Noah just got back from class,the dormitory hallway was silent except for the buzz of the exit sign.
Noah stood there for a long moment before pushing open the door to room 214.
The dorm was too quiet.
That kind of silence that doesn't rest it listens.
Noah sat at his desk, eyes fixed on the glow of his phone screen. It was past midnight, and Liam still wasn't back. The hum of the ceiling fan couldn't drown out the thoughts rattling around his skull.
Every memory of Emily felt heavier now. Every word Liam had said since her death rang hollow.
Something was wrong with him.
Noah knew it.
The first time he noticed was a week ago - when he caught Liam whispering to himself in the shower. The sound wasn't words, not really. Just a low, rhythmic muttering under the running water.
Like he was reciting something. Remembering something.
Tonight, Noah couldn't take it anymore.
Something didn't add up.
Liam had always been calm, confident, steady,the kind of guy who didn't crack under pressure. Now, he barely looked human. Pale. Distracted. Terrified.
And every time Noah asked what was wrong, he said the same thing: You wouldn't understand.
Noah immediately stood up, pacing once, twice, before his eyes fell to Liam's desk. Everything looked perfectly placed too neat. Liam wasn't the tidy type. He was chaotic, impulsive, living out of duffel bags and gym lockers. But now the desk was spotless, except for one thing: a small metal case tucked under a notebook.
It was barely visible but Noah noticed the faint shimmer of light bouncing off the edge.
He hesitated. "This is stupid," he muttered under his breath.
"You're not a dectective"
But the urge to know burned hotter than fear.
He slid the notebook aside and pulled the case out. It was heavier than it looked. Silver, smooth, locked with a simple clasp. The kind of thing used to carry syringes or lab tools.
His heart thudded once,twice before he unclipped it.
Inside were three glass vials filled with a liquid that wasn't quite clear and wasn't quite blue. It shimmered like oil in water, and the glass gave off a faint tremor as if something inside was vibrating. Each glass was labeled Project D-9. When he lifted one, the sound deepened, a low hum that seemed to settle in his bones.
This low vibrating hum that came from the vials were faint, but sharp enough to prickle the back of his neck. It was a sound that didn't belong in a dorm room. Not in any normal space.
His first thought was that it was some sort of supplement one of the "enhancers" athletes whispered about but never admitted to using.Then he saw what was taped to the underside of the lid."could be harmful".He noticed something else,Emily's base ball cap. It was the cap she wore on the night of the incident.
Noah's knees went week,he stared in disbelief.
The hum grew louder. Noah could feel it in the floorboards, in the air behind his eyes.
He put the vial down too fast. It tipped, clinked, rolled in a small circle before settling. The liquid swirled and gave off a faint hiss, the smell sharp like disinfectant and something burnt.
He wanted to leave it there, to pretend he hadn't seen anything, but his hands were shaking too much. He reached for the lid just as the door opened.
Liam stood in the doorway. Sweat darkened the collar of his shirt; his eyes looked raw and sleepless.
"What are you doing?"
His voice was calm but his jaw ticked, once.
"I—I heard something," Noah said, the words tumbling out. "It was humming, man. What is this?"
Liam crossed the room in two strides and snapped the case shut. The sound stopped instantly.
"You shouldn't have touched that."
"What is it?"
"It's nothing you understand."
"Then explain it," Noah shot back, his fear edging into anger. "You've been acting like you're about to fall apart. You miss class, you're out all night".
"Stop." Liam's voice cracked, softer now. "Please."
He crouched, slid the case back under the desk, and stayed there for a long moment with his head in his hands.
When he finally looked up, there was something broken behind his eyes.
"You don't get it, Noah. Emily… she found one of those. She thought it was steroids, or poison, or I don't know. She said she'd tell the coach." He swallowed hard. "It wasn't supposed to go this far."
Noah stared at him. "Go this far? What are you talking about?"
But Liam didn't answer. He stood, grabbed his jacket, and left the room without looking back.
The silence that followed was worsen than the hum.
Noah stayed there, staring at the space beneath the desk, at the faint ring of liquid that had seeped from the vial onto the wood and dried into a dark stain. When he brushed it with his finger, it felt warm.
He wiped his hand on his jeans, locked the door, and sat down on his bed. His heart refused to slow.
He told himself he'd forget what he saw.
He wouldn't.
Because even after he turned off the light, he could still hear it
that soft, mechanical humming that wasn't coming from anywhere in the room.
He didn't sleep that night.
He couldn't.
Because every time he blinked, he could still hear it.
That sound.
That awful, humming sound.
And deep down, he knew one thing for sure.
Whatever Emily saw, whatever Liam was hiding, it was far bigger, far darker, than he ever imagined.
At dawn he could still hear the sound echoing faintly in his head. Liam's bed was empty. The case was gone.
Only the stain remained, shaped like a perfect half-moon, pulsing faintly when the sun hit it.
And somewhere down the hall, Noah thought he heard the same hum again
muffled, moving away.
He didn't know it yet, but someone else had heard it too.