Hearers of the Constant Hum

Prepare to be immersed in a world where the boundaries of reality fray and the constant hum of existence hides terrifying secrets. William Pauley III’s Hearers of the Constant Hum pulls you into the unsettling lives of individuals grappling with bizarre phenomena and the dark undercurrents of modern society. Meet Bill Krang, a man cursed-or gifted-with the ability to hear the language of insects, a relentless twelve-word message that has haunted him since childhood: 'Ashok burn right hand of men. To Neptune, rebirth in blue fire.' For years, Krang believed he was alone in this maddening symphony, until the day he came face-to-face with a brick wall, graffited with the same curious message, revealing he isn’t the only one hearing the hum. His desperate search for answers leads him down a rabbit hole of dark experiments, forcing him to consider the terrifying possibility that his affliction is far more significant-and contagious-than he ever imagined. Meanwhile, across the city, Della Comb, known to others as only 'Bee,' operates in the shadows, manufacturing a lethal drug from insect cadavers, preying on the despair of others. Her path violently intersects with Krang’s when she enters his squalid apartment in search of her unusual inventory. As the lines between hunter and hunted blur, Della finds herself entangled in Krang’s desperate quest, forced to confront not only the horrifying truth of his condition, but also the consequences of her own morally ambiguous existence. Is the constant hum a sign of something otherworldly, a biological anomaly with catastrophic potential, or a harbinger of humanity’s self-inflicted collapse? As these disparate lives converge, Pauley masterfully weaves a tapestry of dread, paranoia, and existential horror, forcing readers to question the nature of reality, sanity, and what it truly means to be human. Prepare to be gripped by a narrative that will crawl under your skin and stay with you long after the final, chilling note of the constant hum fades away.