Honk

I woke up. The sun had yet to return. I'm not a big fan of waking up. And I really hate to wake up before it is absolutely necessary. With no birds chirping in the dawn, I was afraid to look at the clock. The only sound was a distant car horn. It wasn't the typical car alarm with the repeating BEEP BEEP BEEP. This was one continuous BEEEEEEEEEEE... It was there when I awoke, and it continued.

I asked, "Do you hear that?"

Michelle was in deep REM. I would get no answer from her.

I waited for the sound to stop. I didn't want to look at the clock, and I fought the urge to raise my head to take a peak. What seemed like a couple more minutes passed. The sound continued. I used my pillow as a tortilla for a taco de cabeza, but the sound burned right through the thick shell and into my ear canals. The only drug that was going to knock out this nuisance was TV, I figured. Some late night cartoons ought to do the trick nicely. The brilliant thing with most cartoons is they disengage your brain from critical thought. They're usually quite effective at turning off my brain so I can get back to sleep. After almost a half hour of some violent Anime designed for twelve-year-olds, that fucking sound was still there. I could feel it growing inside my head like a rapidly developing alien embryo.

It was time for action. I laced up my sneakers and threw on a sweater. Someone's car was about to get keyed. The cool night air solidified my resolve. The sound seemed to come from all angles. The houses and alleys of the suburb reflected the sound in such a way, it was hard to tell where it was coming from. I began to jog in one direction, gaging the strength of the sound. Was it getting weaker? No. It was definitely getting stronger. I was on the right track. The sound grew louder as I navigated the streets. House after house passed all with similarly manicured lawns. I remembered I needed to mow my own lawn, but not before I killed the car that was creating that infernal sound. Thinking about the sound of a lawn mower swallowing that giant beep was soothing.

And there it was before me. It was a mid-size sedan very similar to my car, parked in front of a house very similar to my own. I approached the driveway slowly. The sound was almost deafening now. It appeared someone was slumped over the steering wheel. This was going to be fun. I should have brought my camera. As I moved closer I noticed the body rested in an awkward position. Comfort was not a priority for this sleeping driver. Was he asleep? He didn't appear to be breathing. He almost didn't seem real-- more like a crash test dummy. Yet there was an air of familiarity about him. I moved closer to the driver's side window and then stopped cold. My lifeless face stared back at me from inside the car.

I awoke with a start. I felt I had flexed every fucking muscle in my body. Honestly it was just like in the movies when someone wakes up from a nightmare. I looked over at Michelle. She was still asleep. And there it was in the air and in my head-- the sound. Without hesitation I laced up my sneakers and threw on a sweater. I flew out the door and began sprinting down the street. Then it stopped.