Volume 1 p2 The Hum Begins
It is 10 AM, six hours since the meteor arrived. Alex sat atop the skateboard park’s tallest ramp, facing Atlantic St. She watched the traffic drive by on this chilly Saturday morning but was not paying attention to the cars. She is resting; she has been boarding since 8 AM. This park is where she feels the most comfortable; she can be what she wants to be herself. Her house is over there, Park and Ash. It is not much of a house; it is small, white, old, and rundown. It is even less of a home.
Her concentration is broken when someone honks their horn and yells at her. Alex glared back at them, said some choice words, and looked around for something to throw. Alex is angry or frustrated, depending on your perspective. She is often angry; it is her choice but not her fault. Alex’s father is a verbally abusive alcoholic. Home isn’t a safe place, it never has been. She spends most of her time on the streets, only slipping inside once he’s passed out, long enough to eat and sleep before disappearing again. She can’t wait to turn eighteen and let the military take her away. Alex is not great at following orders, but life is not planning on taking care of her; the military will, and she will somehow figure out how to control her hot, scalding tongue.
Sitting on the ramp, Alex thinks about what to practice next. She has been working on sliding down a handrail with a 360 dismount. Several busted lips later, she is getting close. She is having trouble concentrating; a hum is coming from somewhere. She thought it was coming from her air pods. Taking them out did not make the hum disappear. She cannot see them, but over her right shoulder, out in the hayfield north of the tree line, which borders the lake, there is a growing collection of deer, birds, and squirrels just west of Weber Elementary. The trees were restless with wings. Birds flitted and jostled, their calls sharp, frantic, maybe too frantic. The squirrels darted across the ground, not scavenging, not playing. Just…waiting. They seem to be trying to get close to something. The deer are the most daring of the group of animals. They are on the other side of the ridge. Some are standing, others are lying down, but all are facing west as if watching and waiting for something to happen.
“Where is that hum coming from?” Alex says. She looks over her left shoulder toward Ash St. along the front of Weber Elementary. Nothing visually stands out as the source of the sound. There is no car playing its music, no one in the front yard doing anything, and a TV that is way too loud. She turns back, staring at the skateboard in her lap. Focusing, concentrating, and trying to determine where the hum is coming from. Her head snapped up. It wasn’t a thought, it was a whisper. A suggestion from something unseen. She turns sharply to her right, this time turning her whole body. She can see the deer standing in the field. “I think the hum is coming from over there,” Alex says.
She jumps off the top of the ramp, landing softly like a cat, then slides down the ramp as she has many times. This time, the purpose is different. Alex is no longer hiding in her safe place; now, she is searching for the source of the hum, and the adventure begins. Red hair flows below her skullcap as she crosses the concrete park, exits the gate, and turns right. She is wearing baggy pants that slightly cover her dark black boots. Adding the skull hand tattoos, gray hoodie, nose, and lip piercings give Alex a look that says, “Leave me alone.” Walking along the front of the gate, looking to her right, her attention is set on the field where the deer are. Reaching the corner, she turns right, walking along the west side of the skateboard park fence. She pauses at the back corner of the skate park. “What are you doing, Alex? She says to herself. This is very unlike you.” She thinks to herself, “You need to avoid the spotlight; avoid everything that could bring attention.” It never ends well.
Continuing her path, she crosses the grassy area and walks through the tree line. Within the trees is the creek that feeds Walton Lake. The creek is only a few feet deep, but it's complex to pass unless you're willing to get wet. There is a water pipe that extends from one bank to the other. It is two feet above the creek. The pipe is about the size of Alex's waist. She has often used this pipe as a bridge; it is the quickest way to the skate park from her house and a quick getaway when her mouth gets her in trouble with other skaters. She walks across it quickly. On the other side, Alex follows the dirt path to the gravel parking lot, then heads toward the school bus entrance for Weber Elementary. She keeps an eye on the field in case something happens or appears as she walks along the paved driveway to the end of the circle drive. She steps up onto the curb and walks over to the fire hydrant. She watches the deer in the field as they continue to gaze back toward the lake. The birds are noisy as they flitter, jockeying for a better position. The squirrels on the ground react similarly to the deer. Their routine of finding resources appears to be taking a backseat to whatever currently captures their attention. What could be drawing them in? Alex asked herself. A knot tightened in her stomach. Something was over there. Something that had the animals watching, waiting. And now, she was walking straight toward it.
Suddenly, without any warning, from out of nowhere, a car pulls into the driveway.
Thank you for reading this part of Volume 1. For fan reaction, follow us on the X at @TeamMAD. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or send some fan mail to one of the ladies, you can email us at TeamMADzakmaj@gmail.com.
