Chapter 2 - Animals in the Woods

Someone from the news agency, News Now, had observed one or two unusual looking animals wandering aimlessly in the wooded area directly north of the supermarket near Jack’s apartment. It was actually far enough away that Jack was able to relax in the face of the ultimate fear, fear of the unknown. But, close enough to home for him to perk up his ears and listen for the cues:
“small dog-sized body with six legs”
“unknown origin”
“animal control officers are on the scene”
“park officials have closed the area to the public”
“barbed-wire being used to seal the perimeter”
“a hospital and a supermarket are the only establishments nearby”
Jack wondered what the hell all the fuss was about. It was probably a couple of kids playing a prank on someone or just a case of mistaken identity. These idiot news reporters will do anything to scare as many people as possible he thought.
The truth was, Jack only turned the News Now program on because the background noise gave his mind something else to focus on instead of the high-pitched whine coming from his neighbor’s place upstairs.
The noise usually began around 6am and lasted for about two hours. It wasn’t loud or over-powering, but it had a foreign quality that made its presence uncomfortable. Jack had never met his neighbors so he didn’t know what the deal was. Could have been a bad television set, a dialysis machine, or a computer. Whatever it was, the News Now program gave him another target for his misfortune.
Today’s news however, got him thinking about his isolation again. What if the News Now program was actually the only thing holding society together? If he hated it so much, why did he feel the need to consistently choose it over any other source of background noise. The faucet in the kitchen sink was usually too loud for him to have it on while placing a pizza order. The portable box fan could create enough wind noise to make him think he was taking a boat ride. And his stereo system was of course another possible source of masking background noise. However, there was something more comforting about the News Now program in the constant production of sensationalistic material. Jack turned the television off and went outside.