But this time, something else happened.
The teenager behind the counter dropped a ladle of salsa. A woman in a business suit began to weep without knowing why. And Elias, a part-time musicology grad student with a particular interest in infrasound, felt his hindbrain light up like a struck match. deep throat sirens
Elias was awake, because he was always awake now, waiting. This time, he had earplugs. He had noise-canceling headphones over those. He had a mattress wedged against his bedroom door. But this time, something else happened
It didn't matter.