Gemotions

The flickering gas lamp cast long, dancing shadows across the cramped alleyway. Sarah clutched her coat tighter, the worn fabric doing little to fend off the sudden chill that had settled deep in her bones. She’d found him, Mark, her friend of a decade, behind the bakery. He was supposed to be at the prestigious law firm, not here, loading crates. Her breath hitched.

She took a step back, the cobblestones crunching under her boots. His face, when he finally saw her, went white, then mottled red. It was a look she had never seen before and it sent a cold spike through her.

“Sarah?” His voice was thin, a thread pulled taut. He took a hesitant step toward her, but she instinctively recoiled, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.