The absolute silence gnawed at Dustin’s senses. Although he lived alone at his apartment, though the walls were solid enough to blast his speakers and not have to deal with his neighbor’s discord (and, as such, also made sure Dustin never had to deal with theirs), Dustin’s space was far from quiet. The hum of electronics caused constant background noise. Music always played, be it iPod, computer, stereo, or television, something somewhere played someone. The coffee machine gurgled, perpetual motion toys bubbled and swung in their never-ending journeys, baseboard heaters clicked on and off as they maintained a perfect seventy-two degrees. This, wherever this was, contrarily reigned in supreme command over noise. Spare the occasional short spurt of something clicked quickly over something ha
