Gemotions

He felt his pulse quicken, an insistent thrumming in his ears. The doors were stuck. He looked at Susan, her face pale, and felt an unfamiliar twinge of empathy. He'd never really spoken to her, beyond the occasional office greeting. Now, they were trapped.

"Right," he said, his voice sounding thin and weak, "So… we wait, I guess?" The words hung in the air, inadequate, failing to bridge the growing chasm of uncertainty. He felt the blood draining from his face.

She ran her fingers through her hair, over and over, as if trying to smooth away an invisible wrinkle. The feeling intensified with each minute that passed. He felt a deep sense of wrongness, as though the world was now operating under different rules. He didn't know what to do.

He pulled out his phone, knowing there was no signal, but the act of doing so offered a small, temporary illusion of control. The waiting felt unbearable.