Gemotions

The abrupt stop sent a jolt of alarm through him. He glanced at Maria, his coworker, who had the look of someone about to faint. He struggled to collect his thoughts. Where were they? How long would they be there?

He took a deep breath, trying to project an air of calm that he did not possess. The minutes stretched into an eternity. He began to feel a sensation of profound strangeness, as though the fabric of reality itself had frayed.

Maria began to speak, her voice wavering, her words disconnected. He found himself nodding, murmuring agreement, even though he had no idea what she was saying. The world seemed to be closing in around them, a suffocating enclosure of steel and silence.

He pressed the call button, over and over, as if the repetitive action would somehow change their predicament. He was trapped. He didn't know what to do.