Muted

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Your eyes always seemed to find him lately, but you didn't dwell on that fact. It was just a coincidence, of course, because of how close he lived to you.

You often ran into Mr. Hanyu outside the apartment, especially on your days off. You'd see him jogging in the local Green Space doing his recommended cardio, or at the food pantry picking up the weekly rations.  Somehow you always seemed to pick the time he was already doing his laundry to do your own.  Even in large crowds, your eyes seemed to find him.  However, you didn't expect to run into him here, by the lake near your apartment.

Coming home from work today, you had been notified that your apartment complex was under maintenance. The heating system was broken, turning the entire complex into an inferno despite it being the dead of winter. Seeking solace, you had made your way to a bench by the lake you frequented.

It was a spot of solitude, tucked away just below the Patrol Office building, and one that you passed every night when you came home from work.  An old bench sat quietly in the landscape, a place you were pretty sure only you and the Patrol Officers who worked in the building knew about.

You expected to relax on your secret bench, but when you arrived, you found it already occupied. Sitting exactly where you had planned to, right in front of the lake that had turned into a frozen sheet of ice, was your neighbor, Mr. Hanyu. With his eyes closed and earbuds in, likely tuned into the Regime's Nightly News, he hadn't noticed you at all.

You were about to turn and leave when something made you stop mid-step.

From a few feet away, you saw him start moving in an unusual way. You blinked once, and then twice, wondering if your fatigue was playing tricks on you again. But as you focused on him longer, it became clear that your eyes were not mistaken.

Your breath caught in your throat.

At first, his movements were barely noticeable—a gentle rocking of his head. But soon, they became more pronounced, his entire upper body swaying as if being carried by a breeze, arms and fingers moving like feathers in the wind. His movements were soft, like a swan gliding on water, and fluid, like a fish swimming in the sea. It was almost as if he was lost in a world of his own, imagining something behind his closed eyes, his body following along involuntarily.

You weren't entirely sure what he was doing, but deep down you knew alarm bells should be ringing.

Anyone with eyes could see that his behavior was atypical.  And, as you were taught, anyone exhibiting atypical behavior should immediately be reported to the authorities for suspicion of Sense Offense.  As a model citizen and a Rehabilitation Physician, it was your duty to sound the alarm.

But, that just didn't happen.

Instead, something about his graceful movements under the moonlight had you rooted to the spot. You stood there, mesmerized, your palms doing that weird sweaty thing, again. It wasn't until you heard the pitter-patter of approaching footsteps that you snapped out of your trance.

That was when you noticed that two Patrol Officers coming from the building only a few yards away were heading straight for you. Their sole job was to protect citizens from Sense Offense, and within only a matter of seconds, they would see your neighbor and notice exactly what you had.    

Your heart raced as you glanced at Mr. Hanyu, who was still oblivious to both you and the approaching officers. Before your brain could rationalize why, you were already sitting next to him, your arm purposely brushing against his.  The touch jolted him out of his trance, stopping the movements that had captivated you moments before.

Looking straight ahead, you held your breath as you watched out of the corner of your eye as the two officers passed, giving you both a brief glance before continuing on their way. When they were out of sight, you let out a long gasp, the air creating a puff of steam in the cold evening.

In the following moments of stillness, that's when you heard it, that strange noise again.

It was that same mysterious high-pitched sound you'd heard the morning after you and Mr. Hanyu accidentally swapped earbuds. It still had a chime-like, rhythmic quality to it. This time, though, you were sure it wasn't just your tired ears playing tricks on you. The sound was definitely coming from his earpods.

You turned towards him to find him already looking at you.

His face was blank, his expression neutral. To the lay-person, Mr. Hanyu would have seemed perfectly ordinary.  But to you, a trained professional, you saw the clinical signs.

You noticed his tense posture, the tremor in his pupils, and his uneven breathing. There was a flush spreading across his skin and a slight arch in his eyebrow. All these were textbook indicators of fear, something you'd seen many times in your patients.

The undeniable truth hit you at that moment: this man, an exemplary citizen of the Regime, was... feeling emotions. He was breaking one of the most criminal laws in your society, Sense Offense.

You knew it.

But you turned your gaze back to the lake and pretended you didn't notice anyway.

"It's a cold night, neighbor," your voice sounded different to your own ears. "Please take care of yourself."