HUM by Dan Hawley (chromebook ebook reader TXT) 📕

long lines outside. On a day like today, though, standing outside was a gift. The notorious wet and dreary Seattle spring weather had lived up to its reputation this year, so a gorgeous break like today felt amazing.

It felt like hope.

Hope that a vaccine would come quickly. Hope that things would get back to normal. Hope that Dr. Luu could do something for Jason, and even if he could not, a sliver of hope that she could convince Jason to move home.

Home and away.

Away from the rain and clouds. Away from the isolation. Away from the visions of the hiker that had tainted her memories of the mountains. She didn’t care if she ever saw mountains again.

We were happier at home, she thought. It wasn’t perfect, but at least we had family and friends. We had support.

If I told him how sad I am, how lonely, surely he—the locking mechanism inside the door came to life, and its insides moved with metallic clicks.

Samantha gathered her white robe and her senses and went to the door, wondering how long she had been standing at the window.

“Hey, cutie!” Jason smiled as he entered the apartment. Samantha smiled back easily but impatiently waited for him to touch her. Jason put down his duffle, kicked off his boots, and grabbed Samantha tightly around the waist. She let out a quick squeal as Jason lifted her into the air.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply and with intent.

“Well?” Samantha was out of breath as he put her down. “How was it?”

“Weird. Really weird. Just an odd place filled with odd people. The only normal person there was Dr. Luu, and I only saw him for a minute.”

“Oh?” Samantha turned and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.

“Yeah, it’s all good. They just hooked up a machine to my head, turned the cameras on, and left me alone.”

Jason pulled out a stool and sat down on it.

“I was pretty beat by then, so I basically went right to sleep. I asked the guy in the morning, the nurse I guess, if he saw anything, and he said no. I’ll bet he was asleep at the wheel all night. He seemed well rested anyway.”

Yellow scrambled eggs seared loudly against the hot pan. Samantha threw the empty egg carton out into the blue bin under the sink, then rinsed her hands. She popped a few pieces of bread into the toaster and turned to face Jason.

He smiled.

He looked good, she thought. Like a night away from this damn apartment was all he needed to get back to the Jason she knew before.

“Your follow-up is Wednesday?”

“Yeah, I wish it wouldn’t take so long, but I guess it takes time to go over the data and the video recording and all that.” Jason paused for a moment. “And there were at least three other people there, on my floor. Four rooms. And there are another four rooms on the third floor, I think.”

Jason licked his lips.

“God, that smells good. Thanks for taking care of me, babe.”

Jason’s voice turned sentimental.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Sam stirred the eggs and turned off the burner.

The bread had become toast, so Sam grabbed each piece nimbly and ran butter across their faces.

In a flash of movement, the food was on the plates. She she sat down beside Jason and poured them each a glass of orange juice.

“I don’t know what you’d do without me either,” Sam teased.

“Well, I wouldn’t eat as well, that’s for sure,” Jason said with forced machismo.

He picked up a warm piece of toast and popped it into his mouth.

* * *

“Do you miss home?” Samantha asked as they lay in bed. The day had been well spent. The couple relaxed in the morning and then made love in the shower. They had gone for a long walk, since the clear morning had turned into a beautiful and warm afternoon. They shared an order of fish and chips from a takeout restaurant on the seawall and followed it up with a cup of gelato. When they returned home, they had made love again, but on the couch this time, the tall, uncovered living room windows allowing the late-day sun to warm their naked bodies.

After dinner, they had watched a couple of funny movies while cuddling on the couch, occasionally snacking on chips from a bowl on the coffee table.

A near perfect day, Sam thought. But even so, her heart yearned for home, and she wanted to know if Jason’s did too.

“Yeah.” Jason paused. “But it’s pretty sweet out here, don’t you think?” Sam frowned, but Jason was on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“I mean, this COVID thing kinda fucked everything up, and I guess the thing on the mountain wasn’t great. And I haven’t been sleeping very well at all…” Jason trailed off.

Samantha waited; was he now realizing this place wasn’t “pretty sweet” at all? Surely he had to see how bad things had been.

“But I dunno. There are a lot of cool things out here, and without the pandemic, I think we’d be having a great time right now.” Jason’s words were sincere and hopeful. He looked over at Samantha, who hadn’t responded at all.

“But this COVID thing did mess everything up, Jason.”

Her words were sharp and stated matter-of-factly. “It’s kept us trapped in this tiny apartment, isolated and alone. I can’t find work right now; you don’t seem all that interested in what you do.”

“Hey now,” Jason tried to interject, but Samantha would not relent. She sat up and stared into his eyes.

“Well? You don’t. You’re like a damn zombie in there staring at the screen. Is this really what you want for yourself? For us?” Her voice became shrill, and the pace of her words quickened.

“I’m scared, Jason! Really scared! Of this place, of what it’s doing to you! How you are, what you’ve become. Shining your goddamn shotgun in your sleep? What the hell is that!?”

Samantha’s voice