Gemotions

The pounding started again, rhythmic and insistent. Sarah clutched the phone tighter, knuckles bone white. She could feel a flush creeping up her neck, a heat that burned. It had been like this for weeks. She'd tried talking, leaving notes, but the music just got louder. "Yes, hello," she croaked into the receiver, her voice barely a whisper. "This is Sarah, from next door..." Her breath hitched. The phone line blurred the edges of the bass thumping through her apartment walls, making her want to scream.

She tugged at the frayed hem of her pajamas. The police operator was polite, even sympathetic, but the music continued. A headache throbbed behind her eyes, a relentless drumbeat mirroring the one in the adjacent apartment. She slumped against the chipped paint of her hallway, her shoulders sinking. The thrumming vibrated through her, making her teeth ache. She ran a hand through her tangled hair.