Against the Edge

Silent Witness

Louis slumped into the chair by his desk, unable to shake the images from earlier. Miguel lying there, silent and unresponsive, it haunted him. He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, trying to push away the memory, but it lingered stubbornly.

With a sigh, he turned back to his laptop, scrolling through the remaining dashcam recordings. Maybe there was something, anything, that could help them understand why Miguel had done this. He pressed play on another recording, watching as Miguel's car traveled down familiar roads. Each clip felt routine, like snapshots of an ordinary day... until he noticed something unusual.

Miguel's car had pulled over to the side of the road, remaining stationary for several long minutes. Louis frowned, leaning closer. There was no sound except for the faint hum of passing cars and Miguel's quiet breathing. The silence stretched on, almost eerie. Louis could feel his pulse quickening, an unease growing within him.

As he fast-forwarded through other recordings, he saw the same pattern. Miguel stopping his car, often late at night, in seemingly random places, silent, unmoving. It was like he was trying to escape, to isolate himself from everything, even if just for a moment.

Then, in one of the clips, Louis heard something else. He turned up the volume and listened carefully, the faintest sound coming through his headphones. He rewound and played it back several times, adjusting the volume each time. It was only after the fourth or fifth listen that he recognized it.

It was crying. The sound was so soft, barely a whisper, as if Miguel were struggling to hold back, to contain whatever was threatening to spill over.

Louis leaned back, his heart sinking. He could hardly believe it. Miguel, who everyone looked up to, who seemed unbreakable... was breaking. Louis took a shaky breath, trying to process the revelation. He'd seen Miguel's strong facade crack before, but this was different, this was Miguel alone, with no one to witness his pain but himself.

"God, Miguel," Louis muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. The weight of it all pressed down on him, leaving him feeling helpless. He wanted to reach out, to pull his friend back from whatever dark place he'd fallen into, but this recording was from months ago. He hadn't seen the signs, none of them had. And now, he could only wonder how long Miguel had been carrying this in silence.

Without thinking, he picked up his phone and typed a message to Mia.

Louis: Hey. Are you awake?

Her reply came a few moments later.

Mia: Yeah. Can't sleep either. What's up?

Louis hesitated, his fingers hovering over the screen. Finally, he typed out the words that had been stuck in his mind since he'd heard the recording.

Louis: I think... I think Miguel's been struggling a lot longer than we knew.

Mia's response was instant.

Mia: What do you mean?

Louis hesitated again, unsure of how to explain. He decided to send her the file instead, followed by a text.

Louis: This was from one of his dashcam recordings. It's... him. Crying, I think. He's been stopping on the side of the road, just... sitting there. And none of us knew. None of us... even thought to check.

After a few minutes, Mia called him, her voice thick with emotion. "Louis... I can't believe he's been hiding this. How could we not see it?"

Louis rubbed his forehead, feeling a mixture of frustration and guilt. "I don't know. Maybe because he wanted it that way. Miguel's always been good at hiding things. Too good."