak alert the other to his presence? Did he already know he was there? Evan kept turning over possible scenarios in his head, suddenly noticing how far the other had moved in the time he'd allowed himself to be distracted. The high schooler had moved himself to the edge of the building, then turned his body so that he was facing back towards Evan. Taking a few cautious steps closer, Evan kept one hand on the bat and held his free hand out. This didn't seem right. Even if he was like to others, it had to be stopped, didn't it? Something like this...
"Hey, come on. Don't d--"
Just as soon as the other had settled himself on the ledge, he leaned back and allowed himself to fall off the side of the building. Evan rushed forward, swiping to try and grab onto something, but he was too slow. He could hear the crush of the other's body against the sidewalk before he could even see him. Putting one hand up to his face, Evan took a deep breath and tried to stop himself from shaking. How many things like that had he seen already? He'd seen people tear each other's throats out, piling on top of each other, running around like raving maniacs, and now... people dropping off of buildings.
For the next few minutes, Evan sat down on the edge of the building with his head in his hands, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Should he go home? Should he call the police? The police... He wasn't sure if they could even help in a situation like this. He had seen a few police cars around town during the time he was out during the day, but it was hard to tell what had happened to any of them. There wasn't proof either way on if they had turned into what most people seemed to be, or if they had just been killed off. Maybe not knowing was the best thing that could happen.
It wasn't until the door opened and shut again that he realized he couldn't stay in the same place for much longer. Again, it was the same boy as before, more blood added to his features. He seemed to be walking with more difficulty than before, and Evan could tell, even though he couldn't see due to the fact that the other boy was wearing a jacket, from the odd angle of the other's arm that he had broken it.
When the boy walked right past him and off the ledge again, repeating the same sickening noise, Evan decided to go home. The ringing was still in his ears, it hadn't stopped or quieted itself. Maybe it wasn't safe there. Maybe he would be trapped or ambushed, but locking himself away from the rest of the world in the meantime seemed like the only option that would keep him sane.
Evan passed the boy on his way out again, still squirming on the sidewalk, but unable to lift his body up. He turned the bat over in his hand, staring down and picking through the thoughts in his head for a few moments before he made up his mind on what to do.
That night, the noise still hadn't stopped, but that wasn't the reason Evan couldn't sleep.
Characters: Unknown
Prompt: #020 Jump
Word Count: 1203
Evan couldn't remember how everything had started, or when it had started. He couldn't remember the exact moment that everyone started to forget who they were. It couldn't have been so long ago but it felt like forever, and the world felt smaller than before. It was only temporary, a claustrophobia he knew would disappear the moment the screaming stopped. That horrible, Earth shattering noise that had started on Day Zero. He didn't know if it was the people anymore. If the people, the creatures, were the ones making those noises, or if it was something in the electrical wires that crossed overhead, or on the televisions that were still turned on in the stores, some fragment of society telling them that everything would be over soon. It was under control.
It was far from under control, he knew that for sure. Looking outside would make that obvious, but even if someone didn't move that far, it was clear. The noise never stopped. It was always there, like static on a station that just refuses to come in correctly on a rainy day. It was exactly like that.
Evan didn't know why he was any different. Why he wasn't like the people running and screaming in the streets, bloodied and broken, tearing at everything in their path as if destroying everything they could get their hands on would make them sane again. If they could pick up the pieces to put themselves back together. There were those, the people who had turned into the monsters, who refused to stop. There were also the ones who refused to listen to the call.
His ears were ringing. He wasn't sure how he had managed to fight to the top of the building, or why no one had tried to kill him, rob him, destroy him yet, but they hadn't. No one seemed to notice him. They just kept going and he wasn't sure why. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not. Why was he different? What had he done? Why, why, why?
Though no one seemed to notice him, he'd grabbed a baseball bat from his home before he had left. Maybe he should go back. No, he should definitely go back. It had to be safer there, but Evan was scared that the moment he would start to go, something would change. Maybe they would finally start to notice him. Maybe they would follow him. Maybe they would be waiting. It could be a trap, it had to b--
No, no, no. Stop, stop. It was too noisy. Too loud. Why couldn't it just be quiet?
Evan put his free hand up and rubbed at his ear. The noise didn't change. He could still hear the screaming, that inhuman noise from the streets below, that static hum in the back of his head, source still unknown. It was too loud to think.
One noise snapped him to attention, the sound of the door behind him slamming shut. He had closed it and left it unlocked for easy access to return to the ground floor once he was finished examining the area, but now he wondered if his escape was blocked. And one of them, one of the people, was standing there, blank faced and staring straight ahead. It was a young man he recognized, a high schooler whose name he couldn't remember. Someone he had always seen in passing while working. Those days, the simple days, were gone.
Wrapping his fingers around the handle of the bat, Evan watched the other carefully, examining his movements, but the young man never came any closer. He moved ahead, nearly shuffling, his uniform in disarray. Blood covered the front of his shirt, parts of his face, and also from his ears. His hair was matted, likely with blood, but the strands were too dark to tell.
Would trying to speak alert the other to his presence? Did he already know he was there? Evan kept turning over possible scenarios in his head, suddenly noticing how far the other had moved in the time he'd allowed himself to be distracted. The high schooler had moved himself to the edge of the building, then turned his body so that he was facing back towards Evan. Taking a few cautious steps closer, Evan kept one hand on the bat and held his free hand out. This didn't seem right. Even if he was like to others, it had to be stopped, didn't it? Something like this...
"Hey, come on. Don't d--"
Just as soon as the other had settled himself on the ledge, he leaned back and allowed himself to fall off the side of the building. Evan rushed forward, swiping to try and grab onto something, but he was too slow. He could hear the crush of the other's body against the sidewalk before he could even see him. Putting one hand up to his face, Evan took a deep breath and tried to stop himself from shaking. How many things like that had he seen already? He'd seen people tear each other's throats out, piling on top of each other, running around like raving maniacs, and now... people dropping off of buildings.
For the next few minutes, Evan sat down on the edge of the building with his head in his hands, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Should he go home? Should he call the police? The police... He wasn't sure if they could even help in a situation like this. He had seen a few police cars around town during the time he was out during the day, but it was hard to tell what had happened to any of them. There wasn't proof either way on if they had turned into what most people seemed to be, or if they had just been killed off. Maybe not knowing was the best thing that could happen.
It wasn't until the door opened and shut again that he realized he couldn't stay in the same place for much longer. Again, it was the same boy as before, more blood added to his features. He seemed to be walking with more difficulty than before, and Evan could tell, even though he couldn't see due to the fact that the other boy was wearing a jacket, from the odd angle of the other's arm that he had broken it.
When the boy walked right past him and off the ledge again, repeating the same sickening noise, Evan decided to go home. The ringing was still in his ears, it hadn't stopped or quieted itself. Maybe it wasn't safe there. Maybe he would be trapped or ambushed, but locking himself away from the rest of the world in the meantime seemed like the only option that would keep him sane.
Evan passed the boy on his way out again, still squirming on the sidewalk, but unable to lift his body up. He turned the bat over in his hand, staring down and picking through the thoughts in his head for a few moments before he made up his mind on what to do.
That night, the noise still hadn't stopped, but that wasn't the reason Evan couldn't sleep.