- 14 hours ago
Mom, I Will Be Quiet
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01My older sister, Chloe, suffered from severe misophonia.
00:06She couldn't tolerate the slightest noise.
00:08Whenever I made a sound, instantly, Chloe woke up in the next bedroom.
00:13She started pounding on the wall like a maniac.
00:16My head is exploding!
00:18Mom, Sarah, stormed into my tiny room.
00:21She looked at my flush face and how I was struggling to breathe,
00:25but her eyes held nothing but deep disgust.
00:28Can't you just hold it in?
00:30Do you have to torture your sister at an hour like this?
00:33Ironman, Mom marched into the storage room and brought back a roll of silver duct tape.
00:39Round and round, she taped my mouth and, nose shut, sealing them tea.
00:50You're going to stand on the back deck for time out tonight.
00:53You can come back in when you're completely quiet.
00:57The howling wind battered the house.
01:00It was 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
01:03Dad, David, walked over, looking annoyed.
01:06She watches too many soup operas.
01:09Now she's playing the victim.
01:12The phlegm in my lungs felt like wet cement blocking my airway.my lips.
01:23But I never had a tomorrow.
01:28The 5 degrees Fahrenheit winter night possessed a biting cold that could freeze blood.
01:33With every agonizing breath, the phlegm rolled up, clogging my throat.
01:40Please, let me in.
01:43I won't cough anymore.
01:45I can hold it.
01:47Sweetie, don't be scared.
01:48I already sent Lily to the deck for time out.
01:51You can get a good night's sleep now.
01:53I'll take you to your therapist tomorrow.
01:58To keep Chloe from hurting, and to keep Mom from getting angry again, I was a good girl.
02:03I didn't rip the tape off.
02:07Dad walked out of the master bedroom, holding a glass of whiskey.
02:12He pulled the blinds completely shut with a heavy thud.
02:15The last sliver of light vanished.
02:18The darkness and the blizzard swallowed me whole.
02:24I remembered earlier before dinner, I had gently coughed just once because I couldn't suppress the itch in my throat.
02:32Lily!
02:33You did that on purpose, didn't you?
02:35Are you trying to kill me with that noise?
02:37Oh my god, my head is splitting open!
02:47Lily, how many times have I told you your sister has a severe sensory procession disorder?
02:53She can't handle any noise!
02:56And you still dare to cough right in front of her!
02:59Mommy, I didn't want to cough, but my throat is so itchy.
03:06Your lungs hurt?
03:07I think you're just being malicious!
03:12Do you think because our health insurance maxes out paying for your sister's therapist,
03:17you need to fake an illness to compete for attention?
03:20I've told you a million times, we don't not love you!
03:24David and I are exhausted enough paying the mortgage and medical bills.
03:27Stop causing trouble for us!
03:31I tried to explain.
03:33I tried to tell her I had been running a fever for three days,
03:37and that there were streaks of blood in my phlegm.
03:39But Mom didn't listen.
03:41All she saw were the scratch marks on Chloe's face.
03:44All she saw was her oldest daughter screaming in agony.
03:47And so, that roll of silver heavy-duty tape,
03:50usually meant for fixing leaky pipes,
03:52was ruthlessly wrapped around my face.
03:55Every rotation was accompanied by Mom's exhausted, furious glare and Chloe's triumphant sneer.
04:00The suffocation grew stronger.
04:03The blizzard before my eyes began twisting into a black vortex.
04:07I wanted to knock on the glass door one last time, but my hands were frozen stiff.
04:13They felt so heavy I couldn't even lift them.
04:16My body slid down the glass uncontrollably.
04:18In my delirium, I thought I saw my grandmother, who had passed away from COVID two years ago.
04:24Oh, my sweet Lily, come to Grandma.
04:27It's warm here, and you don't have to hold back your coughs.
04:32Mommy, I'm sorry.
04:34Next time, I promise, I won't cough.
04:38If I don't cough, will you hold me like you hold Chloe?
04:43The moment that thought flashed through my mind, my heart stopped its final beat.
04:47My five-year-old body curled into a tiny, stiff ball, collapsing in the corner of the snow-covered deck.
04:56Lily, you are so ugly.
05:00No wonder Mom doesn't like you.
05:06My body felt so light.
05:08So very light.
05:10I found myself floating mid-air.
05:13I drifted right through the sliding glass door into the warm living room.
05:22Rush B, you idiot teammates!
05:26She wasn't afraid of noise at all.
05:30She just didn't want to hear my voice.
05:33I turned and looked toward the master bedroom.
05:37David and Sarah were sleeping soundly.
05:39Mom was even snoring softly.
05:41Wasn't that snoring noise?
05:44Why couldn't Chloe hear it?
05:46Why wasn't she screaming?
05:48But my hand phased right through her body.
