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To Part V To Part VII
Silence: He had stopped because he thought he heard something. He is standing in the hallway, in front of the bedroom door. The door is closed and from behind it he just heard someone say 'shhh,' deliberately quiet and what sounded like the bedsheets slowly rustling. He opens his mouth wide in order to breathe as quietly as possible and hear something else. There is nothing for the moment, a long moment. He realizes that the light is on behind him and that it is probably dark in there. That means they can see the shadows of his feet under the door. He stands there, open-mouthed, letting his ears fine-tune the silence even more. He thinks he just heard someone say 'i don't know!' He is looking at the door and remains motionless. There is an itch on his face but he does not scratch because his jacket will make a noise. He wants to clear his throat but only swallows instead. He listens and hears nothing. That means that they are also being still and quiet and listening. They know. They see his feet under the door. Two of them- that means that one of them is on his side of the bed. Maybe they are propped up on their elbows and watching to see if the shadows under the door move. He backs away from the door, keeping the shadows in line with the original position, and turns, walking softly away from the door on the balls of his feet, avoiding the soft spots on the floor. He stops, turns and looks. The door is still closed. He hears nothing. He goes to the kitchen, opens the refrigerator and sees that no one has touched the beer. He pulls one out, twists the cap off and stands there. He drinks it in long pulls, remaining in the same position. When he finishes, he decides to not throw the bottle away or even to take it with him. Before leaving out the back door, he puts the empty bottle and cap on the kitchen table. That way she will have to say something.