The Hum

by D. W. Brown

  “Are all the locals as friendly around as you?” Kevin asked, more than a little frustrated at the woman’s rudeness.

  “No, they’re worse. Now, have you figured it out

  yet?”

  “Can you tell me what room Amanda Billingsley is in?”

  “Are you family?”

  “I’m the only family she has around here right now.”

  “That’s not really answering my question. Are you family or not?”

  Knowing he was lying and not really caring, Kevin said, “Yes, she’s my cousin.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I said it, didn’t I?” Kevin was trying desperately not to go off on the lady. He knew if he caused a scene, his chances of seeing Amanda would be totally obliterated. Still, the gargoyle looking woman was pushing all the right buttons to wind up on the receiving end of his fist. He envisioned his knuckles connecting with the hairy mole on the side of her nose. He smiled at the way her head whipped to the side, and blood poured freely from her nostrils.

  “She’s in room 155. Now if you’d be so kind as to move along, I have other people to serve.” The plump nurse said with a smug look on her face.

  Serve? What you’re doing, definitely isn’t serving,

  lady!

  The sound of his sneakers squeaking on the tiled hallway of the hospital caused Kevin to lean back on his heels in an effort to hide the blaring announcement that he was on his way to visit Amanda. Might as well get on the loudspeaker and let the entire hospital know, he thought. Normally he wouldn’t care what people thought, but with the Sheriff’s recent warning, he felt the need to be a little less conspicuous.

  Peeking through the small window of Amanda’s room, Kevin was surprised to see her sitting up in bed already. Tapping lightly on the door, he didn’t wait for a reply as he entered in.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Hi,” was the only word Kevin could think to say once Amanda looked over at him with her bruised and beaten face.

  “Forgive me, but I’m surprised to see you here, Mr. Black. What can I do for you?”

  Having not expected Amanda to even be awake yet, Kevin was taken aback by her question. I...I uh, I heard you were here and wanted to stop in and check on you.”

  “While I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Black, it’s really not necessary. I’ll be fine. Thanks for calling the police and getting me to the hospital.”

  It was obvious that Amanda was one strong, determined woman, but Kevin wasn’t about to put off so easily. “Look Amanda, I just left the police station and for some reason they aren’t too fond of you. I came here because I’m concerned for your well being.”

  “Don’t be. I can take care of myself.”

  “Uh, you were just beaten, stabbed and left for dead; you obviously need some help!”

  “I’ll be better prepared next time.” Amanda replied with pure determination.

  “Can you at least be civil and hear me out?”

  “What is there to say, Mr. Black? You think I’m crazy like everyone else around this town, and I don’t need that kind of negativity around me.”

  “That’s not entirely true, Amanda. Just listen to what I have to say, please. I came straight from jail where I had a rather disturbing conversation with Sheriff Bowman. He wants you to get out of town. He even went as far as to warn me to either stay away from you or to coerce you into leaving.”

  “Is that why you’re here, to try and convince me to leave? Well, I’ve got...”

  “Would you please shut up and listen to me for a minute!” Although Amanda’s face registered complete shock, she held her tongue and let him have his say. “Look, these people have a target on your back, and I plan on keeping an eye on you, like it or not!”

  It was obvious that Amanda wasn’t used to being spoken to in such a manner, and it took her a few seconds to actually respond.

  “Suit yourself, but don’t get in my way. Jordan came back here six months ago and never left. She told me on the phone that she’d listened in on a local council meeting, and overheard them talking about... about this strange humming...”

  “What was that? A strange humming?” Kevin asked, his interest now sparked.

  Eyeing him suspiciously, Amanda replied, “First, tell me what you know about the hum.”

  “What? Nothing. I just heard a few of the older gentlemen around town talking about it.” Kevin wasn’t about to tell her that he’d not only heard the hum, it was the reason he’d already killed nine people.

  “Some of the locals claim there’s a humming sound coming from Taos that was investigated by the government back in 1993, but the results were inconclusive. The source of that hum has yet to be determined.” Amanda said, still eyeing him suspiciously.

  Knowing she was gauging his reaction to the information, Kevin fought against the urge to throw his hands up and say, that hum is the reason I’ve been killing people all these years.

  Kevin’s head was spinning—he couldn’t believe others were hearing the same humming sound. Were they also hurting people like he’d done on more than one occasion? Could this mysterious humming sound be behind everything? Oh, how he wanted to believe that. But a large part of him knew he wanted those people dead: his brother, his wife, his boss’s son, his harlot of a girlfriend, and the four men at the service station. Even though he regretted all of them, the only ones that he truly had no intention of killing were his children. They were innocent, sweet and pure. How could you, Kevin?

  “Jordan told me that she believed they were trying to hide something.”

  “Are you serious? A cover up? Like the aliens down the road in Roswell? Seriously, Amanda?”

  “Can you please leave now, Kevin? I could use some rest.”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.” Kevin headed for the door, kicking himself for making light of what Amanda had told him. Still, his mind was in other places; he had to know more about this investigation they’d conducted in the early 90’s. For the first time since his arrival, he was hopeful that he might actually find the source of the hum, and meet others that had possibly heard its auditory messages. Before he left, he said, “I’ll be checking in on you regularly, so don’t get too comfortable.”

