The Hum

by D. W. Brown

  Seizing the opportunity, Kevin snuck around the corner and disappeared inside Amanda’s room, again. Since she was sleeping, he took the seat nearest her bed and tried doing the same.

  The next thing he knew, Kevin found himself back inside his car, coming up to an old cattle ranch near the outskirts of town. Since the road actually deadended three hundred feet later, he stopped and tried to decide what to do next. If the owner of the ranch was like everyone else around town, he’d likely be met at the front door with a shotgun. Still, something urged him to enter in. The symbol above the large metal gate spanned the entire length of the entrance and was shaped like the state of New Mexico with an oversized rattlesnake coiled up in the middle.

  Kevin put the car in reverse, turned and headed back to the ranch. Cautiously, he eased through the gate. Large trees lined the sides of the cobblestone driveway, and they didn’t look depleted of life like most around the area. The owner of the ranch obviously had plenty of money, because he was definitely wasting tons of it by dumping water into the grounds upkeep. Not only did the main roadway leaving town deadend at this man’s driveway, he was also using up half of the town’s water supply to keep his trees and shrubs looking healthy. Only the well to do, Kevin thought.

  The driveway seemed to go on forever, and once Kevin cleared the long line of trees, he was met with a rich expanse of green grass, uncommon in the area. After driving for another few hundred yards, Kevin noticed a cluster of cars up in the distance and headed in that direction.

  Pulling up to the back of a newer model Chevy pickup, Kevin scanned the area for his welcoming party of shotguns. Not only were there no weapons, he didn’t see a soul.

  Getting out of his car, Kevin warily headed through an outcropping of brush directly in front of the cars. He could tell from the trampled path that others had obviously gone that way. Fifty feet later, he almost fell headfirst into a large crater in the earth. The hole had to be over five hundred feet in diameter, and looking down into it, Kevin didn’t see a bottom anywhere in sight.

  Hearing footsteps coming from behind him, Kevin turned just as someone threw their body into his, sending him flailing out of control into the hole. Strangely, his mind went back to a story he’d heard on the news a few days prior about a Florida man disappearing into a sinkhole while he was sleeping in his bed one night. It was so deep that they never found his body. Kevin began to wonder if anyone would even care to come looking for his distorted body.

  He wasn’t sure what awaited him at the bottom of the hole, but Kevin’s mind conjured up something evil, menacing. He prayed he’d die from the fall before he came face to face with whatever was down there with him.

  “Hello. Wake up, you.”

  Someone was talking to him, but Kevin didn’t see how that was possible. He was the only one falling into the abyss, the only one in the hole at all.

  “Kevin. Wake up, Kevin.”

  “Huh?” Slowly, Amanda’s voice began to break through his dream, his nightmare.

  “What are you doing back here, other than waking me up with your snoring?”

  “I…I’m sorry.” Kevin replied as he used his hand to wipe the drool from his chin. “It seems I’ve been shunned for hanging out with you. The hotel manager just kicked me out of my room, and the Sheriff kindly offered to escort me out of town. So it looks like you’re stuck with me.”

  Softening a bit, Amanda said, “Sorry. Looks like I’ve made quite a few enemies around here. You could always stay in my apartment. They said I’ll be released in a couple of days, so it’s vacant for a while.”

  “What’s this? Are you feeling sorry for me now?” “Kind of. I don’t want you to suffer because of

  something I’ve done. Besides, you don’t look like you’d fare too well with the homeless. Too skinny, too little.” “Hey, I take offense to that. These arms might look small but I can take care of myself. And on the other note, from what I’ve gathered you didn’t do anything

  wrong here. These people are just crazy.”

  ‘Thank you, Kevin. It’s good to hear someone say that. I feel like such a foreigner here, and the crazy part is that I grew up in this mad town. I don’t remember things being this weird when I was a kid. Of course, I was more concerned about the boys in my class than what the adults were doing.”

  “No different than the rest of us.” Kevin replied, even though at that age, he knew that he was more concerned with getting rid of his brother Wayne than anything else. He didn’t have the luxury of a normal childhood, or a normal adulthood for that matter. His entire life had been anything but. Now that he’d been grouped in with the troublemaker lot, his abnormal life might possibly be cut short.

  “Do you mind telling me a little more about your sister?”

  “Sure. When we were little, she was always standoffish with me. I knew she loved me, but she was hesitant to show her affection towards me for some reason. Still, I idolized her. She excelled at everything she tried: cheerleading, volleyball, softball, even playing the guitar. She was a natural; all you had to do was show her the basics and she took it from there.”

  Amanda paused to wipe a few stray tears from her eyes. It was obvious that memories were all she had left of her loving sister.

  “Once Jordan turned ten, we grew really close. She finally started to reciprocate the hugs and kisses I showered her with from day one. Not only that, we started doing more things together. When we weren’t at the mall, we were either bowling or watching a show. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Jordan completely changed. She began to pull away from me, as well as everyone else in her life. At first, I thought it was just her being a normal teenager, but then she started spending most of her time locked inside her room, and she wouldn’t let me in. She constantly complained of headaches, and...what is it? Did I say something?” Amanda asked, noticing the look on Kevin’s face.

