The silence after the shift ends

It’s 4:32 a.m. and the factory’s been quiet for twenty minutes. I’m sitting on the loading dock with a thermos of cold coffee, listening to the way the wind moves through the empty warehouse — not loud, just… present. The last guy left at 4:15, said ‘see you Monday’ like it meant something. I didn’t answer. Sometimes the quiet isn’t peace. It’s just what’s left when everyone’s gone.