Gemotions

He stared at the envelope, a plain white rectangle amongst the usual bills and junk mail. His stomach clenched. He'd been expecting something, a different kind of mail, but this...this felt worse. He felt a cold dread wash over him. His hands were shaking as he picked it up. A generic birthday card, no name, no return address.

He went inside, leaving the door unlocked, a lapse in his usual vigilance. He ripped open the card, desperate to find some clue, some indication of who sent it. The words were bland, meaningless. He dropped the card on the counter, the paper making a tiny, insignificant sound that felt amplified in the sudden silence of his kitchen.

He paced the length of his living room, his mind racing, trying to reconstruct recent events, searching for any hint of a threat. He glanced at the window every few seconds, his breathing shallow. The world outside seemed menacing, full of unseen dangers. He felt alone, isolated, completely vulnerable.