  “That won’t be…”

  Kevin shut the door, cutting Amanda’s words off.

  * * *

  Outside in the hot morning sun, Kevin made his way over to the bus stop and sat on the bench there. A few passersby looked over at him, appearing to know he’d just come from visiting Amanda. Their looks seemed more like a warning to let him know they had their eyes on him than simply checking out the new guy in town. “What?” Kevin shouted throwing up his hands at the last vehicle that drove by.

  When the bus pulled up to the stop, the driver opened the door and said, “Come on up, and sit close to me so you can keep me company.”

  “Look, I just need a ride to my hotel room, sir.” Kevin replied as he entered onto the raggedly old bus and took a seat directly behind the driver. The rest of the bus was empty, so he assumed the driver was just lonely.

  The driver looked older, sixty maybe. His hair was completely gray, he had numerous wrinkles, and Kevin spotted a hand carved cane situated next to the gear shift, when he entered.

  “Aren’t you the one who found Miss Billingsley in her apartment?”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Word travels fast around this town, mister. Might want to be careful with the company you keep. Folks around Taos aren’t exactly thrilled to have Miss Billingsley back here. Her sister was somewhat of a ‘loose’ woman, if you know what I mean.”

  “So I’ve been told. From the way people talk around here, Amanda’s sister was the only woman that slept around in this small town, maybe even the entire country.”

  The l
ook on the driver’s face grew serious as he said, “We are a tight knit community, Mr. Black. We believe in the Bible and what it says about the union of marriage. The jezebel that sleeps around belongs to the Devil.”

  “Alright then. Now that we have that cleared up, do you mind if I rest my eyes for a few?” Kevin asked, closing them without waiting for the man to respond. “Humph! You might want to be a little more cognizant about the company you keep, Mr. Black!” “Thanks for the advice. I’ll try my best to remember that, although I’ve never been very good at following orders.”

  “I’m not ordering you to do anything, Mr. Black. I’ll leave that for Sheriff Bowman.”

  Opening his eyes again, Kevin said, “Does the entire town know I’ve been hanging out with the harlot’s sister?”

  “Pretty much. I already told you it’s a small town, Mr. Black.”

  Thankful to see his hotel coming up, Kevin said, “Just stop and let me off here. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

  “Are you sure, Mr. Black? The heat might be too much for a man in your weak state of mind.”

  “My weak state of mind? What are you talking about?”

  “Word around town is that you spent seven years in a mental institution. We’re all a little concerned for your well being.”

  “I bet you are. What else did Sheriff Bowman broadcast about my life? Stop the stinking bus now!” “Okay. Have it your way.” The driver responded with a wide smile. “Oh, and I’m sorry if I upset you, Mr. Black. We really do want your stay here to be a

  pleasant one.”

  “Yeah, I can see that! I’m sure that’s why the Sheriff told everyone about my personal business.”

  “He didn’t tell everyone, Mr. Black. Just a few select individuals. It really is no big deal. We’re only looking out for the best interest of our town. If you’d disassociate yourself with Miss Billingsley, you’d see that Taos can be a very friendly place to settle down and start a new life for yourself. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do here?”

  Kevin made his way to the exit and said, “Open the door, please.”

  “Goodbye, Mr. Black. Remember what we discussed—it might help you sleep better at night.”

  Anger flared up inside of Kevin as he turned back and grabbed the old man by the throat. The bus driver’s eyes began to bulge outward, giving him the appearance of having exophthalmoses. Fortunately, Kevin was able to dial back the anger flowing through him, unlike the previous instances where he’d taken people’s lives to silence the humming in his head. This time there was no humming, and Kevin was beginning to make the connection. Slowly, he released the driver’s neck, and then he exited the bus while the old man coughed his way into recovery.

  Attached to the front door of his room was a note with his name on it, so Kevin ripped it off and took it inside to look at later. He was so angry with the driver that he didn’t think he could hold it steady long enough to read what it said anyhow.

  Fifteen minutes later, Kevin removed a beer from the fridge and tossed the cap across the room in the vicinity of the small waste basket there. He downed half of the local brew and decided to turn on the small TV, in an effort to take his mind off of the bus driver, the Sheriff, and the entire town.

  Settling on a local advertising channel, Kevin looked on as the scrawny announcer went through local attractions for the town, and then he turned it over to none other than Sheriff Bowman.

  Scrawny said, “Sheriff Bowman will now run us through the weekly crime statistics for our town. Sheriff, it’s all yours.”

  Kevin almost choked on his last gulp of beer upon seeing the Sheriff again.

  “This week we handed out two speeding tickets to Ricky and Wayne Davidson.” A brief pause ensued, and then the camera zoomed in extra close. Sheriff Bowman said, “Boys, I’ve told you time and time again you can’t race on the highway.”

  The way Sheriff Bowman put up his pointer finger

  and waved it from side to side, made Kevin want to break it off and shove it up that special place located on his backside.

