Gemotions

Liam paced the perimeter, a nervous energy making his legs twitch. The foreman’s repeated offers of coffee were met with short, dismissive gestures. He ran a hand through his hair, already feeling it roughening and unkempt.

He remembered playing hide-and-seek here with his siblings, the feel of the cool grass under his bare feet, the taste of stolen summer peaches. The thought of that memory being erased, eradicated like a bad dream, left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

The incessant buzzing of a chainsaw broke the stillness. He flinched, his shoulders tensing. Why did they have to start so damn early?