Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash. He’d barely slept. The previous night, thoughts had kept him awake. Now, here he was, forced to hand over his dominion. "This is the workflow," he mumbled, gesturing at the complex diagram he had painstakingly created over years. He felt the familiar ache in his jaw.

He leaned back in his chair, the squeak of the springs grating on his ears. His eyes tracked the new hire, Kevin, as he struggled to understand the intricate processes. Kevin's eagerness felt like a deliberate act, a pointed reminder of his own growing obsolescence.

He closed his eyes for a moment, the world swimming. When he opened them, the office seemed to vibrate with a low-level hum of anxiety, a reflection of the turmoil within him. "Any questions?" he managed, the words a rough rasp.