05:51A bone-chilling cold made me pull my hand.
05:57I was already dead.
06:00Dead in the freezing snow they had abandoned me in.
06:07At 6 a.m., the phone alarm went off.
06:10Mom stretched and her first order of business was to head to the kitchen to make breakfast.
06:15Bacon sizzled in the frying pan, the rich aroma filling the house.
06:20Next to it was a stack of freshly made pancakes covered in maple syrup.
06:24It was Chloe's favorite American breakfast.
06:27Dad woke up, too.
06:29He watched the morning news while tying his tie for work.
06:32The polar vortex hit the state last night, plunging temperatures to a record 10-year low of 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
06:40Residents are strongly advised to stay in...
06:43Dad, will you see me?
06:45Will you notice I'm not moving?
06:51That kid is so stubborn.
06:52Still hiding out there.
06:55Leave her be.
06:56We've spoiled her rotten.
06:58She's 7 years old and already this manipulative.
07:01Faking pneumonia just to compete for attention.
07:05Does she know how expensive medical bills are in this country?
07:08Is she trying to bankrupt this family?
07:11Chloe walked out rubbing her eyes, wearing her pink silk pajamas.
07:16Wow!
07:16Mom!
07:17Pancakes!
07:21I love you so much!
07:23Slow down.
07:24No one's taking it from you.
07:26Go get your sister.
07:27She's acting out, but if she catches frostbite, an ER visit will cost us a fortune.
07:33I don't want to.
07:35Just looking at her pathetic face gives me a headache.
07:37Be a good girl.
07:39Give her an excuse to come in.
07:47Loser serves you right.
07:50That's what you get for trying to steal Mom and Dad from me.
07:53I hope you freeze to death.
07:57Mom!
07:58Lily says she's not hungry.
08:00She said she's going to stay out there and reflect and told us to leave her alone.
08:05No!
08:06I didn't say that!
08:07Please believe me!
08:09Fine!
08:10Ungrateful brat!
08:12Then let her stand there!
08:14Nobody opened that door for her today!
08:17Let's see how long her stubbornness lasts!
08:21Hmph.
08:22Ignore her.
08:23Let her skip a few meals.
08:24She'll learn who runs this house.
08:26They continued eating their steaming hot breakfast,
08:29discussing which national park they should visit for skiing this weekend.
08:33No one glanced at the deck again.
08:35Yes!
08:35I want to go skiing and take lots of photos.
08:46Don't indulge Lily.
08:47Chloe's condition just stabilized.
08:49She can't take any triggers.
08:51I know.
08:51Don't worry.
08:52I suddenly remembered something from six months ago.
08:56One afternoon, Mom went to the community grocery store.
09:00Chloe was wearing her headphones, blasting heavy metal just like this.
09:04Freak.
09:04If you tell Mom I was listening to music, I'll throw you into the meat grinder.
09:10Lily's noise triggered my misophebia.
09:12My head is splitting open.
09:14She's torturing me.
09:16She's torturing me.
09:17My head is splitting open.
09:23It's okay, sweetie.
09:25I'll make her stop.
09:27Lily!
09:28You did this on purpose.
09:30You're hurting your sister.
09:32Kneel there all night.
09:33No crying.
09:34No noise.
09:35The result?
09:37Mom forced me to kneel on the bare hardwood floor the entire night.
09:40My knees were bruised black and blue.
09:43From that day on, I never dared say a single bad word about my sister again.
09:48I thought if I was just obedient, if I lived like a ghost, she would spare me.
09:53The doorbell rang.
09:54It was Mrs. Miller from Mexico.
09:56Hi, Sarah.
09:57I just baked some apple pie.
09:59Brought you some.
10:01Where's little Lily?
10:02She usually plays Legos here.
10:05Oh, Lily has the flu.
10:07I sent her to David's parents' house.
10:10Last night, I heard noises from your backyard.
10:13Like someone banging on the glass.
10:15It sounded like a trapped raccoon.
10:17You should check your backyard.
10:19A chill crept up Sarah's spine.
10:21I held my breath, too.
10:23Mom, will you realize?
10:26Will you go look?
10:29Mom!
10:33Ah!
10:35So noisy!
10:36That old woman's voice is like nails on a chalkboard!
10:39Get out!
10:40Get out!
10:41My brain is exploding!
10:44Oh, dear.
10:45I'm so sorry.
10:46I'll leave right now.
10:48I'm so sorry, Mrs. Miller.
10:50She's not well.
10:51Goodbye.
10:54It's okay, sweetie.
10:55She's gone.
10:56No more noise.
11:02The front door closed heavily.
11:06Mrs. Miller's side was sealed outside.
11:10Poor family.
11:12Stuck with a mentally ill child.
11:22Was that really Lily knocking last night?
11:26Was it not a raccoon?
11:32Mom!
