A Low Hum

Silence first. Then a pulse. Not in my chest, but through the floor. I stood rigid in the greenish haze, head bowed, listening. A mechanical thrum trembled behind the wall. Deliberately, I loosened my fingers, testing the tension in my wrapped wrists. I reached out. My gloved knuckles pressed against the cold metal edge of the utility hatch. The vibration surged up my arm, steady and real. I am awake.