Gemotions

The silence of the empty apartment was deafening. The phone hadn't rung in days. Liam saw his digital drawings on a prominent billboard above a busy intersection. He’d never intended for anyone to see them, digital sketches of monstrous forms, born from a place he’d rather keep private.

He felt a pull on his gut. He didn’t want to go outside, to face the world, to see the billboard that taunted him. He didn’t even want to move. He felt like his heart was lodged in his throat, making it difficult to swallow. He was stuck.

He was suddenly forced from this state. His phone buzzed, a summons from the police station about some charges in relation to the billboard. He barely understood the words, but he knew he was to go there. The thought made his stomach churn. As he stood there, paralyzed, the image of his work, now a public spectacle, burned itself into his memory.