Gemotions

The air in the lab grew thick and heavy, like a stagnant pond. The announcement, plastered on the department bulletin board, felt like a personal affront. Professor Ito, her advisor, was gone. Just like that.

I felt a tightening in my chest, a physical reaction I couldn’t control. I wanted to tear down the posters, to rip the words from the board. I wanted to scream.

The beakers on the workbench seemed to mock me with their sterile cleanliness. I kicked a stray chair, the metallic clang echoing in the suddenly vacant space. I needed to move, to burn off this terrible energy.