Did You Hear That?

I'm sitting in the waiting room at a merge. I've been having pain in my lower back for a while now and so I thought it was time to see medical attention. The person sitting next to me is reading a magazine. Just a simple home decor magazine, showing interior designs in fabulous homes. He flips through the pages, looking more at the pictures rather then reading the words. I related to him doing so. Suddenly the lights in the room started to flicker. I looked around confused, the young man looked confused too. We looked at each other for a split second but then he carried on looking at the magazine. I starred at the reception table, the receptionist at the front didn't seem to notice. Suddenly an eerie screeching sound went off down the hall. It was a bit quite at first but then it got louder. It sounded like nails on a chalk board. Very unpleasant and uncomfortable. I covered my ears, hunching over slightly. The man next to me did the same. We locked eyes again. Other people around us didn't seem to react at all. What the hell was going on? I wanted to say something to the man but I was too frazzled to speak. Were we the only ones who heard that?

After being shaken by the terrifying noise, I wanted to ask the young woman beside me if she heard it too. I felt awkward though as I was very confused as to why no one else in this hospital reacted at all. It's like they were totally deaf towards it. I wondered, did I only hear the noise? Am I going crazy? But the woman seemed to have a reaction too so it couldn't have just been me. Then the sound went off again. This time not as loud but still frightening and unnerving. Again, no one budged or flinched one bit. The woman tensed up grabbing on to the arms of the chair. I put the magazine down. It's definitely not just me. Why is this stranger and I the only ones hearing this god awful noise?

We starred at each other with utter confusion. Both of us couldn't find the words to speak.