Still No Sirens

There were no alarms last night. No sirens, no shouting, no megaphone announcements from the police. Just movement—controlled, rhythmic, and terrifyingly quiet. I watched from the window as a line of dark vans moved through the market square, their headlights off, guided only by the dim glow of the streetlights. It was a ghost parade. I don’t think noise is part of the plan anymore. They’ve realized that silence keeps the residents in their beds and the ‘subjects’ calm. It’s much easier to dismantle a town when no one is making a sound. The silence is more frightening than the sirens ever were; it feels like a secret being kept from an entire population.