  After tossing out six or seven other petty crimes, Kevin was sure the Sheriff would mention the attack on Amanda, but when he turned and handed the microphone back to the little guy, he knew it wasn’t going to happen. A vicious attack, almost to the point of death, wasn’t important enough to warrant mentioning on the local news.

  “Why are you surprised? It’s not like they actually care about Amanda, or her sister for that matter.” Kevin said aloud to the empty room. Getting up from the bed, his anger once again took over. This time the television was on the receiving end, as it went flying off the old dresser and crashed in several pieces on the tiled floor in front of it. Seconds later, Kevin heard knocking on his front door.

  “What!” Kevin yelled back.

  “What’s going on in there, Mr. Black?” “Everything’s alright. Just go away. I’ll take care of

  it later.”

  “There is no later, Mr. Black. Did you read the note

  I placed on your door?”

  Looking over at the small table, Kevin said, “I was getting ready to, why?”

  “Open the door, Mr. Black. We need to talk.”

  Kevin tried picking up the pieces of the TV and placing it back on the dresser, but the entire picture tube had busted out of its housing, causing it to dangle a few inches from the floor via numerous wires of varying colors.

  Cracking the door a few inches, Kevin looked out at the manager of the hotel. “What can I do for you, sir?”

  “For starters you can pack your stuff and leave. Look Mr. Black, we’re a peaceful community here. We don’t have the time or patience for outsiders to come in and disturb that peace. If you would’ve read the note I left you, you’d already know that. You’ve got another hour to pack your stuff and leave. And don’t forget to pay for whatever you broke in there.”

  Appalled was putting it mildly. Kevin couldn’t believe the nerve of these people. “You’re kicking me out? What for?”

  “It would just be better if you went elsewhere, Mr. Black.”

  “Better for whom? Sheriff Bowman? What about Miss Billingsley? Does anyone care about her well being? I find it very odd that a speeding ticket warrants mentioning on the news, but not the attack of an innocent woman. Why do you think that is?”

  “Just go, please. Get your stuff and get out.”

  “Oh, I’ll go alright. But you’ll see me again. You can tell this entire town they will be seeing my face around here for quite some time. I’m not going anywhere! You got that!”

  “Don’t make me call the Sheriff, Mr. Black.” Slamming the door in the manager’s face, Kevin

  started gathering his belongings and tossing them onto the bed. Once everything was in a big pile, he retrieved his money from underneath the floor, ripped the door open and started placing everything inside his trunk. The manager was nowhere in sight, causing Kevin to wonder his whereabouts.

  In no time, Sheriff Bowman sped up and slammed on his brakes just a few feet from where Kevin was standing. He had his lights on, sirens blazing, causing quite the scene as dust billowed up all around his vehicle and Kevin’s.

  CHAPTER 16

  Hopping out of his car, Sheriff Bowman placed his right hand on his weapon, and said, “I heard you’ve been giving Carl a hard time, Mr. Black. He said you even tore up his hotel. Do you need to come back down to the station with me?”

  “I’m leaving, Sheriff.” Hearing movement off to his right side, Kevin noticed that Carl the manager had made his way back outside to check out the action. “And here’s the money for the television,” he said as he held out fifty dollars.

  “That set cost me over $100 a few years ago.” Carl

  replied.

  “Yeah, right. It’s black and white,
analog, and not worth anything in this day and age.”

  Sheriff Bowman moved forward. “You either pay the man or take a little ride to the station with me.”

  Reaching back into his pocket, Kevin counted out another fifty dollars, wadded it up and tossed it to Carl. “Can you please move your car now, Sheriff?”

  “Of course, Mr. Black. Would you like a police escort out of town as well?”

  “Oh, I’m not leaving town, Sheriff. I thought I’d hang around and get to know everyone a little better. Who knows, we might even get together for drinks later.”

  “We’ll see about that, Mr. Black.”

  The Sheriff got back into his car and backed slowly out to the street, where he waited for Kevin to depart.

  Sticking his left hand out the window, Kevin waved goodye to Sheriff Bowman as he pulled onto the tattered road. He had no idea where he was headed, because he feared Sheriff Bowman had spread the word telling everyone not to rent to him. He couldn’t remain in town without a place to rest, but he also couldn’t leave Amanda in the hands of these psycho’s.

  After driving around aimlessly for nearly forty-five minutes, Kevin found himself parked out in front of the hospital where Amanda was being ‘cared for’. He feared they might try and harm her more than aid in her healing. From the conversations he’d been having with folks around town, he believed they’d do whatever was necessary to get rid of the troublemaking outsider. And her new friend, his subconscious added.

  In an effort to bypass the front desk altogether, Kevin slipped on an old truckers hat that he’d picked up at the bus stop outside, and made his way inside to face Attila the Hun. With his head down, he took a seat off to the side. A few minutes later, he got the break he needed. An EMT rolled an older gentleman inside with his arm hanging at an irregular angle. The man was a yelling mess, causing the ever helpful nurse to actually get up off her fat butt and get a doctor, pronto.