The Sonorant

The sound of shattering ceramic filled the air as the waitress stumbled, dropping her carrying tray and sending broken dishes and silverware clattering across the floor. Despite watching her the whole time, Will was still startled by the crashing sound. He himself jumped in surprise, slamming his hand onto the counter, which sent his fork flying into the mess on the floor. The waitress gave him a death stare, as if she thought he had done it on purpose.

I didn’t mean to.

Before either of them could say a word, the manager, a large man in a greasy apron came out from the kitchen and started yelling at the waitress. He turned to try and eat but they started yelling louder.

Shut up please.

His ears cringed as he just stared at the stainless steel counter he was seated at. They got louder. She was crying now.

They won’t shut up.

His heart beat faster as the yelling choked him. Its grip tightened and tightened around his head until he felt his head would burst. Will abruptly stood up from his stool, pulled out his wallet, placed a twenty dollar bill next to his half eaten chicken fried steak, and exited the diner, the crying and yelling drowned out as the heavy glass door closed behind him. He ran to his truck, wrenching the old door free from its position and jumping into the cabin. Taking deep breathes he stared at the peeling interior of his cabin roof.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go till day is done.

Each breath he took lessened the grip on his brain.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go till day is done.

The lump in his throat unfurled. One last breath.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go till day is done.

He exhaled, letting the last bit of tension leave his body. Shifting his gaze towards the evening sun getting ready to set in front of him, he sat in the silence of another victory. He wouldn’t let them win. He sat in the silence of his truck for a bit before glancing at the time. 5:23 p.m.

Time to go to work.

The truck rocked to life as he turned on the ignition switch, making him shudder in response like he always did. Hitting the road, he drove east towards the old high school. The restaurants, gas stations and motels of the town passed him in rapid succession until all he saw was desert around him, the setting sun glinting off his mirrors, hiding everything behind him from view.

Twenty minutes pass between the diner and the school. He had gotten there before his 6:30 shift start so he felt a small sense of pride.

Might get to leave early tonight.

Fumbling some gilded, rusting keys from the duffle in the back of his truck, he walked towards the front doors and unlocked them with a light snap. The dark abyss that was the main foyer was pierced by the failing light of day that leaked in from the doors, allowing Will to somewhat make his way through the large room. His steps echoed ominously into the space around him, the sonority reverberating lightly in his ears.

Reaching the key switch at the end of the foyer leading to the B-100 hall, Will felt around for its corresponding key, inserted it and turned the switch on, revealing a dark figure in his peripherals at the end of the hall. Will’s heart skipped a beat as he rapidly jerked his head to look down the hall, but when he looked the only thing at the end of it were the red gym doors.

“Must have been nothing.”

Still, he treaded carefully as he walked down the B corridor, casting side glances at every branching hallway and through each room window up until he reached the custodial closet. He reached for the handle just as the P.A came on.

A steady high pitched ringing blasted throughout the school. Will screamed in agony and terror as it flooded his ears and squeezed on his brain, tighter than it had ever been since he’d escaped home. He fell to the ground, covering his ears with his hands in vain. The pressure tightened, and he knew he was screaming but could not hear himself, only the ringing.

He was a child again, reduced by the constant screaming of his parents into a ball of nothingness, just a husk filled with the pain of countless vocal sparring matches. The matches that had turned sound into pain for the rest of his life. And like then he was alone. He tried to recite the story his sister had comforted him with when he was a kid to make the pain go away.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go till day is done.

Only this time however, he could not hear them. She really was gone and he really was alone. Desperately, despite the torrents of tears he was shedding, he shut his eyes, hoping the sound would go away.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go till day is done.

His own thoughts were drowned by the noise.

One fish walks, one fish runs, both will go…just let me die.

The burning tears forced his eyes open, long enough to see the dark figure standing over him. He was only able to catch a glimpse of its sickly charred, inhuman feet, before the silence came.