The Noise

They called to us, we would not listen.
They beckoned to us, we would not listen.
They warned us, we would not listen.

Did Their voices not thunder across the sky?

We should have trembled, we would not listen.
We should have taken heed, we would not listen.
We could have avoided what is now unavoidable.

We still do not listen.

-Lamentations of Hindsight


THE NOISE

Ann and Conner were on the roof of their shared apartment building gazing at stars when the noise started. It was a small five story complex and they really weren't supposed to be on the roof, but Conner's dad was the building's Superintendent. On Friday nights, he went to a local bar and gave Conner the keys, leaving him in charge.

Conner met Ann nine years ago, when her family moved into the building. They lived on the same floor, they were the same age, and neither had siblings; so, they became fast friends. Conner had lived in the apartments all of his life. He gleefully showed his new friend, Ann, all the secrets of the building, and the best hiding places.

Last year, when Conner turned seventeen, his dad began trusting him with more responsibility in the running of the apartments. His dad also began to pay him for the time he worked. Not much, but it gave him a little money to spend. One of the first things Conner bought was a telescope. So, while his dad had a few drinks with friends on this Friday night, Ann joined him on the roof for stargazing. It was one more secret place to share with his best friend.

Ann's parents liked and trusted Conner, and knew where she was. Her mom often teased her that one day the two of them would be married. Ann always protested, but she knew her mom was right. It wasn't something she could explain, she just knew. They were best friends from the moment they met, and now she viewed their meeting as a touch of destiny. God's hand, as her grandmother used to say.

The sky was mostly clear that night, with a few clouds. Conner had finished setting up his telescope, and was pointing out the constellation Sagittarius, when the noise began.

"What is that?" Ann said, crooking her head slightly as she listened to the noise. The sound filled the sky.

"It's loud!" Conner said, pulling out his phone to record it. "It almost sounds like a machine!"

"Or a giant orchestra warming up!" Ann injected.

The sound had begun softly, at first, gradually growing in strength. It seemed to come from the sky. The noise was unidentifiable to the pair. It reached a peak volume, held it for a few seconds, then faded, just as it had grown. The two teens sat for a moment in stunned silence.

"That was weird." Conner observed. He was a bit freaked out. He had seen videos on the internet of this sort of thing, but he never imagined he would actually witness it. "It's starting again!"

Just as before, the noise grew in intensity, held, and then faded.

"What is it? Some kind of metal scraping?.. a monster?.. a giant machine?.. some sort of horn?" Ann couldn't actually describe what the sound was, but it was familiar. It was as if something from her imagination had been brought to life. It wasn't frightening, but it was ominous. It was a big noise. Ann could only imagine how big the thing was that made it.

"I don't know what it is." Conner responded, "Are you scared?"

"Not really. Just kinda weirded out." Ann said, as the sound started again. "How long will this last?"

"The videos I've seen only last a few minutes, but I don't know if they stopped filming or the sound stopped happening!" Shouting over the noise, Conner was imagining a million views on TikTok. He turned around slowly, holding his phone out to show there was nothing around that could be making the noise.

Conner added, "What is that! It's really freaking me out!" for dramatic effect, and hoped the sound was recording clearly on his phone. Ann frowned at him.

"So what do they say these sounds are?" She spoke quickly, in case it started again.

"No one knows. Some say it's just a factory machine, a train, or a boat horn. Some think it's shifting plates in the Earth, or even the final trumpets from the bible. It's anyone's guess. I really have no idea.. and it IS freaking me out a little!" Conner finished just in time to avoid shouting as the sound reached it's crescendo.

They were silent and listened as the noise faded and started up again. Conner held his phone up with outstretched arm, as if that would bring the sound in clearer. Normally, Ann would have commented on the absurdity of it, but she never noticed. She stared at the sky, and hoped to see some clue as to what was making the noise. She counted in her head the time it took for the noise to rise, and hold, and fade.

As it faded away, Ann spoke, "Seven."

"What?" Conner asked as he pointed his phone towards her.

"It takes seven seconds to rise, it holds for seven seconds, then fades in seven seconds."

"No way!" Conner again looked into his camera. "That's weird."

"Yeah." Ann agreed. "I bet it's silent for seven seconds too. So, that must mean it's not natural, right? It's not some giant monster coming to eat us?"

"Look out! It's Godzilla!" Conner held the phone high as the sound rose in it's rhythmic crescendo.

"It sounds like it's coming from the sky, and we're not near the ocean or a lake, so I think we can rule out a boat horn! " Ann shouted over the noise. Something seemed wrong to her. "If it was a machine, wouldn't it be coming from a specific direction!?"