  Kevin wished he could tell Amanda that he was experiencing the same things Jordan had prior to her disappearance, but he knew he couldn’t. She’d not only think him insane, she definitely wouldn’t want him hanging around her.

  “Oh, nothing. It just sounds a little…strange.”

  “Tell me about it. I walked by her room one day and it sounded like she was hitting something against the wall. At dinner that same night, she had a big red spot on her forehead. I think she was banging her head on the wall, hoping it would alleviate some of the pain.”

  “Did you ask her about it?”

  “I waited until after dinner and asked. She said tripped over a pair of shoes and hit the footboard of her bed, but I could tell she was lying. Jordan was never a good liar—she always looked off to her right side when she attempted to do so. It was a dead giveaway.”

  “Note to self, don’t turn head to the side when telling a fib to Amanda.”

  “Very funny. How about not lying at all?”

  “Even better. You mentioned at the market when I first met you that you’d moved away from here when you turned twelve. Mind if I ask why?”

  Eying him curiously, Amanda said, “It’s a long story, and one that will only make you side with the locals even more about my current state of mind.”

  “Try me. Quit lumping me in with these people, and tell me why you believe so strongly that they killed your sister.”

  “Okay then, you asked for it. Shortly after Jordan turned fifteen, she was raped by a local kid whose parents basically own most of this town. She told our dad, and he refused to believe her, as well as everyone else around the area. Our loving mother even tried to get her to say she lied about the whole incident. To make a long story short, the sheriff at the time talked my father into moving away, to avoid the fallout from the allegation.”

  “You father just moved away, and let this punk get away with it?”

  “I’m telling you Kevin, thi
s town has some sort of hold over its people. I heard my parents pleading with Jordan for weeks after she told them about the rape. The way they turned against her made me not want to have anything to do with them.”

  “So you moved up to Illinois, and then what?” Kevin asked.

  “Jordan was never the same after that. She continued to go downhill: she got into drugs, starting cutting herself, and for some crazy reason boys. You’d think being raped would push her away from the opposite sex, but it was almost as if she started to believe she was only good for that one thing. So, yes, she went off the deep end. Shortly after I graduated college, she called me up and asked to talk. She looked better than she had in years, but there was something new in her eyes. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the fire of revenge. She told me she was going back to Taos, to confront the man who raped her.”

  “Do you know his name? The boy who raped her?” “I’ll never forget it: Judd Wilkinson. His parent’s own this town, as well as many of the surrounding ones around this crappy state. I’ll bet you any amount

  of money he’s behind Jordan’s murder.”

  “Back up a bit for me. So Jordan came back here and confronted this Judd Wilkinson. What happened after that?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I received a phone call from Jordan shortly after she got here, and she was scared out of her mind. She didn’t sound like herself.”

  “Did she tell you what she was so afraid of?” Kevin asked, now more interested than ever. After hearing some of the things that Jordan went through, he was starting to wonder what else the town was involved in. “At the time, she wasn’t making any sense. She kept talking about a humming noise in her head, and how her head wouldn’t stop hurting. Kevin, she never had one headache after we moved away from Taos. After overhearing those men talking about the strange humming sound here, I got online and did a little research.”

  “And what did you find out?” Kevin asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.

  CHAPTER 17

  “This town is one of many that have been experiencing this strange humming noise. In 1977, a British newspaper received upwards of 800 letters complaining of sleep loss, dizziness and shortness of breath, headaches, anxiety, irritability, deteriorating health, and inability to read due to an incessant humming sound. The British humming was never tied to the one here in Taos, but I think there’s definitely some sort of connection there.” Amanda paused for a drink of water, and to adjust the pillows supporting her back. She winced at the pain in her abdomen, as she did so.

  She continued, “It seems that many of the locals here in Taos banded together in 1993 and petitioned Congress to investigate the mysterious humming sound, with hopes of helping them find the source. Nothing conclusive came from that investigation, but one prevailing theory holds that the hum was created by a Top Secret military communications system used to communicate with submarines.”

  Changing gears momentarily, Amanda said, “Can you help me move this blasted pillow up? It’s stuck underneath my backside, and I can’t lift my body without pulling a stitch loose.”

  “Of course.” Kevin replied, making his way over next to Amanda to provide his assistance.

  Even with his mind completely focused on what she was telling him about Taos and the hum, Kevin couldn’t help but take notice of Amanda’s shapely figure as he pulled her pillow free from her back side. Her strength and determination only added to her appeal. For a brief second, he pictured her in a tight skirt and tank, sporting high heels and throwing back a beer. In his mind, that was sexy. Amanda was…

  Once her pillow was back in the right spot, Amanda said, “According to the report, hearers say the noise begins abruptly and never abates. It interferes with sleep and is more noticeable inside a house or car than outside. Some even went as far as to describe it as sounding like a diesel engine idling outside their home or place of work. Since it has proven undetectable by microphones or VLF antennae, its source and nature are still a mystery.”

