Gemotions

The emergency light cast harsh shadows across the faces of Emily and David, making them look like characters in a bad play. Emily felt a profound disconnect, as if she were watching the scene from a great distance. Panic should have set in, but instead, a weary numbness had taken root.

“This is crazy, right?” David said, his voice laced with a nervous energy. Emily didn’t respond. She just stared at the floor, at the intricate pattern of the linoleum, trying to focus on something, anything, other than the echoing emptiness inside her.

The familiar tightness in her throat made it hard to swallow. Each breath was a struggle. It all felt so heavy, so difficult. The thought of the outside world, of the people waiting for her, seemed like an insurmountable obstacle.

David kept talking, trying to lighten the mood. Emily just nodded, offering small, strained smiles that didn’t reach her eyes. She wanted him to stop. She wanted to be left alone with the shadows.