Keeping Quiet Novels & Stories

I didn’t expect the silence in this mansion to be so loud. Not the kind that feels free or peaceful, but the kind that presses against your chest—heavy, watchful. The kind that makes you feel as though one wrong move, one careless sound, could shatter it… and leave behind a noise you would never want to hear again.

There was no way I would let them take him without a fight. 3:17 AM. The numbers on the digital clock glowed faint green, and then suddenly, the lights in the room flickered once, twice, then died completely, leaving us in nothing but dim shadows lit only by the pale moonlight coming through the window. The hum of the refrigerator and the aircon that I didn’t even notice was there until it stopped faded into silence, and all the small, constant background noises of living things just cut off all at once. And that quiet after everything went off… god, it was worse than any noise I had ever heard. It felt like the kind of silence that swallows everything, that makes your own breathing sound to

At isa ito sa mga napapansin ni Beau na pagkakaiba kay Emory sa mga babaeng nakilala niya noon. She’s quiet. Hindi ito mahilig magtanong at hindi niya alam kung maganda ba ‘yon o hindi. Being silent means she’s bottling her thoughts to herself. Pero ano naman ang pakialam niya kung ganoon nga? Mas mabuti nga ‘yon. Hindi sasakit ang ulo niya.

Pagkarating namin sa interiyor ng silid-aklatan, agad naming nabasa ang karatulang nakasabit sa kisame: observe silence. Kaunti lamang ang mga tao sa loon. Marahil, nasa computer shop sila; abalang-abala maglaro ng mga walang kwentang bagay. Sa halip na itabi nila ang perang kanilang na itataya sa kompyuter, pagkagunom pa rin at walang pagbabago. Embes na pagkain o masasarap na minandal ang kanilang bilhin, kompyuter pa rin.

Mabuti na lang at isa s'yang sundalo, sanay s'ya sa madaliang galaw. Paglabas n'ya ng banyo narinig n'ya ang pagtunog ng kan'yang cellphone. Nilapitan n'ya ito para e silent dahil baka magising si Thaddeus. She usually put her phone in silent mode kapag sa gabi para hindi madisturbo ang tulog ng kan'yang anak.

The silence that followed the storm was heavy, thick, and suffocatingly quiet. The small, soundproofed room felt completely disconnected from the rest of the world as the echoes of their heavy breathing slowly faded into the dim light. Zachary’s massive frame remained draped over Elena, his deadweight a crushing, possessive reminder of the savage claim he had just staked on her body and soul. His heart hammered frantically against her chest, a chaotic rhythm that gradually slowed down to a deep, steady thud.

Ang tanging maririnig mo lang ay ang mahinang tunog ng air-conditioning at ang sariling yabag ng sapatos. ‎ It was so quiet... Too quiet... ‎ ‎Lumingon siya sa likod, ilang beses. Walang sumusunod, walang kakaibang tunog. Pero nananatili pa rin ang kaba sa dibdib niya, para bang may hindi tama. ‎ ‎Calm down, Zein. You’re just overthinking. Matagal nang masama ang loob ni Marian sa 'yo, pero hindi naman siya ganon kasama. Kung gusto ka niyang gawan ng masama, sana noon pa.

Isa pa pala iyon na gusto niyang i-kompronta sa binata, paano naman kasi niya lilinisin ang silid nito at iba pang mga silid kung naka-lock at wala siyang susi? Tumango-tango siya bago sumagot. “O-okay.” Hanggang ngayon nanatili siyang nakayuko, mag-aangat lang siya ng ulo pag hindi ito nakatingin sa kanya. “Don’t entertain someone else, just be quiet. Do you understand?” He added. “Noted, blue eyes!” Masigla niyang tugon sabay labas para doon hintayin kung sino man ang magdo-doorbell na sinasabi nito.

“Then let’s keep it that way.” Pag-uwi ko, ibinagsak ko ang bag sa sofa at halos sabay akong napaupo. The silence of my apartment was deafening. Parang kahit ang mga dingding ay nakamasid, naghihintay kung kailan ako bibigay.

Ang tanging tunog ay ang pag-ikot ng air-conditioning at ang mahinang tik-tak ng relo sa dingding. Pagkaraan ng ilang segundo, tumayo si Caelum at inayos ang coat. “Enzo, continue the background scans on their network. Rafe, handle the media silence. I don’t want a single headline about what happened.” “Yes, boss,” sagot ni Rafe. Enzo nodded. “Got it. But, Caelum, listen… whatever it is you’re fighting, you can’t fight it alone forever.” Ngumiti si Caelum ng payapa pero malamig. “Who said I’m alone?”