  Still coming out of his fantasy, Kevin moved back over to his seat and said, “This thing sounds kind of spooky. Leave it to me to move to a town where people are hearing voices.”

  “Not voices, humming noises. Quite the difference there and it’s not everyone.”

  “I know. It just sounded better to say voices instead.”

  “Have you ever heard it before, Kevin?”

  “What? Me? Have I heard the humming?” Kevin stalled, surprised at being put on the spot.

  “Yes, you. I never heard it when I lived here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

  “No, I can’t say that I have.” Kevin said, lying. He just wasn’t ready to put that much out there for Amanda to dice up. He imagined her tossing each occurrence up in the air and slicing through it with the precision of Japanese chef.

  Amanda continued, “Even though we might be in the majority around here, the hums presence is irrefutable. Anyhow, a small band of hearers of this strange hum got together around 1993 and petitioned Congress to investigate the phenomena. This led to Congress directing scientists and observers from some of the most prestigious research institutes around the country to look into the mysterious Taos hum. The team consisted of a dozen investigators, such as Joe Mullins from the University of New Mexico and Horace Poteet of Sandia National Laboratories, who also happened to write the team’s final report. Some research organizations from New Mexico were also involved in the investigation—Phillips Air Force Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory just to name a few. In order to alleviate concerns that the hum might have been caused by the Department of Defense, the investigation was conducted in the open, involving a wide range of subjects.”

  After another gulp of water, Amanda continued, “The first thing that the investigators did was interview people claiming to have heard the strange hum, to try to determine its nature: the sound it made, its frequency, timing and the effects it had on those who heard it. Next the team planned to survey residents of Taos and the surrounding communities to determine how widespread the hum was. Finally, the team tried to isolate and determine the cause of the hum. Surprisingly, the team of investigators didn’t go into this with the mindset of disproving the hum’s existence— there was a generally clear understanding that something strange was happening here, but just exactly what that was, is still to be determined.”

  “I’m surprised the locals around here wanted the government poking around in their business.”

  “From what I read in the report, many of the townspeople weren’t exactly friendly to the investigators, and some were downright hostile. One of the investigators even reported he was met at the front door of a few homes by shotgun wielding patrons who forcibly escorted them off their property. In the end, I think the ones experiencing this thing were just scared and wanted some answers. It sounds like it divided the town for a while, at least until the ‘hearers’ moved away.”

  “What? They all moved away from the area?” Kevin asked surprised.

  “I know, it sounds a little fishy to me too. You might not be too happy with me, but I did a little looking into your family also, Kevin.”

  “You did? Why?”

  “Just trying to make sure I covered all my bases. You insisted on staying around to help look after me, so I thought it best I knew your background.”

  “Then you know all about the death of my brother, Wayne?” Kevin asked, hoping to steer clear of his wife and kids.

  “I’m sorry you lost him at such a young age. It’s kind of wild how we both lost our older siblings, but to me, Jordan kind of died after she was raped; she was a different girl after that.”

  A little frustrated to learn Amanda was snooping into his past, Kevin said, “So what else did you find out, Detective Billingsley?”

  “That your father was part of that investigation, that
he was one of the original hearers.”

  Shocked, Kevin said, “What? He was? He never mentioned anything about it to us.” For the next few minutes, he wracked his brain, trying to remember life with his father before Wayne died—was murdered. He knew his father often complained of headaches, but he’d never mentioned anything about the hum. Had he kept it from him all this time?

  ”Anything else?” Kevin asked.

  “Other than your move to Michigan, and your parents’ deaths years later, that about covers it.”

  Kevin began to wonder why Amanda hadn’t mentioned the other murders. Were they still on his record? Had Father Gregory pulled more strings for him? He also couldn’t believe his good ole dad was a hearer too. He began to regret not mentioning the hum to him, not telling him about Wayne’s violent behavior during their younger years.

  “Mind if I switch back to the investigation here in

  Taos?”

  “You’re the investigator.” Kevin said, still feeling a tinge of frustration towards Amanda for snooping into his past.

  Unfazed by Kevin’s words, Amanda said, “The initial investigation focused on ten hearers, and quickly found that there were key facts surrounding the hum: it was persistent, only a small number of people heard it, and the sound was extremely low on the frequency scale. It ranged somewhere between 30 and

  80Hz. Of course, there were differences in what people thought the hum sounded like: some compared it to the low rumbling of a truck, some claimed it was audibly speaking to them, others claimed it sounded like a steady pulsing. They also learned that the sound wasn’t limited just to the area around Taos, but also in Britain and other places around the world, as I mentioned earlier.”

  “Is this story going anywhere, because it sounds like a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo to me.”