Gemotions

The leather felt slick, too smooth under Elara’s fingertips. She’d found the wallet slumped against a grimy dumpster, its contents spilling out slightly. A thick wad of hundred-dollar bills, almost obscene in their neatness, peeked from the opening. She nudged it with her foot, a knot forming in her stomach.

She grabbed the wallet, her fingers curling away, as if recoiling from a noxious smell. The air itself seemed to thicken with the scent of something unpleasant. Taking a few steps back, she took out a tissue from her purse and used it to handle the money.

“What a mess,” she muttered, already planning the route to the nearest police station. The whole situation felt…wrong. It left a bad taste in her mouth.