11:32I'm right outside!
11:34Just pull the blinds!
11:35Look at me!
11:36Mom raised her hand.
11:38Her fingertips brushed against the drawcord of the blinds.
11:42Just one pull.
11:43And the truth would be laid bare.
11:47Mom!
11:48I want strawberries!
11:49The huge organic ones from Whole Foods!
11:51Right now!
11:54Okay, okay.
11:55Strawberries.
11:56Mommy will wash them for you.
12:03The truth, merely two steps away, was buried alive once again.
12:12By noon, the blizzard finally stopped.
12:15The snow had piled up over a foot high on the deck.
12:18Curled up in the corner, I was now completely transformed into a mound of snow.
12:23If I wasn't found soon, I would permanently become one with the winter.
12:27Looking at the dusty medicine, Mom stopped in her tracks.
12:33It's freezing outside.
12:35If it's really pneumonia, it will get worse.
12:38I better let her in.
12:39I'll make her wear a 95 mask.
12:40She finally remembered my wheezing, broken bellows cough.
12:44Mom, where are you going?
12:46I'm going to bring Lily in for lunch and make her take medicine.
12:50No!
12:51You can't let her in!
12:52She's faking it!
12:53She's gaslighting us!
13:00Chloe, stop it!
13:01It's freezing outside.
13:03No!
13:04I want her to freeze!
13:06I want to go...
13:07I want to go shopping!
13:10Stop it.
13:11Let me get your sister inside first.
13:13It will trigger my misophobia again!
13:16She tried to use her usual tantrum tactics to distract Mom, but this time, Mom gently pushed
13:22her hand away.
13:40In the corner of the deck, there was a tiny figure, stiffly curled into a ball, covered entirely in thick
13:47snow.
13:48The living room fell into a deathly silence.
13:51Only the upbeat pop music from Chloe's TikTok videos echoed on loop.
13:56Mom, why aren't you moving?
13:58Is that little bitch still playing dead?
14:13Lily, my little Lily!
14:15Stop scaring Mommy!
14:17Stop pretending Mommy is letting you in!
14:18Just move!
14:19Please move!
14:31Seeing this, Sarah's stomach heaved violently.
14:34Pure terror completely shattered whatever sanity she had left.
14:37She collapsed to her knees in the snow, broken.
14:40Oh my God.
14:41How did this...
14:41How did this happen?
14:43I just wanted you to be quiet!
14:44I didn't want to kill you!
14:45Jesus Christ!
14:47Just then, the sound of a car engine pulled into the driveway.
14:50David had taken the afternoon off and rushed home, uneasy about the situation.
14:56Sarah!
14:57What happened?
15:06Lily?
15:07Lily?
15:08He pressed two fingers against her carotid artery, no breath, no pulse, no sign of life
15:14whatsoever.
15:15She's dead.
15:17She's really dead.
15:24Back in the living room, Chloe finally realized something was wrong.
15:27She walked over from the sofa, still holding a half-empty Starbucks frappuccino.
15:32Seeing the gruesome scene on the deck, she didn't scream or break down like any normal teenage
15:36girl would.
15:38Ew.
15:39Gross.
15:41Mom, stop screaming!
15:42You're so loud!
15:44My head is going to hurt again!
15:45Just put her in a trash bag and throw her out.
15:49At least she's finally shut up.
15:53Shut up!
15:54That is your biological sister!
15:58You yelled at me!
16:01I'm calling the police and reporting you for domestic abuse!
16:05You're all bullying me!
16:07He took off his expensive cashmere coat and tried to wrap it around my stiff little corpse.
16:11But my body was completely frozen into a curled fetal position.
16:15Like a solid block of ice, I couldn't be straightened out.
16:18He could only bundle me into his arms, snow and blood included.
16:22To the ER.
16:24Right.
16:24The hospital.
16:25Call an ambulance.
16:26She can be saved.
16:27CPR.
16:27She can definitely be saved.
16:36The trauma surgeon cut away the remaining tape and cleared the foreign objects from my mouth
16:40and nose.
16:41When he saw the massive, stone-like mucus plug blocking my trachea, even a doctor used to
16:45gunshot wounds and horrific car crashes teared up.
16:47What the hell is this?
16:49This is industrial grade duct tape!
16:51Who the fuck taped a seven-year-old child's mouth shut?
16:54The child already had a severe respiratory infection.
16:57Her airwaste agreements were spiking.
16:58She needed to expel them.
16:59She suffocated to death.
17:01Mechanical ossification combined with severe hypothermia.
17:05Call CPS.
17:06Notify the homicide detectives right now!
17:09This is first degree murder, you pair of monsters!
17:16I thought, I thought she was just playing the victim.
17:20She didn't say she was cold.
17:22She just wanted her sister to not have a panic attack.
17:28The blaring sirens completely tore apart the facade of this middle-class family.