Conner shrugged.

"It's like my mind can't quite grasp what I'm hearing." Ann declared in the momentary silence.

"It does sound like it's coming from above us." He spun around again as he spoke, "It could just be SO LOUD that we are, sort of.. buried in the sound. So that it seems like it's coming from above."

The noise began it's quiet start.

"Or it's aliens." Conner turned his phone to his face and made his most serious mad-scientist face. This could go on for hours. I hope I have enough battery.

"How come you're not filming, Ann?" He nearly had to shout to be heard, but Ann looked as if she didn't hear him. "Ann!?" As Conner shouted her name, he noticed that she was crying. He couldn't imagine why she was crying, but he decided to give her a moment and ask about it when the sound faded.

He held his phone high, pointed at the clouds. As it died out, the noise seemed to linger a bit longer before fading away. Conner figured that was just his imagination.

Continued

Continued


In the silence, he turned to his friend, "Are you ok, Ann? You're crying."

Ann wiped her eyes. "I don't know. I don't know why I'm crying. The tears... they just started. Like a giant sadness washing over me. It made me cry." She was about to start crying again, but quickly composed herself. She sniffed, "Is that weird?"

"No weirder than that noise." Conner pointed to the sky, "Do you hear that?"

"What? I don't hear anything." Ann tilted her head listening.

"Exactly." Conner said, and turned off his phone. He looked at her seriously, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, but something seems wrong. I don't know what it is though. You ever get that?" Ann looked at Conner for confirmation. "Like something bad is happening, or it has happened, or it's about to happen? Like... a bad change is coming. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does make sense, and no, I don't get that. I'm not crazy." Conner made a face at Ann, she swung at his arm and missed as he moved out of the way.

"Hey, look, if it really is something bad, we'll get through it. Whatever it is, it will all be okay. Alright?" Conner held his fist out.

Ann bumped his fist with hers, and with her other hand she gently smacked him on the forehead. "I'll show you crazy."

"It's Godzilla!" Conner jumped up, pointing at her. Ann roared, and they both laughed a moment.

"Now, if you're all good, let's go." Conner held up his phone. "I want to get this on my screens!"

She nodded, and as Conner packed his telescope she looked up at the sky. It looked as it always had, with no indication of what might have made the noise. She suddenly shuddered.

Ann closed her eyes in a silent prayer. Please God, help us and keep us safe.

When she opened her eyes, Conner was already halfway across the roof.

"Hey! Are you just going to leave me here?" Ann hurried after him.


EPILOGUE

The Angel Uriel lowered his horn. There was no enjoyment taken in the task he performed. Seven blasts; seven notes; seven cataclysms.

In truth, it broke his heart to think of the suffering to come, but it was Divine Will and necessary for human existence. The Sons of Men were too divided now. Those divisions were destroying their souls.

They had lost sight of their fellow man's humanity and closed their hearts to God. If humans could not come together... Uriel chose not to think about it. He hoped that people would unite through the coming struggles and heartaches. It would be hard, but it was an opportunity for men to live and work together, to move forward as a human family. 

Uriel closed his eyes in a silent prayer for humanity. Please Father, help them to see the light.

The angel prayed that another chastisement would not be necessary, because the next trumpet would be Gabriel's.

a reply to: Dapaga

I thoroughly enjoyed your story. Dapaga.

It’s sweet, suspenseful and hopefully serendipitous. I’ve always longed for a life-long friendship as your protagonists. Their experience keeps us guessing and your epilogue is totally unexpected. I find their precarious destiny both pessimistic and optimistic in lieu of the impending apocalypse. Will their unity be enough to spare them the fate of the “The Sons of Men“?

a reply to: Encia22

I honestly don't know what to say that except; thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

a reply to: Dapaga

Yours was an amazing story! I loved the slow build, couched in normal human activity of stargazing. Perfect. The hook at the end was different than what I'd guessed and I love that also. VERY well done, and a good read. I really enjoyed your writing style, like a narrative of a person travelling through life, just observing.

a reply to: argentus

Thank you.

I will add that I've often wondered if the "noises" that fill the skies were some sort of warning, or a very large dragon. I chose to write about the warnings, but I also wanted to convey the real hope that the two at the center of the story would weather the coming storms. God's hand.


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a reply to: Dapaga

That came through just fine, and it was also a cautionary tale, because it warned if we don't shape up, then Gabriel's horn sounds, and at that point, it's game over. We done screwed the pooch.

a reply to: Dapaga

This is excellent!

a reply to: JJproductions

Thank you, as well.