The Brittany Heights neighborhood in Chandler, Arizona (Cassidy Araiza)

Where was it coming from? Would it stop? Would it get worse? He started spending more time inside.

It was aggravating, and he felt mounting anxiety every day it continued. But whenever he went out to cook or read, there was that damn whine-on the weekends, in the afternoon, late into the night. Thallikar had installed a firepit and Adirondack chairs in his backyard. This being Arizona, Thallikar and his neighbors rewarded themselves for surviving the punishing summers by spending mild winter evenings outside: grilling, reading, napping around plunge pools, dining under the twinkle of string lights. In early 2015, Thallikar discovered that the hum had followed him home. The whine became a constant, annoying soundtrack to his walks.Īnd then it spread. Evening after evening, he realized, the sound was there-every night, on every street. Just one single, persistent note: EHHNNNNNNNN. It sounded a bit like warped music from some far-off party, but there was no thump or rhythm to the sound. On another walk a few days later, he heard it again. It was during one of these strolls that Thallikar first became aware of a low, monotone hum, like a blender whirring somewhere in the distance. In the evenings, after work, Thallikar liked to decompress by taking long walks around Brittany Heights, following Musket Way to Carriage Lane to Marlin Drive almost as far as the San Palacio and Clemente Ranch housing developments. To hear more feature stories, see our full list or get the Audm iPhone app.

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