17:32Homicide detectives soon arrived at the hospital.
17:36David and Sarah, you are already suspected of serious illegal activities and have been formally
17:41arrested.
17:42You have the right to remain silent.
17:44Victim.
17:45Lily.
17:46Seven years old.
17:48Cause of death?
17:49Mechanical ascuration and multiple organ failure due to extreme hyperthermia.
17:56But what interests us more is this.
17:58Physical examination shows that aside from facial lacerations and frostbite, the victim
18:03had multiple old pinch marks and defensive bruises on her inner thighs and arms.
18:07Is this how you regularly abused her?
18:09No.
18:10We didn't.
18:12She bumped into things while playing.
18:14Bullshit.
18:15The medical examiner confirmed these were caused by the forceful pinching of an adult or near
18:21adult hand.
18:22The nail marks dug almost to the muscle.
18:24By the way, we got a warrant and searched your house.
18:27We found this tucked under the victim's mattress.
18:31Even with all the spelling errors, it paints a very clear picture.
19:00November 5th.
19:02Chloe was blasting heavy metal rock on her airpods.
19:05I saw it.
19:06She pinched my thigh so hard and warned me that if I ever told mom and dad, she'd make
19:10mom tape my mouth shut.
19:15Every childishly written English word acted like a rusty saw, violently cutting back and
19:18forth across the parents' hearts.
19:20November 12th.
19:21Chloe was blasting heavy metal rock on her airpods.
19:24She saw it.
19:35In the adjacent interrogation room, David watched everything through the two-way mirror, his
19:40face already drenched in tears.
19:41He remembered last night how he had personally pulled the blinds shut.
19:45That was the Gi team that severed Lily's final lifeline.
19:47It was him.
19:48For the sake of some undisturbed peace, he had pushed his five-year-old daughter into the
19:52abyss.
19:55That's not all.
19:57Your nanny cam in the living room, the one you installed to catch burglars?
20:01We pulled the cloud-synced footage.
20:04On the screen played a high-definition night vision recording from last night.
20:07It was 2 a.m.
20:11Lily's corpse was already slowly being covered by snow on the deck.
20:16Slowly, a hair-raising, sociopathic smirk crept onto her face.
20:19Then, facing the corpse, she slowly raised her middle finger.
20:27In that moment, the interrogation room was dead silent.
20:31All the excuses, all the middle-class decency, seemed so sickeningly pale in the face of this
20:35pure, antisocial malice.
20:40Because a minor was involved and the evidence was robust, David and Sarah were temporarily released to await trial after
20:45posting exorbitant bail.
20:49Lily, the floor is too cold.
20:53Get up, please.
20:55Mommy bought you that new Disney dress.
20:57Stop sleeping.
20:59Due to a lack of direct physical evidence causing the death, and because she was still a minor,
21:03CPS temporarily allowed Chloe to remain under house arrest.
21:06Ew.
21:07This house reeks of bleach.
21:09Disgusting.
21:10Mom, get up and make me some food.
21:12I was at the police station all day.
21:15Those cops interrogated me like a criminal.
21:17I was so scared.
21:35Hungry?
21:36Sarah's voice was as rough as sandpaper.
21:38When your sister was freezing and suffocating to death in a Sub-Zero blizzard, what were you doing?
21:43Chloe, you were drinking a Frappuccino, playing video games, and flipping off her corpse.
21:50Chloe was terrified by Mom's horrific stare.
21:52Mom, what's wrong with you?
21:54I'm Chloe.
21:55I'm your favorite daughter.
21:57It was Lily's fault.
21:58She was so weak.
21:59It was an accident.
22:00It had nothing to do with me.
22:02A resounding, full-force slap struck Chloe's manicured face heavily.
22:06The immense force knocked her to the ground instantly.
22:09Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
22:11You still dare lie to me!
22:14Sarah lunged her forward like a desperate lioness who had failed to protect her cub, grabbing a handful of Chloe's
22:20blonde hair.
22:21That was your sister!
22:23How could you be such a demon?
22:27Where is your misophobia?
22:29Where is your psychological trauma?
22:31Keep faking it!
22:33Let me see you fake it again!
22:35The pain made the overly desperate Chloe burst into his shoes.
22:37Dad, save me!
22:38This crazy bitch is going to kill me!
22:44In the past, whenever she cried, David would instantly rush over to protect her.
22:49But today, David sat on the sofa.
22:52At his feet lay a pile of shattered electronic trash.
22:55It was all Chloe's AirPods, iPads.
22:58Hearing his eldest daughter's pleas for help, David slowly raised his head.
23:02In his hand, he held that pink diary.
23:05is just joining me on the left and you write her spin you
23:05on the left so you hurried me
23:05and so I'll never see you right to the contrary.
23:05Let me see why것
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